August 14 -18, 2024
So when did the Klickitat County Fair actually begin? There have been so many references to its origin in so many publications for so many years, it can be puzzling. But 1944 was definitely the beginning,
Welcome to Klickitat County Come Lease
which is why the Fair’s theme this year reflects that special anniversary.
In this issue, watch for our array of photographs of county agriculature scenes from decades past.
As always, it’s our honor to provide this guide and
keepsake to the events and showings at the Klickitat County Fair. See the complete Fair schedule on pages 16 and 17.
And visit The Goldendale Sentinel online at www. GoldendaleSentinel.com. The Sentinel has been
covering headlines and history in Klickitat County since 1879. The Goldendale Sentinel 117 W. Main Street Goldendale, WA 98620 (509) 773-3777
Info@Goldendale Sentinel.com
Nine-second run
Grace Bland
For The Sentinel
It’s an hour before showtime, and Samuel Wilder is already on his horse, getting the animal ready for the arena. His head plays scenarios of the perfect run in the tie-down roping rodeo event where he’ll rope a calf, jump from his stead, and wrap the calf’s legs together—all within seconds. The arena is stuffed with viewers and participants from all over
the world, their hollers and yelps calling for attention, but Sam and his horse remain vigilant in their warm-up. As the 15-minute mark approaches, Sam steps down from his horse and takes a knee to pray. “I’d rather have safety over my horse, and the cattle, and the competitors than be successful,” he humbly explains. After his prayer is uttered and his head is in the right place, he and his horse canter to the gates, ready to barrel
into the arena.
Sam executes this same routine before nearly every rodeo he participates in. He’s been raised into the lifestyle by his father who once competed in the same rodeo events Sam does today. “I love doing it,” he says, his eyes bright while talking about the hobby. “I love the energy that it brings—it’s a lot of fun.” Sam’s enjoyment of the sport recently led him to the National High School Finals
Rodeo in Wyoming where he competed against hundreds of contestants from all fifty states, as well as kids from Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
To get to nationals, Sam first had to get through four weekends of rodeos in the fall, four rodeos in the spring season, and finally a state finals rodeo. Each competitor is graded on a scale of one through 10 for each event, except for the state finals where
GOOD SHOW AT NATIONALS: Sam Wilder made his way to the National High School Finals Rodeo in Wyoming. Opposite page: Wilder kneels in prayer.
all points are doubled. The final four competitors in each event by the end of state finals move on to nationals. As Sam checked off rodeo after rodeo, he was sitting in fifth place overall for the tie-down event, his rankings tied neck and neck with another competitor. Knowing that state finals would be his last chance to secure a spot at nationals, Sam put in all his effort. “I ended up winning the short-go [the final round of competition in a rodeo] on Monday and making it to finals” he shares with a smile.
With his spot at nationals secured, Sam now had a new task to face—financing his trip. The rodeo business is expensive on its own, but traveling the eighthundred miles to Rock Springs, Wyoming wasn’t going to be cheap. Sam and his family plotted out several fundraisers, willing to put in the work to get Sam and his
Klickitat County Harvest
horses to nationals.
“I have to give credit—my mom and dad did a lot of that,” Sam admits gratefully. “Thankfully our community is amazing and our church family, so having that support was definitely huge.” After several fundraisers and months of prepping himself and his horses, Sam and his family finally settled into their truck for the day and a half drive to Rock Springs.
The performances ran for about a week, the arena always active with various events and competitors. In each event, contestants would be given two runs, and if their scores from those ranked them high enough, they would also perform a shortgo. Sam was scheduled to do both his first and second run in one day, one in the morning and one in the evening. That left him little time for corrections, especially as
Continued from page 7
his first go went long, stretching his time to 19 seconds. “I did not want that to happen,” Sam says, shaking his head. “But with my mind, I had to just learn that I’ve got to throw that away and go make another run.” For the second time that day, Sam saddled up his horse an hour before his run and practiced his routine warm-up, tossing the score from his previous run out of his mind. “I ended up making a nine-second run,” he shares, his demeanor happy, if not still in a state of disbelief at the
major improvement. “It was really exciting to be able to rope good against guys who are at the top levels around the world.”
Sam walked away from his second run in third place, earning himself a buckle and a check.
With nationals now checked off his bucket list, Sam turns his attention towards competing in amateur rodeos around Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
“Eventually I’d like to get my PRCA permit,” he discloses. The PRCA is the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association, the largest rodeo organization in the world. With
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a permit, Sam could enter select pro rodeos and over time gain a PRCA card that would grant him access to entering any pro rodeo. “That’s kind of my big-time goal,” he shares.
“To rope at rodeos is not easy,” Sam admits. “It doesn’t come naturally; you have to really work at it.” Only a few weeks have passed since his victory at nationals, but Sam is already loading up his horses to head off to another rodeo. He understands the constant work required for
improvement, and he knows every bit of it is worth the effort. “When you’re on that big stage and you get to see all those people— the energy that you have is ridiculous,” he says with a grin. It’s that feeling that’s motivated him to keep getting back on his horse and looking ahead to the achievements yet to come. With his humility and work ethic, there’s no doubt that Sam will soon be saddling up for bigger and better rodeos, pulling off many more nine-second runs.
IN SECONDS: Sam Wilder wraps up a calf’s legs at the Finals Rodeo.
