Madrone Announces Olympia City Council Race

Above: Dani Madrone, 35, of Olympia, announced her candidacy for Olympia City Council, Position 3 on Saturday. Little Hollywood interviewed Madrone on issues of homelessness, affordable housing, sea level rise, and neighborhoods.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Dani Madrone, 35, of Olympia, announced her candidacy for Olympia City Council, Position 3 on Saturday.

The position is an open seat because Councilmember Nathaniel Jones, who currently occupies that position, is running for the seat currently held by Mayor Cheryl Selby. Selby is running for reelection.

Madrone, a resident of Olympia since 2004, studied science, sustainability, and public policy at The Evergreen State College. She received her master’s in public administration in 2016 and works for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

Madrone met with Little Hollywood in downtown Olympia Saturday to discuss her candidacy and the issues of homelessness, affordable housing, sea level rise, and neighborhoods.

She says Olympia faces big decisions on the environment, including climate change, and the health of Puget Sound. She wants to incorporate environmental priorities into all areas of city government with decisions based on science.

Above: The city-sanctioned homeless mitigation site located on the corner of Olympia Avenue and Franklin Street Saturday morning in downtown Olympia.

Beginning our walking interview at the city-sanctioned homeless mitigation site located on the corner of Olympia Avenue and Franklin Street, Madrone acknowledged that homelessness in Olympia is in crisis mode.

She says she recognizes that social service providers are overwhelmed, potential shoppers are afraid to go downtown, and local businesses are losing customers.

“I love downtown. I feel safe, but I don’t want to tell other people what feels safe for them. There’s a lot of tension downtown and at this point, it takes a lot of courage for businesses to step up and say, ‘This isn’t working for me.’ The conversations just aren’t very good right now.

“I’m hoping to be a bridge builder and to listen to people and say, ‘OK, what does it look like when we’re succeeding?’ and develop a crisis management plan around that. This is a big issue and it’s going to be tense for a while.

“We need a clear problem statement. We need to know if the mitigation site is working, for example. It’s a big community conversation that needs to happen between folks who are homeless, businesses in the area, service providers, and city staff to come up with a shared vision of success. Otherwise, we don’t know if we’re heading there.”

Asked about the mitigation site, Madrone said that it is a good first step but needs to lead to something more permanent. She says she thinks of it as Olympia setting the table, but wonders how the city is going to make sure all are fed and healthy in the long run.

“What comes after this? This is obviously not a sustainable solution. We don’t want people living outside on pallets in tents. It’s not the end-game. That’s the piece I’m not seeing yet and that’s the part I’d like to help bring around – a long term crisis management plan,” she said.

Asked about funding, Madrone said the Home Fund is an important piece of the funding puzzle.

“I’d say by the time the Home Fund was already approved by the voters, it was not enough. We have a growing problem, a problem that is becoming increasingly visible. The city does need more help from the county, state, and federal government.

“We have to ask ourselves, are we putting our resources where they need to go? Do we know at what point we can declare that something is not working so we can free up those resources and put them toward the things that we know are working?”

Housing Options

Madrone has lived in a variety of rental situations in Olympia and has had to leave housing because the rent was suddenly raised so high she couldn’t afford it. She’s also lived in places where the landlord really cared about her situation. 

Madrone says her rent was not raised for four years because her landlord knew she was struggling. She is now a homeowner in the northwest neighborhood where she lives with her young daughter.

Madrone was active in the recent “Missing Middle” housing conversation and sees a need for more diverse housing options throughout the city. She says she will explore renter protections and the barriers created by short-term vacation rentals and long term vacancies.

“The Missing Middle conversation is a big, complicated issue. Calculations from the city say that 1,000 more housing units across the city could be built over the next 20 years due to the recent passage of the ordinance.

“It’s a very small piece of what’s needed. In terms of what’s next, we really need a lot more multi-family housing in the density nodes: downtown, over by Capital Mall, the Eastside, and the high-density corridors. We have to figure out why those aren’t being built.”

Above: Dani Madrone walks along Percival Landing near the children’s playground where soft-armoring of the shoreline with native plants help control flooding.

Sea Level Rise

Another issue facing Olympia is the threat of sea level rise. Discussing the city’s draft sea level rise plans, Madrone says that floodable landscapes are mentioned but not incorporated into the plan.

“I really think the city should be looking at places downtown that will allow flood water to come in and become the receptacle for flood water until everything subsides.

“There are opportunities to take underutilized parking lots and turn them into a park-like area so when it floods, you can direct the water into those areas to contain it. 

