Loving Justice on MLK Day 2023

There are rhythms to the year on the farm— an agricultural rhythm that’s shaped by the seasons, and a cultural rhythm that’s coordinated by the calendar we follow. Today— always the third Monday in Janaury*— is the day designated by the US government to officially honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is a complex day to navigate, for the country, and so for us at Finnriver. On the one hand, we feel a deep and earnest reverence for this holy man who not only held justice and love sacred, but also understood that they were inseparable. On the other hand, we recognize the temptation and tendency to show up on social media and shallowly meme the way through the holiday with quotes and portraits. This raises the critical question— how do we, here at our farm in Chimacum, really relate to Dr. King’s message and mission?  


There is no doubt, in my own heart, that the mission of Finnriver arose out of a lifelong listening to the guidance of non-violent leaders such as Gandhi, MLK and Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Nhât Hahn (whom Dr. King nominated for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize) and a longing to grow more love in the world. I know, I know…this is a naive thing to say and a potentially dangerous one, since it can lead to a sort of lovey-dovey spiritual bypassing and avoidance of necessary action and accountability. Love as a principle is easy to proclaim. As a practice, in the face of centuries of racial injustice designed to keep my white body comfortable, it is a never-ending challenge to renounce ambivalence, to reorient into non-violent resistance and to commit to action for personal and systems change and to deepening community relationships.


So at Finnriver, when we say our purpose here is to “reconnect people to the land that sustains us and grow community,” that is a shorthand, a signifier, for this much larger and more comprehensive and complicated aspiration. And what we mean when we say “grow community” has everything to do with what we mean specifically by the term “community.” This is a word that can be constrained to refer to select groups of people who band together around a certain identity or ideology or geography etc. Or, more broadly, as we seek to use it here, it can reach out to embrace what Dr. King named, in the Christmas Sermon of 1967, as the ‘interrelated’ nature of all life:


“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”


Not long before this sermon, Dr. King had met Thích Nhât Hahn for the first time, a meeting that some have speculated lead to Dr. King speaking out against the Vietnam War. Thích Nhât Hahn described this meeting this way:


“We had a discussion about peace, freedom, and community. And we agreed that without a community, we cannot go very far.”**


Along with a celebration of Dr. King’s world-transforming wisdom, a large part of this day for me, is also grieving his assassination and the white supremacist social and psychological conditions that encouraged it and still endure in our country. How do we reshape that world to stop and prevent racialized violence and oppression? So that an inclusive, interrelated love can take root and flourish? What do we plant here, day in and day out, to heed Dr. King and"to make real the promises of democracy... to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice...”***


In his book,Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, Dr. King outlined six principles of nonviolence, including this one:


"Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolence resists violence to the spirit as well as the body. Nonviolence love is active, not passive. Nonviolence love does not sink to the level of the hater. Love restores community and resists injustice. Nonviolence recognizes the fact that all life is interrelated."


At the beginning of the pandemic, as we began to feel the fractures forming in our rural community around the public health responses to the corona virus, Finnriver embraced the motto: Love is at the core. This was an irresistible apple pun but also a succinct statement of intent. Yes, we seek to operate from a fundamental commitment to Love as a guiding force in our actions here. Love of land, of the fruit of the earth, of wild and human community, of the precious opportunity to be here all together on this planet.


The essential question for us at Finnriver is how to embody that love=justice principle as a business so that we generate transformative potential on our farm, for the community and in the world. To be transparent, our capacity to evolve as individuals and as a collective gets continually buffeted by many factors— human dynamics, economic pressures, personal issues, etc. But we continue to try to create structure here that’s aligned with our social justice aspirations and values because we believe that a loving and liberatory justice is necessary for the flourishing of all of us! 


Heather McGhee says it:


“For when a nation founded on the belief in racial hierarchy truly rejects that belief then and only then will we have discovered a new world. That is our destiny. To make it manifest, we must challenge ourselves to live our lives in solidarity across color, origin, and class. We must demand changes to the rules in order to disrupt the very notion that those who have more money are worth more in our democracy and our economy. Since this country’s founding, we have not allowed our diversity to be our superpower and the result is that the United States is not more than the sum of its disparate parts. But it could be. And if it were, all of us would prosper. In short, we must emerge from this crisis in our republic with a new birth of freedom. Rooted in the knowledge that we are so much more, when the we in we the people is not some of us, but all of us. We are greater than and greater for the sum of us.” 


― Heather McGhee,The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together


You can read more about theFinnriver DEI action & accountability plan here, knowing that’s due for an update, planned for Spring of 2023. Commitments we make to racial justice include ourSocial Justice Cider project. We make a monthly contribution tothe Jefferson County Anti-Racist Fund as a business member of their mutual aid fund. We are working withUsawa Consulting on on-going staff training in racial justice literacy, and we host an ongoing racial justice reading group (currently readingThe Inner Work of Racial Justiceby Rhonda V. Magee). Throughout the year, we hold events at our Cider Garden that celebrate the creative culture in agriculture and that affirm diverse and inclusive community. 


