Country Life A8 • lyndentribune.com • Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Farmer-tribe partnership announces two farms to lead water plan process $150,000 grant for shellfish bed work also OK’d By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
WHATCOM — Two Lynden dairy farms have been identified as the first ones to jointly develop Water Quality Improvement Plans under the Portage Bay Partnership signed Jan. 5. The plans will identify specific ways individual participating farms can improve environmental performance aimed at reducing bacterial contamination. The two farms to lead the way are Edaleen Dairy and Twin Brook Creamery. Mitch Moorlag is the general manager of Edaleen Dairy and Larry Stap is owner of Twin Brook Creamery with other family members. Under the agreement forming the partnership, Water Quality Improvement Plans will be developed jointly with agreedupon experts identified by the Lummi leaders and farmers. The first two plans are expected to be completed within the May 1, 2017 timeframe identified in the plan. Upon successful development of these plans, the remaining five farmers that are part of the Partnership agreement will develop their plans and other farmers in the county will be invited to join in. The entire Partnership is focused on opening the Portage Bay shellfish beds, which have been closed part of the year since September 2014 due to higher than allowed levels of bacterial contamination. Recognizing this contamination is from multiple sources, the Partnership establishes a pro-
cess whereby farmers and Lummi Nation leaders will work together to address all sources. The selection of the two farms came after an initial meeting of the four farmers and four Lummi Indian Business Council members directing the Partnership. Also announced last week, a key financial piece of the farmer-tribal Portage Bay Partnership is in place. The Washington State Conservation Commission on Jan. 17 approved a $150,000 grant to the Lummi Nation to improve shellfish beds. The request from Lummi had been forwarded by the Whatcom Conservation District five days earlier, with a contingent of farmers speaking in support. The approved funds will be used by Lummi Natural Resources to acquire a barge to transport bed enhancement material, also for project permitting costs and to restore three acres of shellfish beds. This phase will be completed by June 2017. An anticipated future phase — improvement of 22 acres of shellfish beds to be completed by June 2019 — will require an additional $350,000 in funding. That project involves applying gravel to improve shellfish bed substrates in order to enhance survival rates of clam seeds. A total of $5.1 million of State Conservation Commission funds have been used since 2013 to improve Western Washington shellfish harvests. The 214 approved projects to date will improve water quality by addressing septic systems, manure storage, surface water runoff, and more. This source of funds was identified by the farmers as suitable for use for enhancing the shellfish beds during the negotiations leading up the Portage Bay
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On Jan. 5 farmers signed the Portage Bay Partnership to collaborate with the Lummi tribe on water quality. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune) Partnership agreement, which was signed Jan. 5. “This grant is important to the future of our shellfish harvesters and our entire community,” said Lummi Indian Business Council chairman Tim Ballew II. “And it also demonstrates that by working together farmers and the Lummi Nation can accomplish much more than we can independently or by opposition. We are hopeful that this is just one example of the benefits that this partnership can deliver to our respective communities.” Rich Appel, a farmer member of the Portage Bay Partnership, echoed Ballew’s comments. “It’s about the relationship, and this grant is an excellent example. Farmers can be very helpful to our friends and neighbors of the Lummi Nation who are also harvesters, and we know that our relationship with the Lummi Nation is an important part of our future as family farmers.”
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Milk price starts 2017 going down The Federal Order (FO) and California benchmark milk prices started 2017 heading down. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the January Class III price at $16.77 per hundredweight (cwt.), down 63 cents from December but $3.05 above January 2016 and 78 cents above California’s comparable 4b price. It equates to $1.44 per gallon, down from $1.50 in December but above the $1.18 of a year ago. The Class IV price is $16.19, up $1.22 from December and $2.88 above a year ago. California’s Class 4b
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cheese milk price is $15.99 per cwt., down 60 cents from December but $2.91 above a year ago. Cheese traders gave us a little whiplash starting the month. Cheddar block jumped a dime on Feb. 2, climbing to $1.85 per pound, only to give back 11 cents the next day and close at $1.74, still 5 cents higher on the week and 27 cents above a year ago. The barrels closed at $1.7075, up 26 cents on the week and 24.25 cents above a year ago. That reestablished a more normal 3.25 cents below the blocks. After weeks of varying spot milk availability, the
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Dairy Market News reported readily available milk from Midwestern cheese producers, but there was a decrease in the amount being offered. Cheese demand is varied and the market undertone is uncertain, as some contacts are taking a wait-and-see approach with regard to international trade. Chicago Mercantile Exchange butter closed Feb. 2 at $2.1575 per pound, down 6.25 cents on the week, 1.25 cents below a year ago and the lowest it’s been since last Dec. 15. Grade A nonfat dry milk closed .75 cents lower on the week at 94 cents per pound, 23 cents above a year ago. But politics is impacting the market as the Trump Administration is taking on the Mexican border issue and trade agreements deemed not advantageous to the U.S. President Trump signed executive orders strengthening enforcement of immigration policy and called for work to begin on his promised wall along the Mexican border. Mexico is one of the United States’ biggest customers for milk powder. The Northwest Dairy Association made these price projections for the Class III price and Pacific Northwest blend price: Month Class PNW III Blend Jan. $16.77 $17.00 (current) Feb. $16.80 $16.50 March $16.90 $16.70 April $17.00 $16.65 May $17.15 $16.80 June $17.40 $17.05 July $17.60 $17.20 Aug. $17.80 $17.50 Lee Mielke, of Lynden, is editor of the Mielke Market Weekly. Whatcom County has about 100 dairy farms.
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