Farmers day out

LIND — The 108th Lind Field Day had something for everyone, at least everyone who has anything to do with wheat farming. Which is a lot of people in Adams County.

“I hit this (event) every year and I’ve probably been coming here for 20 (years),” said wheat grower Darrell Miles. “I come here for a variety of stuff, to see what’s coming down the line for new varieties and what’s replacing the old varieties.”

The Lind Field Day brought in about 250 farmers, as well as businesses that serve farmers and a smattering of agricultural scientists from Washington State University. After about an hour of coffee, doughnuts and networking, guests split into two groups and toured the wheat fields, stopping for presentations by WSU scientists on new wheat varieties, fungicides and insect control. They rode on a motley variety of vehicles: some buses, and some flatbed trailers with aluminum bleachers attached.

The Lind Dryland Research Station coordinates trials and research that will benefit farmers far down the road, station Director Dr. Surendra Singh said. 

“(It’s so) we can get ahead of the curve,” Singh said. “If (growers) adopt (our findings) today, they can know what’s coming for the next decade or two: what’s going to happen to their crops, yields, soils, microbes, organic matter, pretty much everything, so we can have better decision-making. I would rather make mistakes on our 25-50-foot plot than that they make them on thousands of acres.” 

After the tours finished, guests returned to the station for updates from the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. The Washington Association of Grain Growers, the Washington Grain Commission and state Sen. Mark Schoesler. 

Finally, they adjourned for a cookout lunch and Ferdinand’s Ice Cream from the WSU Creamery. The ice cream was a particular draw, Singh said.

“I’ve only tried it once, despite the fact that it’s my fourth-year hosting (the field day),” he said. “But it’s something to remember.”

The Lind Dryland Research Station is owned and operated by WSU, but the Field Day is entirely sponsored from outside, said Singh. 

“This is totally funded by ag-related businesses and open to the public; no registration required,” Singh said. “That’s how we cover the cost of the event: lunch, refreshments, ice cream. It’s by the farmers for the farmers.”

“There’s a lot of information out there,” Miles said. “I’ve made a lot of contacts here talking to other people that lead on to later things. I’ve got 50 acres of peas in the ground because of a guy I met here last year.”

There were a few commercial vendors and informational booths set up as well. Jessica McClure, an agent with Western Community Insurance, said.

“We’ve been doing some networking, getting to know some farmers, letting them know about us,” she said. 

Not all the education was specifically agricultural in nature, said Autumn Cresse, a sophomore at Lind-Ritzville High School who was serving up ice cream. Cresse is doing a summer internship at the station, she said.

“It’s amazing here,” Cresse said. “It’s a great experience for a future resume.”

    Dr. Surendra Singh welcomes visitors to the 108th Lind Field Day June 11.
  

    A tour group rides on a set of bleachers attached to a flatbed trailer to an experimental wheat field at Lind Field Day June 11.
  

    Autumn Cresse, right, and Hannah Towne serve up ice cream at Lind Field Day June 11.