Business is blooming
Grace Bland For The Sentinel
The summer morning air is crisp after a light drizzle and heavy with the smell of fertilized soil. Kristen Dorais energetically walks between the rows of her delicately planted flowers, their bright heads turned up towards the sun. She’s spent the last two years nurturing her flowers through thick layers of frost, scorching heat, and howling winds with the efforts to start a flower farm. Now, she’s the selfmade business owner of Fat Cat Flower Farm and has been able to share her passion for gardening with others. “Once the flowers start blooming and coming on,” she shares, a broad smile across her face, “it is just something so simple, and it brings me so much joy.”
The flowers are planted in neat, open-air rows near Kristen’s house, which means she’s yet to install a greenhouse. The lack of a controlled environment gave the unpredictable weather this summer an opportunity to strike her plants and strike them hard. Through her adept skills and her openness to learning more, she was able to keep her flowers alive and vibrant. Nonetheless, Kristen isn’t the happiest with how her flowers have turned out this season. “This is really sad compared to what it was last year,” she admits as she kneels to inspect the zinnia growing in patches of pink below her.
While her business has been a success in the grand scheme of things, there have been many
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?: Kristen Dorais tends her flower farm.
Grace Bland
hard days along the way. Kristen reached out to other flower farmers in Sherman County and Dufer and has established a small community that can understand the ups and downs that come with her occupation. “We all kind of talk, and we share our sad days and our success days together,” Kristen explains as she enters the cute black and white shop that she built as a headquarters for her business. “Sometimes you think you’ve got it all figured out, and then you get humbled really quick, and you learn a good lesson.”
Kristen has gracefully accepted the many curveballs that come with her profession and has been open to learning along the way. “I knew a little bit about gardening from growing up,” she says, describing her mother’s overflowing veggie gardens and pristinely cut flowers. Even with that background, it took her a
while to come around to the joys of gardening. “As kids we were weeders,” she laughs, recalling her childhood disdain for the task. “Flower and veggies to me meant weeding, and that sucked.”
While she still can’t say she loves weeding, the results of her labors are worth the effort. She’s been planting flowers on a smaller scale ever since she and her husband moved to the area, but the idea
for flower farming didn’t spring into her head until her desires outgrew the small pots in front of her house. “I just sat down and decided I was going to learn,” she casually says, as if her overflowing business isn’t a huge feat.
Kristen’s farm is unique in its form of shipment, as her flowers are bought through memberships rather than bundles. “All of my subscribers, or members, purchased a season of flowers,” Kristen explains while her fingers work to wrap flower stems together into a bouquet. “So they’re all prepaid. They have guaranteed flowers every week for a set amount of time.” She offers a summer and a fall membership and has found major success through this method, even to the point where she’s formed a waitlist. “I really like the membership part of it—I call them my flower friends,” she shares. “Everybody who has a membership really loves fresh flowers, and it’s just something that we can bond over.”
While her business is booming, she is far from done growing and improving her operation. Kristen has plans to build a greenhouse since the weather proved to be such a difficulty this year. “I honestly thought I wasn’t going to have flowers to provide,” she remarks, referring to the erratic weather that nearly killed all her labors. With the help of the greenhouse, she plans to increase her production of flowers enough to support double the number of members that she has now. She strives to share as many brightly colored flowers as possible because of the joy she gives and receives. “I love seeing people light up when they see them,” Kristen beams, nodding to the
FLOWER FARMER: Kristen Dorais.
Grace Bland
finished bouquet in front of her. “It just makes me really happy that they’re happy by something I was able to grow.”
“Flowers grown with light and love” is the tagline for Kristen’s farm, and the love is distinct in every aspect of her work. Her business is titled after her own beloved “fat cats” who keep her company throughout the day and lumber around the property. She rises early in the morning to treat her flowers to an all-organic fertilizer and faces the wind, rain, and heat head-on out of her love for the trade. The best part of her work is the love she gets to share with others in the shape of a bouquet. Her farm sprouted from a love passed from her mother to her—a love she now shares with each of her members, and a love that’s sure to grow with the years.
climbed into their tiny pool Wait–where’s the
and Edna Nygard.
PeGGY Woodard
REDNECK SWIMMING POOL: Crazy hot = creative cooling. Here, kids at the Naught family reunion in Bickleton in early August
lifegaurd? Left to right: Shea Van Zanten, Rylan Naught, Timothy Shirley, Sonora Van Zanten,
The rise of ag tech in Klickitat County
One of the most popular stories
The Sentinel has run was this one, from an issue of Harvest a few years ago. By request, we’re reprinting the article this year. Although the basic principles of farming are the same as they have been throughout the ages, there are definite innovations and advancements that have made the process a bit more comfortable and a little less work intensive. For instance, we now have engines in our machinery instead of having to power them with teams of horses, mules, or oxen, which not only saves on the workload but also removes the time for grooming, harnessing, and stall cleaning.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, farmers in the Klickitat Valley would drive umpteen horse-drawn wagons with hand-sewn sacks of wheat down the Maryhill grade on rutted dirt roads to Columbus (now Maryhill) where they would manually offload the sacks onto the shore of the Columbia River to then be loaded, again manually, on boats or ferried across the river to Grants, Oregon, (a town no longer in existence) for shipment by train destined for Portland. By the 1950s things had progressed and farmers were using Caterpillars to pull the thresher around the field and would then auger the grain into a waiting truck. By that time,
the Maryhill Loops bypass road was being used since it was built shortly after World War II.
In 1922, the grain elevator in Roosevelt was built, and much of the wheat in the central and east end of the county was trucked there.
