Category: Words from Tristan

Here is a great equation for national security: Let’s continue to convert over a million acres of farmland every year for habitat restoration or strip malls. 

The conversions are great for a few landowners and the developers who profit from them, but what is in it for the rest of the community? For starters, eventually food production can now join oil as an imported control piece, a piece that is controlling us. Sure we have lots of land in this country, but most of it is going to the highest bidder and if crops don’t pay as well as something else, most farmland goes on the block and out of production.

Recently, the City of Arlington received an application to develop a piece of farmland at Island Crossing. Dwayne Lane’s Chevrolet has been fighting to move to this location before Congressman Rick Larsen was a congressman. At that time, the Growth Management Act was able to hold the line on preserving this prime agricultural land from going into development. Eventually, the City of Arlington was able to annex this noncontiguous piece of land and all of Island Crossing, and in the process doom agriculture and the ability of that land to feed the Puget Sound region.

The most valuable land we have in this country is our resource lands: timber, mining and farmland. These types of land provide the bedrock for our economy and our national security. We should do everything possible to ensure that these lands are converted as a last resort. I would contend that land closest to the cities is the most vulnerable land and also the most valuable. 75% of our dairies, fruit and vegetable farms are located near urban populations.

If we need more of anything in this country, it is more fruits and vegetables, not less. We need to expand fresh fruits and vegetables reach to the inner cities, hospitals and schools. We need to expand the reach of organically grown foods and foods grown without synthetic chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides and herbicides. We need to stop coddling mega food corporations, mega chemical corporations and mega farms, and change our national food policy to feed our people healthy nutrient-rich food. 

I got an idea: Let’s make the quality of food a priority, not the size of a campaign contribution or the shareholder’s profits.

The farmland at Island Crossing is all but lost. Unfortunately, the loss of this piece will inevitably doom the land next to it and the land next to that and so on, until Arlington reaches from I-5 to downtown. Then all that beautiful productive farmland will look like the Kent Valley; all because Chevrolets sell better on cheap farmland at Island Crossing then at the better situated, commercially zoned and serviced, non-floodplain Smokey Point exit.  Really?

Oh baby, has it ever been warm. Of course, the one year I decide to skip sweet corn (our other local farmers are growing this crop) the weather is perfect. There is some corn in the valley that was waist high by the fourth. Shoot, most farmers are ecstatic with knee high corn by the fourth. For us, the raspberries are on, the peas are on, summer squash is on, the cucumbers and peppers are on. The tomatoes are just turning, the potatoes are already the size of baseballs and soon we will be picking green beans. 

I have been thinking to myself why am I so busy? The other day, I finally came inside at 11 p.m. and realized that I was as hungry as a bear waking up from a long winter’s nap—I had skipped dinner. But the real reason, I am so busy is because we are two to three weeks ahead in most crops. Having that rainy, sunny, rainy, sunny weather cycle has been good for almost everything.

I am a little nervous, though. Strange thing about weather in the NW, last year once it stopped raining at the end of July, it didn’t rain for another 80 days. Most crops appreciate some moisture. And because of the spring and early rains, most crops were able to catch up when the hot August nights rolled around. This year they are early, but will the rains come to carry them to harvest? I think it will work out. But in the end, I can’t change the weather, but I can work with it.

I just planted our last crop of green beans for September harvest and we are now in the process of mostly weeding and harvesting, as opposed to weeding and planting. I love this stage, when we begin to harvest. You get to see the fruit of your labor and, more importantly, you get to start paying off the fertilizer bill, fuel bill and the labor bill, and, hopefully, at the end of the season in November, there will be some $$bills left for the farmer ☺! 

We also managed to get a few hundred bales of hay in the barn. Feels good to have some feed for the beef cows put up in case this great weather holds. When it comes to raising beef, I mostly focus on the grass. My goal is to manage the grass so that the cows don’t overgraze it. I want it to bounce back and get growing again. Rarely does a day go by that the cows are not moved to a fresh pasture. Yes, it is absolutely way more work for us to move our animals daily, but it is way better for the pasture to move the cows daily. And in a year like this…August grass will be a premium if we have another glorious summer with little or no rain till October.

Our family snuck away to the beach for three days last week and was it ever relaxing. Washington State is so geographically diverse that within three hours of Stanwood you can be in a desert, on a mountain top, kayaking in the San Juans or building sand castles at the coast.

As typical Washingtonians, who are undeterred by the elements, we got to experience getting sand blasted while we were playing at the beach. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and mostly warm. There is just something about the ocean—calming, yet powerful.

