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August 24, 2018 CapitalPress.com 11 Farm increases public involvement through classes, hosting dinners By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Vogel Farms for years has attracted visitors who buy the fresh food grown there, or buy gifts at one of several on-site stores. Now, owner Debi Engel- hardt-Vogel aims to attract more people to the Kuna, Ida- ho, farm of 200 acres with an upcoming series of cooking classes and hosted dinners. Classes start in October. Engelhardt-Vogel said the events are already generating interest from a growing seg- ment of the population desir- ing more fresh local food. The events also reflect a long-term plan she and her late husband, Ed Vogel — who died late last year follow- ing a long illness — had to increase public participation in the farm. “Almost everything we are doing now, he was a part of,” Engelhardt-Vogel said. “This year has been a year of heal- ing and trying to get back on track.” As for the local-food theme of upcoming classes and hosted dinners, “I look at my grandkids. They are very aware of where their food comes from,” she said. She runs the farm with her son- in-law, daughters and grand- sons. Brad Carlson/Capital Press Debi Engelhardt-Vogel prepares basil for a restaurant client Aug. 15 at Vogel Farms near Kuna, Idaho. More members of the Baby Boom generation, in- cluding recent migrants to southwest Idaho, are gain- ing this awareness as they wind down busy careers, said Engelhardt-Vogel, 59. “I have been able to get some of that back by being on the farm, so it wasn’t com- pletely lost,” she said. The longtime business analyst and consultant spent years plan- ning and self-funding what would become Vogel Farms Country Market, begun in 2005. A large kitchen is one of its new features. Classes, held year-round up to twice a week, will cov- er cooking techniques as well as special topics such as pre- serving and canning, how to prepare particular foods, and making the best use of home gardens, she said. Fresh foods free of chemicals and preser- vatives, like Vogel Farms- grown meats, will be featured. In separate dinner classes also targeted to start in Octo- ber, Engelhardt-Vogel plans to lead small groups in cooking a three-course meal of fresh ingredients primarily from the farm. She expects to host one dinner a week plus addi- tional sessions that groups can schedule. In class and dinner set- tings, she said, themes will include “eating locally and seasonally — being aware of what you are putting in your mouth” as well as “the impor- tance of farming, and the im- portance of the small farm.” Costs are yet to be de- termined and will reflect what foods are used, Engel- hardt-Vogel said. Next summer, she plans to make the farm available for hosted farm-to-table events. “My husband really want- ed this to be a Century Farm,” Engelhardt-Vogel said. “We have 33 years left. From the looks of things, houses are going to be surrounding us. We need to find a way we can complement the houses and be able to survive.” Vogel Farms raises beef, pork, chicken and eggs. With nearby Cabalo’s Orchard, it raises turkeys that are finished there, and cooperates in run- ning a greenhouse and grow- ing popcorn. Washington ag director talks trade uncertainty By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Matthew Weaver/Capital Press File Derek Sandison, director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture speaks during a meeting between Washington Grain Commission board members and members of the Japan Flour Millers Association May 2 in Pullman, Wash. said this week his administra- tion is still working on a re- write of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico but pre- viously told the head of the House Agriculture Commit- tee he is working on bilateral agreements with the two na- tions. Trump recently met with the European Union president, who promised to negotiate an agreement, particularly bene- fiting U.S. soybeans. Sandison said he’s heard that a deal with Mexico is “ap- parently very close,” but has not seen a lot of progress with Canada. Sandison traveled to Japan in June with Ted McKinney, USDA under secretary of ag- riculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, meeting with the Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fish- eries. FLAT CARS- THE BETTER BRIDGE • Lower Cost • Custom Lengths up to 90’ • Certified Engineering Services Available • Steel Construction Contractor License # 71943 P.O Box 365 • 101 Industrial Way, Lebanon, OR 97355 34-3/100 Office: 541-451-1275 Email: info@rfc-nw.com www.rfc-nw.com Services & Supplies Special Section October 5 th , 2018 Doing Business with the Ag Community? Capital Press Ag Weekly readers will find labor & money saving tips in the 2016 Winter Services & Supplies Special Section. Place an ad in this Special Section & reach Capital Press readers online and in the newspaper with your services & supplies! Content Will Include: • Online Agribusiness • Equipment • Maintenance • New Products • Consulting & Planning Services • Plus Much More! Miller takes reins of Idaho Department of Lands Capital Press The State Board of Land Commissioners has selected Dustin Miller to be the new director of the Idaho Depart- ment of Lands. Miller has been admin- istrator of the Governor’s Office of Species Conser- vation and a member of the governor’s natural resources cabinet since 2012. He start- ed his career as a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service. “Dustin is highly regard- ed as a leader in Idaho’s nat- ural resources field, and we are confident in his ability to lay out a vision for the Department of Lands and help the Land Board meet its many duties, especially as trustees of the state’s endow- ment lands and funds that support our public schools,” Gov. Butch Otter said in a press release. “His strength is building strong working relation- ships across state and federal agencies, user groups, the Idaho Legislature and others to solve complex natural re- source issues,” he said. Miller has participated in state and national com- mittees related to wildlife and land-use planning and is experienced in building sup- port for land-use initiatives. He has also worked exten- sively across the state as a natural resources field coor- dinator for the U.S. Senate, the Land Board stated. Throughout his career, he has helped establish col- laborative relationships with state and federal agencies, private landowners and re- source industry leaders. Miller earned a bache- lor’s degree in environmen- tal science from the Univer- sity of Idaho. “I am honored to be se- lected by the Land Board. I value Idaho and its abun- dant natural resources, and I am excited to lead the hard-working and dedicated people at the Department of Lands in the important work they do for Idahoans,” Mill- er said in the press release. He will lead more than 320 full-time and 250 sea- sonal employees at the de- partment. He will be the secretary to the Land Board and a member of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. He will also serve as chairman of the Idaho Board of Scaling Practices and as a member of the Idaho Geo- logical Survey, Idaho Forest Products Commission, Ida- ho Strategic Energy Alliance and University of Idaho Pol- icy Analysis Group. Thank You Washington State Legislature for your commitment to Agriculture Education! Curriculum for Agriculture Science Education Technology and Equipment Grants were made available to over 120 agriculture teachers in Washington State and the Agriculture Education teacher preparation program at Washington State University! 1.25 million dollars was awarded in round 1 of the competitive CASE grant application process. Congratulations to the following agriculture science teachers and school districts who were awarded grants: FIRST NAME Dan Carol Renee Mike Holly Josh Brian Jennifer Nathan Tracy La Rena Jennifer Becky Jennie Micah HaLee Allen Erica Mitchell Ryan Steve Samantha Kyle Amy Denise Amy Anna Tyler Emily Pat Brad Peggy Lindsey Nicole J.D. Robert Jessica Cami Anna Tracy Josh Randi Hannah Matt Andy Justin Mike Olivia Austin Annette Aubrey Melissa Jessica LAST NAME White Travis Johnson Sheppard Cahow Golob Long Mason Moore Pearson Draper Yochum Carollo Wagner Wilson Walter Skoog Whitmore Bell Maiden Russell Sims Kimble Carpenter Senor Morrison Warner Renz Wamsley Hazen Watkins Payne Butcher Abel Baser Matthews Johnson Browne Gildnes Brown Krieg Krieg Schneider Asplund Williams Palmer Heitstuman Zurcher Miller Weeks Markel Jensen Moore SCHOOL DISTRICT Kennewick Pasco Pasco South Kitsap