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2 CapitalPress.com August 5, 2016 People & Places Consultant offers business expertise Thistlethwaite focuses on improving farm eiciency By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press For small farmers, the difference between making a proit and losing money of- ten comes down to seemingly minor decisions, according to agricultural consultant Rebec- ca Thistlethwaite. People often decide to be- come small farmers because they enjoy working outdoors but don’t thoroughly appreci- ate the inancial challenges of agriculture, she said. “They don’t necessarily approach it from a business perspective,” Thistlethwaite said. Without a well-considered strategy, growers risk going deeper into debt and a “down- ward spiral” of inancial cha- os, she said. “I don’t like to see that,” said Thistlethwaite. “We’ve got to keep farmers on the land.” Some growers try to pro- duce a multitude of different crops rather than specialize in just a few, which hinders them from selling anything in large enough volumes and compli- cates their cost analysis, she said. It’s easier to track costs for a handful of crops to see if they make inancial sense. Such analysis can uncover ways for farmers to more ef- fectively use their resources — for example, growing kale instead of broccoli generates multiple harvests per season, instead of just one. “It takes up the same amount of space but you’re getting so much more yield out of it,” Thistlethwaite said. Such changes may appear insigniicant but they can collectively push a farm into proitability, she said. Western Innovator Rebecca Thistlethwaite Occupation: Consultant, author, farmer, program manager of Oregon State University’s Niche Meat Pro- cessor Assistance Network Age: 41 Family: Husband, Jim Dunlop, two children Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press Hometown: Mosier, Ore. Rebecca Thistlethwaite is an agricultural consultant, author and program manager of Oregon State University’s Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network. She lives in Mosier, Ore. Buying large machinery is tempting for many farmers, but such purchases can lead to operate less eficiently and blind them to the true source of problems, she said. Thistlethwaite gives the example of a farmer who bought a feed mixer to pro- cess hay and molasses to pro- vide supplementary feed for his livestock. A more economical solu- tion would be to manage his pastures to prevent overgraz- ing, which would avoid the need to bring in outside feed, she said. Such lessons became ap- parent to Thistlethwaite and her husband, Jim Dunlop, during their six years rais- ing meat animals in Califor- nia. Jim had always wanted to buy a tractor, but once he igured out how infrequently it would actually be used, it became clear that the invest- ment wasn’t worthwhile. The couple instead opted to have neighboring farm- ers do custom work, and over time found cheaper ways to perform the same functions. Releasing pigs onto a ield, for example, will effectively “rototill” the soil in prepara- tion for planting as the ani- mals root around for food. Small farmers should also get creative in inancing their operations, Thistlethwaite said. When Thistlethwaite and her husband were raising chickens, a local grocery store loved their eggs but their farm couldn’t produce an adequate supply. The couple convinced the company to provide them with a zero-interest loan that would be repaid with eggs, using the money to increase the size of their lock. They were able to boost production enough to repay the loan and have enough eggs leftover to increase cash low, she said. “If you really want this, put some money on the table,” Thistlethwaite said. Thistlethwaite’s introduc- tion to agriculture occurred when she apprenticed at an organic farm in Idaho, which led her to work at several other operations across the West. “After that, I was basically hooked on ag,” she said. After earning a master’s degree in international ag- ricultural development, she conducted research in Central America and later worked at a “farm incubator” in California where farmworkers learned to run their own operations. Many of the pupils had ex- perience growing crops, but not managing a balance sheet or putting together a market- ing plan. “I seemed to gravitate to the business and marketing aspects,” Thistlethwaite said. She also met her husband at the incubator, and together they launched a farm aimed at selling meat and eggs through farmers’ markets and other niche channels. After eventually leaving California, the couple trav- eled to small farms around the country to study their busi- ness models, resulting in a book, “Farms with a Future.” Education: Bachelor’s degree in natural resources management from Colorado State University in 1997, master’s degree in interna- tional agricultural develop- ment from the University of California-Davis in 2001. Capital Press BROOKS, Ore. — Antique Power- land brings families, hobbyists, enthu- siasts and artists together each year to experience the history and romance of steam-powered machinery at the Great Oregon Steam-Up. The 46th annual Great Oregon Steam- Up is a volunteer-driven event that draws approximately 25,000 people to the An- tique Powerland living museum to see fully operating steam-powered machin- ery over two weekends. This year’s event continues Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 6-7. Show Manager Evan Burroughs said most of the equipment in the show is pre- World War II and fully restored. The show will feature early steam-powered farm machinery, ire trucks, vintage trucks, antique cars, log- ging gear, a unique operating steam saw- mill and various steam-powered engines. Burroughs said the event features more than 500 individual pieces from Or- Joe Beach/Capital Press An Aultman & Taylor steam tractor is on display at the Great Oregon Steam-Up in Brooks, Ore. The annual event will continue on Aug. 6-7. egon, California and the Midwest. Executive Director Pamela Vorachek said her favorite part of the event is see- ing the interest expressed by generations of attendees. “We truly have something for everyone,” Vorachek said. Each day of the show opens at 7 a.m. in Brooks, Ore. Visitors should take In- terstate 5 to exit 263 and turn west on Brooklake Road. More than 700 volunteers run swap meets, lea markets, rafle drawings, youth-focused events, educational booths and a daily parade of antique tractors. Favorites for children are the 1/8-scale railroad rides and the steam-driven ice cream maker. A feature new to the 2016 show is the Steampunk Art Show. Steampunk is a genre of science iction that features steam-powered machinery. Vorachek