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CapitalPress.com
May 19, 2017
People & Places
Family builds market for triticale
James Wahl and his
family switch from
wheat to cater to
brewers, distillers
Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
Capital Press
LIND, Wash. — James
Wahl and his family have
gone a step beyond just
growing a crop. They com-
bine efforts to add value and
market it, too.
He has switched from
wheat to triticale to get away
from growing strictly a com-
modity.
MJW Grain Inc., based in
Ritzville, Wash., is a family
business. Daughter Maya,
21, a student at Washington
State University, is CEO.
Son Dane, 19, an aviation
student at Big Bend Com-
munity College, is produc-
tion manager. James’ wife,
Rena, is chief financial offi-
cer. James is vice president
of marketing.
“We’re trying to reces-
sion-proof this farm,” James
said.
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Building a brand
Adding a crop
To further diversify, James
recently planted 490 acres of a
spring varietal rye.
“From talking to distillers
Calendar
Tuesday, May 23
Marion County Livestock As-
sociation annual meeting. 6 p.m.
Almost Home Restaurant, 3310
Market St. NE, Salem, Ore. The
agenda includes livestock reports
and the election of officers. RSVP
to 503-378-0100 or Barbara Ny-
quist, 503-678-5507.
Saturday-Sunday
May 27-28
Courtesy MJW Grain Inc.
From left, James, Rena, Dane and Maya Wahl switched from growing wheat to triticale for their family operation, MJW Grain Inc., in
Ritzville, Wash.
and brewers, there’s a lot of
rye used in the industry,” he
said.
Rye is known as a nox-
ious weed prone to volun-
teer plants in some counties,
including Adams County,
where the Wahls live. Many
farmers tend to avoid it, said
James, adding that new vari-
eties are easier to control.
“We should be able to
control it pretty easily,” he
said. “I have clients that
keep (asking), ‘When are
you going to raise rye?’”
The Wahls malt their
grain at Palouse Pint, the
LINC Foods cooperative’s
malting operation in Spo-
kane.
LINC Foods co-found-
er Joel Williamson said the
Wahls get to interact directly
with the customers who use
their grain.
“It’s a little more risky
and probably a little bit more
work than the old model, but
it’s also more rewarding,
both financially and know-
ing where your product is
going and how you’re a part
of that system,” Williamson
said. “I really do hope it
becomes a model for other
farmers to find a way out of
the tight spot they may be
in.”
James started offering
free 1-gallon samples of
triticale malt to breweries
and distilleries in Wash-
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Alpaca Shearing Day and Sale.
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Alpacas of Oregon,
21345 SW Aebischer Road, Sher-
wood, Ore. Join EasyGo Farm
at Alpacas of Oregon and take a
break from the Memorial Day Win-
ery Tours to watch the alpacas get
their annual haircuts. Get up close,
hand feed them and handle their
luxurious fleece. Shearing Day is
Saturday. On Sunday, learn to felt
an alpaca gift. Phone 503-348-6954
to reserve a spot; $25-$75 covers
your materials and instruction.
Hand-spinners, knitters and other
fiber artists will find fleece and yarn.
Visitors can chat with four long-time
livestock breeders who’ve raised
llamas, horses, sheep and goats.
www.easygofarm.net/AOOMem-
Day.
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Susan Rana
Mike Omeg
Corporate Officer
John Perry
Chief Operating Officer
By MATTHEW WEAVER
James started raising trit-
icale, a hybrid of durham
wheat and rye, for Tri-State
Seed four years ago. The
Wahls now grow 2,900 acres
of it.
“We decided the grain
itself had legs,” James said.
“So we went to building this
brand.”
“As far as marketing
goes, it’s a pretty great way
to show that farming is a
family affair,” Maya said.
“Having the kids involved
has shown our customers
that we really care on a more
personal level about what we
do.”
Maya is a former state
FFA officer. She and her fa-
ther often talked about rais-
ing a value-added commod-
ity and controlling sale of
their grain, James said.
“She knows marketing,
she’s very good at being the
front person on something,”
he said. “And I wanted to
help a female entrepreneur.
When it comes to ag, wom-
en are underrepresented.
They’re very involved, but
they’re not given the due
they deserve.”
Maya believes the brew-
ers, distillers and other
farmers she talks to are
more willing to listen be-
cause she is a young woman.
“That’s not something they
see all the time,” she said.
