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CapitalPress.com
Friday, July 23, 2021
People & Places
Riches abound at organic farm
By JULIA HOLLISTER
For the Capital Press
CORRALITOS, Calif.
— Lonely Mountain Farm
was named after J.R.R. Tolk-
ien’s “Hobbit” story in which
the riches-laden mountain is
overseen by a fiery dragon.
These days, the dragon
has shuffled on and the
“riches” have morphed into
organic crops.
Kenny Baker started the
farm on 5 acres of leased
land in 2009. He and his
wife, Molly, plowed under a
dirt bike course to make way
for their dream farm.
Kenny had previously
worked at several organic
farms in Santa Cruz County.
“With my hands in the
dirt, doing my work is where
I feel purposeful and at
peace,” Kenny said on the
farm’s website.
When the couple first
broke ground on the Santa
Cruz County farm they
decided it was important
to grow crops that would
be shelf-stable — potatoes
instead of lettuce — because
they had no clue where or
to whom they would market
them.
The first year they grew
an acre of heirloom potatoes,
many varieties and many
colors. They also started to
experiment with growing
heirloom dried beans.
“After being known
as the potato farmers, we
began to augment our plant-
Established 1928
Capital Press Managers
Western
Innovator
KENNY AND
MOLLY BAKER
Owners: Lonely Moun-
tain Farm
Hometown: Corralitos,
Calif.
Occupation: Farmers
Family: Three children
CUESA
Molly and Kenny Baker of Lonely Mountain Farm in Corralitos, Calif.
ings to include other niche
and unrepresented items that
were not at the marketplace,”
Molly said. “Some of these
crops included parsnips, ruta-
bagas, specialty beans and
peppers.”
Eventually, the couple
built up name recognition
and branding, and were able
to get into bigger farmers
markets. Currently, the farm
grows 75-100 different crops
including flowers, vegeta-
bles, fruits and herbs.
Brie Mazurek, communi-
cations director of CUESA,
which operates the Ferry
Plaza Farmers Market in San
Francisco, said the Bakers
represent the next generation
of innovative organic farm-
ers, bringing a diversity of
fruits, vegetables and flow-
ers to the market, all grown
with a deep care for steward-
ing the land and feeding the
community.
The selection of crops
continues to vary. The Bakers
say it has seen many transfor-
mations since the beginning.
“We grow many unusual
crops including mulberries,
loquats, passion fruit, gherkin
cucumbers, indigo tomatoes
and more,” Molly said. “The
most difficult crop to grow
is cucumbers because of the
insect pressure, cool nights
and trellising requirements.”
The farm is also host to
many beneficial insects and
animals including ladybugs,
praying mantises, frogs,
chickens, owls and red-tail
hawks.
They are also consistently
creating new habitat and
maintaining farm edges to
encourage beneficial insects.
Wild animals are consid-
ered part of the farm and not
a problem. The Santa Cruz
Mountains area is deer coun-
try and fencing was installed
to keep them out.
The region-wide drought
is a challenge for every farm,
they said.
Quote: “We think the
biggest challenge to
California agriculture
is a sustainable labor
force, with livable wages
and housing. In order to
achieve this we need to
pay more for food across
the board and start
subsidizing small-scale
(200 acres or less) organic
farms. This might also
provide incentives for
people to transition to
organic.”
Farming consumes lots
of water, so when there are
droughts it is a double-edged
sword — less water is avail-
able, and at the same time
more water is needed, they
said.
E. Oregon youth earns title of Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon
By RONALD BOND AND BILL BRADSHAW
EO Media Group
ENTERPRISE, Ore. — It’s
almost as if Destiny Wecks was des-
tined for this title.
Wecks, one of the three queens
for Chief Joseph Days, which rides
for the 75th time later this month,
won the title of 2022 Miss Teen
Rodeo Oregon at the Junior Miss
and Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon Pag-
eant on June 26 at the Tillamook
County Rodeo.
“She represents rodeo at the teen
level for the entire state of Oregon,”
said Lois Forester, second vice pres-
ident of the Miss Rodeo Oregon Inc.
Foundation. “It’s quite an honor.”
As Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon,
Wecks will travel the state in 2022
promoting the sport of rodeo in
parades, personal appearances and
rodeo events.
It’s the third state honor the
17-year-old has won during what
already is building up to be quite the
rodeo career.
She said she was named Miss
Rodeo Sweetheart when she was
much younger — at ages 6 and 7
— and in 2015 she was selected as
Junior Miss Rodeo Oregon.
“It’s been my dream to go on this
EO Media Group File
Destiny Wecks and her horse
Opie. Wecks won the title of 2022
Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon at the
Junior Miss and Miss Teen Rodeo
Oregon Pageant on June 26 at
the Tillamook County Rodeo.
sequence,” she said. “Now I’m hop-
ing to go on to (be) Miss Rodeo Ore-
gon and Miss Rodeo America. When
I got a chance to try out, I had to take
it.”
Wecks, who will be a senior at
Enterprise High School starting
this fall, will serve in her role for
the entirety of 2022. Until her cor-
onation, she is called the “lady in
waiting.”
Barb Carr, who serves as the lady
in waiting adviser, listed a rigorous
set that was before Wecks.
“The girls go through a pageant,
and different aspects and elements
of that pageant,” she said. “They
are judged on personality, they are
judged on appearance, they are
judged on public speaking abilities,
their ability to answer impromptu
questions, they go through an inter-
view, (and) they take a written test.
“Everything kind of aligns with
mainstream pageantry.”
The exception to that is the
horse skills contestants were to dis-
play, and knowledge of the lifestyle
beyond just taking part in a rodeo.
Carr said they had to ride a pattern
given by the judges, ride a pattern
they create on their own, and show
their understanding of the agricul-
ture and beef industries.
“You can’t represent something
you don’t know, so they really have
to be able to talk to the public knowl-
edgeably,” Carr said. “You have to
be well-rounded.”
Wecks said the ample experi-
ence she has in winning previous
Miss Rodeo honors and being a
CJD queen were helpful, but added
she still was preparing late the night
before the pageant, preparing for her
speech and written test.
“I was up until midnight or 1 a.m.
studying,” she said.
Wecks is active in FFA, Natu-
ral Helpers, and the 4-H horse pro-
gram. She trains horses rides her
own horses for drill, 4-H, rodeo and
pleasure. She represents Oregon
in 2020-21 as High School Rodeo
First Attendant and the Chief Joseph
Days Honorary Queen.
Wecks has been on a horse just
about her entire life, and has royalty
in her blood with her mother, Vixen
Radford-Wecks, being a former CJD
queen. She credited her mother with
helping her get started in many of
the events.
“She helped me a lot,” Wecks
said. “It’s not just to like horses, but
you can have jobs and other oppor-
tunities in horses. When I started
doing horse or FFA I realized I could
do rodeo as well.”
While the date is not finalized,
Wecks’ coronation will be sometime
in early 2022.
“I hope I can travel all over Ore-
gon as well as surrounding states,
like Idaho and Montana, to welcome
more people to our state and tell
them about rodeo,” she said.
Invasive jumping worms wiggle way across Oregon
By MIA RYDER-MARKS
Capital Press
After hitchhiking a ride
from ™s near the soil surface,
unlike other earthworms,
which inhabit the lower
organic layer. This allows the
jumping worm to devour the
organic matter and leaf litter
that plants depend on to grow
and survive.
They also burrow deep
tunnels in the soil and release
feces as they go. The cast-
ing resembles cooked ham-
burger, said Chan. In their
path, they leave behind loose
soil with a texture similar to
coffee grounds. The soil can
no longer retain moisture and
lacks nutrients.
Sea Grant Extension/OSU
Also, worm activity elimi-
nates insulation around plants
and allows heat to penetrate
quickly into the soil.
Another notable charac-
teristic of the worm is their
giant mouths, which open
like a mechanical excavator.
“It’s a little bit like that
from the horror movie,”
said Chan. The worms have
insatiable appetites and can
outcompete other native
organisms.
