October 23, 2015
CapitalPress.com
7
Pumpkin patch idea grows into popular stop
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
Freshly harvested walnuts are loaded onto a truck at Lindauer Riv-
er Ranch in Red Bluff, Calif., on Oct. 19 to be taken to processing.
The walnut harvest is ongoing in California.
Growers face price slide
amid record walnut harvest
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
RED BLUFF, Calif. — Wal-
nut growers in California are
moving quickly through their
harvest of an anticipated record
crop as a price slide heralds the
first sign of vulnerability for the
Golden State’s enduring nut
boom.
With harvests entering their
final stages, growers say they’re
on a pace to at least flirt with the
National Agricultural Statistics
Service projection of a record
575,000-ton crop despite the
drought and a lack of chilling
hours last winter.
Relatively mild summer
temperatures helped the crop,
and growers used surface water
where available and groundwa-
ter when necessary to provide
adequate water to the trees,
NASS reported.
At Lindauer River Ranch
in Red Bluff, yields from the
young walnut groves are set
to double again this year, farm
manager Michael Vasey said.
“I’d say we’ve got a pretty
strong crop,” Vasey said. “My
walnuts are in growth mode.
They’re young and coming on.
It’s more than last year.”
Vasey has company with his
young orchards. Of the 300,000
bearing acres of walnuts in Cal-
ifornia this year, 45,000 of those
acres have come online since
2010, according to USDA fig-
ures.
The new acreage comes as
growers are experiencing their
first protracted price slide in
years. The average price per
pound to the grower dropped
from $2.05 in 2013 to about
$1.80 last year, and this year’s
average price is expected to be
around $1.20, Vasey said.
Several factors have led to
the softening of prices, includ-
ing the increase in production,
a slowing economy in China
and shipping delays caused by
the port slowdown last winter,
Vasey said.
“The port ... issue hurt us last
year and it’s kind of been sliding
ever since,” he said. “The upside
of that is we have an opportunity
to develop domestic consump-
tion. Prices (for consumers)
were getting a little stiff.”
Many growers have planted
nut trees in the past decade as
burgeoning global demand, ide-
al growing conditions and the
misfortunes of other crops such
as prunes and table olives have
fueled a steep rise in profitability
for walnuts, almonds and pista-
chios.
The price per ton and total
value of walnuts have more than
doubled since 2008, according
to NASS. The nut’s price went
from $1,280 per ton that year
to $3,230 last year, while the
crop’s total annual value bal-
looned from $558 million to
$1.8 billion during that period,
the agency reported.
How much of those gains
will be given back during the
current slide is still unknown,
said Hal Crain, president of
farming operations for Los Mo-
linos, Calif.-based Crain Ranch.
EAST WENATCHEE,
Wash. — Annie’s Fun Farm
is a popular new attraction
in the Wenatchee area, par-
ticularly after school and
on weekends, when hun-
dreds of parents and kids
swarm through.
They want the family
experience of picking that
perfect pumpkin fresh from
the field and don’t mind a
few amusements with it.
There are several acres
of pumpkins and acorn
squash to choose from and
a corn maze, an apple sling
shot, a corn box instead of
sand box, hay rides and a
big dragon castle bounce
house to explore. And there
are hot dogs, chips, chili
dogs, water, soda and kettle
corn.
“Originally, we were
just going to sell pumpkins
and then we started think-
ing bigger and bigger,” said
Annie Weaver, 35, a former
bartender and waitress who
was looking for something
different to do.
Her
father,
former
Wenatchee High School
music director Dan Jack-
son, and her boyfriend,
Nate Perkins, a domestic
fruit salesman at Chelan
Fresh Marketing in Chelan,
fronted the money to get
Weaver started.
She leased 14 acres at
the corner of South Mary
Avenue and Grant Road
on the east edge of East
Wenatchee where plenty
of people drive by on their
way to Pangborn Memorial
Airport.
A sign close to the road
proclaims: “Annie’s Fun
Farm — U Pick.”
It’s been open from 11
a.m. to 7 p.m., daily since
Oct. 1 and will close at the
end of the month. The field
is picked over from what
it once was, but there are
orange and white (ghost)
pumpkins left. Weaver
is thinking about selling
Christmas trees at the same
Dan Wheat/Capital Press
Dan Jackson has been helping his daughter, Annie Weaver, run Annie’s Fun Farm in East Wenatchee,
Wash. The inflatible dragon castle in the background is an added attraction.
Jamie Horn, of Quincy, Wash., helps his son, Jamison, launch an
apple at a scare crow with a sling shot at Annie’s Fun Farm in East
Wenatchee, Wash., on Oct. 19.
location in December.
