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CapitalPress.com
Friday, October 4, 2019
People & Places
Seeking new markets for farmers
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
LACEY, Wash. — Ste-
phen Bramwell’s grandfa-
ther, an Idaho sugar beet
grower, invited him to farm,
but that was far from Bram-
well’s mind after graduating
from high school in Eugene,
Ore.
He went to the University
of Washington and earned a
degree in international stud-
ies. Then he took a low-
paid internship at an organic
farm.
”It transformed my life.
There’s nothing as satis-
fying as making money
from something you grow,”
Bramwell said. “It’s hard
work; it’s good work. It’s
an area of total moral clar-
ity. You’re producing some-
thing that’s going to sustain
people.”
For three years he worked
on organic farms on Vashon
and Lopez islands in Wash-
ington. He then went back
to college and earned a
master’s degree in soil sci-
ence at Washington State
University.
He taught for a few years
before becoming WSU
Extension’s
agriculture
agent in Thurston County in
2016. In that position, he’s
trying to help farmers in the
South Puget Sound area and
southwest Washington stay
or become profitable.
“He’s hustling,” said
Lewis
County
farmer
Bill Reisinger. “I could
tell by talking to him the
first time he was damn
sincere.”
Of 39 counties in Wash-
ington, Thurston and Lewis
counties rank 13th and 14th,
respectively, in the value
of agricultural goods sold,
according to the 2017 Cen-
sus of Agriculture.
Farming remains import-
ant, but faces development
and regulatory pressures.
The region is not dominated
by large-scale agriculture.
But small-scale, direct-to-
the-consumer
agriculture
isn’t enough, according to
Bramwell.
He’s conducted sev-
eral surveys to gauge
whether farmers can buck
the trend to get big or get
out.
EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER
Established 1928
Capital Press Managers
Western
Innovator
STEPHEN
BRAMWELL
Oregon’s Bounty Event:
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oregon State Cap-
itol, 900 Court St. NE, Salem. This
free celebration of the state’s agri-
cultural harvest is sponsored by the
Oregon State Capitol Foundation.
Contact: 503-986-1388
Treasure Our Valley: 4-8 p.m.
Indian Creek Plaza, 120 S. Kimball
Ave., Caldwell, Idaho. Festival cel-
ebrating protection of farm and
ranch land. To include local foods
and wines, entertainment, activ-
ities, opportunities to meet with
representatives of agricultural orga-
nizations. Contact: 208-890-3543
www.treasureourvalley.org or kbc@
crookham.com
WEDNESDAY,
OCT. 9, 16, 23
Exploring the Small Farm
Dream for Veterans: 1-3:30 p.m.,
Benton County Extension, Sunset
Meeting Room, 4077 SW Research
Way, Corvallis, Ore. A 3-part work-
shop series offered to veterans
free of cost. Sponsored by Benton
County Veteran Affairs. Contact:
https://tinyurl.com/yy2fnnyo
FRIDAY-SUNDAY,
OCT. 11-13
Young Farmers & Ranchers Ag
Tour: All day, various locations. The
Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R)
Ag Tour of southwest Oregon Coast
is open to Farm Bureau members.
Tour will depart from Corvallis at
8 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, and will
return by 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13.
Contact: Jacon Taylor, jacon@ore-
gonfb.org, 503-399-1701
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
OCT. 12-13
Hemp and Hops Event: 11 a.m.
Yakima County Fairgrounds, 1301
S. Fair Ave., Yakima, Wash. In addi-
tion to many exhibitors, hear a wide
variety of speakers at this event,
including state Sen. Judy Warnick,
Scott Salisbury of Green Globe Inc.,
grower Trey Willison and Applied
Genetics founder Jason Zitzer. Con-
tact: info@hempandhopsevent.com
MONDAY, OCT. 14
Coos County Fall Noxious
Weed Day: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Bandon
Barn, 1200 11th St., Bandon, Ore.
Presentations on weed identifica-
Entire contents copyright © 2019
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
Age: 41
Position: Washington
State University Exten-
sion Thurston County
agriculture agent.
Education: Bachelor’s
degree, international
studies, University of
Washington, 2002; mas-
ter’s degree, WSU, soil
science, 2008.
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is
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2870 Broadway NE, Salem OR 97303.
