Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/143759
Saturday, July 13, 2013 – Daily News 5A Agriculture farm & ranch Final day of ranch visits Our final day of visiting ranches on the Western Livestock Journal tour of Eastern Washington saw our three busses enroute to Tower Rock Ranch, Mansfield. It is the largest free-standing rock in the north-central area and was used by the early settlers as a reference point. The ranch was homesteaded by the Leahy brothers in 1883. The original homesteads were 160 acres and went broke, while Leahy made their ranch larger with the various homesteads. In 1940 Edwin "Bud"Miller purchased the ranch from the Leahys, and it is currently owned by Arlene Miller, Allen & Shan Miller, Gail & Bruce The seed potatoes moving from the cold room Matsumura. for seed on Western Livestock Journal tour. We enjoyed the comment Allen made about the old house he wanted before school, and after preschoolers, while the to tear down. "Only peo- classes from 4 to 5 p.m 60 and older look after ple, who want to save an ,while regular classes their own family. It takes a minimum of old house, never lived in were in English. An eduone." (Little or no insula- cation including cursive 60 to 70 people to run a tion, added water pipes, writing, basic reading, colony, and they can be poor heating, needing writing and arithmetic. efficient until 110 to 120 repair for those who have They use the Christian people. Then some are Life Curriculum from moved to a smaller never lived in one.) They have a 300 head VA, based on back to the colony. If you leave the commercial Hereford bible. WA does not fund colony, you have to ask cow/calf ranch, and it is a the school. The church service is to come back, and are on closed herd of ranch raised females since in German. We learned probation for two years. 1952. They figure 50 the Amish were in the You must be a member of acres to a cow in this hi- Netherlands, Mennenites the colony to get mardesert, at 2,500 ft. There were Friesian and Hut- ried, and the girl has to were from say "yes," her parents, is 20,000 deeded acres, terites her community, his comSwitzerland. with seven private leases, Lunch was a SHB munity all say "yes." state and BLM land. The cropland is either sub- meal with sausage, made Divorce is not allowed, leased or in CRP (sage with 1/3 beef and 2/3 but will allow separation. It is a Church corporapork that had been simgrouse program) . mered in water tion, and the church Windmills for several owns everything as a are a thing of hours. This 501-D corporation, paythe past and was the broth ing property taxes on the they use solar, for the potato land owned. They pay to pump the soup with individual taxes, but not water 250 ft. chopped onion, the church. The profits They also use with small are divided equally for solar for chargbowls of sauer- each person. Even the ing the electric kraut, broccoli, new born get a share. fences, using Ag payments from and mixed White Lightchopped veg- USDA is to one corporaning chargers etables. Brown tion, instead of to each of that are light muffins, or the men working and livJean weight and can large, tender, ing here. be moved on The SHB colony is fluffy dinner horseback. rolls with scattered for 28 miles, The fence is strawberry jam with 1,500 acres by the three wire, with or honey, with colony, and a 1,000 acres hot middle wire and here and a 1,000 acres posts 35 ft apart. There water and coffee. We sat on benches, there, plus leased land in are 65 pastures, and every pasture is bordered and were served family three counties for a total by a state highway or style by the women who of 9,000 acres crop land. They grow dryland county road. They main- had cooked the meal and the girls. There are three wheat, corn, Timothy tain 500 to 600 miles of who work hay, bee hives, canola, fence. If a cow goes women through a fence, she goes together cooking for a pumpkins, alfalfa, cattle week for the 23 families and seed potatoes. They to market. This area has trophy with 106 people in the rotate their crops, plantimule deer and they allow colony. The children eat ng seed potatoes on some six people at a time hunt- with their teachers, and land. Rotation is potaing. This helps supple- men eat together, women toes, corn, alfalfa, canola and Timothy. They also in another group. ment their income. At age 15 the boys are grow wheat and barley We enjoyed the homemade cookies 87 year old considered adults, and seed. Each field is charged Arlene Miller made, until 21 they will work especially the German every job on the colony for labor and expenses, with the other boys to so they know what it Sour Cream Twists. After an hour of trying find what they like to do. costs to grow the crops. to get bus # 2 started, The men work in the Canola is grown as a (leaking oil, smoking colony from age 15 to 60 rotation for wheat. They bad, no compression), years. Everyone gets get two cuttings of hay the passengers and lug- three weeks vacation on old cattle ground. We were told "can't gage were moved to the each year, but must have two remaining busses to their work covered while be a one crop farm, we make our final stop at the gone. Most visit the must do