And because of its great power, you can hardly escape the thought of tsunamis. Tsunami evacuation signs are everywhere. I can only imagine all the tourists on those rural roads trying to escape. The last Tsunami was about 300 years ago and it did some damage to mostly a forested and uninhabited coastline. While we were visiting Moclips, I asked the museum curator, “How high do you have to be for protection from a tsunami?” His answer, “90 feet”—wow, most two-story house are 30 feet tall. Our farm is 14 feet above sea level. When a major earthquake hits off the coast of Washington again, like it did 300 years ago, Ocean Shores, Moclips, Hoquiam, Aberdeen, etc., will look eerily like Japan did in 2010.

We can’t live in fear of what might happen, but we can live in respect of what can happen. Simple things, like having rope ladders in the upstairs bedrooms and using them once in a while, just in case, will go a long ways to mitigating the “stuff” of life we can’t control.

Oh ya, this was supposed to be about tomatoes…

The day we left on our trip the greenhouse was under control, but when we returned those plants had gone rogue. I don’t know about your family, but around here it is more like tyranny of the urgent. And if it can wait, normally it will wait. If laundry is most pressing, it gets done before tomatoes get strung. But when we got back, it was obvious that the tomatoes required center stage. They are all suckered (a.k.a., “pruned”) and climbing twine now! Of course, I could have done that the week before, but the potatoes, sunflowers, and strawberries all had needs as well and were just a little more pressing. Got to go, the orchard is out of control.

• Wait for better weather!  
• Repair equipment broken during the sunny stretches.  
• Pray for good weather to farm again.  
• Run the kiddos to and from. 
• Hope the weather prognosticators are wrong or right.  
• Go to end of the year school concerts.  
• Lie awake at night and listen to the rain.
• Sign up for vacation bible schools, track and soccer camps.  
• Make Sourdough bread, as if I needed a new hobby!

Making sourdough bread is fun and with a little planning relatively little work. Last Friday, Joelle asked for dinner rolls. “Hmmm…,” I thought, “I haven’t made dinner rolls before, but all they are is miniature bread loaves—I can do this.” Of course, when the weather breaks in my favor, this hobby will have to go on the back burner ☺ !

What can an apple tell us about nutrition? Lots. Apples are an amazing source of so many good things that nutritionally benefit us. (We are just using apples as an example. The same could be said for oranges, kale, radishes, etc.) Have a look at this list of goodies in every apple. One medium apple with skin contains:
Protein 0.47 grams, Calories 95, and Dietary Fiber 4.4 grams. 

Minerals: Potassium 195 mg, Calcium 11 mg, Phosphorus 20 mg, Magnesium 9 mg, Manganese 0.064 mg, Iron 0.22 mg, Sodium 2 mg, Copper 0.049 mg, Zinc 0.07 mg, also contains a trace amount of other minerals.
Vitamins: Vitamin A 98 IU, Vitamin B1 (thiamine) 0.031 mg, Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 0.047 mg, Niacin 0.166 

mg, Folate 5 mcg, Pantothenic Acid 0.111 mg, Vitamin B6 0.075 mg, Vitamin C 8.4 mg, Vitamin E 0.33 mg, Vitamin K 4 mcg, and contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

That reads more like a list from a multivitamin, except the apple didn’t have any added preservatives, food coloring or sugar.

What is even more amazing, is that our bodies are uniquely created to eat, process and put to good use all of the apple’s ingredients. Let’s take a look at the Vitamin C in an apple. Our list says that an apple has 8.4 mg of Vitamin C. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C is 200 mg. Hmmm… The apple appears to have 25 times less Vitamin C than the RDA. Many people would contend that 200 mg is just enough Vitamin C to ward off scurvy and so they push for higher amounts, upwards of 1500 to 2000 mg per day.

It would appear that when we reduce the apple to its core (pun intended), one would have to eat a lot of apples to get to the recommended RDA. However, some research done at Cornell University on apples and Vitamin C discovered that 1) apples did have about 8.4 mg of Vitamin C, but 2) that the apple produced 1500 mg of Vitamin C-like benefits when eaten. This is incredible! Our bodies are able to magnify the 8.4 mg of Vitamin C and deliver 178 times more benefit. And that is only one nutrient. What about potassium or manganese or iron?

The same body that breathes on its own, circulates blood on its own, and heals cuts on its own, is probably more than capable to mix and match any combination of nutrients based on what the body needs at that moment.  

One could start to imagine, that if our food supply was grown on healthy organically managed soils, that weren’t abused by chemical fertilization, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides, how much healthier our food supply would be. If our nation’s soil was rich in nutrients and the foods we eat were grown in that that type of soil, Americans would be among the healthiest people in the world. 

