We were very fortunate this year, in that most of our grain was harvested before summer turned to fall last week and the rains arrived.
By and large, our grain fields are out on Schmuck Road, close to Sequim Bay, as you can see from the photo below, where Sam McCullough is combining a white wheat field. Not a bad place to work!
Some grains and seed crops could also be found this year on the Wheeler Farm (Woodcock Ave., aka the Historic Ward Farm) and Clapp Farm (on E. Anderson Road). Most of those have also already been harvested, except some dried fava beans, our dent polenta corn, and a new (to us) type of cover crop called Sudan grass.
What we have harvested by now adds up to approximately 500,000 lbs. of grains, including barley for animal feed, malting, and people food; two varieties of hard red wheat; soft white wheat; hard white wheat; and rye. Included in that total are legumes, like dried peas, vetch, and fava beans. Our veggie seed crops don’t amount to much weight-wise, but they are important to our farm for future crops of beets, cabbages, chard, and kales.
Because it was still hot and dry when we harvested most of the grains, it saved us lots of time and energy because we didn’t have to put them on the grain dryer. From here on out, due to the moisture in the air, we will have to dry any grain until it comes down to about 10% moisture and we can safely put them in covered bins for storage.
Don’t miss Farm Day at the Dungeness Valley Creamery
Saturday, September 30, 1-6 pm, the Dungeness Valley Creamery will be hosting an event to celebrate local agriculture in Clallam County. There will be an outdoor farmers market featuring local farmers and artisans. Live music by Buck Ellard from 3-6 pm, food by Pacific Pantry, and a 21+ beer garden hosted by North Olympic Land Trust with proceeds benefiting farmland conservation. There will be lots of activities and fun for all ages, and Sarah and Ryan look forward to seeing you!
Suggested donation of $5 per carload (no one turned away) with proceeds supporting local agriculture through WSU Clallam County Extension.
Nash’s takes a year off
Late September usually brings a deluge of intensity as we simultaneously bring in the late summer harvest and prepare for our annual Farm Day and Barn Dance Celebrations. However, this year we are not going to host the public at our farm for Farm Day, nor will we hold the traditional Community Potluck Barn Dance.
We are currently working with our young farmers on a succession plan to pass the farm on to the next generation. The work is critical to the farm’s long-term viability and our ability to grow healthy food into the future. While we will miss the excitement that Farm Day and the Barn Dance bring every fall, our team is grateful for the time and space to tackle these other important priorities. Thank you for your support and commitment to building this food system together.