rotation, and livestock helps in the Spokane Hutterian colonies in Canada. The women from 17 rotation." Every 4th year Brethren Colony (SHB), to 55 years work at cook- they can graze the CRD Reardon, WA. We visited the school ing, the 10 acre vegetable land, using an electric where 27 children and garden, sewing, etc. fence. The 250 mother cows two teachers have class- From 55 to 60 years they es, K – 4, 5 – HS. They are kindergarten women are on the rocky ground after the they can't farm. study German for 1 hour looking Barton If you're tired of potholes and dusty roads HOW ABOUT CHIP SEAL! The Affordable Alternative to Asphalt For Private and Community Roads Hourly rates also available on: • Grader • Truck & Transfer • Loaders • Dump Trucks • Grading Tractor • Water Trucks • Backhoe • Oil Truck Sheet Metal Roofing Residential Commercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane "No Job Too Steep" " No Job Too Flat" Serving Tehama County No Money Family owned & operated since 1975 Lic. #911130 RUNNINGS ROOFING 275-2195 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 CA. LIC#829089 Down! FREE ESTIMATES Owner is on site on every job Courtesy photo to where they are cut Seed potatoes are double the price that processors pay. They grow four kinds of Russet, Baby Reds, and two kinds of chipping potatoes for potato chips. The potatoes are cut in half and planted 7 inches apart using ton half per acre and harvest 25 to 26 ton per acre. One of the men built a potato planter for $2,000 last winter, while a commercial built planter would have been $11,000. We visited a 2,000 acre field where they were planting potatoes. Sandy land along the river, but can grow lots of crops. It was 20 miles from home place, on the Spokane River. It had been forest that was cleared, and now there were rows more than a half mile long with 32 pivots irrigating the field. They had sold the timber and burned the slash (brush). They can convert forestry land to ag for a $500 permit. The leader of the colony said he spent 20% of his time trying to get permits. He was currently trying to get a burn permit for the latest cleared land. The water was lifted from the river with 2,100 horse power pump in a four foot diameter pipe that was buried underground, five feet deep. This pipe will irrigate 5,000 acres, using it on the 2,000 acres. The power cost is 4 to 4 1/2 cents per kwh., while domestic kwh is 6 1/2 to 7 cents. The water is free if you have a water right, but must pay for the energy. The SHB Colony has many senior citizen groups, legislators, cattlemen and farmers come for lunch and learn about the Hutterian Bretheren. The manager said "We have to teach the public where their food comes from." Another great tour of over 1,024 miles with Western Livestock Journal. Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton2013@gmail.com . The Watson to manage Farm Bureau marketing Brian Watson has joined the California Farm Bureau Federation in Sacramento as manager of the Marketing and Member Relations Division. In his new role, Watson will bring enhanced focus and dedication to the Farm Bureau membership marketing program. He will work directly with county Farm Bureaus to recruit and retain new members, and will oversee CFBF member relations and field services, leadership activities, and meeting and event management. Watson comes to Farm Bureau after 27 years with State Compensation Insurance Fund, where he most recently served as its senior vice president of government and business, overseeing the government affairs, billing and collections, and premium audit departments. Earlier in his career, he served as Farm Bureau coordinator for State Fund, which provides group workers' compensation insurance services for Farm Bureau members in California. "Stemming from his service with State Fund, Brian brings to Farm Bureau a familiarity and commitment to our organization that will serve our members well," CFBF President Paul Wenger said. "We look forward to tapping his ability to Over 25 years of experience STOVE JUNCTION BBQ PELLETS The North State's premier supplier of stoves Now in Stock! Popular customer request Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties Tues-Sat 9am-5pm • Closed Sun & Mon 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened Members Welcome 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check $ starting at + 25958 $ 25 certificate (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. expand Farm Bureau membership and to enhance the services we provide to our members." Watson earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from California State University, Sacramento. Born in Honolulu, he has spent most of his life in the Sacramento area and now resides in Elk Grove. The division headed by Watson has been renamed from its previous title, Leadership and Membership Marketing Division. CFBF Administrator Rich Matteis, who served as interim manager of the division since 2012, will continue to serve as administrator of Farm Bureau as well as manager of the CFBF Governmental Affairs Division. The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 74,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.