On New Years each year we celebrate Fishes & Wishes, an event that involves lighting up a giant sculptural salmon and asking folks to make wishes on small stones collected from the beach (see photo above). Human hands infuse their warmth and those wishes into the rocks. We then collect the stones in a basket with a promise to toss them back into the salmon streams, so the waters and the fish can carry the wishes back to the sea…where they will be uplifted and circulated with the hydrologic cycle. It’s symbolic but also somatic— a ceremony that honors our connection to each other and the interrelated whole. I don’t know what most people wish for but I can hope that some of these wishes are for the world to wholly embrace itself.


So while I was prompted to write this post on Dr. King’s day of memorial, I know very well the effort doesn’t end at midnight and that our attention, our intention has to remain activated. Today, every day, I am wishing for loving justice. And today, every day, I am aware of the work to get there.


———


*The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon afterhis assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later on January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000. (Wikipedia)


** Thích Nhât Hahn Foundation


*** From the "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered by Dr. King on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.


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WORKING WITH BEES

May 1, 2020
We couldn't do it without the bees! According to the Pollinator Partnership, "Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles,, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. Pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather and support other wildlife." At Finnriver, our farm and orchard rely on the work of pollinator, whose quest for pollen and nectar helps both feed their families and fertilize the trees. In our orchard, we provide home nests for mason bees, whose particular flight patterns and belly hairs make them very effective and thorough cross-pollinators for our fruit trees. We also have a handful of honey bee hives that promote pollination and make honey for the farmers. As organic farmers, we use an integrated pest management system to target pests and avoid or reduce the impact on pollinators and other beneficial insects, and we work to promote pollinator-friendly practices, such as planting the purple cover crop Phacelia. This wildflower produces lovely foliage topped with deep blue-violet flowers that produce heaps of nectar and attract an array of pollinators. Phacelia's common name is a translation of bienen-freund, German for "bee's friend." How Can You Help? You're helping pollinators by supporting small, local organic farms like Finnriver and all our neighboring farms. Grow your own pesticide-free garden with flowering plants, purchase organic foods and certified organic cotton clothing when you can, buy honey from local beekeepers, engage in citizen science and support legislation that protects pollinators.

BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH FOOD

August 1, 2019
Finnriver Orchard crew member Sam Scheidt and his partner Katelyn Porter were looking for an opportunity to get their hands in the soil, deepen their experience with production vegetable growing, and provide a needed resource for the local food bank. They found the connective tissue for their goals at the Finnriver farm when owner Keith Kisler suggested they dig into some underutilized space near the orchard. With the support of Finnriver, the Food Bank Farm and Gardens of Jefferson County, Sam and Katelyn began their first growing season this year.  They are currently responding to a need for an intentional grow of greens, lettuces and salad vegetables for the Tri-Area Food Bank in Chimacum. This is different from gleaning unwanted, overripe, or lesser quality foods from farms and supermarkets—how much of the food makes its way to the food bank. Sam and Katelyn feel passionate addressing the divide between people with means and people without means and the land’s capacity to provide for everyone. The same land can and does provide food for the food bank as well as for the Finnriver kitchen Sam says. Vegetables don’t make distinctions based on income and class. Perhaps humans can learn something from that. Either way, Sam is interested in blurring the boundaries, and feels good about all the labor he puts into growing food when he feels it is a needed resource. The food bank and this Finnriver partnership has also provided Sam and Katelyn a relatively low-risk environment to hone their farming knowledge and experiment with what they enjoy growing. Experiences like this can be vitally important and encouraging to young farmers, Sam says. He wants to encourage more farms to partner with newer farmers to better utilize extra space, address challenges of land access, and grow food for everyone in this community that needs it. This food bank garden has been producing a variety of lettuces, kale, collards, cabbages, and summer squash so far. A bounty of onions and winter squash are growing bigger everyday and will supply both the food bank and the Finnriver Kitchen later this fall. Looking toward future seasons, Sam and Katelyn are hopeful to put in more perennial crops like herbs and berries.

PARTNERING WITH THE SUN

July 1, 2019
Finnriver relocated our tasting and tap room in 2016 to a historic dairy farm at the central intersection in the rural community of Chimacum. Our goal was to show how rural economic development, land and resource conservation and sustainable agriculture can all converge and thrive. The old cow feeding trough was converted, using reclaimed barn wood, into a 75 foot long community table and the space covered by an open air pavilion. Alongside the pavilion, we restored an old feeding shed into our cidery tasting and taproom. These and other structures make up the Cider Garden, which looks out over the 50 acres of organic farm and orchard. This Cider Garden has now become an all-ages gathering space, music venue and local food court, offering a welcoming space for neighbors and visitors to gather and reconnect to the land that sustains us. In order to continue the mission of educating and inspiring wise land use, we worked with local renewable energy advocates and Power Trip Energy company to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America program (REAP). With matching funds from REAP, federal tax credits, support from a Barnraiser crowdfunding campaign and loans, Finnriver was able to install an expandable, grid-tied 65-kilowatt system, using 212 solar panels. These panels cover 3,000 square feet of roof space here at the Cider Garden. Initially, we estimated that it would produce 65,000 kWh of electricity annually which would produce enough electricity to supply more than half of our annual power needs and send green energy back into the grid. After one year in service, the solar panels have in fact produced around 74,500 kwh – which is enough electricity to cover almost 80% of Finnriver’s portion of electricity use at the Cider Garden property. To commemorate this feat, a Sol Mandala was crafted by the ceramic artists at Millbrook Clayworks and with metalwork by Abraxas Crow. It celebrates the generous contributions of supporters of Finnriver’s renewable energy campaign. We recently installed an educational display that will teach visitors about the benefits of renewable energy near our North entrance.  We hope that this renewable energy system will provide a venue to educate our community about the benefits of solar energy and give us an exciting opportunity to 'walk our talk' about sustainability and to showcase how the local food economy can integrate land conservation, renewable energy and watershed restoration!