The addition of airconditioned cabs on tractors, combines, mowers, and balers has also been a boon not only for comfort, but also for health benefits by providing cleaner air to breathe without the dust and chaff, protection from skin cancer after untold hours in the direct sun, and a defense against heat stress by maintaining cooler temperatures in the cab.
And though farmers’ clothes still can give the person doing the laundry a run for their money, it doesn’t hold a candle to eras gone
by when it seemed half the field went into the laundry along with the clothing.
Irrigation methods have also improved over the years due to advanced technology in water
systems. The days of manual well digging has given way to the modernized creation well drilling machinery. And no longer do we hand-pump from a well or
Continued on page 14
KLICKITAT COUNTY WHEAT LOADING: This is how it used to be done. This picture taken in 1936.
bucket water from the stream for water since mechanical pumps were invented and developed to bring this life-giving liquid to the surface.
Modernization was not just a benefit to the harvest crew. Men throughout the centuries could not have survived the hardscrabble work of reaping what was sown, nor sowing what was reaped for that matter, if not for the women toiling over hot cookstoves. The saying “Men work from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done” was never more true than before the modern kitchen came into being. Keeping the fire stoked in the house during the blazing heat of summer was no small task. This was necessary not only to cook two to three meals a day, but also for the never-ending cleanup. Amidst those grueling daily duties, they tended to all the canning and food preservation
the family would need to make it through until the next year–after, of course, they had planted, maintained, and harvested their garden.
Although electricity was being used in a few places in Klickitat County in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until 1938 that the people voted to have a Public Utility District established. It took some years, but eventually all the homes and farms in the county were wired, making wood cookstoves obsolete for kitchen chores. To further the lifting of some of the back-bending work, the advent of affordable dishwashers, air conditioning, and small kitchen appliances definitely relieved the cooking crew of a great deal of their laborious part of their tasks.
Encouraging each other in their dreams of a better life in the future, men and women took on their arduous tasks during extreme heat, hardship, and victories during the harvest season and beyond. Yes, farming and the farming lifestyle has changed, yet the spirit of the farmer’s heart and vision for family continues on as they fulfill their destiny in God’s creation.
—Peggy Woodard
Contributed: Marc Niva.
EARLY INNOVATION: Machinery finally began to help county farmers.
WEDNESDAY, AUG 14, 2024
8 am–10 pm: Fair Office hours
8 am: Horse Classes begin
12 pm–2:30 pm: rabbits, poultry & cavy vet check & caging; Small Animal Barn
12 pm – 1pm: sheep & goat livestock vet check & weigh in 2–4 pm: beef, dairy cattle, & swine livestock vet check & weigh in 2:30 pm: Rabbit, Poultry & Cavy exhibitors meeting; Small Animal Barn
5:15 pm: Mandatory livestock exhibitors meeting
5:30 pm: Ranch Sorting Bill Conboy Arena
10 pm: Curfew - animal welfare check, all barns closed to the public
THURSDAY, AUG 15, 2024
7 am–10 pm: Fair Office hours
7 am: All stalls and alleys must be clean
7 am: Fair Board Meeting
9 am: Exhibit Building Opens
8 am: Swine Exhibitors Meeting in Swine show ring
8 am: Horse Classes begin
8:15 am: Goat (dairy, meat, & fiber) Exhibitors Meeting at the Goat show ring
8:30 am: Goat Department
8:30 am: Market Swine classes begin, Breeding and Open Classes to follow
2024 Klickitat County Fair
8:30 am: Market Lamb classes begin, Breeding and Open Classes to follow
9 am: Cavy Showmanship followed by Conformation Classes; Small Animal Barn
10 am: Beef Exhibitor Meeting, followed by Market, Breeding and Open Classes; Bruce Cameron Livestock Barn
1 pm: Peewee Swine Showmanship - Half Hour Following: Second Annual Swine Show Costume Contest
1 pm: Rabbit Showmanship; conformation classes follow
2 pm: Goat Groom Squad
2:30 pm: KPUD demonstration
4:30 pm: Open and family penning
4:30 pm: Eleanor Dooley Memorial Livestock Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
5pm-7pm: Cheyenne West Trio on the Reno’s Stage
5 pm–7 pm: KICK-OFF BBQ, Live Music
6 pm: Archery fun shoot, Joan Frey Arena - TBD
7 pm: COWBOY AUCTION at Reno’s Stage
8 pm: Penning Finals, Family Penning First - Ranch Sorting Open/ Youth to follow this event
8 pm: Exhibit Building closes
8 pm: Small Animal Barn closes
10 pm: CURFEW - animal welfare check, all barns closed to the public
FRIDAY, AUG 16, 2024
7 am–10 pm: Fair Office hours
7 am: All stalls and alleys must be clean
7 am: Fair Board Meeting
9 am: Exhibit Building Opens
8 am: Sheep Showmanship begins
8 am: Swine Showmanship begins
8 am: Horse Classes begin
9 am: Poultry Market Classes; Small Animal Barn
9 am: Market Goat youth classes followed by Dairy Goat Showmanship adult classes
9 am: Beef Showmanship begins
11 am: Reno’s Stage Entertainment Begins
12 pm: Dairy Cattle Classes, Open classes follow
1 pm: All-Around Showmanship Contest (Beef, Dairy Cattle, Dairy Goats, Meat Goats, Sheep, Swine and Horses.)