There’s a lot of planning to protect downtown from flooding but not enough planning for where that water is going to go if we can’t handle it.

“I would like to see us have a range of flood barrier options to choose from for downtown….We don’t have any options that suggest that we only protect part of downtown. What would it look like if we were to retreat from downtown? Let’s put it out there on the table.”

Little Hollywood asked Madrone if she was suggesting that retreat still be considered as an option and if she was in agreement with the city’s sea level rise plans. 

The city is committed to saving downtown and all its assets, such as the regional LOTT water/wastewater facility.

“Not 100 percent,” responded Madrone. “I think their direction is fine if we only get two to three feet of sea level rise, but if we end up on the higher end of the projections, I think we’re underestimating the issue….

“I don’t think a complete retreat from downtown at this point is realistic, but we might start talking about what it looks like to put new housing over in that direction (Madrone points southwest across Capitol Lake).

“The less we have to protect in the areas most likely to flood the better. What does the community conversation look like in terms of what parts of our downtown is most important to protect? What is the phased approach?”

Finally, Little Hollywood asked Madrone if there were any issues she needed to learn more about.

“I could stand to learn more about almost every issue. I would hope everyone would say that. I would love to hear more from businesses throughout Olympia about their experiences and what their needs are,” she said. 

Madrone said she would also like to hear from neighborhoods and their issues. 

“Neighborhood associations are run by dedicated volunteers with limited time and energy. Their issues need to be kept on the city’s radar,” she said.

“I’m going to learn a lot in the next year. One of the biggest challenges I see is how much people talk past each other. I want to be someone who can help with seeing our shared interests and help bring people together a bit more. It’s part of the national politics right now for everything to be so divided and I just feel like we can do better locally,” said Madrone.

Madrone has already received endorsements from some elected officials and community members.

The filing deadline for council races is in May. 

Justice Sought for Yvonne McDonald

Above: Family and friends of Yvonne McDonald gathered with hundreds of community members at West Central Park in Olympia Thursday night. McDonald died amid suspicious circumstances on August 7.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The life of Yvonne McDonald was honored and remembered by family, friends, and community members at West Central Park in Olympia Thursday night.

McDonald’s death on August 7 under suspicious circumstances has shocked the community.

Hundreds of people, many bringing bouquets of flowers, filled the park on the corner of Harrison and Division in west Olympia. As the sun went down, candles were lit, hugs were shared, and stories about McDonald were told from the heart.

McDonald, 56, was found alive and partially clothed with significant injuries to her body on Olympia’s westside the morning of August 7.

At about 7 a.m., Olympia Police and the Olympia Fire Department were dispatched to a report of a woman lying in the yard of a private residence in the 900 block of Division Street NW.

According to a press release, fire personnel provided immediate medical care to McDonald and she was transported to St. Peter Hospital. There, she received further medical treatment but died that evening at the hospital.

Above: Hundreds of community members gathered to support the family of Yvonne McDonald on Thursday night in Olympia.

Without going into details, McDonald’s eldest niece, Talauna Reed, said her aunt’s death has left the family with many questions about what happened and the answers they’ve received so far aren’t “lining up.”

She described McDonald, an African American woman, as a ball of energy who knew how to draw a crowd and stand up to bullies. Born in Houston, Texas, she lived in Washington State for over 40 years.

McDonald valued education and instilled her beliefs into her many family members and nieces, many of whom spoke at the vigil.

Reed said McDonald was known to talk a lot and would debate anything, a comment which elicited laughter from family members.

“She liked to be heard, and that was ok, because of what she stood for. It was amazing….She didn’t have kids, and I wanted to be just like her. 

“Yvonne taught me to push forward…and persevere, liking what you do and how you do it. My aunt embraced her beauty, her African American culture, and her intellect…she was beautiful,” said Reed.

McDonald had worked for several state agencies, including the Department of Ecology and the Department of Employment Security. She also worked for the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and South Puget Sound Community College. 

She received her Masters of Public Administration from The Evergreen State College.

One of her faculty professors, Peter Bohmer, said he learned from McDonald as much as he hoped she learned from him. She was his student in the master’s program in the fall of 2000.  

Bohmer said she was an independent thinker, an outstanding student, and the most outspoken in class. He said one of her favorite books was The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn.

“She would know paragraphs by heart, particularly about labor movements, civil rights, and reconstruction. She had really, really strong views, particularly about economic and racial justice. She was a big believer in labor movements as helping improve the dignity of all people,” he said. Bohmer said she later worked as an organizer for unions. 

