Corn Is For The Elk

Farm News

It is hard to say goodbye to summer as we head into our last week of August. Luckily, September is one of the most beautiful months here in the Pacific Northwest. Chilly mornings return, days still feel long and warm, with harvests incredibly abundant in greens and root crops. Even hot summer veggies like peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, and corn are still going strong on many local farms.

Our corn was fully eaten by the elk — not a huge surprise, sorry Andrew. It looks as if we are not meant to grow corn in our Carnation Valley. It’s just too hard to keep the elk out and, unlike the lettuce where we can move an electric fence around it, the corn grows so high that it is virtually impossible to protect.

Irrigation has been a joy this summer. With our intermittent rains and gentle earth soaking days, it has been very different from the last three years. This August we have not been hit with debilitating smoke and the days are quite clear. It has made our season go by very fast and it’s hard to believe the kids will be returning for fall tours.

2020 is upon us now and we are starting to think of bigger projects, as something feels a bit grand in those numbers. This fall we hope to capture the thoughts and ideas from our many school children, teachers and parents on how to mindfully impact our moments. The many small activities we act upon will greatly generate a common goal in a more sustainable food system and ecosystem all around.

We welcome all thoughts, recipes and shares on our social media channel to make this fall a spring board for 2020 — we look forward to all your bright ideas. Enjoy this last week of August and the remaining dog days of summer!

Find and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @fullcirclefarms.

– Wendy