2 pm: Pack Goat Showmanship and open Pack Goat Class
2:30 pm: KPUD demonstration
3 pm: Open Branding begins; finals follow; Western Games Awards presented before Branding Finals.
6 pm: Archery 3D Shoot TBD
8 pm: Exhibit Building closes
8 pm: Small Animal Barn closes
8 pm: Live Music by Countryfied,
Complete Schedule
Reno’s Stage
10 pm: CURFEW - animal welfare check, all barns closed to the public
SATURDAY, AUG 17, 2024
6 am: Work Arena and Stock
7 am–10 pm: Fair Office hours
7 am: All stalls and alleys must be clean
7 am: Fair Board Meeting
7:30 am: Dog Check-in, Classes begin at 8am
8 am: Dog Showmanship begins followed by Obedience classes; Dog Agility classes follow the lunch break
8 am: Small Animal All Around Showman Contest; Small Animal Barn
8:30 am: Dairy Goat Milking Contest followed by Costume, Goat Calling and Agility classes
8:30 am: County Team Roping Event; Bill Conboy Arena
9 am: Exhibit Building opens
9 am: Parade participants assemble at Goldendale Primary School
10 am: Downtown parade starts
11 am: Reno’s Stage Entertainment Begins
11:30 am: KPUD demonstration
11:45 am: Parade of Champions (line-up at 11:30)
12:15 pm: Hay & Grain King
awards presented in the Bill Conboy Arena
12:30 pm: NPRA RODEO begins
1 pm: Small Animal Costume & Drag Races; Small Animal Barn
2 pm–3 pm: Rabbit Judging Contest; Small Animal Barn
3:30 pm: Klickitat County Sheriffs Office Demonstration with K-9 Unit, Profi at Dog Show Ring near main fair entrance - TBD
4 pm–7 pm: Phil Garner Memorial Steak Dinner
5 pm: MARKET STOCK SALE at the Eleanor Dooley Memorial Livestock Barn
8 pm: Exhibit Building closes
8 pm: Small Animal Barn closes
9 pm: Barn Dance & Beer Garden
10 pm: CURFEW - animal welfare check, all barns closed to the public
SUNDAY AUG 18, 2024
6 am: Work Arena & Stock
7 am–5 pm: Fair Office hours
7 am: All stalls and alleys must be clean
7 am: Fair Board Meeting
8 am: Rodeo slack begins
9:30 am: Dog Check-in, Classes begin at 10am
10:30 am: Dog Show Jumper Agility & Rally Obedience Classes begin
9 am: Goat awards at Goat show
ring followed by Goat Calling Contest and Agility
9 am: Exhibit Building opens
9:30 am: Horse Awards and Exhibitors mandatory meeting, Eleanor Dooley Memorial Livestock Barn
10 am: Grace Brethren Church Service, Reno’s Stage
10 am: Livestock Judging Contest
10:30 am: Reno’s Stage Entertainment Begins
12:15 pm: Livestock parade (line up at 11:45)
1pm–4 pm: State Fair Sign-up in the Exhibit Building; 4-H Department
1 pm: Dog Costume Class
1 pm: RODEO starts
3 pm: 4-H Awards, Reno’s Stage
3 pm: All Livestock Barns Closed to the Public (haul out)
3 pm: Horses released stalls cleaned & decorations removed
3:30 pm: Exhibit Building closes for exhibit take down; reopens at 4:00 pm for exhibit pickup. No exhibits released until 4:00 pm
4:30 pm: All livestock exhibits released, decorations removed and stalls cleaned
5 pm: Exhibit Building closes. Any exhibits not claimed will be taken to the Fair Office
The first version of what has come to be known as the Klickitat County Fair and Rodeo was held by the Klickitat County Agricultural Society in fall of 1881. The Society was formed by area farmers and business owners to promote Klickitat County agriculture. The Fair was held yearly, for at least several years, some accounts claim yearly through 1889. Accounts also differ as to where the first Fairs were held, some stating they were
held at the armory on Main Street until the armory burned, then in the newly built fairgrounds. Other accounts state that the fairgrounds were built by the Society on land secured for that purpose from the start.
The Fair was a success, highlighting not only Klickitat County’s abundant wheat harvest but its fruit growers as well.
From An Illustrated History of Klickitat, Yakima, and Kittitas Counties, With An Outline Of
the Klickitat County Fair
The Early History of The State Of Washington, published in 1904: “The settlers of the county had their attention called for the first time to the importance of their county as a fruit county when they saw displayed not only hardy varieties but even the more delicate semi-tropical fruits, all perfect in form and development.”
It is not known why or even if the Fair ceased operations in 1889, the same year Washington became a state. Again, there is disagreement, with some sources stating the Fair was held annually through 1909, while others state it was relaunched that year.
From 1909 through 1929 the fair was held sporadically, being interrupted by World War l, the influenza outbreak following the war, and other unknown factors.
116 of the American Legion and renamed the Goldendale Jamboree. The Jamboree was mainly a rodeo event—and wildly successful, attracting world-class trick riders and cowboys who broke records in calf roping. The sponsorship lasted about eight years, according to local historian Richard Lefever’s article in Volume 42 of Klickitat Heritage 2019.
The Fair was impacted by the Great Depression—it was not held in 1930 or ’31 and didn’t resume until it was sponsored by the Louis Leidl Post No.