They maintained their friendship until her death, enjoying deep conversations.

“Yvonne McDonald will be missed. Yvonne McDonald presenté,” he said.

Lanessa Inman, racial justice director of YWCA Olympia, thanked the community for holding space in support of McDonald and her family. YWCA Olympia has a mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.

“Yvonne’s life deserves justice…this (vigil) needed to happen,” said Inman. She said her heart sank when she first heard the reports of what happened.

“Black women, brown women, and indigenous women are murdered or disappear or just vanish. They are silenced and there is complacency, and we were adamant that that would not happen….We have a lot of work to do in this community,” she said.

In a written statement issued earlier this week, Olympia Police Department Chief Ronnie Roberts said the death of McDonald has raised many concerns and questions in the community.

“When a member of our community dies under suspicious circumstances, it leaves us all shaken and understandably in need of answers. There is currently much that we do not know and cannot know yet. There is also information that we will not share out of respect for Ms. McDonald’s family and her personal and medical privacy,” said Roberts.

Olympia police detectives have been assigned to the case and Roberts said the detectives are in communication with members of McDonald’s family.

The Thurston County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy and the results are pending. The coroner has not yet determined the cause of death.

A Facebook site, Justice 4 Yvonne, has been established. Fundraising efforts in support of the family for expenses related to McDonald’s death are also underway.

If anyone has any information that may be useful, contact Olympia Police Department Detective Al Weinnig at (360) 753-8300 or aweinnig@ci.olympia.wa.us

Above: A vigil for Yvonne McDonald of Olympia was held Thursday night in Olympia.

Take Your Daughter/Son To Work Day

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

http://www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Above and Below: Evergreen State College Chief of Police Stacy Brown plays catch with children of college employees on Red Square Thursday afternoon. Thursday was Take Your Daughter/Son to Work Day. 

Brown, a 2006 Evergreen graduate, had over 20 years’ experience with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department before accepting her current position in January.

Olympia Rail Protesters Given Notice to Vacate, Port Commissioners Respond

Above: Community activists, collectively called Olympia Stand, continues its blockade of Union Pacific Railroad tracks in its effort to halt the transfer of ceramic proppants from the Port of Olympia to North Dakota, where the product will be used in hydraulic fracking process to allow for oil extraction.

Port Commissioners Downing, Zita Make Statements about Blockade at meeting Monday night

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

At about 8:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, two Union Pacific Railroad Company police served notice on blockade participants to vacate the railroad at 7^th and Jefferson in downtown Olympia.

The notice of emergency abatement placed on the blockade site states to vacate the property or risk criminal trespass in the second degree.

The notice is partially handwritten, saying that further violations exceeding the notice are subject to violations. The term “ORS.164.255” is crossed out, which would be a first degree violation, and “second degree” is written in.

“The nuisances on this property include illegal camping, debris, scattering of rubbish, harborage for rats, unclean and unsanitary conditions, and therefore violates the property rights of the Union Pacific Railroad,” it states in part.

The notice does not give a time or date that trespassers must vacate the property.

Two members of the National Lawyers Guild arrived about 9:00 a.m. and identified themselves to Little Hollywood as observers.

At the same time, while standing outside the encampment, a white truck with two men inside drove by yelling, “Trump!” “Trump!” “Trump!”

Above: A Union Pacific Railroad notice of emergency abatement placed Tuesday morning at the railroad blockade site at 7^th and Jefferson in downtown Olympia. The notice states that it is a notice to vacate the property or risk criminal trespass in the second degree.

Protesters, collectively called Olympia Stand, have maintained its direct action blockade of the railroad tracks since Friday afternoon. 

On Friday, a train hauling several cars of ceramic proppants was forced to return to the Port of Olympia’s marine terminal after being blocked by protesters at the intersection of State and Jefferson Street.

City of Olympia city manager Steve Hall was at the camp Tuesday morning on his way to work and got there just in time to see the railroad police put up the notices.

“I just hope there’s a peaceful end to this – I hope people don’t get in trouble at a higher level while being heard," said Hall. Hall said he spoke to the railroad police, who were vague about whether or not it was a felony to block a train.

“I’m hoping this is handled the Olympia way and people don’t get hurt,” said Hall.

Protesters have visually fortified their barricade at 7^th and Jefferson with white plastic sheeting, but blockade activities can clearly be seen from Jefferson Street.