Capital Press
Wednesday-Friday
May 31-June 2
2017 Oregon Cattlemen Mid-
year Meeting, Wildhorse Casino,
46510 Wildhorse Blvd., Pendleton,
Ore. The annual 2 1/2-day midyear
event is where Oregon cattlemen
and women gather to get updates
on the latest news in Oregon ag-
riculture, hear from top industry
speakers and reconnect with fellow
ranchers. http://orcattle.com/.
Thursday, June 1
Four-Part Farm/Ranch Succes-
sion Planning Workshop. 6-8:30
p.m. Canby High School, 721 SW
Fourth Ave., Canby, Ore. A free
four-part workshop on succession
planning with one-hour personal
counseling sessions for your family
after each workshop. Light dinner
6 to 6:30, workshop 6:30 to 8:30
p.m. Course 4 on June 1 is Pass-
ing on Management Roles. RSVP
required. Organized by Clackamas
Small Business Development Cen-
ter and Rogue Farm Corps. Cost:
Free. http://bit.ly/2opTHqO.
Friday, June 9
Farm Practices to Support
Beneficial Insects. 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
SOREC Teaching Farm, 569 Han-
ley Road, Central Point, Ore. This
is Day 1 of a two-day class to raise
awareness of on-farm beneficial in-
sects and birds and how to identify
them. Learn about the role they play
in farming hand-in-hand with nature
and how to create “farmscaping” to
attract and promote active benefi-
ington and Idaho. Interest
turned into trial runs, and
now clients are purchasing
it in amounts ranging from
50-pound bags to 1 ton to
produce spirits.
James hopes to sell 25
percent of the crop in this
fashion this year, more if a
major company expresses
interest.
The family is also hoping
to sell its triticale to a “pow-
er bar” company as an ingre-
dient.
Taking control
Maya also hopes their
company inspires other farm
families to take control of
where their product ends
up.
“We are really used to
selling our grain to an ele-
vator, a large company, and
not ever seeing it again,” she
said. “We have the chance to
see it from the moment we
plant it in the ground to the
moment it becomes a con-
sumer product, like a beer,
bread, whiskey or whatever.
We have all kinds of ideas.”
For Maya, the company
is also another way to spend
time with her family.
“We all get each other, so
there’s no questioning what
we’ve envisioned for this
business, because we’ve all
been on the same page from
square one,” she said. “And I
like them, so it’s nice.”
cials. Day 2 is June 30. Cost: $15
one/$25 two from the same farm.
Website: http://bit.ly/JacksonSmall-
FarmDream.
Wednesday, June 14
Six-week
Forestry
Short
Course. 9 a.m.-noon. Federal
Building meeting room, Seventh
Street and College Avenue, St.
Maries, Idaho. This course will be
six successive Wednesdays. The
$38 fee includes resource material.
Register by phone at 208-245-2422
before June 7.
Thursday-Friday
June 15-16
2017 Interpera Congress.
Wenatchee Confluence Technolo-
gy Center, 285 Technology Center
Way, Wenatchee, Wash. The con-
ference features presentations from
world experts on emerging pear
varieties, high-density planting, root
stock, harvest and packing house
mechanization, integrated pest
management successes, export
trade flows and successful practic-
es for building consumer demand.
http://ncwctc.com.
Friday-Sunday
June 16-18
Glenwood Ketchum Kalf Rodeo
and Bull Bash. Glenwood Rodeo
Grounds, Trout Lake Highway,
Glenwood, Wash. The Bull Bash
starts at 7 p.m. June 16, followed
by the rodeo, which starts at
12:30 p.m. June 17-18. Website:
http://business.gorge.net/
E Idaho
John O’Connell ................. 208-421-4347
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-3898
Western Innovator
Boise
Sean Ellis .......................... 208-914-8264
James Wahl
Central Washington
Dan Wheat ........................ 509-699-9099
Title: Vice president of marketing,
MJW Grain Inc.
E Washington
Matthew Weaver .............. 509-688-9923
Age: 52
Birthplace: Lind, Wash.
Oregon
Eric Mortenson ................ 503-412-8846
Mateusz Perkowski .......... 800-882-6789
Current location: Lind, Wash.
Education: Art degree Seattle Art Institute
Graphic artist
Alan Kenaga ..................... 800-882-6789
Rena Wahl
To Place Classified Ads
Title: Chief financial officer, MJW Grain Inc.