It is hard to tell just how
many jumping worms are in
the state, said Chan. How-
ever, they occur at higher
densities than other earth-
worms in Oregon. In one
square yard of soil, thou-
sands of jumping worms can
be found.
Right now, there are no
biological controls or cer-
tified pesticides that can be
used to eradicate the jump-
ing worm. Some early work
looked into fertilizers con-
taining saponin, which is
plant-derived glucose that
repels the worms.
“The best way to min-
imize their spread right
now is just be able to rec-
ognize them,” said Chan. If
detected in gardens or crops,
he advised contacting the
Oregon Invasives Hotline
and submitting a photo for
identification.
If there is a contained pop-
ulation in a landscape, jump-
ing worms can be placed in
plastic bags and exposed to
the sun. This will generate
a temperature of up to 160
degrees, “which is more than
enough to be lethal to the
worms,” said Chan.
To stall the spread when
gardening or cultivating
crops, tools and work gear
such as boots should be
cleaned, as their cocoons
can stick to them and spread.
Despite the vast population in
Oregon, there are still oppor-
tunities to slow it from grow-
ing further.
are essential to learning from data
and communicating key insights to
your organization, clients, or suppli-
ers. Join Catherine Cantley, exten-
sion professor at the University of
Idaho and TechHelp processing spe-
cialist, as we explore the fundamen-
tals of “storytelling with data” in a
practical industry-based approach.
Website: https://bit.ly/3AF17f3
by the Oregon Association of Nurs-
eries, a trade organization that rep-
resents and serves the interests of
the ornamental horticulture indus-
try. For more information, go to
www.FarwestShow.com
R-CALF USA 2021 Conven-
tion and Trade Show: Rushmore
Plaza Civic Center, Rapid City, S.D.
The convention will feature industry
speakers and networking opportu-
nities. Website: www.rcalfconven-
tion.com
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com.
WEDNESDAY-
SUNDAY
JULY 28-AUG. 1
Deschutes County Fair and
Rodeo: Deschutes County Fair and
Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport Way,
Redmond, Ore. This year marks the
101st edition of Central Oregon’s
largest event, after COVID-19 forced
the event’s cancellation in 2020. The
theme for the 2021 Fair & Rodeo
is “Back in the Saddle.” This year,
Fair attendees can expect an excit-
ing event full of animals, agricul-
ture, concerts, carnival rides, cotton
candy and corn dogs, along with
shopping, exhibits and food. Web-
site: https://expo.deschutes.org/
THURSDAY, AUG. 5
Internal Auditing for Food
Processors (live online): 1 p.m.
Internal audits allow you to audit
your facility for gaps and compli-
ance. They are an important tool
in the on-going food safety tool-
box for any food manufacturer,
packager, and warehouse and dis-
tribution company. This course is
for those who are new to internal
auditing and those that could use a
refresher course. Cost: $595 Contact
Bill Mullane, 208-426-2266, william-
mullane@techhelp.org. Website:
https://bit.ly/3xt9APY
TUESDAY-THURSDAY
AUG. 10-12
2021 Cattle Industry Conven-
tion & Trade Show: Gaylord Opry-
land Resort, Nashville, Tenn. The
convention will include educational
seminars, exhibits and network-
ing. Website: http://convention.
ncba.org
TUESDAY AUG. 17
Intro to Experimental Statis-
tics. 8:30 a.m. This course will teach
statistical thinking concepts that
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY
AUG. 18-20
Farwest Show: Oregon Conven-
tion Center, 777 NE Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd., Portland. The Farwest
Show, the biggest green industry
trade show in the West, is produced
AUG. 20-29
Western Idaho Fair: Expo
Idaho, 5610 Glenwood St., Boise.
Check back later for more informa-
tion. Website: www.idahofair.com
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Anne Long ................. Advertising Director
Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor
Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager
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Index
Markets .................................................10
Opinion ...................................................6
CORRECTION
The July 16 story, “Wash-
ington AgForestry leader
to depart after six years,”
incorrectly stated Matt
Kloes was the AgForestry
executive director for six
years. He was executive
director for two years and
program director for four
years.
The Capital Press regrets
the error.
Correction policy
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
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We want to publish corrections
to set the record straight.