At last night’s Port of Olympia meeting, about 17 activists, in addition to those in the audience, peacefully showed up to make their presence known to the commissioners and stood in the back of the room during the public comment period.

Several spoke directly to the Port’s complicity in the degradation of the environment by accepting the ceramic proppant shipments from China and allowing transport to North Dakota to be used in the process of hydraulic fracking.

Zoltan Grossman, a professor at The Evergreen State College, urged commissioners to be on the right side of history.

A student of The Evergreen State College, Colleen Allen, said that many students care about their future.

“We care about the future – all we ask is that you care about our future too,” she said.

Above, left to right: Port of Olympia commissioners Joe Downing, Bill McGregor, and E.J. Zita at their regular meeting on Monday evening.

The commissioners briefly responded to public concerns, but did not dwell on the topic.

Commissioner Joe Downing responded by saying that he did not vote for Donald Trump and has had a sign on his car in support of Hillary Clinton for a couple months.

“I’m choked up, because things are going to get tough and I’m just seeing the handwriting on the wall….”

How that relates to fracking, he said, is that the community has to continue to have a dialog about energy production and port priorities. He said he has spoken directly with protesters and doesn’t personally see a connection between that conversation and the port's shipping of proppants to North Dakota.

“We need to have rail car safety…I don’t agree with blocking trains.…Make your voices known, and move on to the next issue, frankly,” said Downing.

In a statement provided to Little Hollywood on Monday, Commissioner E.J. Zita said:

“I asked last month to be informed of any movements of fracking proppants at the Port, but was surprised to learn of events last week.  I commend the Olympia Police Department for their hands-off response to peaceful protest.  Public safety and freedom of speech are high priorities. 

“Port Commissioners are responsible for setting port policy, and the executive director is responsible for carrying out that policy.  While the executive director may have played a key role in securing the Rainbow Ceramics contract to move fracking proppants through the Port, future decisions on this matter rest with commissioners.  We must weigh risks and benefits to people and the environment as well as to economics.

“The Port's Environmental Director has recently undertaken an assessment of our direct (Scope 1) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  I recommend that we also evaluate the indirect (Scope 2 and Scope 3) GHG emissions due to fracking proppants moving through the Port,” said Zita.

For more photos and information about the rail blockade, the Port of Olympia, ceramic proppants, and more, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in Olympia

Above: Macklemore crowd surfs during “Can't Hold Us” in the Capitol Theater on Sunday night. 

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis received an enthusiastic Olympia welcome Sunday evening as they came to town for an intimate, energetic concert at the Capitol Theater. 

One of eight stops on their Northwest “Camping Tour,” the Olympia concert sold out in less than an hour. 

Above: Before the concert, Mayor Cheryl Selby presented Macklemore and Ryan Lewis with the cultural keys to the city for their artistic contributions and positive messages while challenging homophobia, promotion of anti-racism discourse, and long term investment in the Black Lives Matter movement.

“…Olympia had a huge impact on me becoming the artist and the human I am today….I met a lot of rappers and a lot of amazing artists and people who wanted to change the world and there were a lot of conversations. If it were not for Olympia, I would not be here,” Macklemore told the cheering crowd.

Warming up the crowd inside before the concert was Xperience, (without the “e” because rappers have to mess with their names and better known as XP), who proudly told the crowd that he was born at St. Peter’s Hospital, and has been collaborating with Macklemore for 13 years.

Macklemore and Lewis kept the crowd singing, dancing, sweating, laughing, and crying with non-stop hits from Cadillac to White Privilege II, ending with Downtown.

“…It’s up to us to rewire…we need to let love take over…I don’t care about the color of your skin, your sexual orientation…I don’t care what your passport says, I want you to be inspired by diversity, not afraid of it. And at the end of the day, hatred can never overpower love,” said Macklemore as he lead into Same Love.

Macklemore joked and told stories of his time in Olympia, during which he created The Language of My World album and graduated from The Evergreen State College.

“Olympia became my family….you guys are my family, and so is Brad Pitt,” as he segued into Brad Pitt’s Cousin.

Describing his drive into Olympia, taking Exit 104, he headed toward Capital Mall, Red Robin, Toys R Us, seeing the skate park on the left, and Burger King on the right.

“….I kept driving, telling myself to stay focused, when all of a sudden, I hear angels calling. What the fuck is that? And I look over to the right….” 

The crowd screamed, realizing he’s heading toward Goodwill and, of course, Thrift Shop.

Above: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis rocked until 11:15 p.m. 