The Jamboree seems to have ended after 1940 for unknown reasons and was not held in ’41, ’42, or ’43, the latter two years because of World War ll. It was relaunched in 1944 by the Klickitat County Fair Association as the Klickitat County Fair. In 1949 the Klickitat County Livestock Association began working with the Fair Association to present the Fair. The Fair has been held regularly until the pandemic when it skipped a year (2020) and returned the following year.
80TH KLICKITAT COUNTY FAIR & RODEO
Supported by these Elected
County Officials
Billi Jean Bare, Assessor
509.773.3715 • klickitatcounty.org/149/Assessor
Heather Jobe, Auditor
509.773.4001 • klickitatcounty.org/1109/Auditor
Renea Campbell, County Clerk
509.773.5744 • klickitatcounty.org/186/County-Clerk
Lori Zoller, County Commissioner, Dist. 2
509.773.1248 • klickitatcounty.org/directory.aspx?EID=71
Dan Christopher, County Commissioner, Dist. 3
509.773.0146 • klickitatcounty.org/directory.aspx?EID=72
Rick Hansen, District Court East Judge
509.773.4670 • klickitatcounty.org/498/District-Court-East
David Quesnel, Prosecuting Attorney
509.773.5838 • klickitatcounty.org/287/Prosecuting-Attorney
Bob Songer, Sheriff
509.773.4455 • klickitatcounty.org/373/Sheriff
Randall Krog, Superior Court Judge
509.773.5755 • klickitatcounty.org/877/Superior-Court
Greg Gallagher, Treasurer
509.773.4664 • klickitatcountytreasurer.org
Soil health in Klickitat County
This story is courtesy of the Central Klickitat Conservation District and Eastern Klickitat Conservation District.
Central Klickitat Conservation District (CKCD) and Eastern Klickitat Conservation District (EKCD) have taken new strides in education and outreach in recent years to inform Klickitat County landowners of practices to improve the health of their soil. Soil health practices are becoming increasingly popular in Washington state, and it is our intent to expand knowledge and implementation of these practices in central and eastern Klickitat County. A significant barrier to producer adoption in our area is lack of local data to support implementation of these alternative practices. With many producers relying on crop production for their livelihood, it is natural that there is fear of
risk and questions related to the “when, what, where, why, and how?” of alternative practices. CKCD and EKCD are currently in the process of developing pilot programs for soil health projects to provide local landowners with data and knowledge necessary to effectively manage for soil health within their own operations. It is important for local producers to see what works specifically in our unique area, and what does not work. It is the district’s goal to create locallyled, on-farm trials that provide producers with answers to questions and methods to address challenges when approaching alternative management methods related to soil health. Improving the health of your soil is a process and a journey. It is important that we have support and community in reaching our goals, especially when it comes to our valued
natural resources—something we all have a stake in.
Managing for soil health is a lot like working with nature, emulating the ecosystem’s natural processes to work for us. The goal of managing for soil health is to create natural conditions that provide multiple benefits to producers, as well as benefits to the land itself. Benefits include a decrease in weed pressure, increase in crop yield, increase in water infiltration, erosion reduction, increase in beneficial nutrients, increase in organic matter, and much more.
There are four primary soil health principles used to guide effective soil health management: Minimize disturbance, maximize soil cover, provide continuous living roots, and maximize biodiversity. Creating a more resilient ecosystem can additionally protect crops against
environmental pressures such as drought. Two of the most common soil health practices are direct seeding and cover cropping. Direct seeding focuses on minimizing ground disturbance to protect the soil and let the soil establish its natural processes to work for you. Cover cropping focuses on increasing the presence of live roots in your soil. Along with building soil health, cover crops can additionally be used for livestock forage, providing multiple benefits.
Managing for soil health is one of the easiest and most effective methods for farmers to increase crop productivity and profitability while improving the environment.
CKCD and EKCD have a history of providing public events with a diversity of topics focused on soil health management.
Boost the beauty of outdoor spaces
Melinda Myers
For The Sentinel
Add some comfort and beauty to your outdoor spaces this year. Look for options that fit your lifestyle, budget, and schedule. Even simple changes can make a positive impact on the time you spend relaxing and entertaining on your patio, deck, or other outdoor spaces.
Freshen up the look and comfort of these areas with some new furniture. Look for comfortable pieces made of durable materials guaranteed to provide years of enjoyment. If this is not within your budget, consider refurbishing something you already have, something from a friend, or something found in a thrift shop. Adding a bit of paint, new cushions, or even colorful pillows can transform older pieces into something special.
Add some shade. A strategically placed umbrella can provide needed relief from the sun. Make sure it is stable and secure, especially in windy locations. Consider shade sails, not only for the shade they provide but also for their aesthetic appeal. Make sure it is securely anchored and supported, properly managed during harsh weather, and made of fire-retardant fabric if this is a concern in your location. Pergolas are more permanent structures.
Continued on page 23
Train deciduous vines up and over this structure for added shade in the summer. Then enjoy the warming sunlight when the vines drop their leaves during the cooler months of the year.
Create some privacy with strategically placed plantings and containers. Tall grasses, narrow upright shrubs, and vine-covered trellises can help block unwanted views while creating a private space outdoors. Consider the views you want to keep and those you want to block. Screen unsightly views and areas where neighbors can see into your space. You may only need a vine-covered trellis, several hanging baskets, a couple of pots, or a section of fencing rather than a long hedge or length of fencing.
