It’s that parade time of year. Two weeks ago, we were in the Swede Day Parade in Rochester. We are going to be in Oakville’s Independence Parade today at 11 am. First, we are going to their pancake breakfast 
. We are also going to be in Centralia’s Summerfest Parade on July 4th, which starts at 4 pm. If you see us, give us a shout! Have a great Independence Day weekend!
Today, the USDA announced that it is offering grants to add or increase value-added services. Applications are due by August 29, 2011.
“Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced that applications are being accepted for grants to provide economic assistance to independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives and agricultural producer groups through the Value-Added Producer Grant Program.”
Read about it in their news release.
A representative of the Dept. of Transportation will be addressing the Lincoln Creek Grange at 8 pm on Saturday, July 9 concerning the DOT numbering regulations that are being phased in over the next three years. Owners of vehicles or vehicle/trailer combinations capable of carrying 10,000 lbs or more for non-recreational purposes will be affected. The regulations affect businesses, farms and private citizens. The public is welcome to attend. The Lincoln Creek Grange is located at 1500 Lincoln Creek Road in Galvin.
We spent the weekend at the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup. We went to a number of workshops that were presented. Some of the workshops we attended covered topics on natural and green building, passive solar, mini-hydro power, solar power, heritage breed farming, fencing, pollinators, and apple grafting. We also watched earth oven and horse logging demonstrations, looked at a number of exhibits and listened to keynote speakers Joel Salatin and Dan Chiras. If they hold it again here in the future, or if you are in the vicinity of another one, we definitely recommend it!