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.
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Washington State University Extension Thurston County agriculture agent Stephen
Bramwell at the county fairgrounds, where WSU Extension has its office.
‘Ag in the middle’
“Where’s the agriculture
in the middle?” he asks.
One potential place
is growing barley for
the region’s brewers and
distillers.
WSU contracted with
Reisinger to grow barley
for craft brewers. The beers
were showcased at a brew
festival in Tumwater in
August.
Reisinger said the exper-
iment went well. The bar-
ley grew, WSU paid a good
price and there were a lot of
people at the brew fest, he
said. “I was just in awe.”
To check the poten-
tial market, Bramwell and
undergraduate
student
Monte Roden last year sur-
veyed 23 grain buyers in
urban Thurston County. The
respondents included brew-
ers, distillers, bakers and a
malter.
According to the survey,
65% said it was “very” or
“somewhat” important to
buy local grain. The most
commonly given reasons
were quality and to support
the local economy.
The survey also found
that most were willing to
pay a premium for local
grain, especially organic.
“There’s a lot of enthu-
siasm for (local grain)
because the brewing com-
munity is always after some-
thing new,” Bramwell said.
“Local buyers want quality,
but they don’t need the same
thing time after time.
”We don’t need to be a
grain-producing region. We
want grain to be among a
suite of crops we grow,”
Bramwell said.
Farmer survey
To gauge grain-grow-
ing potential, Bramwell sur-
veyed 21 farmers in Lewis
and Grays Harbor counties.
Farmers reported they were
already growing more than
2,300 acres of grains such as
barley, wheat and oats.
The acreage would
approximately double if
farmers could be guaranteed
a market and good price, the
survey found.
The survey also revealed
that three-quarters of the
farmers already didn’t have
a place to store all their
grain. If they grew more,
they would need still more
storage.
To solve that problem,
farmers, the Port of Cheha-
lis and Northwest Agricul-
ture Business Center are try-
ing to line up public funds
to build storage silos at the
port, which is next to Inter-
state 5. From there, the grain
could be sent north or south
to customers.
Bramwell said he hasn’t
“been totally comfortable”
with the idea of the pub-
lic funding what ultimately
will benefit businesses. But
he said he believes the pub-
lic investment will pay off if
private enterprise thrives.
“If that happens, then
those investments will be
worthwhile,” he said.
Lewis County farmer
Dave Fenn said Bramwell’s
survey showed the potential
benefits of grain silos at the
port. “He’s been instrumen-
tal in trying to improve agri-
cultural viability in Thur-
ston County and southwest
Washington,” Fenn said.
Reisinger said he could
imagine a group of small
farmers growing barley,
especially if it could be pro-
cessed locally.
”What we really need is a
malting facility,” he said.
Local preference
Bramwell and research
assistant Sydney Debien
looked at the potential value
of processing fruits and veg-
etables locally.
A survey of more than
500 shoppers at a farm-
ers’ market in Olym-
pia found that 79% said it
was “important” or “very
important” for locally pro-
cessed foods to have locally
grown ingredients.
Demand was highest for
frozen vegetables or fruit
grown locally, followed by
pickled or fermented veg-
etables, according to the
survey.
In another research proj-
ect, Bramwell is the princi-
pal investigator in evaluat-
ing whether farming can be
continued or even enhanced
while improving condi-
tions for rare plants and
animals.
“I don’t know if we can
do it,” Bramwell said. “The
role of extension is to ask
questions and try to find
out.”
Bramwell never did farm
with his grandfather, the late
Casimir Schell, a emigrant
from Russia. Nevertheless,
he links his grandfather to
what has turned out to be
his occupation. “Those roots
kind of stuck.”
CALENDAR
SATURDAY, OCT. 5
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Kevin Blodgett ........... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor
Jessica Boone ............ Production Manager
Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager
tion and control, weed mapping,
gorse best management practices,
pesticide safety. Finish the day with
a tour to some weed hot spots
and talk about treatment options.
