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CapitalPress.com
Friday, August 13, 2021
People & Places
Next generation organic farmer spreads wings
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
TWIN FALLS, Idaho —
Growing up on a dairy farm
that transitioned to organic
production in 2006, Spen-
cer Mallet wanted to pursue a
venture of his own — organic
eggs.
“I was born and raised in
ag life, dairy life and thought
I’d diversify and get into
chickens,” he said.
He could have continued
his studies in sustainable food
and farming at the Univer-
sity of Massachusetts but was
ready for the real-world trials
and errors of raising chicks.
“I learned leaps and
bounds out on the farm,” he
said.
He had planned to raise
his own chicks from eggs, but
realized it was more work,
requiring more equipment
and costs than he anticipated.
Instead he ordered them from
a hatchery in Oregon.
This year, he expanded the
operation from 1,200 hens to
3,000 — with a lot of learn-
ing curves along the way. The
additional 1- to 2-day-old
chicks to triple his operation
were flown in Thanksgiving
week, and he raised them over
the winter in a 10,000-square-
foot barn.
It takes 5 months for the
chicks to reach laying age,
and production drops off after
two or three years, he said.
“Then you’re just keeping
them for fun,” he said.
Established 1928
Capital Press Managers
Western
Innovator
SPENCER
MALLETT
Age: 23
Company: Harmony Hens
Operation: Certified
organic
Location: Twin Falls,
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
Harmony Hens co-owner Spencer Mallett with a hen by a mobile coop.
When production tails off,
the hens are butchered and
new chicks are brought in.
He hasn’t butchered many
hens yet in his young opera-
tion, and is trying to firm up
buyers — maybe dog food
manufacturers since the meat
will be older and tougher than
chicken sold at retail.
Hens lay an egg about
every 30 hours, about five a
week per hen. His flock can
produce 10,000 to 15,000
eggs a week, but production
has slowed with the high tem-
peratures experienced this
summer. He’s currently deliv-
ering 6,000 to 7,000 eggs per
week to customers.
“I’m still trying to build up
the market and customers,”
he said. He currently sells to
retailers and restaurants in the
Wood River Valley, includ-
ing the Sun Valley Resort.
He’s also talking with grocery
chains and potential buyers in
Boise.
USDA allows eggs to be
held four to six weeks before
they’re sold, and they can be
on shelves two to three weeks,
he said.
“The quality of eggs I
have could last three to four
months, but I try to keep it
under four weeks,” he said.
He gives any excess pro-
duction to friends, family,
churches or other organiza-
tions. In the future, he’d like
to work with soup kitchens,
food pantries and other char-
Founded: 2018
Co-owners: Sean and
Staci Mallett
itable organizations.
Harmony Hens, like the
family’s Harmony Organic
Dairy, is certified annually.
“We get a pretty lengthy
inspection. Sometimes it can
last multiple days for the
chickens and dairy,” he said.
Everything has to be cer-
tified organic, including bed-
ding and feed. The hens have
to be on organic pasture more
than half a year. Housing has
to be large enough, antibiotics
can’t be used and the chickens
and feed can’t be exposed to
pesticides or fertilizer — and
there’s plenty of recordkeep-
ing, he said.
The hens are rotated to
new pasture every day, with
access to 8 acres at a time —
Flock: 3,000 laying hens,
Novogen Brown
Production potential:
10,000 to 15,000 eggs a
week
Education: Associate’s
degree, sustainable food
and farming, 2017, Uni-
versity of Massachusetts
Affiliations: Idaho
Preferred and Sun Valley
Institute’s Local Food
Alliance
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Anne Long ................. Advertising Director
Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor
Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager
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published every Friday.
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Idaho
although they typically like
to stay close to their mobile
coops. The pasture has a vari-
ety of 20 to 30 plants and an
array of tasty bugs.
Carol Ryan Dumas ..............208-860-3898
Boise
Brad Carlson .......................208-914-8264
Western Washington
Don Jenkins .........................360-722-6975
M.V. Stampede promises big-name riders, ropers
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
TWIN FALLS, Idaho —
The COVID-19 pandemic
took a bite out of the Twin
Falls County Fair and Magic
Valley Stampede last sum-
mer, but organizers are hop-
ing this year’s attractions will
bring folks back.
The fair is set for Sept.
1-6, and the Stampede will
run Sept. 2-4.
Fair attendance fell 42%
last year, leaving a $95,000
shortfall. Fortunately, there
was enough in cash reserve
to cover it, John Pitz, fair
manager, said during a press
conference on Aug. 3.
“We definitely can’t do
that more than one year in a
row,” he said.
To get folks back to the
fair, the fair board beefed up
the offerings this year with
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
Bill Jensen, center, Gold Buckle Club president, talks
with John Pitz, right, fair manager, and Steve Cowger,
fair board member, during a press conference on this
year’s fair and stampede on Aug. 3 at the Twin Falls
County Fairgrounds.
new attractions, including a
Ninja Nation Challenge and
the All American Throw-
down Demolition Derby.
And the annual Magic
Valley Stampede PRCA
Rodeo, a premium three-day
event, will be back.
“It was tremendous last
year,” he said.
With numerous rodeos
shut down because of the
pandemic, the Stampede
drew 460 entries, he said.
That was up from about
300 in 2019, and the rodeo
went to a four-day event to
accommodate the extra rid-
ers and ropers. But seating
was limited to 50% of capac-
ity to allow for social distanc-
ing, and Stampede revenue
took a hit.
But the rodeo will be back
to capacity this year, and Pitz
is expecting some big names.
The Stampede is one of
the top 50 rodeos in the coun-
try for purse payout, with
$10,000 added to the purse
for each event, he said.
