2013-2014 Annual Meeting
Over 100 folks gathered on September 18th for the Benton SWCD 2014 Annual Meeting. We celebrated Benton County Terroir with a farm to fork showcase of local food producers and their soils. The soils were displayed in wineglasses next to the products. Valley Catering created a menu of delightful dishes from the locally-grown ingredients.
OSU student, Brian Donovan, shared his thoughts on the evening. “I was quite nervous to attend my first Benton SWCD Annual Meeting this 2014 season, especially since I am a newer soil enthusiast. I was happy to find that every conservationist, farmer and non-agricultural person who attended was respectful and passionate about soil! The meeting was held at Tyee Wine Cellars, just south of Corvallis. What great hosts; and they even gave us a tour of their vineyard and hazelnut orchard, while answering any questions we could muster. Not only were the venue and people delightful, but the wine and food were delicious, especially since the meats and vegetables were all supplied by local farmers, mostly who attended the meeting. I am very grateful for being invited to such a fun event and hope to attend next year as well!”
On behalf of the Benton SWCD Directors and staff, a sincere THANK YOU to the following folks who made the 2014 Annual Meeting a night to remember!
• Dave & Margy Buchanan, Tyee Wine Cellars, tour and evening hosts
• Adam Stebbins, Benton County, sound system
• Fumiaki Funahashi, keyboard
• Jacob Kollen, OSU Graduate Student
• Clare Sullivan, OSU Assistant Professor and Extension Faculty, South Willamette Valley Field Crops
• Beth Hoinacki, Goodfoot Farm
• Tom Snyder, NRCS, and sons, Eli and Toby
| Producer | Product |
| Brooklane Specialty Apples* | Apples |
| Fairfield Farm | Butternut Squash, Rainbow Chard |
| Gathering Together Farm* | Mixed Greens, Apples |
| Goodfoot Farm | Green Beans |
| Kiger Island Blues | Blueberries |
| Nusbaum Farms | Forage Crops |
| OSU Organic Growers | Tomatoes, Peppers |
| Pheasant Avenue Gardens | Green Beans |
| Rainshine Family Farm | Cucumbers, Zucchini, Kale |
| Scott Reed | Basil |
| Ron Hathaway Farm | Hazelnuts |
| Slippery G Family Farm* | Lamb |
| Soilsmith Services | Compost |
| Sunbow Farm | Onions |
| Tyee Wine Cellars | Wine |
| Winn Farms / The Melon Shack | Melons |
| Winn Livestock and Hatchery | Pork, Chicken, Eggs |
*September is harvest season! Due to heavy workload, these farmers were unable to join us while we enjoyed their good food. Eighty percent of the producers made time to attend the meeting! Amazing!!!
Thank you, everyone!
About the Author
Teresa Matteson
In 2001, I uprooted my family and moved to Corvallis to pursue a Master’s in Soil Science at OSU. Food waste composting research married with scholarly escapades into soil physics, chemistry and biology prepared me to be a member of the Benton SWCD Team. My passion is to revive regard for soil.
