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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 NORTH COAST 3A New owners, same Warrenton street By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — After buying the Main Street Mar- ket, Tommy and Jeanne Smith are hoping to keep a good thing going. The couple from Spring- ¿HOG 0R WRRN RYHU$XJ from Mike and Tami Aho, who owned the downtown Warren- ton market for 25 years. The Smiths both grew up in Washington state, Tom- my Smith said, and wanted WR PRYH EDFN 7KH\ *RRJOHG grocery stores for sale in the area, and found the Main St. Market. “It was just time to slow down and smell the roses,” said Mike Aho, adding he and Tami told employees of their intent to sell in January. In March, the Ahos won an 2XWVWDQGLQJ&XVWRPHU6HUYLFH award at Clatsop Economic 'HYHORSPHQW 5HVRXUFHV¶ DQ- nual banquet. It was present- ed by Skip Hauke, for whom 0LNH$KRKDGZRUNHG\HDUV DW+DXNH¶V6HQWU\0DUNHW “It was nice to be recog- nized for how we run our busi- ness,” Mike Aho said, adding Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian KH EHOLHYHV WKH QHZ RZQHUV will carry on that tradition. From left, Jeanne and Tommy Smith have taken over Main St. Market, employing their daughter Jordan Smith and most of Main St.’s staff, including For now, he said, the couple Store Manager Sherri Reed. is semi-retired before charting DW$VVRFLDWHG:KROHVDOH *UR- D ¿QDO LQ 0LVVRXUL EHIRUH ter, Jordan Smith, a junior at been brought back, Tommy ing special deals to customers. WKHLUQH[WPRYH cers. For the past eight years, deciding they wanted to retire Warrenton High School. The Smith said, making room for In the long run, the Smiths Raised on groceries his job has been telling other LQ D SODFH ZKHUH WKH\ YDFD- couple has an older daughter, his family. hope to add a sit-down deli in Jeanne Smith said she and supermarkets how to operate tioned as children. Kailee Kobe, who works at the Besides adding new prod- the back of the store. her husband “met in a grocery — so he thought it was time to Jeanne Smith said she spent store, and a middle son at Mis- ucts and changing some ar- ³,¶GOLNHP\NLGVWRWDNHLW store.” “He was on the grocery test his own theories. 22 years as a stay-at-home VRXUL6WDWH8QLYHUVLW\VWXG\LQJ rangements, such as a tailgat- RYHU DIWHU \HDUV´ 7RPP\ side; I was on the drug side.” 7KH IDPLO\ PRYHG IURP PRPDQGYROXQWHHU7KLVLVKHU business management. ing section for football season, 6PLWKVDLG³:H¶OOVWD\ZLWKLW Tommy Smith said he has Washington to Arkansas for ¿UVW MXPS EDFN LQWR WKH ODERU When the Ahos won their the store is largely remaining DVORQJDVZHHQMR\LW7KHUH¶V been in groceries since he was four years, followed by anoth- IRUFHDQGWKH¿UVWMREIRUWKH award, they employed about the same. Kobe manages the always a place for the small, DGYDQFLQJWRDQRI¿FHUVKLS er four years in Oklahoma and FRXSOH¶V \HDUROG GDXJK- SHRSOH $OO EXW WZR KDYH VWRUH¶V )DFHERRN SDJH RIIHU- independent grocer.” Researchers explore possibilities with dry farming project With drought as a backdrop, OSU project skips irrigation By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press CORVALLIS — The squash SODQWV¶ OHDYHV DUH ZLOWHG DQG crinkled in the mid-day heat, and look like they desperately need water. But unless it rains, WKH\ZRQ¶WJHWDQ\ ,Q IDFW WKH\¶YH QHYHU EHHQ irrigated since they were plant- HGWKLVVSULQJ1HLWKHUKDYHWKH zucchini, dry beans, potatoes, melons