Next, they are on to sold out shows in Hoquiam, Bremerton, and Bellingham, and will end up in Seattle for Bumbershoot on September 3.

First Day of Spring 2015

Above: Jamal Briscoe, Olympia, shows off his two-fisted bubble blowing technique.

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

As predicted, the first day of Spring brought almost everything, especially wind, rain and smiles. Undaunted by the weather, some were silly enough (of course!) to continue a 22 year tradition by greeting Mother Nature on her terms. Welcoming the day at noon on Percival Landing, passersby were encouraged to take a wand and create bubbles. Of course, the weather cleared just as folks packed up their wands.

Above: Dave Loyie, of Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada, was the first to stop by “The Kiss” statue in Olympia this morning. Representing the Aboriginal Alliance of Alberta, Loyie will be speaking at a conference called, “The Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers, Community and the Environment,” at The Evergreen State College this weekend. For more information about the conference, go to www.railroadconference.org.

Above: A good time was had by all!

 

 

Washingtonian of the Day: Fred Beckey

Above: Washington State Governor Jay Inslee waits to speak as an enthusiastic crowd gives legendary climber Fred Beckey,92, a standing ovation on Wednesday night at The Evergreen State College. Beckey gave a detailed, lively narration of his 100 Favorite North American Climbs, met with admirers and signed books until 10:00 p.m.

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Legendary Northwest climber Fred Beckey, 92, commanded the attention of an appreciative crowd who gave him a standing ovation on Wednesday night at The Evergreen State College in Olympia.

Governor Jay Inslee took time to not only award Beckey a certificate declaring Beckey “Washingtonian of the Day,” but stayed to listen to Beckey’s lively narration of a multi-media presentation based on his book, 100 Favorite North American Climbs. Inslee said he could not stay away when he heard Beckey would be speaking in Olympia.

“Washington State is a pretty special place – we’ve got Mt. Rainier, we’ve got Mt. Baker, the Space Needle, Boeing, and Fred Beckey…. He opens people’s ambitions and vision about the heights of our State,” said Inslee.

For his part, Beckey said that his program was more than just about his favorite climbs, “…but to show the pageantry of Western America and that these mountains are not just for recreation, but for wild resources and all our environmental needs….We need to protect them….”

Beckey recently returned from the American Alpine Club’s (AAC) annual meeting in New York City, where he received the AAC’s President’s Gold Medal, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in conservation, climbing, and service to the climbing community. Beckey is only the fourth person in 113 years to receive this honor.

“Fred Beckey is being recognized this year for a lifelong devotion to climbing and first ascents that is unmatched over generations. Fred has put climbing in front of virtually everything else in his life. We honor both his dedication to the craft and the thousands of routes he has left for us all to enjoy,” said AAC President Mark Kroese.

Ever active, Beckey also attended a Seattle event with Reinhold Messner in Seattle last week.

In Olympia, Steve Jones, a friend of Beckey’s, introduced Beckey by telling stories, and received laughs by saying Beckey invented the climber’s lifestyle before there was a climbing lifestyle.

Beckey did not disappoint as he told many stories during a slide show sprinkled with brief movie clips of his climbs.

Beckey tirelessly stayed until 10:00 p.m. to sign books and speak with admirers, including the coordinators of Evergreen’s Outdoor Program, which sponsored the event. The Outdoor Program (TOP) educates students in climbing basics, kayaking, backpacking and other outdoor activities.

The Olympia Mountaineers, the Warehouse Rock Gym and Mountaineers Meetup groups were also instrumental in spreading word of the event as far as Seattle and Portland.

Above: Fred Beckey, in red, chats with Washington State Governor Jay Inslee before giving a presentation on Wednesday night at The Evergreen State College.

 

Small Farm Serves the Community In Its Own Big Way

 

Above: Evan Berry of Ladyberry Produce washes carrots she just harvested from her farm's garden last Friday.

 

by Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

 

At an agritourism panel discussion a couple years ago involving six local food producers and consumers, Sara Rocker, a staff advisor to The Evergreen's State College's Flaming Eggplant Café, said that the college was producing graduates who were creating a new workforce in the area of agriculture sustainability and restaurant management.

 

One of those graduates is Evan Berry, 26, who graduated from The Evergreen State College in 2008, receiving her B.A. in Chemistry and Sustainable Agriculture.

 

She is now the farm manager of Ladyberry Produce, and leases land on the 84 year old Esterly family farm in northeast Olympia. She has created a successful business for herself on two acres of land that produces her crops.