Receive ODA herbicide applica-
tor license credits. Contact: Cassie
Bouska, 541-396-2541
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16
Forest Stewardship Coached
Planning Course: 6 p.m. Cowlitz
County Administration Building
General Meeting Room (3rd Floor),
207 Fourth Ave. N, Kelso, Wash. For-
est Stewardship Coached Planning
is a comprehensive series of classes
that are taught by recognized for-
estry experts from around the state
of Washington. Participants receive
one-on-one assistance in writing
a forest stewardship plan, a for-
estry reference library, maps of their
properties, a forest measurement
tool and a personal site visit from a
professional forester. It takes place
Oct. 16-Nov. 20 (a field trip will be
Nov. 16). The registration fee is $125
before Oct. 5, and $150 after. Cost is
per household (limit 4 people). Con-
tact: Patrick Shults, patrick.shults@
wsu.edu, 360-740-1213. http://for-
estry.wsu.edu/kelsocp/
THURSDAY, OCT. 17
Oregon Farm Bureau Tax
Symposium: 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Ore-
gon Farm Bureau Office, 1320 Cap-
itol St. NE, Suite 200, Salem. Join
Oregon Farm Bureau and lead-
ing tax professionals in a half-day
workshop to discuss how to best
prepare for the upcoming tax sea-
son. Event is free to voting and
supporting members of Farm
Bureau. RSVP by Oct. 11. tiffany@
oregonfb.org 503-399-1701
FRIDAY, OCT. 18
Meaningful Incentives to Sus-
tain Small Forest Lands: 7:30-
11:30 a.m., Mason County Audi-
torium, 2621 Johns Prairie Road,
Shelton, Wash. A unique partner-
ship between conservation dis-
tricts and state and federal agencies
has been formed to bring finan-
cial and technical assistance to help
retain working family forest lands
in SW Washington. Join us for a free
breakfast to learn about and help
shape incentive programs and con-
servation efforts for small forest
landowners. Contact: Patrick Shultz,
360-740-1213, patrick.shults@wsu.
edu
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
OCT. 18-19
Biochar Workshop:
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tualatin Soil and Water
Conservation District, 7175 NE Ever-
green Parkway, Suite No. 400, Hill-
sboro, Ore. Learn how charred bio-
mass (biochar) can increase soil
productivity, reduce wildfire risk
and slow climate change. Biochar
consultant Kelpie Wilson will pro-
vide a history and science of bio-
char followed by a full-day inter-
active demonstration of how to
make biochar from your burn piles
using a simple “flame cap kiln.” She
will also share methods for using
biochar in compost and in animal
barns to recover nutrients for use
in soil. This is a free, two-day work-
shop that includes hands-on activi-
ties. You have the option to sign up
for just one of the workshop days if
that’s what best suits your schedule.
Contact: Charlotte Trowbridge, 503-
277-3709, charlotte.trowbridge@
tualatinswcd.org
SATURDAY, OCT. 19
Meaningful Incentives to Sus-
tain Small Forest Lands: 7:30-
11:30 a.m. Willapa Harbor Commu-
nity Center, 916W First St., South
Bend, Wash. A unique partnership
between conservation districts
and state and federal agencies has
been formed to bring financial
and technical assistance to help
retain working family forest lands
in SW Washington. Join us for a
free breakfast to learn about and
help shape incentive programs
and conservation efforts for small
forest landowners. Contact: Patrick
Shultz, patrick.shultz@wsu.edu,
360-740-1213
Oregon Ag in the Classroom
Fall Harvest Dinner: 5 p.m., CH2M
Hill Alumni Center, Oregon State
University, Corvallis. Make plans
to join us for our 2019 Fall Harvest
Dinner and Auction. All proceeds
will directly support our mission:
“To help students grow in their
knowledge of agriculture, the envi-
ronment and natural resources.”