COLLABORATING WITH PLANTS, BACTERIA AND FUNGI TO CLEAN OUR SOIL

June 1, 2019
That patch of yellow-flowering, wild mustard greens behind the Finnriver Kitchen aren’t just growing tall to look pretty; they’re working hard! Results are in from the first round of testing on our bioremediation project, revealing the decontamination efforts are meeting our goals of clean and healthy soil! The Remediators, one of Finnriver's land partners, took up the task of removing toxic levels of petroleum and lead from an area of the property where farm equipment was historically repaired. A network of specially selected plants, bacteria and fungus (locally sourced willow, rapeseed, PDN-1 bacterial endophytes, and a mushroom strain similar to the edible Stropharia rugoso-anulata) have significantly reduced the high levels of toxins detected on the site since the project began two years ago. In a decontamination method known as the Integrative Biological Approach, mycoremediation and phytoremediation are used in tandem to leverage each organism’s purifying talents. These living beings have proven abilities to grow in contaminated soils and take up or break down petroleum and heavy metals. “By combining this suite of organisms together, they work better than on their own,” said Howard Sprouse, CEO of The Remediators and lead of the project at Finnriver. For example, the chosen fungi strain are able to transform heavy metals into a soluble form that the plants can then take up and store in their tissues. In general, the methods of bioremediation transform toxic organic materials at the molecular level, converting them into more innocuous compounds. While full mineralization of contaminants is desired, it is sometimes not possible, as in the case of heavy metals. In these scenarios, the hyper-accumulating plant material can be removed from the soil and taken elsewhere to decompose. This will be the method utilized at Finnriver. The biomass of the plant and fungal matter will be significantly less than if the contaminated soil were to be removed directly, as is the case in more conventional forms of remediation. In some cases, the plant or fungi material utilized in remediation create useful byproducts, such as bio oils that can be turned into fuel. There is even consideration that edible mushrooms can be harvested as a food crop byproduct in instances where the organic soil contaminants might be decomposed without so imparting toxicity. Soil contamination, particularly involving heavy metals and petroleum, pose huge health burdens to society and to the earth. Conventional clean-up invokes a sizable financial strain as well. Through observation, appreciation and application of the natural capabilities of some specific plants, bacteria, and fungi, we can remediate the damage as we work in partnership with these incredible beings. The samples collected from the Finnriver farm this spring were from areas of the project where plants were growing well and that were expected to be cleaner. More complete testing will occur at the end of this year’s growing season.

FEEDING THE SOIL ORGANICALLY

March 1, 2019
Last Fall’s rains and harvests may have depleted our soils of the nutrients that will determine the fate of our crops and the health of our garden this year. Early spring is a great time to add soil amendments because the rain and warmer temps will awaken soil microbes and bring those nutrients into the root zone. It is often said that we need to put a healthy dose of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) fertilizers on our lawn and gardens every year. However, it is important to first know the components of your soil in order to understand what you may or may not need to add. At the Finnriver orchard, we test our soil every year as it lets us track how our soils are improving or being depleted by our fertility management program. With a soil test in hand, you can apply the appropriate amounts of amendments. By adding amendments such as lime (for alkaline) and sulfur (for acidic), you help "unlock" fertilizers that are bound to soil particles and increase the absorption of other amendments you add this year. It is essential to be careful about over-applying which can cause problems downstream when leached nutrients travel into storm water and aquifers that ultimately pollute river mouths and other bodies of water. This is why we encourage the use of organic means to amend soils. For example, a gentle means of replenishing nitrogen is to apply a 2-inch layer of compost onto your beds or around perennials. Earth worms and other arthropods will break down the compost and slowly release its nutrients to your plants. After a few years of composting this might be the only source of nitrogen that you need to add. Homemade compost from kitchen scraps, coffee grounds and leaf debris is a fine way to start. Other good commercial options are NutriRich (pelletized chicken manure) or Mushroom Compost in bulk. For more detailed information about the health of soils, I recommend “Teaming with Nutrients" by Jeff Lowenfells and “Soul of Soil" by Grace Gershuny.
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