Soften the look of fencing with some wall-mounted planters, a few potted plants or shrubs, and in-ground plantings if space allows. Use a diverse selection of plants when creating a living screen. This provides more seasonal interest and makes it easier to replace that one failed plant in a mature hedge of
evergreens like arborvitaes.
Water is another way to add a bit of serenity to your space. A wall-mounted fountain, small container of water plants, or container fountain will add noiseblocking sound and a sense of serenity to any space.
To control pesky mosquitoes in water features (or in any standing water), add a mosquito control like Mosquito Dunks and Bits (SummitResponsibleSolutions. com) that contains a naturally occurring bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis to the water. This active ingredient kills mosquito larvae, preventing them from transforming into biting adults. Mosquito Bits quickly knock down the mosquito larval population, while the Mosquito Dunks provide 30 days of control. They both are safe for pets, fish, wildlife, and children. Extend the time you can spend outdoors by adding a heat source for those chilly days and nights and a fan to keep air moving and the space cooler on hot days. Adding a fan also provides some relief from mosquitoes.
Continued on page 24
BICKLETON’S
MARKET STREET CAFE & GROCERY
These weak fliers can’t fight the breeze which will keep you out of their reach and much more comfortable.
Include lighting so you can enjoy your outdoor space in the evening. Consider a string of lights overhead, rail lights around the deck, or strategically placed illuminated plant containers. Create a more intimate experience with a few votive candles displayed in holders like old punch cups. Light a few citronella candles for a bit of ambiance and mosquito control when enjoying your outdoor space in the evening. Position the candles within a few feet of you and your guests. Start with a list of improvements you want to make. Then get busy researching the various options so you will be ready to boost the comfort and enjoyment of your patio, deck and other outdoor spaces this year.
Stacy Reed Kandi Paul
STEM makes its way to farming
Anybody involved in agriculture knows it is a highly technical field, so it will come as no surprise that the industry is fertile ground for STEM education.
STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific areas—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—and focuses on an interdisciplinary, applied approach. Susan Douglas, the kindergarten through fifthgrade math and science teacher at Almira Elementary School in Almira, Washington, wanted a way to show students how this knowledge could be used in real life. She found the answer just about as close to home as was possible—Douglas and her husband are also wheat farmers.
“I think of all the different things my husband has to do to do his job,” she said, pointing out that to farm successfully, farmers— and the people and industries that support them—draw on a wealth of technical knowledge, most of which is based in STEM. “I can’t think of a more perfect match than agriculture. These students sit in the midst of a constant experiment. Farming is an experiment. Everything is always changing, such as the weather. And then there’s the application. How do we interact with our natural resources to reduce our impact and make things better? Farmers are doing that all the time.”
When Douglas broached the idea of doing an agricultural STEM field day, the school administration liked the idea and gave it a green light. That idea turned into a half day
event. Regional companies did presentations on soil science and GIS mapping, while area farmers talked about growing wheat and the equipment used in raising cattle. That half day was a resounding success.
“The presenters hadn’t done anything like this before. The kids were excited about the presentations and very engaged. The community response was so positive that those presenters immediately started talking about how cool it would be to bring the kids out so they could experience the application of these things in the field,” Douglas said. Not long after, 110 kindergartners through eighth-grade students took STEM learning from the classroom and out into the field.
The school set up four rotations of approximately 50 minutes each. One rotation focused on the wheat industry, from planting to harvesting to marketing.
Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) Vice President Marci Green and WAWG Outreach Coordinator Lori Williams explained where the wheat grown in Washington goes and what products it is used for.
The school brought in a sprayer, combine and bucket tractor to a field across the street from the school for another rotation, and representatives from the John Deere dealer in Coulee City explained how the equipment was used. The students were able to climb on the equipment (under supervision, of course).
A third rotation was at a local farm where students learned about rotating animals, such as chickens and cows, through
different tracts to reduce impacts to the soil and manage weeds and disease. The students also learned how chickens help break up manure, which is then absorbed into the soil faster.
The final rotation involved invasive and noxious weeds and soil sampling with representatives from CPS and Hefty.
“At first, some kids didn’t want to take part, but they were the first on the equipment, the first to put their hands in the dirt,” Douglas
said. “They thought they had nothing to learn, but ended up being highly engaged.”
While an ag learning day for students in a rural community surrounded by agriculture might seem unnecessary, Douglas said that isn’t the case. A fair number of her students’ immediate families aren’t involved in agriculture, and the students aren’t really aware of how the industry works.
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“I ask my students about what kind of things are grown out here, and they aren’t really sure,” she said. “We assume they know. That’s where we make our first mistake, and we miss opportunities.”
WAWG’s Green agreed with Douglas. During her presentation, she asked each group how many of them lived on a farm, and only about 20 percent of the students raised their hands. And even for those who do live on a farm, they may only see and understand a small part of the industry.
“Much of the information we provided is new for the farm kids too,” Green said. “They might know what a wheat plant looks like, or what a combine does, but they probably don’t know how much of our wheat is exported, or why it is important to maintain all of our transportation options.”
Green and her husband grow wheat and bluegrass seed on her family farm in Spokane County. Every day, they utilize biology, chemistry, physics, technology and math to raise a successful crop without damaging the
environment or depleting natural resources.
“A solid background in these STEM fields will give the farmers of the future every opportunity to maximize the productivity of their operations and give U.S. agriculture a competitive advantage in the global marketplace,” she said.
Douglas hopes by exposing her students to agriculture and all the skills it uses, she can get them thinking about future possibilities, especially when it comes to technology.