Ad fax .............................. 503-364-2692
or ...................................... 503-370-4383
Telephone (toll free) .......... 866-435-2965
Online ......www.capitalpress.com/classifieds
Age: 49
Hometown: Moved too often to name one
Current Location: Lind, Wash.
Subscriptions
Education: Tri-Cities School of Massage
Mail rates paid in advance
Easy Pay U.S. $3.75/month (direct with-
Maya Wahl
drawal from bank or credit card account)
Title: CEO, MJW Grain Inc.
1 year U.S. ...................................$49.99
Age: 21
2 years U.S. .................................$89.99
Birthplace: Lind, Wash.
1 year Canada .................................$275
Current location: Pullman, Wash.
1 year other countries ......... call for quote
Education: Studying agricultural education at Washington State
University
Title: Production manager, MJW Grain Inc.
Current location: Lind, Wash.
Education: Studying aviation at Big Bend Community College in
Moses Lake, Wash.
Website: www.mjwgraininc.com
20 Northwest Locations
Trees and Taxes workshop.
5-7:30 p.m. Coos County Exten-
sion Office, 631 Alder St., Myrtle
Point, Ore. This class is for any-
one with forest management ex-
penses, recent forest income or
planning for future income from
their forestland. Tammy Cushing,
Extension specialist in forest eco-
nomics, management and policy,
will explain topics many landown-
ers are unaware of and the special
provisions in the Internal Revenue
Code that pertain to forestland and
income generated from the land.
This session will help improve the
records you keep on your forest-
land as well as minimize the taxes
that you pay for income generated
by your forest. Pre-registration is
required by June 16. For ques-
tions, call Shawna at 541-572-
5263. Website: http://extension.
oregonstate.edu/coos/.
Tuesday-Wednesday
June 20-21
Center for Produce Safety Re-
search Symposium. Hyatt Regency
Denver Tech Center, 7800 E. Tufts
Ave., Denver, Colo. Agricultural wa-
ter will kick off the program agen-
da. This session will focus on four
CPS-funded research programs
that will help stakeholders better
understand the factors involved
in sourcing, sampling, testing and
treating specific types of agricultur-
al water.
9 months 4-H, FFA students & teachers .....$25
Mailing address:
Capital Press
P.O. Box 2048
Salem, OR 97308-2048
Birthplace: Lind, Wash.
Tuesday, June 20
1 year 4-H, FFA students and teachers ....$30
To get information published
Age: 19
glenwoodrodeo.
1 year Internet only .......................$49.99
Visa and Mastercard accepted
Dane Wahl
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
www.oxarc.com
N. California
Tim Hearden .................... 530-605-3072
1-800-765-9055
Thursday, June 22
Oregon Angus Field Day. 4-10
p.m. Quail Valley Ranch, Prineville,
Ore. Cattle on display, contests
with prizes, a meal and a time to
visit. For more information, con-
tact Becky Tekansik, Quail Valley
Ranch, 541-699-8562, or Dick
Hubman, president of the Oregon
Angus Association, 541-601-5495.
Thursday-Friday
June 29-30
3rd International Conference
on Livestock & Nutrition. 9 a.m.-7
p.m. Avani Atrium, 880 Phetch-
aburi Road, Bangkok, Thailand.
The Bangkok Livestock Nutrition
Conference welcomes attendees,
presenters and exhibitors from
all over the world. The theme is
“Leading Innovation in Livestock for
Sustainable Farming.” Cost: $699.
Website: http://livestocknutrition.
conferenceseries.com/.
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or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press.
Include a contact telephone number.
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Index
California .............................. 14
Dairy ...................................... 9
Idaho .....................................11
Livestock ............................... 9
Markets ............................... 13
Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon ................................ 12
Washington ......................... 10
Friday, June 30
Farm Practices to Support Ben-
eficial Insects. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Day
2 of this two-day class will offer a
tour of Wandering Fields farm in the
Applegate area. Participants will
practice identifying beneficials and
observe how a blend of hedgerows,
cover crops, flowering seed crops
and native plants creates a system
of biological pest management.
Participation on Day 1 on June 9 is
a requirement to attend the tour. In-
structor: Dana Kristal and local ex-
perts. Cost: $15 one/$25 two from
the same farm. Website: http://bit.
ly/JacksonSmallFarmDream.
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