Stewards of the land, the salt of the earth, alchemists who carefully orchestrate the blending of water, sun, soil and seed to grow sustenance from fertile land—Farmers, some might say you are skilled magicians!
We look out, see verdant fields, soils tended, cover cropped, carefully cultivated, and crops that are harvested—for the beauty of it, we send out cheers—Hip, Hip, Hurray!
You feed our growling tummies, with organic food that’s yummy—not to mention rich in healthy goodness, for body, mind, spirit, and community!
Unsung heroes, whom we cherish—without you we would perish—we LOVE our Farmers!
Gratitude for Farmers and Healthy SOIL!
Every year, we host a Farmer Appreciation Luncheon here at Hummingbird Wholesale. We invite our Pacific Northwest regional farmers to a day-long event at our facility in Eugene, Oregon, to get to know one another, meet our Hummingbird team and to enjoy a hearty, Organic meal together. Mostly, it is our chance to give thanks to our farmers, to share our deep gratitude for the care farmers take in stewarding the land and to show our appreciation for the incredible food they grow. We also host a guest speaker, who can share pertinent research and education, and help create a dialog for sharing best practices, challenges, risks and new ideas in agriculture. This year, we focused on SOIL, with a presentation by James Cassidy, Soil Scientist and Instructor at Oregon State University
James Cassidy eloquently reminded all of us that soil is the beginning and end-all, for agriculture and our lives. Soil health, fertility, and structure are the keys to fruitful production on farms. Healthy soils, rich in organic matter and with as little tillage as possible, can pull carbon out of the atmosphere and capture it in the soil to the benefit of plant growth and has the potential to actually mitigate climate change. Organic farmers are not only growing our food, but they are also helping to reverse the adverse impacts of a changing climate!
Thank you to the farmers who grow our grains, beans, flowers and fruits, nuts and seeds, and thank you to those who keep the bees that make our sweet honey. We are forever grateful for your hard work and contributions. As I write this, I can smell bread baking in our Hummingbird kitchen, made from Organic, Hard Red Wheat Flour. I can’t wait to spread some Oregon Organic Hazelnut Butter and Oregon Meadowfoam Honey on a thick slice… I will be thanking our farmers when I eat it!
Written By Stacy Kraker, Hummingbird Wholesale Director of Marketing and Sales