Liliann Ward, 10, and
her brother, Quinton, 12,
helped hand seed pumpkins
and squash on hot days
in June and remain faith-
ful helpers with whatever
needs doing.
“We spotted the drag-
on and drove up here from
Quincy for the day,” said
Jamie Horn as he helped his
kids with a powerful sling
shot attached to a wood
frame for sending apples
flying dozens of yards at
scare crows.
“We were looking for
some place close that was
open on weekdays,” he
said.
“Was that fun, guys?”
Weaver asked Horn’s kids.
“Yes it was,” he replied.
“We’ll be hearing about it
for a couple of weeks.”
Neighbors Richard and
Caroline Mitchell said they
love seeing all the people
and excited kids but that
more parking is needed.
Jake Chanley, of Pehast-
in, hauled two large pump-
kins to his car for his fami-
ly and said they had a good
time.
“Compared to the stress
of planting and hoping cus-
tomers would come, this
is the fun part,” Weaver
said. “It’s pure joy to see
kids’ smiles and be able to
bring something like this to
Wenatchee.”
FALL INTO SAVINGS
0% for 3 years
TRACTORS
JD 6125M, 175 hrs., Regular cab, MFWD, 24-spd. tran., H340
loader w/suspension..........$112,000 Four Lakes, #DG777037
Case IH STX325, 5813 hrs 325hp, 4WD, PS trans, 3pt, 4 remotes,
14.9R-46 duals ...................................$96,000 Tekoa, #107500
Case IH STX450, 7627 hrs, 450hp, 4WD, PS trans, front &
rear weights, 800/70R-38 duals.$99,500 Tekoa, #100728
JD 9560RT, 88 hrs, 36” Tracks, 5 Remotes, 1000 PTO, HID
Lights..........................$425,000 Fall River Mills, #902075
Case IH JX1095N, 2885 hrs, Narrow Cab, MFWD, 3 pt, 540
PTO, front weight pkg........................................................
...................................$27,000 McMinnville, #HJC036490
JD 6115R, 753 hrs, Premium Cab, IVT trans, MFWD,
Autotrack ready, 2 remotes....$103,300 Salem, #799261
Kubota M9960, 150 hrs, Open Station, ROPS, MFWD,
LA1353 Loader..................$45,900 Central Point #54397
JD 9630, 2138 hrs, 4WD, PS trans, Auto Track ready,
800/70R-38 duals, HID lights.....$199,000 Tekoa #18545
JD 9620, 4438 hrs, 4WD, PS trans, 800/70R-38 duals,
4 remotes, fresh engine.........$180,000 Moscow, #30510
JD 9320, 5247 hrs, 4WD, PS trans, 710/70R-38 duals,
4 remotes, Bareback..................$125,000 Colfax #31662
JD 9300, 7126 hrs., 4WD, PS Trans., 3pt, 1000 PTO, 620/42
Duals, 5 Remotes....$109,900 $105,500, Salem, #30202
JD 8630R, 812 hrs, ILS Axle, IVT Trans., 4 Remotes,
710/70R-42 Duals.............$285,000 Harrisburg, #72619A
JD 7280R, 299 hrs, Cab, IVT Trans, TLS Front Axle,
Set up for loader......................$227,500 Madras #13029
JD 8770, 14,749 hrs, 4WD, 3 remotes, bare back, 24 spd.
Power Quad Trans, duals................$33,000 Tekoa #3214
JD 9200, 7381 hrs, 4WD, 4 Remotes, 20.8-42 Duals, Quad
Range Trans...................................$81,000 Tekoa #30476
JD 8770, 7675 hrs, 4WD, Quad Range Trans, 20.8-42 Duals,
3 Remotes..............................$50,000 Walla Walla #4681
JD 9400, 7644 hrs., 4WD, PS Trans., 1000 PTO, 710-42
Duals, 4 Remotes..$105,900 $99,900, Tangent, #41372
JD 8630R, 957 Hrs, IVT Trans, ILS Axle, 4 Remotes,
620/70R-46 Duals.....................$269,000 Donald, #71414
JD 9560R, 222 hrs, 4WD, Dual 800/70R-38, PS Trans,
Auto Track Ready...............$374,000 Walla Walla #7998
JD 9300, 9631 hrs, 4WD, 24 spd Trans., 3 PT, No PTO,
4 Remotes.........................$59,900, McMinnville, #40643
SEEDING EQUIPMENT
JD 455, 50’ Rahco Hitch 2-Section Folding Drill, Plain
Grain, 7.5” Spacing.................. $99,500 Colfax, #740162
Case IH 800, 60’ Precision Air Drill w/Liquid Fertilizer.........
