Winter 2019
Small farms
Winter 2019
Not just the goose of holidays past
Goose has lost its luster for holiday feasts in the United States. It might be time to reconsider goose. » More ...
Winter 2019
Little farms on the prairie
Small farms are a big draw through agritourism supported by Washington State University Extension. » More ...
Fall 2018
Peonies from heaven
Come late summer, Alaska’s farmland blooms with romance and colorful ruffles. It’s the season for peonies in the north country—an unlikely floral industry that, thanks to bridal demand, has given rise to a surprising horticultural gold rush.
The lure is especially tempting for those with small parcels of land. Wayne ’76 and Patti ’75 Floyd, for example, joined the stampede in 2011 with only two acres, and have since created a successful business claiming both national and international markets.
“We’d had this farm bug in our hearts from the beginning but we were never in a place that we could do that,” says Patti. … » More …
Fall 2018
Video: A quick ride around Cool Cache Farms
Take a peek at the peonies on the Cool Cache Farms in Alaska, owned by Wayne and Patti Floyd.
Read about their peony venture in “Peonies from heaven,” Fall 2018.
Summer 2015
Billions to be served
Scientists and chefs at the WSU Mount Vernon Research Center’s Bread Lab study local grains and traditional baking techniques to make a better loaf.
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Summer 2013
Eric Zakarison ’81 and Sheryl Hagen-Zakarison ’83, ’91—Thinking small
Somewhere along the Norwegian-Swedish border in the 1920s, Eric Zakarison’s grandfather and his family decided it was time to leave.
“They literally put on their packs, with everything they owned on their backs, skied down to the fjord, got on a boat, and came to Minnesota,” says Zakarison. After farming there for three or four years, they picked up and moved again, to the Havre/Chinook Hi-Line area of Montana.
Tired of northern Montana, Eric’s aunt ran away. She married a wealthy railroad man and they bought land north of Pullman. She invited the rest of the family to come further west, which they did, settling … » More …