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2 CapitalPress.com April 6, 2018 People & Places Cheesemaking a lifestyle and passion Tamara Hicks, David Jablons create niche with farm, creamery Western Innovator For the Capital Press Toluma Farms Courtesy Toluma Farms Tamara Hicks and David Jablons began their dairy 15 years ago as part of the Slow Food Movement. Today they raise several sheep and goat breeds for their high-quality milk and cheese. Small equals good “The U.S. was all about small-scale farming until the World War II and that system worked extremely well. We believe it is important to return to small-scale farming,” she said. Today, the family raises several animal breeds recog- nized for their high-quality milk, including Alpine, La Mancha, Nubian, Oberhasli, Saanen and Toggenburg dairy goats and East Friesian sheep. The creamery’s cheeses bear Coast Miwok Native Amer- ican names in honor of the land’s first inhabitants. For ex- ample, Atika, meaning “two,” is an award-winning aged cheese made from goat’s and sheep’s milk. The creamery’s farmstead cheeses are produced exclu- sively with milk from Animal Welfare Approved herds raised on certified organic pastures. “The food buyers and chefs from San Francisco and the Bay Area seek out high quali- ty, sustainable and local foods, so we have never had to do any marketing,” Hicks said. They also are bringing their cheese operation to the city. “We are in the process of expanding our creamery,” she said. “This will be the first cheesemaking facility there. We will be making cultured butter, cream cheese and quark along with making bagels — how can we not, with making cream cheese and David being from Manhattan and (talking) about there not being enough good New York-style bagels in San Francisco?” Farmers’ market They sell their cheeses at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market as well as the farm- ers’ markets in San Rafael and Oakland. Their cheese is also available in many cheese shops and restaurants. “We’ve been proud to host Toluma Farms at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, with their delicious, award-win- ning cheeses and their com- mitment to sustainability and education,” said Marcy Coburn, executive director of the Center for Urban Ed- ucation about Sustainable Agriculture, known by the acronym CUESA, the non- profit that runs the market. “They’ve also been a cor- nerstone partner in CUESA’s Goat Festival, bringing their adorable baby goats to our farmers’ market to educate urban dwellers about humane animal welfare and cheese- making.” “David and I took cheese- making classes in Vermont and I received a cheesemak- ing certificate from the Col- lege of Marin,” Hicks said. “David has a knack for it since he is a scientist. How- ever, we went from knowing nothing about cheesemaking to knowing next-to-nothing By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press Oregon Women for Agriculture From left are Dona Coon, Kristi Miller, Betty Jo Smith, Helle Ruddenklau, Katie Glaser, Bob Spinney, Carrol Spinney, Ronda Dannen, Lori Boshart, Martha Glaser and Debbie Crocker. The organization presented Spinney with its 2018 Service Award on March 18 and is planning its annual dinner auction for April 21 at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center in Albany, Ore. and local growers. He has also been an ac- tive volunteer for OWA for decades, according to the organization’s press release. His most recent contribution to agricultural education has been the placement and up- keep of crop identification signs around the Willamette Valley and Interstate 5 corri- dor. OWA described Spinney Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, 33814 S. Meridian Road, Woodburn, Ore. The colorful annu- al festival includes a wide variety of activities. Cost: $5 per person for 13 and older. Maximum per car charge of $20. Website: https:// www.woodenshoe.com/ Through April 7 Idaho FFA State leadership Conference. College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho. Website: https://www.idahoffa.org/confer- ences-conventions/ Saturday, April 7 28th Dayton FFA Alumni Auc- tion and Dinner. 5:30-9 p.m. Old Dayton High School Gym, 801 Ferry St., Dayton, Ore. The auction is the largest fundraiser the Day- ton FFA Alumni does each year. If you or your business would like to donate an item, time, money or services to this year’s auction, or if you are interested in joining Day- ton FFA Alumni, please contact Mitch Coleman at (503) 864-2080. The silent auction starts at 5:30 p.m. The first table closes at 6:30 and dinner featuring local foods will be served at 7. Cost: $10 at the door or from the Dayton Ag Shop at 503-864-2080. Basic Irrigation System Design and Operation. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Dunbar Farms, Medford, Ore. This class will look at a variety of irrigation systems suitable for different crops. The class will be particularly useful for those plan- ning to build or alter their irrigation systems. The day of instruction in- cludes a trip around Dunbar Farms to look at a wide variety of pump stations and irrigation methods in operation. These systems will in- clude overhead sprinklers for hay, drip irrigation in wine grapes, high uniformity rotator sprinklers for row crops, large volume canons for infrequent irrigation purposes and flood irrigation in hay. Directions to the farm will be sent to registrants upon receipt of a submitted regis- tration). Registration options other than on line, contact Paula, 541- 776-7371. Register online: http:// bit.ly/JacksonSmallFarms Cost: $35 per person. Website: http://bit. ly/JacksonSmallFarms Tuesday, April 10 Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame induction. 6:30-9 p.m. Turf Club, 734 Falls Ave., Twin Falls, Idaho. This year’s inductees are: cattle rancher Jim Baker of Filer; sheep and cattle ranchers Ed and Emily Baker (posthumously) of Fil- er; cattle ranchers Scott and Sarah Bedke of Oakley; dairy producers Harry and Flora Bokma of Buhl; long-time Bureau of Land Manage- ment supervisor Dean Brown of Jerome; and cattle ranchers Wade and Gwenna Prescott of Carey. Cost: $25 Saturday, April 14 Small Acreage Expo. 8:30 a.m.- 3:45 p.m. Heritage Farm, 1919 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver, Wash. A full day of workshops will be offered, and representatives from a variety of agricultural organizations and agen- cies will be on hand. Cost: $15 in advance, $25 at the expo. Website: expo2018.brownpapertickets.com Understanding and Maintaining Farm Equipment. 1-5 p.m. Dunbar Farms, Medford, Ore. This class offers an introduction to farm equip- ment maintenance and repair in- cluding: how small gas engines and larger gas and diesel engines run, basic maintenance and tuning; trou- ble-shooting problems and how to tell whether you can fix a problem. Register online at http://bit.ly/Jack- sonSmallFarms or send an email to paula.burkhalter@oregonstate.edu or call 541-776-7371. Cost: $20 each person Website: http://bit.ly/ JacksonSmallFarms Thursday, April 19 In the Field: Salem Agricul- ture Seminar. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St. SE, Salem, Ore. A no-cost seminar for a discussion specifi- cally designed to provide agribusi- ness owners and their managers with the tools they need to get organized. Topics include the new tax cuts, finances and financial statements, regulatory updates on water and wetlands, organizing an agri-business and estate planning for farms and ranches. Sponsored by Schwabe, Williamson and Wy- att. RSVP at http://bit.ly/2FwaRPV. Cost: Free Shepherds’ Extravaganza. 2-10 p.m. Washington State Fair, 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puy- allup, Wash. Sheep and Fleece Show, vendors of supplies, used fiber-related equipment, demon- strations, workshops. Cost: No cost after admission to the Spring Fair. Website: www.shep- herds-extravaganza.com Friday, April 20 Changing Hands: A Workshop on Farm Succession Planning and Access to Land. 7:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. Harmony West Campus, Clackamas Community College, 7726 SE Harmony Road, Mil- waukie, Ore. Rogue Farm Corps’ workshop will bring together as- piring and retiring farmers for a full day of training on land access and succession planning. We will also have some facilitated networking on regional issues throughout the day so we can begin to build a community that will last beyond the workshops. If you are an aspiring farmer, come learn about creative ways to start your farm business with topics on finding, leasing, financ- ing and buying agricultural land. If you are a retiring farmer, come learn from experts about what it takes to pass on your business to the next generation — keeping it in the family or finding others to carry it on. Cost: $20 Website: www.roguefarmcorps.org/plan- ning Thursday-Sunday April 19-22 Puyallup Spring Fair. Wash- ington State Fairgrounds, 110 Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Home: West Marin County, Calif. Entire contents copyright © 2018 EO Media Group dba Capital Press Quote: “We are trying to be smart about how we expand, not by adding more animals but by moving aspects of the operation into San Francis- co. This way we can educate the urban population about buying local, knowing where your food comes from.” so we hired cheesemakers who really know what they are doing.” Hicks manages the land and farm education aspects while David focuses on cheese production and animal health. The average day begins with milking at 7:30 a.m. The cheesemakers make deliveries several times a week. They offer cheese-tast- ing classes, tours, cheesemak- ing or farmstays. “These ‘agtivities’ have been a great extra revenue stream,” she said. Hicks admits there are challenges. “It is really challenging for a dairy of our size to be- come profitable,” she said. “So much of the food industry has been built to succeed only within large-scale operations. We want to stay small.” as a tireless advocate for agri- culture, and OWA. The award was presented to Spinney on March 18 at the Cascade Grill in Albany. Meanwhile, OWA is gear- ing up for its 31st annual auction and dinner Saturday, April 21, at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center in Alba- ny. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. with a silent auction, fol- lowed by dinner at 6:15 and a live auction at 7:45. Tickets are $50 per person before April 7, and $60 per person after April 7. Dinner will include appetizers, a no host bar, grilled oysters, lamb, baron of beef and roasted pig. For more information, vis- it www.owaonline.org or call 503-243-3276. Calendar Through April 30 Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Owners: Tamara Hicks and David Jablons Occupation: Sheep and goat farm, cheese dairy Dinner auction fundraiser scheduled for April 21 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 Cap- ital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 or emailed to newsroom@capitalpress.com. Write “Calendar” in the subject line. Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Longtime volunteer Bob Spinney receives 2018 OWA Service Award Oregon Women for Ag- riculture, an all-volunteer organization dedicated to promoting the importance of agriculture statewide, has pre- sented its 2018 Service Award to Bob Spinney of Albany, Ore. Spinney has worked most of his career as an agronomist and crop protection specialist. He has also assisted with crop research for Oregon State University, OSU Extension Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Mike Omeg Corporate Officer Heidi Wright Chief Operating Officer By JULIA HOLLISTER WEST MARIN, Calif. — Husband and wife team Ta- mara Hicks and David Jablons grew up on opposite sides of the U.S. — he in Manhattan and she in rural San Diego County. Health and healthful eating lured them into farming. Longtime lovers of the West Marin landscape north of the Bay Area, Hicks and Jablons were so inspired by the region’s agricultural histo- ry that in 2003 they purchased their own farm with help from the Marin Agricultural Land Trust and a USDA rural devel- opment grant. The couple purchased a non-functioning old cow dairy and have extensively restored the soil and water systems as well as the buildings. The 160 acres of rolling pasture a few miles from Tomales Bay was dubbed Toluma Farms. They milked goats for 8 years, then added sheep. They started making cheese 5 years ago as Tomales Farmstead Creamery. “David still works at Uni- versity of California-San Francisco (as an oncologist and lung cancer researcher). I am a clinical psychologist and have recently given up my private practice but still pro- vide coaching focusing on life/ work balance and creating the life you want,” Hicks said. Hicks said the couple want- ed to be part of the solution to several problems, such as unhealthful eating and the disappearance of the local ag economies. Capital Press Ninth Ave. SW, Puyallup, Wash. Website: http://www.thefair.com/ spring-fair Saturday, April 21 Oregon Women for Ag Auc- tion and Dinner. 5:30 p.m. Linn County Fair and Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road, Alba- ny, Ore. This exciting event is a fundraiser for Oregon Women for Agriculture, which advocates for all things involving agriculture in the state. Web: owaonline.org Tree School East. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Baker High School, 2500 E St., Baker City, Ore. This year the school will offer 29 classes on everything from multi-aged forest management, forest insects and disease, controlling weeds, how to survive in the wild, ownership succession planning, to geology of Northeast Oregon, wildflow- er identification and small scale harvesting for the “do it yourself” folks. The goal is to provide a wide variety of topics valuable for family forestland owners, professional foresters and for- est contractors. Sponsored by OSU Extension, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute and the Oregon Small Woodlands As- sociation. Cost: $50, $20 for 18 and younger with an adult family member. Website: http://exten- sion.oregonstate.edu/baker/ Sunday-Wednesday April 22-25 California FFA State Conven- tion. Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. Website: http:// www.calaged.org/stateconvention 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 offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Circulation ......................... 800-882-6789 Email ........ 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