Fortunately, in America, we still have the freedom to choose life-giving foods, rich in nutrients that will nourish us and sustain us. So the next time you think your body needs an immune booster, just reach for two apples and let your body decide how it wants to best use all the nutrients. 

The events of last week have to do with a breakdown of civilization. The Boston Marathon bombing was cold, calculating and horrific. This is the worst of mankind and it was on display. The hearts of these young men were so hardened that they had become numb to the preciousness of life.

Those two men had choices, several choices, before they left those crock pot bombs in the middle of innocent crowds. Normal people, just like us, gathering to see their loved ones accomplish an amazing thing. And to have the dreams and lives of innocent people shattered by this hatred and act of cowardice was deploring.

Sadly, this type of cowardice is on display all over the world and all too frequently. But every man, woman and child, every lawmaker, car mechanic or housewife has choices too. But at some point, these young men crossed over the line of decency and moved from disrespect to anger to murder, cold and merciless murder, perpetrated on the innocent. Not that it would be any less heinous to go after individuals in the law enforcement ranks or in the armed services, but at least these individuals are trained to defend themselves.

These two young men, and many more in our society, have lost respect for human life and probably all life including their own. This is a huge issue for America and the world. Sadly, many people are no longer able or willing to have a civil discussion about anything.  And the basic tenant, that individuals have rights and their lives are important, is taking a back seat to our “opinions or world views” and thus making life less valuable or unnecessary.

As the events unfolded, I found myself grieving for the families and the community of Boston. This was such a senseless act, but when does evil ever make sense? And as the days progressed and the manhunt continued, I was grieving also for those young men. I wanted them to turn themselves in and for the carnage to stop. Yes, I wanted justice, but not revenge.

More killing is not the answer, but giving those two young men a chance to face their evil, experience the penalty for their actions, and be remorse for the senselessness of their actions.

As we know now, one has had to answer to Jesus immediately, and the other will have a chance to be healed physically, emotionally and spiritually. And the lives of those directly impacted by the blasts, the very lives of those innocent will also need a chance to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually.

There is no hope in hate, only in respect, but it is a respect that says an individual’s life is important. For this reason alone, acts of violence or murder are wrong. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, what country you live in or even what religion or belief system you follow. Your life is important because you are a human being created in the image of God.

As a local farmer, I spend most of the winter wandering around in a mental fog. I am not sure if it has to do with the intensity of farming and that after the final harvest is put away I just sort a need a break. For sure, my body is tired, but my mind is wiped out. Farming is like riding a tornado. Every day it touches down somewhere on the farm, I get off and then I am immediately whisked away by the next tornado.

This mental fog could be attributed to the obvious—I am getting older. But there is more to the story. It probably has to do with identity.  From March to November, I am a farmer. But from November to March, I am a little lost, as if in a fog. Sure I am meandering around planning, fixing things, avoiding any outside chores when it is miserable. I do get to read lots of books with my younger ones during this season.

One time my kiddos bought me a lazy boy recliner (hmmm…aptly named?) for Father’s day. I picked  out the perfect one, brought it home and promptly took it back. I RARELY SIT DOWN! And even if I were to recline, I am sure my kiddos would AMBUSH me! So if I need to recline (aka. sleep), I just go to bed.  

But something happens in March. As soon as the daffodils are blossoming, I am snapped out of my fog and my nose perks up in the air, like my Labrador retriever searching for a scent. I become completely coherent with purpose and direction. I notice the buds swelling on fruit trees, the chives growing, the grass growing and that the robins are back. I notice where the soil is drying out and watch for a weather window to “open the fields.” And at that very moment, when I am the farmer again, as if by instinct, I peer off into the horizon watching for that first tornado—I am ready.  

Farm Update: We have planted peas in the greenhouse, which are just popping up and should go out in a week, if this gorgeous weather holds. We separated and planted several goose berries bushes, raised the grape trellis another foot and transplanted the Doyle blackberries so they wouldn’t shade the grapes.  

We are repairing and replacing fence for the herd of Angus and Hereford cattle that will be arriving for their summer grazing.  Sadly, most Americans are forced to eat feedlot beef existing on a diet of genetically engineered corn and soybeans. Yuck! 

I really like raising beef cattle and on my farm the cattle get to live a pretty idyllic life. They have lots of grass and room to roam. We move them every day to fresh pasture and mostly leave them alone. Besides our healthy soils, the water from above and below our farm and the sunshine produce a crazy amount of grass, and what do cows love to eat?—grass.  So, for a cow coming to our farm, grazing on grass and gazing at Mt. Pilchuck is a pretty good gig.