Sharing the fruits of their labor
From left, Emily Black, Betty Mobbs and Lisa Pointer proudly represent the Panhandle Farm Corridor as they hold up a sign with the logo while at Mobbs' family farm Monday. The corridor is a collaborative network of area farms, orchards and ranches that are committed to educating and connecting with their community.
DEVIN WEEKS/Press
Steve Pointer, who runs Red Canoe Farms with wife Lisa, is seen here among the blueberries on June 29 describing how nothing compares to a "fully sugared-up blueberry."
John Mobbs, who runs Lazy JM Ranch in Hauser with wife Betty, kneels in a field June 29 to discuss paddock grazing and the natural "armor" that protects the ground using this practice. Lazy JM Ranch is one of several area farms that are participating in the Panhandle Farm Corridor.
STCU presented a $1,000 check to the Panhandle Farm Corridor on June 29. From left: Amanda Doyle and Kristen Piscopo, STCU; Betty Mobbs, Emily Black and Lisa Pointer, Panhandle Farm Corridor.
Blueberries ripen on the bush at Red Canoe Farms in Hauser on June 29. Red Canoe is one of several farms, ranches and orchards participating in the nonprofit Panhandle Farm Corridor.
John Mobbs of Lazy JM Ranch in Hauser shows how regenerative agriculture helps keep soil cool on hot days as it's covered by "armor" created by organic matter.
A collective of small farmers in North Idaho is educating, showcasing and selling agriculture products to their customers directly from their farms.
Best of all, the Panhandle Farm Corridor, established in 2020 via Zoom sessions, is a nonprofit that provides behind-the-scenes experiences for community members to connect them with area farmers and to enhance their appreciation and knowledge of local agriculture.
"The main mission behind it is to really expose our community to the local farmers and farm products in our own back yard,” Panhandle Farm Corridor coordinator Emily Black said June 29.
“It’s amazing because there are so many small farms in our area, but we’re all our own little silos," she said. "We’re these hidden gems that nobody really knows about. Through the Panhandle Farm Corridor, we’re exposing the farm and really inviting the community to visit our farm."
The corridor encompasses farms, orchards and ranches from Laclede to Cataldo.
Black runs Lone Mountain Farms and Brewery at 25415 N. Ramsey Road, Athol, with husband Luke. The Blacks began with a dream of growing fields full of flavor and now have a diverse farm of hops, rare grains and produce.
Emily Black said the corridor is important to "get the community on our farm to learn about how products are being grown and made."
"You don’t get that at the farmers market; you kind of meet the farmer, you kind of know what they do, but until you actually go onto their farm, you don’t understand how a blueberry bush grows, or how it’s not going to be able to be harvested in January," Black said. "Right now is the time when the fruit comes on. So the seasonality of how things grow, how to take care of the plant so it keeps producing. There’s just so much education behind agriculture that we’re losing."
Black and Panhandle Farm Corridor secretary Betty Mobbs and treasurer Lisa Pointer met at Red Canoe Farms at 28405 W. Highway 53, Hauser, on June 29 to receive a $1,000 gift from STCU. The corridor is also supported by the Kootenai Shoshone Soil Conservation District, which has sponsored them two years in a row.
Pointer runs Red Canoe with husband Steve. It's a you-pick farm with several types of blueberries, including patriot, spartan and duke. The farm was planted in 2010 and opened in 2013.
"We open every summer for you-pick and we sell already picked also," Pointer said.
Children are a big part of Red Canoe and its participation in the corridor.
“Kids especially learn where their food comes from," she said. "We hire kids. They help us, they weed for me, they pick for us, they learn how to work hard, they learn where their food comes from. They learn how to appreciate the flavor difference between grocery store and right off the farm."
Mobbs and husband John run Lazy JM Ranch at 13801 N. Matheson Road, Hauser, a third-generation beef farm where they practice and educate others about regenerative agriculture. This conservation and rehabilitation approach focuses on topsoil regeneration, increases biodiversity, improves the water cycle and overall improves and strengthens the health of the soil.
"If you take care of your soil and your grass, your cattle are going to be awesome," Betty said. "The focus is on soil health, not cattle."
"Betty and I for years had been putting synthetics into our grounds, the biggest thing is sprays, and all we were doing was killing our ground," John said. "We decided to do this regenerative ag, and when we did that, we stopped all synthetics."
Using a paddock/cell system, their cattle are moved to different sections every day. Where before their fields would turn into dustbowls, their pastures are green and protected by the organic "armor" created and stamped down by the cattle. It keeps the soil cool, as well.
"They graze the way the buffalo graze,” Betty said. "Beginning with a small area, they poop, they pee, they stomp, they leave. We change our paddocks like every day, so there’s less flies. There’s less chemical on your animals. They have new forage every day, that’s the way that God intended them."