said the volunteers added it to attract younger attendees. This weekend, Vorachek said visitors are invited to watch steampunk artist Chuck Dolence demonstrate how he cre- ates artwork from radio cables. Burroughs described the event as edu- cational entertainment, saying attend- ees can come just to be entertained or can dig in and learn a lot from the vendors and hobbyists who bring “We gleaned as much wis- dom as we could from them,” she said, noting they’ve also written a book on meat pro- ducers, “The New Livestock Farmer.” They now own 5 acres in Mosier, Ore., where they raise fruits, vegetables, chickens and hogs while Jim works as a horticulturist at a nearby cher- ry orchard. Thistlethwaite, mean- while, was recently hired as program manager of Oregon State University’s Niche Meat Processor Assistance Net- work. She also speaks at sus- tainable farming conferences and provides one-on-one con- sulting about developing farm business plans. “I look at it from a natural resources perspective as well as a inancial and marketing perspective,” she said. their machinery to the show. “I like being able to show the mod- ern public the tools their grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grand- parents used to provide a living for their families,” Burroughs said. “These are tools you can trace to modern agriculture and see that a lot of the features are very similar.” Adult admission is $12 for one day or $20 for a weekend pass. There is a $30 pass for families. Admission for children younger than 12 is free. Antique Powerland is a campus made up of 12 power museums whose mission is to educate the public about the history and operation of machines and the role they played in modern society and the quality of life. “Having events like this where you see the machines running makes it real and relevant,” Vorachek said. “At Great Oregon Steam-Up you can watch the transition and technology changes that happened to get us where we are today. It’s what we mean when we say history comes alive.” Washington youths win awards at Holstein convention By JANAE SARGENT Capital Press Five Junior Holstein Asso- ciation members from Wash- ington state took home awards from the National Holstein Con- vention June 27-July 1 in Sara- toga, N.Y. The Washington State Hol- stein Association took 21 junior members to the convention to compete in jeopardy, quiz tour- naments and banner-making contests. The convention is aimed at educating young people about the dairy industry, providing Courtesy of Michelle Schilter From left to right, Noah Berry, Gary Young, Jacy Smith, Cassy Schilter and Lauryn Young, all from Washington state, won the State Banner Contest at the National Holstein Convention. Gary, Lauryn and Cassy are from Chehalis and Jacy and Noah are from Snohomish. opportunities to see dairy opera- tions across the U.S. and helping young farmers network. Among the Washington contingent was Cassy Schil- ter from Chehalis, Wash., who won the Junior Jeopardy con- test. Michelle Schilter, a plan- ning committee member and Cassy’s mother, said Cassy is the irst junior member from Washington to win the national contest. The Washington state ju- niors also won the banner-mak- ing contest, beating out contes- tants from nine other states. “It’s pretty amazing how many juniors were there,” Schil- ter said. “Our kids did a really great job working as a team on the banner.” The convention is hosted by the National Holstein As- Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester ..........................President Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Sid Freeman .................. Outside director Mike Omeg .................... Outside director Corporate oficer John Perry Chief operating oficer Capital Press Managers Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher Joe Beach ..................................... Editor Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2016 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing ofices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Great Oregon Steam-Up puts history on display By JANAE SARGENT Capital Press sociation, which has 20,000 adult members and 8,000 ju- nior members. The association is open to anyone interested in breeding, raising and milking registered Holstein cattle. Schilter said the convention, which is held in different loca- tions from year to year, is a great opportunity for kids to see a world beyond their own back- yard. The 2017 National Holstein Convention will be at the Hy- att Regency Hotel in Bellevue, Wash. Schilter said she expects between 1,500 and 2,000 people to attend the convention. 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Capital Press ag media www.capitalpress.com www.FarmSeller.com www.AgDirectoryWest.com marketplace.capitalpress.com www.facebook.com/capitalpress www.facebook.com/farmseller www.facebook.com/onlyAGdotcom twitter.com/capitalpress www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo www.blogriculture.com Index Dairy ...................................... 9 Markets ............................... 13 Opinion .................................. 6 Correction policy Calendar Sponsored by: To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www.capitalpress.com and click on “Submit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capi- tal Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301. Saturday and Sunday Aug. 6-7 The Great Oregon Steam-Up, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The Great Oregon Steam-Up is the largest event at An- tique Powerland during the year and it involves all of the museums and many other participants. One of the unique aspects of the event is that GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE www.oxarc.com most of the equipment is operating. 3995 Brooklake Road NE, Brooks, Ore. Daily admission $12 per person, 12 and under free. www.antiquepow- erland.com/html/steam-up.html Sunday, Aug. 7 ‘Raised Country’ Music Festival, 1 p.m. Antelope Church lawn, Antelope, 20 Northwest Locations Ore. The festival kicks off at 1 p.m. with Joni Harms, followed by an au- thentic Chuckwagon Barbecue with Paradise Rose and the harmonies of Central Oregon’s Mud Springs Gos- pel Band, while the kids stay busy with the ranch animal petting area, face painting and other activities. Headlining the festival at 3:45 p.m. 1-800-765-9055 will be Susie McEntire. Saturday and Sunday Aug. 13-14 Oregon Cannabis Growers Fair, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Oregon State Fair- grounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem. Over age 21 only. https://oregon- cannabisgrowersfair.com/ Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.
