Like a Good Neighbor...

...the cavalry arrived late afternoon, in the form of Travis with an auger on his forklift. We punched 15 holes in about 15 minutes. Machinery - what a concept. Thanks T!

The Tools of Ignorance!

Starting to Look Like a Vineyard

Spent the last several days digging post holes for the 6" diameter end posts that will anchor the rows of vines. I dropped some smaller posts in the holes just to see how they lined up.

Cayuse Farmland

Robert disking the lower field, preparing to plant alfalfa.

90 New Water Permits Issued in Grant County

This is a big deal. Ecology has issued almost no new permits in the past decade, and all of a sudden they've issued NINETY new ones in Grant County to goose the local economy.

"Vineyards, dairies, food processing plants, data centers, housing developments, golf courses, resorts and a Grant County PUD fish hatchery are among the groups that applied for the water."

"The nearby cities of Quincy, Ephrata, Moses Lake and Warden are expected to see more businesses," said Dan Partridge, a DOE water resources program communications manager.

"A DOE economic analysis shows the new permits could add $23 million to agricultural development value and $60 million to commercial development value." - Columbia Basin Herald.

Read full story »

Straight rows, woo hoo!!!

Sandhill Crane Festival

...at Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008902431_sandcraneslines.html

Spring Weather Four Hours Later

By sunset all was forgiven.

Spring Weather at Cayuse

A spring front blew through while I was up on the plateau plotting vineyard rows. Pretty dramatic.

A couple of big hawks floated over to check out the progress (and maybe to see if I was scaring up any critters).

An Early Spring at Cayuse

Another sparkling day up on the plateau. The guy at the lumber store said he wished it wouldn't get any warmer. It's only the middle of March.

Vines, Rootstock & Trellis Systems

Went down to Zillah to visit my young grapevines. David Nevill at Quality Nursery www.grapeplants.net has them embedded in a cozy cocoon of sandy loam. And I mean they are completely buried, lying in bundles three feet underground. Juan, the foreman, dug a bundle up to show me what they look like. When the ground warms up in early April, the plants will start to "move," growing the roots and pushing the buds. That's when we'll plant them.

I toured David & Juan's facility, noting how they fashioned their trellis system. Everyone does it a little differently.

On the way back I stopped in at Wilson Orchard & Vineyard Supply in Yakima www.wilsonirr.com. Very friendly & helpful folks. They have everything you could possibly need for a trellis system. I'm going to send them a sketch of the vineyard and then they can tell me exactly what I'll need.

Plotting Holes to Plant Grapevines

I laid out planting holes for the vines last week. It's a real trick keeping a straight line on rows nearly 400 feet long. There's no magic formula(other than, I suppose, GPS surveying). Every farmer works it out his own way. I thought about it a long time, then went & got the longest tape measure I could find (300')and a 500' roll of yellow "Caution" tape (heavy reinforced, so it wouldn't fly around in wind). I stretched the Caution tape out, attached to a metal stake on each end of the row, then ran the tape measure down on top and spray painted the ground every six feet. That's where the vines will go.

I asked my farmer neighbor how the farmers got their rows straight. He laughed. "I don't know," he said. "I don't think it's possible."

US Bank Offering Lot Loans & Construction Financing

Had lunch yesterday with Mary Sexton, Senior Loan Officer with US Bank. (She covers Wenatchee and Moses Lake markets.) US Bank has fantastic, inexpensive financing on lot loans and construction loans. Rates in the low-to-mid 5% for good credit. Great terms.

Mary can be reached at 509-663-4994 or mary.sexton@usbank.com.