Country Life
Dairy • B4 Gardening • B4 4-H • B4
B3 • lyndentribune.com • Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Model T tractor part of a larger story Worlow Wizard of Lynden origins will be included in planned book
Various experts of WSU will speak
By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
WHATCOM — The story of his restored Worlow Wizard tractor has been told locally. Now Paul Van Dyke may see it chronicled in a book with a national view. Writer Glenn Heim of Chicago recently came out to the Pacific Northwest and interviewed Van Dyke about the tractor that was manufactured in Lynden by his father, Henry, and partner C.J. (Chris) Van Andel circa 1930. “They made about 30 of them and sold them to local farmers,” Van Dyke said, retelling the history. It was getting to be Great Depression time and farmers felt they weren’t able to afford tractors made at standard factories — they would stick with horses. “One hundred fifty dollars was even too much,” Van Dyke said of the price charged for the Worlow Wizard tractor. The name came from a Harry Worlow of the Whatcom area who had done the design of the tractor conversion, but died before he himself was able to carry it out, said Van Dyke, 85.
Feb. 13 workshop is on soil quality
Paul Van Dyke sits on his Model T conversion tractor that will appear in a book being written by Glenn Heim of Chicago. (Courtesy photo/Laura Scalzo) This specimen that was restored a few years ago by Van Dyke and Jack Young had been found in very poor condition in 1996 on heavily wooded land of the Vinup family on the east side of town. Separately, he has a copy of the brochure that was used to sell the tractors of Van’s Machine and Sheet Metal Works from a building on the site of today’s Maple Leaf Auto Body Shop, corner of Main and Third streets. “Near Milwau-
kee Depot,” says the brochure. The brochure lists George Vinup as one of 14 “satisfied users” of the Worlow Wizard, indicating the likely link to the one restored. But the idea of converting the many Ford cars in circulation in the 1920s into functioning tractors wasn’t just a Lynden notion, it turns out. “Hundreds of them” were made across the United States, Van Dyke said. And that’s what Heim’s book is about. Hiem couldn’t
WSU offers funding for community gardens WHATCOM — It’s the right time of year to think about a garden ... and to apply for a local community garden grant though the WSU Extension Community First Garden Project. This program provides funding, technical support and education to new and established community gardens in Whatcom County, in the process fostering cooperative, community-building relationships. Funding to date has paid for a total of 152 raised beds, two hoop houses, fencing, soil amendments, vegetable starts, seeds, tools and more. Applications are accepted from community-based groups (churches, clubs, neighborhood associations). The key is they must demonstrate a need for the community garden in their area. WSU Extension can help applicants assess those needs. Applicants must form a leadership committee, show a willingness to work with Community First Garden and provide a match in the form of volunteer hours or other donations. A full list of these elements is on the website under Guidelines for proposals at http:// whatcom.wsu.edu/ch/assistance.
be reached for an interview. Actually, another local conversion of a Model T car into a tractor is viewable in the Lynden Pioneer Museum, but it isn’t a Worlow Wizard, Van Dyke said. Van Dyke’s daughter-inlaw, Laura Scalzo, took a photo of Paul on the restored tractor on the Ferndale-area farm where the work was done. It is printed above and has been submitted to be included in the Heim book.
Ecology finds violations by four local operations
html. “We work with groups that demonstrate a commitment to helping themselves and others to become more self-reliant and cooperative,” said Beth Chisholm, coordinator. Participation also creates opportunities for gardeners to learn and network. Whatcom County CFG recipients of the past include: Ferndale Friendship Garden, Everson Community Garden, Maple Falls, Meridian Middle School and the East County Resource Center. Master Gardeners may also be provided as advisors to a community garden. WSU Whatcom County Extension also offers free educational seminars at individual garden sites. Topics include successive planting/harvesting, how to extend the growing season, using fertilizer, rain barrels, seed saving and composting.
