Declarations of interdependence

• Jody Aliesan’s farewell
• “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”
• Stephanie Taylor: new Farmland Fund President/Director
• Pyramid Brewery gives 50 cents on every six-pack sold at PCC in July
• Bennington Place update: A report on land saved by the Farmland Fund
• Donor Roster for May 1 — 31, 2004

This month is my last with the PCC Farmland Fund. It’s been a privilege and source of great satisfaction to have been one of the Fund’s founders and to have served as its pathfinder, steward and designated eco-warrior these five years.

Together we’ve raised well over a million dollars, fought to save five farms, bought two of them — one on each side of the mountains — and watched them flourish under the care of master farmers.

My road now takes me north to Vancouver, B.C., where it’s time to resume work as a writer. I’m at peace turning the plough over to Stephanie Taylor, the Fund’s new president and operating officer, knowing that she is capable and ready and that she has all of you. Everyone is in good hands.

I leave you with the Irish: Né neart go chur le chéile — we are stronger when we work together. Slán agus beannachtaí — goodbye, good health and may blessings be upon you.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean rows will I have there,
a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there,
for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning
to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with slow sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

— William Butler Yeats

From In Praise of Fertile Land, winner of the 2003 Bumbershoot Literary Award. Special thanks go to the non-profit Whit Press for creating this anthology to benefit the Farmland Fund. All proceeds from sales of the book in PCC stores go to the Bennington Place. Poetry saves farmland!

Stephanie Taylor: new Farmland Fund President/Director

Stephanie Taylor, the Farmland Fund’s new president and operating officer, begins work this month with a hands-on passion for organic production and a diverse combination of skills and experience.

Taylor holds a B.A. in environmental studies with an emphasis on public policy from The Evergreen State College. At Evergreen she conducted independent research on the relationship between land-grant colleges and agricultural biotechnology, focusing on Washington State University. She was involved in The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods as researcher, grant writer and development director and served on the board of the Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network.

Taylor’s previous education was in horticulture at Edmonds Community College. For the last nine years she has operated a landscape design/gardening business that supports organic procedures and the use of drought resistant and native plants.

Taylor has worked with several local environmental organizations, including the Washington Conservation Voters, formerly the Washington Environmental Political Action Committee (WEnPAC). She continues research in biodiversity, sustainability and agricultural biotechnology as they relate to food and environment.

“Our relationship with agriculture reflects our relationship with ourselves, our culture and our food,” she says. “Preserving farmland and converting it to organic production, in perpetuity, is a powerful contribution we can make for our future.”

Pyramid Brewery gives 50 cents on every six-pack sold at PCC in July

Since 1984, Pyramid Breweries has brewed a variety of award-winning ales and lagers. From the early days in the small town of Kalama to our current locations in Seattle and Berkeley, Calif., Pyramid is committed to providing the ultimate in full-flavored handcrafted beers to enthusiasts throughout the west coast. Dubbed the original wheat beer pioneers, Pyramid’s most notable Northwest favorite is the refreshingly unfiltered Pyramid Hefeweizen.

The Pyramid portfolio is complemented by additional unique styles, including Apricot Ale, India Pale Ale and our hearty winter warmer, Snow Cap Ale. In addition to our brewery facilities, Pyramid operates four Pyramid Alehouses located in Seattle and Berkeley, Walnut Creek and Sacramento, Calif. To experience the virtual variety and learn more about Pyramid, please visit www.pyramidbrew.com.

With our roots in Washington, Pyramid is proud to support the Farmland Fund in its efforts to secure and preserve threatened farmland in Washington state. Dedicated to quality, Pyramid is committed to producing beers brewed with premium local ingredients such as fresh Yakima grown hops. Our products would suffer without such quality resources. We understand the importance of preserving our natural landscape and supporting our local farmers.

We raise a glass to the Farmland Fund for its efforts and encourage others to join the cause. Cheers!
— Maggie Ward-Smith, Pyramid Breweries Inc.

Bennington Place update:
A report on land saved by the Farmland Fund

by Joel Huesby, leasing farmer, doing business as Thundering Hooves

Hello and thanks to everyone who is helping to save the Bennington Place. We’ve made many repairs to the Bennington irrigation system. We rebuilt the wheel line and motor, purchased 135 aluminum handline sprinkler pipes and have just finished distributing 12 inches of irrigation water over the fields and pastures.

The former wheat field is now green and purple with Austrian pea blossoms and will be grazed by our cattle in the coming week. What comes from that soil belongs back on that soil as much as possible. It is good to begin the process of “teaching” the Bennington Place soil how to feed itself once again. This August it will be planted in tall fescue.

We’ve diverted a small portion of the water from Mud Creek into an abandoned irrigation canal that skirts the side of the pasture and bottom land. The water then flows back over the pasture to the creek and has created a wetland area. Migratory birds are nesting and eating there, including ducks, curlews and red-winged blackbirds.

We now have insurance on the whole place. A scrap metal salvage person is cleaning up scrap for recycling — farm equipment dinosaurs and a huge baling wire pile. We’ve been waiting for good weather to begin haying, but are also thankful for the moisture. The wind continues to blow around here and has given me good readings for my wind log. We’d like to bring in a small 15-kilowatt turbine with net metering. We are very busy and start processing chickens early tomorrow morning for the first time this year.

The PCC Farmland Fund works to secure and preserve threatened farmland in Washington State and move it into organic production. For more information, see the PCC Farmland Fund web page.