“Our world is different.
Technology needs to be integrated in a meaningful way so students see that it has a purpose. You can play video games, but what’s the real application of that technology? Why is it important for kids to have computer skills that are meaningful as they go through school? Technology in agriculture is not going away. The industry will still need mechanics and such, but if you can take your computer skills and can apply them in an agricultural field, you will never want for a job.”
ALFALFA STACKING: In Klickitat County, 1936.
A centuries-old method of irrigation
Melinda Myers
For The Sentinel
Put rainwater to use in your landscape with the help of rain barrels. This centuries-old technique allows you to capture rainfall to use for watering ornamental gardens and containers.
Always start with a call to your local municipality. Some have restrictions on water harvesting, but most encourage this practice, and some even offer rebates or rain barrels at a discounted rate.
Purchase a rain barrel or make your own from a large, recycled food grade container. In either case, there are some features to consider when purchasing, creating, and adding a rain barrel to your landscape.
Make sure the top is covered to keep out bugs and debris. Some come equipped with a solid lid with an opening just big enough to accommodate the downspout. Others use a screen to keep out debris, while letting in the rain.
Don’t worry about mosquitoes breeding inside your rain barrel.
Just use an organic mosquito control like Mosquito Dunks and Mosquito Bits in rain barrels and other water features. Mosquito Bits quickly knock down the mosquito larval population, while Mosquito Dunks provide 30 days of control. They are both safe for people, pets, fish, wildlife, and beneficial insects.
Look for one with the spigot near the base of the barrel so water does not stagnate in the bottom. Use the spigot to fill watering cans or attach a hose for watering.
Include an overflow outlet near the top of the barrel to direct excess water away from the house or for connecting adjacent barrels. A downspout diverter is another way to manage rain barrel overflows. When the rain barrels are full, this device diverts the water back to the downspout where it is carried away from your home’s foundation.
Elevate your rain barrel on cement blocks, decorative stands, or similar supports. This provides
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easier access to the spigot for filling containers and speeds water flow with the help of gravity. A water pump will boost water pressure for a steady flow of water. Dress up your container with a bit of paint suited for outdoor use on plastic surfaces. And don’t worry if you are not an artist, you can hide your rain barrels with some decorative screens or plantings or upright shrubs, perennials or ornamental grasses. Just make sure you have easy access to the spout for retrieving water.
Start your conversion to rain barrels one downspout at a time. You can capture as much as 623 gallons of water from 1,000 square feet of roof in a one-inch rainfall. This can be a lot to manage when first adjusting to this change of habit. Disconnecting one downspout at a time allows you to successfully match the use of rain barrels and other rain harvesting techniques to your gardening style and schedule.
The choices are many, making it easy for you to conserve water and grow a beautiful landscape.
your landscape for winter
Melinda Myers For The Sentinel
Fall is a season of transition and that includes your garden. Make the most of beautiful fall days to enjoy your garden and prepare your landscape for the winter ahead.
Put fall leaves to work in your landscape improving your soil, reducing maintenance, and creating winter homes for toads, frogs, and beneficial insects. Mow over the leaves that land on the lawn. It may take a couple passes but once the fall leaves are the size of a quarter you can leave them on the lawn to add organic matter and nutrients to the soil.
Or mow, bag, and add the shredded leaves to annual flowers or vegetable gardens. Dig several inches of shredded leaves into the top 8 to 12 inches of garden soil. The leaves will decompose over winter, adding organic matter to the soil. Still more leaves; add them to the compost pile. Mixing this carbon-rich plant debris to greens like plant-based kitchen scraps, manure, and worm
castings makes for great compost.
Use leaves as mulch on the soil around the base of perennials. They suppress weeds, conserve moisture, insulate the roots, and add organic matter to the soil as they decompose. Leaves also provide winter homes and insulation for insects, toads and frogs that overwinter in leaf litter or just below the soil surface.
Let healthy perennials stand for the winter. They add winter interest to the landscape, provide homes for many beneficial insects and the seeds of Rudbeckia, coneflower, liatris, and others provide food for the birds. These winged visitors add welcome color and motion to the often, gray days of winter.
Take time to remove any dead, damaged and diseased stems, and branches. Disinfect your tools between cuts to reduce the risk of spreading disease to healthy plants. Clean tools with a spray disinfectant or 70% alcohol between cuts to manage disease organisms without harming your tools.
Refresh mulch around trees and shrubs. Maintaining a three-inch layer helps conserve moisture, insulates the roots from temperature extremes, reduces competition from the lawn for water and nutrients and improves the soil as it decomposes. Pull mulch away from the trunk of trees and stems of shrubs. Piling
mulch over these can lead to rot, decline and early death of the plants.
Help your lawn recover from the stresses of summer and prepare for winter with fall fertilization. Research has found fall fertilization is most beneficial for home lawns. Fall fertilization encourages deep roots and denser growth that is better able to compete with weeds and tolerate disease and insect pests.
Always sweep grass clippings and chemicals off walks and drives and back into the lawn where they belong. This simple step keeps unwanted toxins out of waterways and eventually our drinking water.
Add some spring color by planting daffodils, grape hyacinths, tulips, and other spring flowering bulbs this fall. It is also a good time to add trees, shrubs, and perennials to the landscape. The soil is warm and air cool, making it less stressful for plants to adjust to their new home. Mulch new plantings and water thoroughly whenever the top few inches of soil are crumbly and moist. Continue watering new and existing plantings as needed until the ground freezes. Once the garden is prepared for winter, you can put away the hoses and garden tools, break out the snow shovels and wait for spring to arrive.