OLYMPIA — Four Whatcom County operations received penalties totaling $6,200 from the Washington Department of Ecology in the third quarter of 2013 for violations of state and federal laws: • Americold Logistics LLC of Lynden was fined $2,000 for cleaning out a fish holding truck and discharging approximately 100 gallons of soapy water into Fishtrap Creek through a storm drain. • George Sandhu of Ferndale was fined $2,000 for planting and irrigating blueberries on his 118 acres without a water right to irrigate most of the property. • Trident Seafood of Bellingham was fined $1,200 for spilling 220 gallons of potassium hydroxide from a tote when a valve was left open. The chemical went into a containment area, but the drain plug was not
in place. So potassium hydroxide spilled to the stormwater system and eventually into Bellingham Bay. • Superior Energy Services LLC of Bellingham was fined $1,000 for releasing one pint of hydraulic oil on Feb. 12 and 30 gallons of hydraulic oil on March 2 into Bellingham Bay while servicing and testing the barge Arctic Challenger. Statewide, 23 persons or companies were hit with penalties totaling $283,166. A table describing the violations and resulting penalties is available at http://www.ecy. wa.gov/news/2013/310. html. The money owed from penalties may be reduced by a ruling of the Pollution Control Hearings Board or a negotiated settlement. The final penalty amount owed and collected is deposited in special accounts that pay for environmental restoration and enhancement projects, research and development, permitting and regulatory programs, and education and assistance.
“Best Mulch I’ve Found”
with the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources in Wenatchee where he has conducted several studies on soil quality. He will present “Understanding Soil Quality and What it Means on the Farm.” • Chad Kruger, director of the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, who works on climate change and renewable energy issues. He will discuss “Soil Quality and Resilience in Agriculture.” • Doug Collins, Extension specialist with WSU’s Small Farms Program, which focuses on soil quality and fruit and vegetable production. He will talk on “Life in the Soil: Earthworms, Bacteria, Fungi.” • Mark Mazzola, research plant pathologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service Tree Fruit Laboratory in Wenatchee. He will speak on “Managing Soil Microbiology for Disease Control and System Resilience.” • Chris Benedict, regional agriculture specialist for WSU based in Bellingham, who works with cover crops in western Washington. He will present “Local Research and Benefits of Cover Crops.” • Lindsey du Toit, vegetable seed pathologist in the WSU Department of Plant Pathology, and Caitlin Price Youngquist, graduate student in the WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, will present “Biosolids Compost Use on Vegetable Seed Crops, Potatoes and Small Grains.” Caitlin Price Youngquist is conducting a research trial in which biosolids compost produced by the town of La Conner is applied on land used to grow potatoes, wheat, barley and spinach seed. She is measuring impacts on soil quality, crop yield and crop quality.
MOUNT VERNON — Participants will dig into quality, hands-on learning at a “Practical Soil Health for Farmers” workshop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at Washington State University’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, 16650 State Route 536 in Skagit County. “We designed this workshop to provide practical information about soil health for farmers in northwestern Washington and to provide an opportunity to network and share ideas and solutions,” said organizer Caitlin Price Youngquist, graduate student in the WSU Mount Vernon plant breeding program. Presentations and panel discussions will address field assessment of soil quality, cover crops, compost and plant resistance to disease — all important factors for building and maintaining healthy, productive and profitable soils. Registration for the allday workshop costs $30, including lunch. Register and find details at http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/soilquality-network/workshops. The workshop is part of the Soil Quality Network, a three-year project funded by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Program. Goals are to create a database, develop a website and train agricultural professionals in soil quality assessment, education program development and strategies to support farmers. Workshop presenters, all WSU faculty members, will include: • David Granatstein, sustainable agriculture specialist
WSU Mount Vernon graduate student Caitlin Price Youngquist is one of several speakers to share research at the Feb. 13 workshop. (Courtesy photo/Kim Binczewski)
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