Organic Valley Dairy Family Hosts Celebration of Resurgent Flower
The rare and elegant Kincaid's Lupine (lupinus sulphereus kincaidii) will be the guest of honor at Lupine Field Days—a celebration of the endangered plant's unexpected resurgence—held at the Mallonee farm in the Boistfort Valley of Western Washington on Monday, June 11, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
The lavender-colored perennial, normally found on the dry upland prairies on the Western side of the Willamette Valley, was spotted approximately two years ago on the Mallonee farm by an inquisitive Washington Department of Natural Resources employee. The Mallonee farm, a 330-acre certified organic farm with 60 head of cattle, marks the northernmost spot that the Kincaid Lupine has been spotted. Not just a pretty flower, the lupine provides habitat for the equally endangered Fender's blue butterfly.
"If our farm wasn't organic, there wouldn't be any lupine," states Maynard Mallonee, Organic Valley Coop member and third-generation farmer. "We've proved by pasturing grasses, clovers and weeds and implementing organic practices, the lupine has been given a chance to flourish."
Lupine Field Days will commence at 10 a.m. at Baw Faw Grange Hall, located at the 900 block of Boistfort Road next to the Boistfort School, with presentations by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department representatives and a Fender's blue butterfly expert. Mallonee will also share the preservation plan he developed for the lupine—incorporating pasturing strategies and a no-cutting period, among other strategies. A noontime lunch, sponsored by Organic Valley Family of Farms, will also be held at the Baw Faw Grange Hall and will feature an array of organic dairy products. Following the noon meal, a tour guide will usher visitors through the five acres of lupine fields and point out other rare and common plants on the Mallonee property.
The event is free and open to the public. Baw Faw Grange Hall is located 20 miles south of Olympia, Wash. and 80 miles north of Portland, Ore. Travelers heading southbound take I-5, exit 76; northbound take I-5 exit 77. Reservations are requested for lunch. Please contact Maynard Mallonee at 360-245-3733 or e-mail at Maynard@localaccess.com
Organic Valley Family of Farms: Independent and Farmer-Owned
Organic Valley is America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and is one of the nation's leading organic brands. Organized in 1988, it represents 940 farmers in 27 states and one Canadian province, and achieved $334 million in 2006 sales. Focused on its founding mission of saving family farms through organic farming, Organic Valley produces more than 200 organic foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce and juice, which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives nationwide. The same farmers who produce Organic Valley also produce a full range of delicious organic meat under the Organic Prairie Family of Farms label. For further information, call 1-888-444-MILK or visit www.organicvalley.coop, www.organicprairie.com and the cooperative's farmers' website, www.farmers.coop.