In addition, competitors
are wanting to score points
for the National Finals Rodeo
— trying to make the top 15
to ride for the big money in
Vegas, he said.
Yet another Stampede
draw is that PRCA rodeos
are also taking place in Walla
Walla and Ellensburg, Wash.,
the same week, and all three
rodeos have an added purse
payout of $10,000 or more,
he said.
“If they can schedule
it, they will show up at all
three,” he said.
Rodeo fans who want to
enjoy the Stampede in style
with other rodeo enthusi-
asts should check out the
Magic Valley Stampede Gold
Buckle Club.
Membership
provides
VIP parking, special seating
with theater stadium chairs
and free dinner and drinks in
the Gold Buckle tent all three
nights of the rodeo.
The Gold Buckle Club’s
tent and social area beneath
the bleachers alongside the
arena floor are also the only
places on the fairgrounds
allowed to serve hard liquor,
Bill Jensen, the club’s presi-
dent, said.
Steam-Up celebrates equipment that built the West
By MIA RYDER-MARKS
Capital Press
Mia Ryder-Marks/Capital Press
Bill Boyce stands on a
wheel of his family’s Rus-
sell 15815 steam tractor at
the Great Oregon Steam-
Up.
BROOKS, Ore. — As a
thin blanket of steam floats in
the humid air, Debbie Hegr
tips a milk jug filled with
corn kernels into a red burr
mill.
A soft hum follows, as
the grinder spits out the pale
golden-orange flecks into a
bucket below.
Beside her, her cousin
Brad Beverly, feeds a couple
of corn cobs into a McCor-
mick Deering Corn Sheller,
which separates kernels from
the cobs.
The area around them is
electric with pops, sizzles
and hums — welcoming
chaos that is all familiar for
visitors to the Great Oregon
Steam-Up.
Since 1970, the annual
event has been a magnet,
attracting thousands from
across the West Coast and
beyond, celebrating the vast
assortment of steam-powered
agricultural and construction
machines that helped build
the state and region.
On two recent weekends,
Powerland Heritage Park
in Brooks, Ore. — the host
of the Steam-Up — cele-
brated its 50th year. Hegr is
one of the many people who
have attended the event since
it started. Her grandfather,
Chuck Kinkaid, was a found-
ing father.
“This is home,” she says
with a smile.
Across the 62-acre park,
a cluster of antique steam
engines pop in invitation; the
mechanics and owners of the
tractors are eager to educate
visitors.
“The fire heats water
up ... about 100 gallons ...
where it goes through the
tubes and heats all the water
up to make the steam,” Bill
Boyce says, jumping off his
Russell 15815 steam trac-
tor. The collection of but-
tons attached to his hat, one
being “Best Steam Engineer
of 2009,” rattled slightly with
the movement.
The tractor, named the
Boss, belongs to his brother,
but the 74-year-old Boyce
travels from Grande Ronde
every so often to keep it
up. Boyce has attended the
Steam-Up for 45 years.
“I have never missed a
weekend,” he said.
A few minutes past 9 a.m.,
after honoring the veterans
and “those who came before
us,” Paul Finster, a long-
standing volunteer of the
Steam-Up, invites the crowd
to a day of fun.
“If you told me this would
be here today ... I would have
thought you were dreaming,”
he tells the Capital Press.
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Capital Press ag media
Oregon Cattlemen raise money
for ranchers impacted by fires
Capital Press
As wildfires continue to
spread across the state, the
Oregon Cattlemen’s Asso-
ciation is seeking donations
to its Wildfire Stewardship
Fund.
All donations will go to
Oregon ranchers impacted
by wildfires this year. The
association will also distrib-
ute funds to rangeland fire
protection agencies and vol-
unteer firefighters.
In addition to financial
donations, the association
is also seeking medical sup-
plies and nutritional supple-
ments for cattle, especially
for those in the Klamath
area, where the Bootleg Fire
has done massive damage.
Supplies to rebuild fences
are also needed, said OCA
communications
director
Robyn Smith.
Those who wish to
receive funding can com-
plete an application —
scheduled to be released on
the OCA website this fall.
Grange Co-op has also
pledged to match up to
$5,000 in relief funds raised
by its customers. At any of
the Grange Co-op retail
stores, customers have
the opportunity to “round
up” their transactions. All
round-ups will be donated to
ranchers devastated by the
Bootleg Fire. Find a local
Grange Co-op at https://
www.grangecoop.com/
store-locator/.
Smith said the fund is
an important opportunity
for the association to help
those most impacted by the
wildfires.
The effort is part of “any-
thing that we can do to help
put funds together to support
them, especially since there
are so many other things
going on in the ranchers’
world right now,” she said.
Donations can be made
online at orcattle.com or
mailed to the Oregon Cat-
tlemen’s Association office:
1320 Capitol St. NE, Suite
150, Salem, OR 97301, pay-
able to the Stewardship
Fund.
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com.
MONDAY-TUESDAY
AUG. 16-17
Idaho Water Users Association
Water Law and Resources Issues
Seminar: Sun Valley Resort, Sun
Valley, Idaho. The seminar will pro-
vide updates on important issues
to water users, including wildfire,
water supply and the future of irri-
gation systems. Website: www.
iwua.org
TUESDAY AUG. 17
Intro to Experimental Statis-
tics: 8:30 a.m. This course will teach
statistical thinking concepts that
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
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
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
THURSDAY AUG. 19
Miller Research Potato Pest
Management Field Day: 10 a.m.-
noon. Miller Research field, 225
N 350 E, Rupert, Idaho. Presenta-
tions cover potato pest and dis-
ease research, management strate-
gies. Website: https://millerresearch.
com/events/ Contact: 208-431-4420
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Index
Dairy .......................................................9
Markets .................................................12
Opinion ...................................................6
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