Contact: AITC@oregonstate.edu,
541-737-8629
SUNDAY, OCT. 27
Young Farmer Tour, Mixer:
6-10 p.m. Washington Hall, 153 14th
Ave., Seattle. Ninth annual Young
Farmer Mixer hosted by Washing-
ton Young Farmers Coalition. Urban
farm tours followed by mixer. Pot-
luck and live music. Farm tours 2 to
5:30 p.m. Mixer 6 to 10 p.m. More
details on coalition’s Facebook
page. Contact: http://washington-
youngfarmers.org or wayoungfarm-
ers@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY-
SATURDAY
OCT. 30-NOV. 2
92nd National FFA Conven-
tion and Expo: Indiana Convention
Center, 100 S Capitol Ave., India-
napolis, Indiana. This is the organi-
zation’s annual gathering. Contact:
https://convention.ffa.org/
SATURDAY, NOV. 2
Goat Discovery Day:
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Pleasant Hill High
School, 36386 Highway 58, Pleas-
ant Hill, Ore. If you are an experi-
enced “goat person” or you hope to
be, this event is for you. A full day of
workshops, demos with live goats,
vendors and networking. Presented
by Emerald Dairy Goat Associa-
tion and Oregon State University
Extension Services. Contact: Tea-
gan Moran, teagan.moran@oregon-
state.org, 541-713-5011
SATURDAY-TUESDAY
NOV. 2-4
2019 Angus Convention:
Reno-Sparks Convention Cen-
ter, 4590 S. Virginia St., Reno, Nev.
From outstanding educational sem-
inars to nationa: Centre on the
Grove, 850 W Front St., Boise, Idaho.
Annual meeting of Idaho and Utah
dairy industries. Contact: https://
www.dairywest.com
WEDNESDAY-
SATURDAY
NOV. 13-16
Tri-State Grain Growers Con-
vention: Davenport Grand Hotel,
333 W Spokane Falls Blvd., Spo-
kane, Wash.This is the annual con-
vention of grain farmers in Wash-
ington, Oregon and Idaho and
features a full slate of presen-
tations and breakout sessions.
Sponsored by the Washington
Association of Wheat Growers,
Idaho Grain Producers Associa-
tion and the Oregon Wheat Grow-
ers League. Early bird registra-
tion ends Oct. 18. Contact: http://
www.wawg.org/convention
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
NOV. 14-15
Washington State Grape Soci-
ety Annual Meeting: Church of the
Nazarene, 500 N. Elm, Grandview,
Wash. This is the Washington State
Grape Society’s annual meeting and
trade show. Contact: 509-585-5460
https://www.grapesociety.org/
annual-meeting.html
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
NOV. 15-17
2019 Young Farmers & Ranch-
ers Leadership Conference: Sher-
aton Portland Airport Hotel, 8235
NE Airport Way, Portland, Ore. A
conference for young Farm Bureau
members interested in improv-
ing their leadership and com-
munication skills, learning about
issues impacting Oregon agricul-
ture, gaining ag business tips from
industry experts, making new
friends, and having a blast! Con-
tact: Jacon Taylor, yfr@oregonfb.
org 541-589-9694
TUESDAY-
WEDNESDAY
NOV. 19-20
Washington Farm Bureau
99th Annual Meeting & Trade
Show: Wenatchee Convention
Center, 121 N Wenatchee Ave.,
Wenatchee. Join us for informa-
tion, inspiration, and fun. Have your
voice heard as “the voice of agri-
culture.” Contact: Kathie Davies,
kdavies@wsfb.com 360-528-2911
https://wsfb.com/2019-wfb-99th-
annual-meeting/
To Reach Us
Circulation ...........................800-781-3214
Email ........... Circulation@capitalpress.com
Main line .............................503-364-4431
News Staff
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas ..............208-860-3898
Boise
Brad Carlson .......................208-914-8264
Central Washington
Dan Wheat ..........................509-699-9099
Western Washington
Don Jenkins .........................360-722-6975
Eastern Washington
Matthew Weaver ................509-688-9923
Oregon
George Plaven ....................406-560-1655
Mateusz Perkowski .............800-882-6789
Graphic artist
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Designer
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THURSDAY, NOV. 21
Index
Water Rights Boot Camp:
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tualatin Soil and
Water Conservation District, 7175
NE Evergreen Parkway No. 400,
Hillsboro, Ore. Join Tualatin Soil
and Water Conservation District
and attorney Laura A. Schroeder
for a free seminar about water
rights in the Willamette Valley.
During the seminar, you’ll learn
about dissecting your water
right, protecting water rights,
transfers, title issues, losing a
water use or right and rights
pre- & post- water code. Con-
tact: Charlotte Trowbridge, 503-
277-3709, charlotte.trowbridge@
tualatinswcd.org
Dairy .....................................................12
Markets .................................................14
Opinion ...................................................6
Winter Service ................................... 8-10
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