The Applegater

Applegater Fall 2018 1 FALL 2018 Volume 11, No. 3 Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 11,500 Applegate Valley Community Newsmagazine Photo by Linda Kappen applegater.org ISSUE AGRICULTURE - WINE What's the buzz? Hemp cultivation is growing! BY DIANA COOGLE Shop at farm stands— it's an Applegate experience BY CATHY RODGERS See HEMP CULTIVATION, page 11. See FARM STANDS, page 16. Clear skies ahead? AVOVA president Joe Ginet foresees opportunities for greatness for our wine region BY RHONDA NOWAK See CLEAR SKIES, page 10. Harvesting calendula at Oshala Farm. Joe and Suzie Ginet, owners of Plaisance Ranch and Winery in Williams, ventured out into the smoky summer air. Photo: Rhonda Nowak. Already by late July, smoke had been hanging in the air for weeks, m u f f l i n g t h e v a l l e y d u r i n g t h e d a y a n d creating eerily beautiful blood-orange sunsets. "I n ever saw th is smoke as a kid," said Joe Ginet, who has reason to keep his eye on the s m o k e . S i n c e 1 9 7 9 he and his wife, Suzi, have owned Plaisance Ranch and Winery in Williams, producing USDA organic-certified beef and award-winning wines. Wine grapes, Joe knows, are sensitive to smoke. As one of the founders of the World of Wine event (now the Oregon Wine Experience) in 2003, Joe Ginet is a leader in establishing Applegate Valley wineries as a destination for local and visiting wine enthusiasts. He has served as president of the Applegate Valley Oregon Vintners Association (AVOVA) since 2013. During the 40 years he's been making a living on his ranch, Joe has seen a lot of changes that have presented, he says, "opportunities and challenges" for Applegate Valley viticulture and the 21 wineries and vineyards in the Applegate. Smoke gets in your eyes One of the challenges is wildfire smoke, which affects not only the taste of wines but also tourists' taste for the Not all Applegate farmers put our rich farmland in grapes, marijuana, or hemp. Some love to grow f o o d a n d , e q u a l l y, to sell food to local customers. Mi k e G a l l a g h e r, of Gallagher Family Farms, has apples and pears at his farm stand now, even though the farm doesn't flourish with the flowers and vegetables it had during most of the 48 years he has had the farm stand. He speaks with nostalgia of the days when he had 150 people in his U-pick fields, 500 rabbits, 150 chickens, and baby goats that would ride the tractor with e Applegate Watershed is abuzz— not about the psychotropic aspects of cannabis, but rather about its no-nonsense, not-about-the-high, all- about-the-business family member: hemp. It's the new crop in town! Although the first American flag was made of hemp, the product's "guilt by association" with its more controversial cousin, Mary Jane, caused a steady decline in US hemp production through the mid-1900s. e 1970 Controlled Substance Act swept hemp into its broad "if it sounds like a duck, looks like a duck, and smells like a duck" zero-tolerance ban, thus ostracizing one of the most versatile, resilient, and renewable of plants, which fell into public disdain and regulatory oblivion—until recently. A renewed appreciation for the inherent benefits of industrial hemp and a growing acceptance from the public has led to an increase in industrial hemp grows. Oregon was proactive Oregon, with its more tolerant views of cannabis, took a proactive legislating position, becoming the first state, in 1973, to decriminalize marijuana possession. Later, Measure 91 legalized nonmedical cultivation and allowed for recreational marijuana sales through licensed dispensaries. See SAVORY SHINDIG, page 5, for more details about this fun fundraiser! facebook.com/applegaternewsmagazine www.applegater.org $50 PER PERSON: DINNER, 1 GLASS WINE/BEER GAT E R S G I T I T D O N E ! LI V E AU CT I O N LI V E M U S I C BY VA LLEY V I E W W I N E RY S U N DAY O CTO B E R 1 4 2 0 1 8 4 - 7 P M S A V O R Y g S g SAVE THE DATE S ECRWSSEDDM Local Postal Customer Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID Permit #125 Medford OR Sponsors Valley View Winery Ruch Country Store Apple Outlaw Applegate Valley Realty Chris Bratt Brodie Dental Cowhorn Winery Home Comfort Hearth Jackson Veterinary Hospital Ray's Market RiverCrest Ranch Whistling Duck Evelyn Winningham, Ramsay Realty GATERS GIT IT DONE! live auction of local talent and services MC: Jack Duggan Auction items include: Storytellers Greek pastry lesson Catered dinner for 10 Tandem paragliding AND MANY MORE... Wild & Blue Band

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