 

“I love growing veggies...there is a need for the community farm. I love meeting people. Being here on this land, you really see that heritage - it's quite an honor keeping the local community supplied with food. It's pretty cool," said Berry.

Berry’s future ideas include welcoming Boston Harbor elementary children to her farm to learn where their food comes from. For now, she's willing to stay small.

“I'm still getting the fundamentals down and getting dialed in, but in the future, I want to be involved in the school lunch program, and other public education opportunities," Berry said.

When I first stopped by her farm in December of 2012, she showed off her 24 varieties of garlic that were just beginning to sprout their green stems out from the straw.  Her Community Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) options usually include beets, cabbage, carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chard, garlic, potatoes, and more.

Chatting with her, she said she would be interested in providing her produce to area restaurants, and learning more about how to do that.

Above: Ladyberry's kohlrabi in December.

 

A whole year later, I caught up with her again this past week, and found Berry busier than ever. She just completed servicing her winter customers though a pre-paid CSA program, and still provides a substantial amount of produce to the nearby Gull Harbor Mercantile, and folks driving by her farm stand.

Overall, she had a great year. During the summer, she harvested about 1500 pounds of garlic, her main crop, 200 pounds of tomatoes a week, as well as leeks, beets, broccoli, eggplant, beans, peppers, lettuce, peas, potatoes, salad greens, summer squash, zucchini, strawberries and more. 

Her 12 week winter CSA program with 20 customers just ended this last Wednesday. With only half an acre in production for the winter, Berry turned down 15 potential CSA customers this year.

“It was the biggest winter operation I’ve ever had ….I’m realizing it’s a niche thing – I definitely now realize people are not gardening in the fall so there’s been a lot of interest and support,” she said this week.

Her winter crops took a hit last month.

“The early freeze in mid-December took out all my cauliflower and chard, so when you emailed me this week and asked me how my cauliflower was this year, I was like, ‘AAARRGGG,’” she laughed. Despite the 11 degree weather that hit parts of the South Sound during that freeze, Berry says she still had enough produce to keep her going.

“I lost a lot of greens too, but I had Brussels sprouts and carrots – about 100 to 200 pounds of carrots.”  She’s still giving carrots away, and has discovered yet another niche customer – those who buy and use boxes of vegetables for their fresh smoothie and juice regiments. “Kale, chard, cukes, beets, carrots, greens…they’re all good!"

Eighty percent of her business income is derived from her farm stand and CSA program, and 20 percent is derived via wholesale sales to local businesses.

“The Mercantile has been great, and my carrots and beets go to the Blue Heron Bakery each week. Lisa, the owner of Nineveh, the Syrian food truck, is so supportive – she buys my eggplant, cukes, anything! She says, ‘I’ll buy it!’ when I call her. That’s been great!”

Berry says the soil is good despite the dry winter and she’s looking forward to tilling the ground in late February or early March to get it ready for spring plantings. For now, she says she’ll start seeding tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant, and more to germinate under lights in the barn, and then transfer them to the greenhouse.

She says she’s looking forward to the next season. “People new to my winter CSA program want to become summer CSA customers!”

Still, despite Berry’s ready smile and upbeat demeanor, she admits, when asked, how she keeps going despite weather problems and other challenges.

“Farming is a gamble in general, making a commitment to sow those seeds, keeping at it every day, to keep working….”

By all accounts, Northeast Olympia and Boston Harbor area residents are happy that she's doing a great job doing just what she's doing.

Above: Evan Berry of Ladyberry Produce shows off her bumper crop of cauliflower in December 2012.

Women In Agriculture Conference

The third annual Women In Agriculture webinar conference will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2014. The location in Olympia will be at South Puget Sound Community College.

Through a combination of in-person networking and presentations, and the viewing of webinar broadcasts, the conference brings the best of national and local speakers to easily accessible locations in Washington State.  Participants will have an opportunity to meet other local farmers and offer inspirational stories and practical advice on how to improve your management skills.

Last year, nearly 500 women at 20 locations in Washington heard a national speaker offer advice on improving farming skills, marketing, labor issues and work-life balance. Financial information and networking with each other about challenges and risks was valuable to everyone who attended.

The localized format of the conference is designed so women producers can benefit from a statewide conference while still meeting their on-farm duties at home.

For registration information, go to www.WomenInAg.wsu.edu, or contact Donna Rolen, donna.rolen@wsu.edu or Margaret Viebrock, Conference Director, WSU Extension, (509) 745-8531 or  viebrock@wsu.edu.