Columbia Granger Sultan Grandview Colton Dayton Washtucna Finley Kittitas Medical Lake Kiona-Benton Odessa Cheney Deer Park Cle Elum Touchet Ellensburg Ellensburg Pomeroy Vancouver Kennewick Mt. Vernon WSU Elma Elma Highland Selah Walla Walla Walla Walla Waitsburg WSU Pullman Walla Walla Clarkston Burlington-Edison Snohomish Goldendal Goldendale Wenatchee Wenatchee Ritzville Lind Colfax Prosser Sprague Battle Ground Chewelah East Valley Oakesdale $28,812.00 $20,000.00 $26,500.00 $22,294.00 $16,850.00 $2,000.00 $18,333.00 $48,000.00 $34,484.00 $20,000.00 $6,500.00 $6,512.00 $22,000.00 $24,056.00 $19,000.00 $15,000.00 $27,000.00 $17,000.00 $16,000.00 $42,900.00 $42,000.00 $13,891.00 $18,938.00 $12,000.00 $10,000.00 $20,000.00 $20,000.00 $32,000.00 $27,000.00 $32,438.00 $53,000.00 $37,000.00 $46,000.00 $38,386.00 $27,000.00 $20,000.00 $18,000.00 $3,300.00 $20,000.00 $18,324.00 $15,411.00 $14,624.00 $23,000.00 $27,000.00 $13,500.00 $13,500.00 $33,064.00 $11,718.00 $11,131.00 $22,827.00 $48,500.00 $50,578.00 $42,347.00 Special thanks to: Washington AgForestry Leadership Class # 38 members: Co Dinn, Emily Bautista-Herdt, Sal Prohim and Ryan Holterhoff Senator Jim Honeyford and Representative Steve Tharinger Dan Coyne and Ben Buchholz To the Washington State Legislature: You have our unwavering commitment that all agriculture education students will be “Career and College Ready”. Ad Space Deadline: September 7th 33-3-3/HOU Small farmers will be hurt worst as U.S. trade disputes play out, the head of Washing- ton’s agriculture department says. “They’ve got a lot of costs sunk already into their crop of cherries or apples or whatever, because they’ve already made the decision to do the pruning, spraying, picking and pack- ing costs,” Washington State Department of Agriculture di- rector Derek Sandison told the Capital Press. “Now they’re at the mercy of the prices out there, what people will pay for it in an environment where some of our largest markets are essentially not available, or only available if we’re willing to accept most of the tariffs.” In short-term retaliatory tariffs, agriculture tends to be disproportionately affected, Sandison said. “As an industry, agriculture bears the brunt of these dis- putes and disruptions,” he said. He and others from his department have traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk to members of Congress, the House and Senate agricul- ture committees, the depart- ments of State and Commerce, USDA and the U.S. trade rep- resentative to emphasize the ramifications of current trade disputes and importance of a rapid resolution, Sandison said. The USDA will provide reports around Sept. 4 on the financial impacts felt since the tariffs went into effect in July, Sandison said. A team of econ- omists is working to segregate normal price fluctuations in the market from tariff-related impacts. “There’s the immediate, short-term impacts associated with retaliatory tariffs, then you have longer-term impacts associated with Pacific Rim country agreements that we’re not part of,” Sandison said. “We’ll feel those over the next several years.” Sandison is the chairman of marketing and internation- al trade committee for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, which will meet Sept. 9-12 in Hartford, Conn. Virtually every state is af- fected, Sandison said. “This is a very fluid, dy- namic situation,” Sandison said. “You could have changes in relationships with the indi- vidual countries we’re having the tariff issues with overnight. We just don’t know.” Particularly with China, it’s hard to predict when a substan- tial breakthrough might occur, Sandison said. “We have no idea,” he said. President Donald Trump “They did not hold out much hope for a bilateral,” Sandison said. “We think there’s a lot of progress that needs to be made.” Canada and Japan are the top two purchasers of agricul- tural and food products from Washington, Sandison said. “So with those two coun- tries, we would like to see more substantive progress with respect to getting our is- sues resolved and better trade re-established,” he said. Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners The Idaho land board announced Aug. 17 that it has selected Dustin Miller as director of the state Department of Lands. 800.882.6789 • www.capitalpress.com 34-3/104