and tomatoes growing alongside them. 7KHYHJHWDEOHVDUHSDUWRID dry farming demonstration proj- HFWDW2UHJRQ6WDWH8QLYHUVLW\¶V Oak Creek Center for Urban +RUWLFXOWXUH ,Q WKUHH IRRW E\IRRW SORWV 268 ([WHQ- VLRQ LQVWUXFWRU $P\ *DUUHWW LV examining the possibilities of growing food crops without ir- rigation. ,W¶VDWRSLFXQGHUVHULRXVUH- YLHZDVGURXJKWJULSVWKH:HVW Eric Mortenson/EO Media Group Amy Garrett, an instructor with OSU Extension’s Small Farms program, shows vege- tables grown without irrigation this summer in Corvallis, Ore. Dry farming may be an option for some growers if drought persists in the West. picked lots of “zukes” in recent weeks. ³,W¶V OLNH D PDFKLQH D ]XF- chini machine,” she said with an admiring glance. 7KHKLWRI*DUUHWW¶V¿HOGGD\ KRZHYHUZHUHWKHVPDOOVWULSHG Little Baby Flower watermel- ons, which easily won a taste Hold the water test. Irrigators throughout the “Across the board, they pre- 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVW DQG &DOLIRU- IHUUHGWKHÀDYRUVZHHWQHVVDQG QLDKDYHEHHQUHVWULFWHGRUVKXW texture of the dry farmed mel- Dry crops off entirely this summer, the RQRYHUDQLUULJDWHGRQHRIWKH :KDW WKH\ VDZ PD\ KDYH VDPHYDULHW\´*DUUHWWVDLG mountain snowpack that feeds streams in late season has al- VXUSULVHGWKHP*DUUHWWLVJURZ- Old school ready melted and many storage LQJIRXUYDULHWLHVRIGU\EHDQV Dry farming is not new, UHVHUYRLUVDUHDWDODUPLQJO\ORZ KHU <XNRQ *ROG SRWDWRHV DUH producing about four pounds of course. Mediterranean OHYHOV &OLPDWRORJLVWV EHOLHYH ORQ- per plant and the squash, despite JURZHUV KDYH EHHQ UDLVLQJ ger, hotter, drier summers and ORRNLQJ ZLWKHUHG KDYH SUR- ZLQH JUDSHV DQG ROLYHV ZLWK- winter precipitation that falls as duced nice-looking Stella Blue out irrigation for centuries. Some California growers do rain rather than snow is the “new DQG%OXH+RNNDLGRYDULHWLHV Then there are the Dark Star the same, and the term “old normal.” Beatrice Van Horne, director ]XFFKLQL ZKLFK ORRN DV YLJRU- YLQH =LQIDQGHO´ RIWHQ UHIHUV RI WKH 86'$¶V 1RUWKZHVW 5H- RXV DV LI WKH\¶G EHHQ LUULJDWHG WR GU\IDUPHG YLQH\DUGV WKDW JLRQDO&OLPDWH+XELQ&RUYDO- all summer. Planted May 27, are more than 75 years old, lis, said that will be the trend for they were in full production according to the California the coming decades, although E\HDUO\-XO\*DUUHWWVDLGVKH¶V LQGLYLGXDO \HDUV PD\ YDU\ “Those are pretty clear results” of climate modeling, she said. Faced with that reality, some farmers and ranchers are think- ing about making changes. $ERXWSHRSOHDWWHQGHGD GU\IDUPLQJ¿HOGGD\WKDW*DU- rett hosted at her OSU demon- stration plots in early August. 6KH¶G H[SHFWHG WKDW SHRSOH might show up. Agricultural Water Steward- VKLS,QLWLDWLYH Other California crops that are sometimes dry-farmed in- clude tomatoes, cantaloupes, garbanzos, apricots, apples, squash and potatoes, according to the group. 3DFL¿F1RUWKZHVWSURGXFHUV grow wheat and other grains ZLWKRXW LUULJDWLRQ EXW *DUUHWW wants to see what else can be grown that way. Many of the farmers inter- HVWHGLQWKHSURMHFWDUHUHODWLYHO\ new to the profession or are just QRZ YHQWXULQJ LQWR FRPPHU- cial production. In some cases, WKH\¶YH OHDVHG RU ERXJKW ODQG WKHQGLVFRYHUHGLWGLGQRWFRPH with water rights, or they are in a state-declared groundwater OLPLWHG DUHD DQG FDQ¶W VLQN D new well. It’s not easy Dry farming is not an easy option. Without irrigation, yield Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 G