Taking care of your yard during heat waves
As temperatures rise, so should the care of your yard’s lawn and landscape. However, it’s important to ensure your yard is healthy before a heat wave hits.
“The healthier your grass, trees, and shrubs, the more resistant it will be to summer’s extreme temperatures. Lawns, in particular, that have healthy grass leaves, and deeper roots are able to store more moisture,” says Kris Kiser, President & CEO of the TurfMutt Foundation, which encourages people to care for and use their outdoor spaces.
Here are a few recommendations on protecting your yard during a heat wave from The TurfMutt Foundation.
• Put the right plant in the right place. Always select appropriate plants and grass for your climate zone. This ensures the space is not only attractive, but also will be more likely to thrive in your microclimate, be easier to maintain, and will support pollinators and wildlife. Consider water, sunlight or shade requirements for your yard.
• Water at the right times. The best time to water the lawn and plants is in the early morning or late evening when its cooler.
• Don’t overwater. It’s okay to
make your grass work hard for its water. With little water, grass will send its roots deeper, seeking water. The grass then does a better job of sequestering carbon and releasing oxygen.
Also, most turfgrasses—and there are hundreds of species— will go brown during summer months when water is more scarce. It will “green up” again when conditions change.
• Know what type of soil you have. The frequency and amount of water you apply to lawns and gardens vary based on its soil, clay type, organic matter, and the type of plants and grass. Some soil holds water better than others; water molecules cling to fine particles of clay soil than to the coarser particles of sandy soil.
• Cut grass long. When mowing, don’t cut more than one-third of the grass height. By keeping it longer, turfgrass can develop stronger roots and greater tolerance to heat and drought stress.
• Keep foot traffic minimal. For already stressed grass, foot traffic can cause damage. Keep people off the lawn while the heat persists.
For more information visit www.turfmutt.com
Thinking of raising animals?
—Washington State University Extension
Sustainable animal production
The Farm & Food Systems Team at Washington State University Extension is dedicated to offering online materials and coursework to support smallscale food and performance animal operations. Regardless of operation size, producers of food and performance animals face challenges in Washington State. For small-scale food and performance animal producers, limited resources and educational events are available. The goal of the Farm & Food Systems Team has been to work with food and performance animal producers on profitability; animal care and management; animal handling and welfare; sustainable practices; and product (meat, milk, and fiber) development, processing and distribution. We are working to create a network for education through developed materials and modules. This network includes WSU Extension professionals specializing in animal sciences
for consult. Over the years the WSU Farm & Food Systems Animal Team assisted with the development of mobile processing units; successfully worked to adjust state poultry regulations; and through promotional efforts, created awareness of sustainably produced animal products.
Should you raise animals?
Many small-scale food and performance animal producers have limited knowledge about the animal industry. Before you decide to purchase your first food or performance animal, you should ask yourself “Should I raise animals”? This is an important question. Both food and performance animals are a time commitment and can be an expensive investment. It does change one’s lifestyle and reduce one’s ability to be spontaneous. Some animals need more constant care and management than others, yet all need observation so that slight changes in behavior or health do not turn into a major catastrophe.
Do you have the room to care
for your animals of choice?: Animal handling and welfare are of concern and often the source of concern are the conditions that animals are raised in. Make sure the environment you choose for your animal(s) will meet their basic needs and industry standards for animal care and welfare. Understand that the space needed for different species (horse, cattle, goat, pig, chicken, etc.) does vary. Furthermore, what type of space are you thinking for your food or performance animal— confinement, dry-lot, and/or pasture? Animal welfare is really a function of proper animal care. If you are ever unsure of the room requirements the best thing is to seek guidance from a professional (WSU Extension educator, Veterinarian, etc.) in the animal industry. If you are still unsure a second opinion is always good.
Zoning: Just because you have property does not mean you are allowed to have animals. If you own or are looking to buy property and choose to start raising animals it is best to consult with the municipality (city or town) and/or county for zoning restrictions related to your property. You may be allowed to have certain types of animals but there may be varying restrictions and conditions for each species allowed. These restrictions could include maximum number, maximum weight, sex restrictions (i.e., hens, no roosters), etc. These are legal restrictions that can be punishable by law.
Marketing animals and products (inspection and licensing): Many small farm animal operations start out as
hobbies that turn into more. At some point small farm producers realize that income is needed to sustain the operation. This opportunity varies depending on the type of product that producers are selling. In some cases one can sell the product (fiber such as mohair, wool, angora, alpaca, etc.) direct without inspection. With perishable products (meat, milk, and eggs) selling direct without inspection may or may not be legal. Understanding the type of market you hope to sell to will dictate the inspection channels that you will have to enter prior to distribution. Restrictions are in place as a way to provide consumers with a wholesome food supply preventing them from illness. There are challenges for each type of inspection and those challenges can be a source of frustration that some may choose not to deal with. Determine the animals you want and the products you would like to market, and then determine what type of inspection it will take in order to deliver products to your consumers. Licensing for certain on-farm activities dealing with waste management, composting, water quality, etc., also must be met and kept up to date in order to be in compliance. Again, if you are unsure then ask a trusted adviser.
Summary: Assure that you have thoroughly asked the important questions with regard to animal production will point you in the direction of success. Raising animals is a holistic commitment of animal care and management, time, and finances.
