TILTH PRODUCERS OF WASHINGTON

UPCOMING FARM WALKS

Upcoming Farm Walks / Past Farm Walks

Monday, June 27 – Templeton Farm, Chewelah
Directions & Carpooling

Small Scale Poultry & Marketing Operation

12-12:30pm Registration; Farm Walk 12:20-4pm

Registration Type

Member $10.00 Non-Member $15.00 Student $10.00 Intern $10.00

Steve and Sheryl Templeton will showcase their small commercial poultry operation near Chewelah, Washington.  The Templetons rent the Stevens County mobile poultry processing unit to harvest their brood, and during this farm walk, visitors will have an opportunity to see the poultry raising setup, discuss feed and licensing, see the processing unit in operation and talk about other issues related to running a small scale commercial poultry operation. Steve and Sheryl market to restaurants and are investigating selling to the local public school system.

Monday, July 11 – Cloudview EcoFarms
Directions & Carpooling

Diverse Organic Vegetable Operation Meets Community & Biodiversity
12-12:30pm Registration; Farm Walk 12:20-4pm
Optional post tour food and conversation. All are welcome, donations for food costs appreciated but not required.  Please RSVP if you’ll be staying for dinner.

Registration Type

Member $10.00 Non-Member $15.00 Student $10.00 Intern $10.00

Cloudview Ecofarms is a certified organic, 15-acre diversified vegetable farm co-created five years ago by Jim Baird and family. Young farmers and interns assist with production, nearby organic orchards and circle irrigated crops.  They sell producer through a CSA, farmers markets and to institutions, restaurants, and schools, demonstrating that small-scale organic production can be viable in the Columbia Basin. Participants will learn about soil-building, seed production, growing forage, cut flower gardening and integrating chickens, pigs, meat and milking goats. Visitors will hear about plans to develop an insectary program and see an organic Gala block, organic alfalfa circle, and plantings of hard fescue and clover. An optional dinner buffet and tour of a second location will follow the Farm Walk.

Monday, July 18 –  Middleton Organic Orchard, Eltopia
Directions & Carpooling

Organic Apples, Cherries and Blueberries & Value-Added Products

12-12:30pm Registration; Farm Walk 12:20-4pm

Registration Type

Member $10.00 Non-Member $15.00 Student $10.00 Intern $10.00

Middleton Organic Orchard located near Eltopia grows apples, cherries, and blueberries. Gary, Lori and family have been farming for 36 years, the last twelve as certified organic. Gary will discuss the benefits and challenges of raising fruit in an arid environment, and the family’s value-added “Savoring the Harvest” product line, featuring a collection of organic apple butters, including apple citrus, apple blueberry and the unique apple cherry. These products are processed in a rented commercial kitchen. The Middletons also dehydrate organic apple tidbits and dried cherries, which they package in recycled glass jars. See how an orchard can diversify its end products.

Tuesday, August 9 – Storytree Farm, Vancouver

Diversified CSA in the Urban Fringe
12-12:30pm Registration; Farm Walk 12:20-4pm

Registration Type

Member $10.00 Non-Member $15.00 Student $10.00 Intern $10.00

Storytree Farm is a family-operated CSA farm in the Pleasant Highlands neighborhood of Vancouver, Washington.  Farming on less than 4 acres, Nelson and Anne Lawrence supply vegetables and herbs to their CSA member families at the peak of freshness.  They will discuss the unique benefits and challenges of farming within the urban growth boundary, general operation of a diversified CSA and how persistent attention to weed control with hand tools has lessened weed pressure over time.  Farmers will discuss their participation in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which facilitated the recent purchase of two high tunnels to extend their growing season and improve production.

Monday, August 29 – Twin Brook Creamery, Lynden

On-Farm Glass Bottling, Low Temp Pasteurization, Jersey Cow Dairy
12-12:30pm Registration; Farm Walk 12:30-4pm

Registration Type

Member $10.00 Non-Member $15.00 Student $10.00 Intern $10.0

Five generations of the Stap family have farmed the land that is Twin Brook Dairy.  We will explore their unique on-farm glass bottling system and low temperature vat pasteurization that preserves all the rich flavor of their Jersey milk.  Milk from Jersey cows is higher in protein and fat content than Holstein milk, and their unique process yields the delicious Cream Top milk that has become the Stap family legacy.  The dairy is GMO free and Kosher certified.

Monday, September 12 – Oxbow Center, Carnation
Directions & Carpooling

The Journey from Farm to Education Center
12-12:30pm Registration; Farm Walk 12:30-4pm
Limited 70 pre-paid registrants, first come-first served

Registration Type

Member $10.00 Non-Member $15.00 Student $10.00 Intern $10.00

There are many ways to make farms work in a changing marketplace and climate. Come see how Oxbow has built around the original Oxbow Farm, utilizing all the farmers’ various skills and aspirations to create a resilient farm and outreach model. Participants will have an in-depth tour of the farming operations and infrastructure, from seed starting to marketing for farmers markets, restaurants and CSA. Farmers Luke, Sarah and Adam will describe the transition of their farm into a new non-profit farm and education center. Since 2003, Oxbow has been partnering with Wild Fish Conservancy to offer environmental classes to school kids. The farm now offers  farm programs for children and is partnering with Wilderness Awareness School of Duvall for week-long, summer day camps.  Explore the learning garden and talk about the curriculum on organic agriculture and environmental conservation. Hear about the pivotal lessons learned in growing this new non-profit.

Monday, October 10- Cedarville Farm, Bellingham

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Workshop
12-12:30pm Registration; Farm Walk 12:30-4pm
Limited 40 pre-paid registrants, first come-first served

Registration Type

Member $10.00 Non-Member $15.00 Student $10.00 Intern $10.00

Good Agricultural Practices are a voluntary set of food-safety guidelines designed to help farmers handle food safety from the farm to the market. These practices include: developing a food safety plan for the farm; training farm employees about this plan and farm food safety practices; and documenting farm practices to reduce the risk of microbial food safety hazards on farm products. Join us on-site as Cedarville Farms gets started with the GAPs process with a walk-through of their farm to start their food safety assessment and planning. We will discuss possible first steps for a farm to take, things to consider, see practices that are already in place, and talk about which practices make sense to integrate, based on your particular farm practices. Offered in partnership with the WSDA Farm-to-School Program, Tilth Producers and WSU Small Farms Team as part of the 2011 Tilth Producers Farm Walk Series.

Hope to See you There!

Cost:  $10 for Tilth Producers members, students and interns. $15 for non-members.
Paid pre-registration is recommended for all farm walks, and is required for Oxbow Center & Cedarville Farm.
Beverages are provided.  For directions, check back at tilthproducers.org or http://smallfarms.wsu.edu

To pre-register, use the online buttons or mail a check with your farm walk choices to:
Tilth Producers
4649 Sunnyside Avenue N #305
Seattle, WA  98103
Stay tuned for more farm walks in late summer and fall!