u ess w h a t d a y it is! It’s Hump’s Day!!! AT HUMP’S RESTAURANT EV ERY W ED N ESD AY 5 -8 PM 14 OUN CE N EW Y ORK STEAK & BAK ED POTATO $9.95 Just 15 m in. from the Lew is & Cla rk Bridge on H w y. 30 L abor D ay… MON D A Y SEPTEMBER 7 th M o nd a y & Tue sd a y e d itio ns: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 M ust present coupon to server. N ot va lid w ith other offers. N OW O PEN Frida y & Sa turda y 6a m -10pm CLOSED DISPLAY ADVERTISING DEADLINE All You Can Eat Chicken & Dumplings- Thursdays 5-8 pm $6.95 Prime Rib Fridays- starts at 5pm $9.95 Hump’s Restaurant- 50 W. Columbia River Highway Clatskanie, OR. 503.728.2626 In observan ce of WE WILL BE W A NTED No reservations, please and transplanted tomatoes into holes up to a foot deep. The technique can work, and small farms could certainly IHHGWKHPVHOYHVZLWKGU\IDUP- LQJ PHWKRGV EXW LW¶V QRW FOHDU whether it can pay off commer- Eric Mortenson/EO Media Group cially. A dry-farmed watermelon 'DYH5XQVWHQSROLF\GLUHF- variety called Little Baby tor with Community Alliance Flower won a taste test over with Family Farmers, based in irrigated melons during a 'DYLV &DOLI VDLG WKH SUDFWLFH field day at Oregon State ³ÀLHVLQWKHIDFH´RIZKDWVXSHU- University in early August. markets want and what agricul- WXUDOXQLYHUVLWLHVKDYHWDXJKW and size are almost certainly re- Big yields of big fruit and duced, although quality remains YHJHWDEOHV DUH IDYRUHG E\ WKH market and researched at uni- good. It requires altered tech- YHUVLWLHV 5XQVWHQ VDLG 'U\ QLTXHV UHYLVHG H[SHFWDWLRQV farmed crops are smaller in both and the right conditions, start- regards. ing with the soil. A layer of clay A place for dry in the soil, common in Ore- %XWKHVDLGWKHUH¶VDSODFHIRU JRQ¶V :LOODPHWWH 9DOOH\ KROGV moisture that plants can access it. Some California growers are during the summer. Dry farm- WHDULQJRXWDYRFDGRDQGRUDQJH ing is less likely to work on soil JURYHV EHFDXVH ZDWHU LV VR H[- SHQVLYHKHVDLGDQGGU\IDUPHG WKDW¶VVDQG\DQGSRURXV Soil preparation, seed selec- wine grapes may replace them. The practice may work in tion and the timing and method RI SODQWLQJ DUH FULWLFDO *DUUHWW Western Oregon and Washing- said. Many of the seeds she ton, which get plentiful winter SODQWHG FRPH IURP YDULHWLHV and spring rain that could sus- that are dry-farmed elsewhere. tain some crops through a dry The Stella Blue and Blue Hok- summer, he said. *DUUHWW WKH 268 LQVWUXF- kaido squash come from a line RULJLQDOO\GHYHORSHGE\D9HQH- WRU VDLG LW¶V DQ RSHQ TXHVWLRQ ta, Ore., farmer who has been whether dry-farming producers GU\IDUPLQJ YHJHWDEOHV IRU FDQEUHDNHYHQ ³7KDW¶VWKHNLQGRIUHVHDUFK years. Dry farming calls for deep- ,¶GOLNHWRGR´VKHVDLG³'RHV er planting and more space it make economic sense to grow between plants to reduce com- things this way?” The work is partially fund- petition for water. When plant- ing, some farmers step on the ed by the National Institutes of seeded area to compress the Food and Agriculture under its soil and force water up from the Beginning Farmer and Rancher FOD\OHYHOWRJHUPLQDWHWKHVHHG 'HYHORSPHQW3URJUDP2UHJRQ *DUUHWW VDLG VKH SODQWHG EHDQ 6WDWH¶V&HQWHUIRU6PDOO)DUPV seeds four to six inches deep administers the grant. Video CLASSIFIED DEADLINES: M o nd a y e d itio n: 12PM, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Tue sd a y e d itio n: 2PM, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 T H E D AIL Y A STORIAN