On Sunday, I drove to Walla Walla with Chandler, Becky, and Tierney, three young farmers in the Western Washington area who represent the Washington Young Farmers Coalition. We were in Walla Walla for a farm walk at Welcome Table Farm, organized by the Tilth Producers of Washington. Andy and Emily (and their wee one, Hazel) run the farm using human and HORSE power!

Even aside from the draft animal prowess, I was really inspired by Andy and Emily because they have managed to put together a farm with vegetables and a diverse company of animals, which is what I would ideally want to do with a farm. They have a 40-50 person CSA, sell at the farmers market, and sell wholesale to restaurants, so they have a diverse market vegetable operation. They also keep horses, goats, sheep, hogs, and layer and broiler chickens.

The draft horses, Avi and Dandy, are gorgeous. I don’t know much about horses but these two looked beautiful (and muscular!). Andy and Emily purchased them as draft-trained adults without much practical draft experience and have been learning as they go.

The farm walk was well worth the five hour trip down, and it was really fun to meet the three fellow passengers of Tercy Tercel. Walla Walla country reminded me a lot of the Sacramento area, being warm and hilly and with the same amount of deciduous tree cover. I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, unzipped the tent, and stood up into a night FULL of stars! It took my breath away. I love the lush world of Western Washington but I really miss warm, wide-open spaces. Everything smells so good when it’s warmed by the sun.