.........................................................$95,000 Tekoa #4012
JD 1890, 35’ single chute, tow behind, Ag Pro 70 Bu. seed
delivery.............................$145,000 Moscow #AF740108
Case IH PXT600, 30’ Row Between Configuration, 3-
Section, 12” Spacing...........$37,000 Moscow, #J0014812
JD 455, 35’ 3-Sections Folding, 7.5” Sapcing 2x13 Press
Wheels............................................$29,900 Tekoa, #1519
GP 1018ST, 35’ 3-Section Folding, 10” Spacing, Hoe Openers,
21’ Press Wheel........................$6,000 Pomeroy, #GP1036H
0.9% for 5 years!
TILLAGE
Kuhn HRB-302D Power Harrow, 9’10” working width,
Packer Roller..............................$13,000 Madras #H3329
Kuhn HR4504 Power Harrow, 15’ working width, Maxi
Pack Roller.................................$20,900 Madras #A0259
JD 2210, 32’ Flex Field Cultivator, 9” Sweeps, 3-Bar Coil
Tine Harrow. Never Used......$61,900 Hillsboro #760005
JD 510, 17’ 10” rigid frame disk ripper, 7-shank, spring trip
standards................................$17,000 Tekoa #OX003232
JD 2625 Disk, 31’ JD Tandem folding disk...........................
.....................................$64,500 $61,900 Colfax #750111
Wilrich V957DD Disk Ripper, 14’ Wilrich disk ripper,
9 shanks.....................................$26,500 Merrill #457580
Frontier TM5124 Disk, 24’ Frontier Tandem folding disk..
................................................$53,000 McMinnville #101
COMBINES
Case IH 7010, 1120 hrs, Level Land, 2016 BPU platform.....
...............................................$140,000 Tangent #202887
JD 9860 3046 hrs, Hillco Leveler, Duals, 4WD.......................
...............................................$200,000 Moscow #710792
JD 9650STS, 3343 hrs, Small Grain, 914P BPU Platform,
straw chopper........................$87,000 Tangent, #685747
Case IH 2588, 1809 hrs, small grain, hillside, 30’ cutting
platform..........................$210,000 Walla Walla #303583
.............................TEMP PRICE REDUCTION: $199,999
JD 9650STS, 2246 hrs, Small Grain, 914P BPU Platform,
straw chopper.................$92,500 McMinnville, #685945
JD 9650STS, 3456 hrs, Small Grain, 914P BPU Platform,
straw chopper........................$80,000 Tangent, #686102
JD 9650STS, 3557 hrs, Small Grain, straw chopper..............
...........................................$99,950, Harrisburg, #686910
JD S680, 881 hrs, 35% Rahco Leveler, 635F Platform,
Stoess Cart........................ $436,300 Four Lakes, #755668
JD S680, 1246 hrs, Rahco Leveler, 4WD, 635F Platform &
Cart............................................$486,525 Tekoa, #746303
JD S690, 824 hrs, 35% Rahco Leveler, 635F Platform,
Stoess Cart...............................$578,000 Colfax, #745738
JD 9750STS, 2500 hrs, Hillco Leveler, Small Grain, Button
Tread Duals..............................$131,000 Colfax, #686502
JD 9750STS, 3230 hrs, Rahco Leveler, 4WD, 930R Platform
and Cart...................................$130,000 Colfax, #691057
JD 9770STS, 1462 hrs, Rahco 35% Leveler, 4WD, Small
Grain........................................$295,000 Colfax, #730456
JD 9860STS, 2727 hrs, Rahco 35% Leveler, 30’ 630R Platform,
Stoess Cart.......................................$249,000 Colfax, #710739
UTILITY VEHICLES
JD 855D, 1011 hrs, Diesel, 4x4, Front Bumper, Hyd. Bed
Lift, Canopy, Bed Liner. $10,625 Tangent, #BM040482
JD 850D, 688 hrs, Diesel, 4x4, Winch, Hyd. Dump, Front
Bumper, All Terrain Tires....$9,800 Four Lakes, #32453
JD 850D, 337 hrs, Diesel, 4x4, Hyd. Dump, Knobby Tires,
Olive & Black.............$9,400 McMinnville, #DT020061
JD HPX, Diesel, 4x4, Canopy, All Terrain Tires,
Front Bumper.....................$9,800 Salem, #DM110816
Kubota RTV900, 330 hrs, Diesel, 4x4, Canopy, All Terrain
Tires, Grill Guard, Hyd. Dump.$7,999 Moscow #70627
All financing on approved credit. Financing special applies only to select pieces of equipment.
See dealer for details and qualifying units.
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