Mother Nature has given us a full month to try out change. Let’s go with hot and dry first, to 
smoke and fire second, smoke and cold third, a light shot of rain, some pretty good winds, then close 
it off with hot and dry. Don’t forget fires are still burning and lots of areas are closed for the start of 
Bambie season.  
 
On that same note, the only person to bag a deer so far has been Haidyn, Shannon’s daughter. 
She’s a freshman at Ferndale High. Way to go Haidyn! All you other Daniel Boone types keep reading 
trail signs and follow tracks. Maybe Bambies dad made the tracks.  
 
Grains- we are still doing fairly well. Most harvests are on going or are finishing up and the 
grain storage places are near full. It’s been a good year for dry land grains and corn quality is 
excellent. Once again the major hic-ups have been in transportation, man power, and regulations 
being the bag-a-boo, state and federal mandated driving regulations, state air rules, which limits or 
drives out many independent truckers.  
 
Our hay and straw supplies look good if I can hold the cost down. With all the west coast fires 
a lot of cattle grazing land has burned, forcing ranchers to now buy hay for winter feed. With Oregon 
being legal for pot, many eastern Oregon hay ranches have converted to hemp, which gives a much 
better return per acre. Now all those cowboys are buying California hay to hold their cows through 
winter. This puts the hay grower in a better position for sales. The growers we buy from have 
committed to us but the price will not be locked in as in the past, it will be current market. I can’t 
blame them, they have an opportunity to make a little extra. Remember I have to be fair to the 
grower and understand it has to be affordable to you. I’m trying! 
 
Gardening should be winding down and it's time to think about cover crops and putting a little 
ump back in the ground for winter. As for me, I just finished putting a dusting of lime and fertilizer 
around my fruit trees and Sam’s bushes. Hopefully they will go into dormancy with full tummies. In 
my garden boxes I’m getting ready for my winter plantings by pulling anything green out and putting 
a little lime and pelletized chicken manure in them. After a week or so I will plant garlic, cauliflower 
and broccoli. By doing it now they are usually done by Tomato and bell pepper time. Oh, am I ever 
the optimistic gardener. One thing about my boxes, they are right by the store gate and I can’t cover 
up my screw ups, like my ornamental carrots last year. After showing you all my screw-ups I’m 
surprised anybody asks me about gardening. 
 
You can expect Organic Rice Straw about the 15​th​ of October and the same for sheep hay. The 
sheep hay Alfalfa fields are 1​st​ year plantings which usually are fine stemmed and leafy. Another 
ingredient to qualify is cool nights so the plant rests. When this happens the plant needs extra energy 
to start the day. Very similar to you and breakfast. Anyway for this energy it needs sunlight, which 
makes more leaves to capture the sun’s energy. How about that farmer talk? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POINTS TO PONDER: 
 
“The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without 
work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship 
without sacrifice.” -Mahatma K Gandhi 
 
“The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful and virtuous.”   
-Frederick Douglas 
 
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” -Anonymous 
 
“I’ve got the right to say and believe anything I please, but I haven’t got a right to press it on anybody else. 
Nobody’s got a right to be a nuisance to his neighbors.” –H.L. Mencken 
 
 
A little girl walked to elementary school every day. One afternoon a thunderstorm popped up so her mother 
got in the car and drove along the route to the school. She soon saw her little girl walking along happily. 
Every time there was a flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile. Her mother drove up 
alongside her in the care and rolled down the window calling to her daughter, “what are you doing honey?” 
The child answered, “I am trying to look pretty. God keeps taking my picture.” 
 
 
Ole told Sven he was going to stop drinking coffee in the morning because it keeps him awake for the rest of 
the day! 
 
 
Ole was called as a character witness for his friend Sven who was being sued in court.   
Judge: “State your name”  Ole: “Ole Olson  Judge: “Occupation?” 
Ole: “Manufacturer”  Judge: “Children?”  Ole: “No, Ladies shoes.” 
 
 
 
SPECIAL for the Month of OCTOBER:   
 
25# bag of Hot Shots ​on sale for $3.85​ from $4.25 
Or ​$3.60 per bag for a pallet