Interesting Day
We had an interesting day today.
We got up a little early and got necessary chores done. Keith took the day off so we could all go to the agriculture committee hearings on a bill limiting NAIS for small farmers. Turns out there was a bill on raw milk, too. This was our first opportunity for insight into the political process. We came away discouraged and disappointed. The kids are amazed at how ill-informed most of the folks on the committee are. The rep. who introduced these two bills seems to have at least a bit of a grip on the facts regarding these issues, but he's one of a very few.
The raw milk bill was defeated 5-8. Comments such as "set us back 70 years" and a comparison of raw milk to boot-leg whisky clearly show the ignorance of the folks that seem to hold so much power.
The NAIS-limiting bill seems common-sense (as did the raw-milk one), but was held off until June for further study. Justin Sanders said in an email last week that getting this bill past committee was "going to be a tough battle." After seeing the political process in action, I think that's an understatement.
A very nice perk to the morning, though, was that we were able to meet up with some friends who were also at the hearings. Afterward, they followed us to the restaurant where Keith's brother is a manager, and we enjoyed good conversation and a good lunch.
Once home, we had a package from a nearby nursery with berry plants, bushes, and trees. Keith got a post-hole digger and set to work; others of us planted, and helped measure and make straight lines; daughter #2 and 3yo harvested asparagus, collected eggs, played on the tractor, etc.
We planted five each of two varieties of blueberries, five blackberries, five raspberries, two plum trees, four apple trees, five forsythia, five spirea, and five willows. That was a nice way to end the day; a bit of hope after a somewhat hope-dashing morning at the legislative plaza.
Mary Susan
We got up a little early and got necessary chores done. Keith took the day off so we could all go to the agriculture committee hearings on a bill limiting NAIS for small farmers. Turns out there was a bill on raw milk, too. This was our first opportunity for insight into the political process. We came away discouraged and disappointed. The kids are amazed at how ill-informed most of the folks on the committee are. The rep. who introduced these two bills seems to have at least a bit of a grip on the facts regarding these issues, but he's one of a very few.
The raw milk bill was defeated 5-8. Comments such as "set us back 70 years" and a comparison of raw milk to boot-leg whisky clearly show the ignorance of the folks that seem to hold so much power.
The NAIS-limiting bill seems common-sense (as did the raw-milk one), but was held off until June for further study. Justin Sanders said in an email last week that getting this bill past committee was "going to be a tough battle." After seeing the political process in action, I think that's an understatement.
A very nice perk to the morning, though, was that we were able to meet up with some friends who were also at the hearings. Afterward, they followed us to the restaurant where Keith's brother is a manager, and we enjoyed good conversation and a good lunch.
Once home, we had a package from a nearby nursery with berry plants, bushes, and trees. Keith got a post-hole digger and set to work; others of us planted, and helped measure and make straight lines; daughter #2 and 3yo harvested asparagus, collected eggs, played on the tractor, etc.We planted five each of two varieties of blueberries, five blackberries, five raspberries, two plum trees, four apple trees, five forsythia, five spirea, and five willows. That was a nice way to end the day; a bit of hope after a somewhat hope-dashing morning at the legislative plaza.
Mary Susan
posted by The Bradshaws at 8:25 PM
3 Comments:
That is an interesting day. Sounds like you guys were on each end of the spectrum, dealing with bureaucrats in the morning and stewarding your farm with your family in the afternoon. I'm sure your afternoon helps you remember how important it is to stand up for our rights as small family farmers and endure the arrogance of some politicians.
What varieties of berries and fruit trees did you guys plant? Just curious, since we are doing the same right now.
Mike
Hi, Mike!
Keith placed the order and talked to the nursery folks. I know he was hoping to get info and recommendations from them, but am not sure if he did or not. Availability was also a factor, of course.
This is what we ended up with:
5 Briteblue blueberries
5 Southland blueberries
5 Heritage raspberries
5 Black Satin blackberries
2 Stayman Winesap apples
2 Granny Smith apples
1 Santa Rosa plum (my mother's favorite)
1 Methley plum
Keith just learned that yellow delicious is a very good pollinator, so we'll probably get some of them, too, even though we're not crazy about the apples themselves.
We had also hoped to get some pears, but they were out of them--at least of the ones Keith asked about.
Mary Susan
Yay for you, getting involved in politics about issues as important as this. Sorry it was such a buzzkill.
You'll have a right nice orchard in a few years! That's a lot of fruit trees and bushes you've put in the ground. So many folks put it off because they're not motivated by the delayed gratification. Crazy rationalization.
Your asparagus looks great! I saw the very first of mine peeping up today. Won't harvest any, as I just planted them this year. I was happy to know they hadn't frozen.
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