Harvest 2019 A Single Seed

A column by Gary Hofer

All the world is in a curious Babel. Images of trouble flash and tumble and fears rumble. Those who desire power call with ever-greater urgency for more. Yet all the while the world rolls on, never missing a day or an hour. The sun comes up, the chickens cackle and the mourning dove calls.

Switch-on harvest; time of gathering, the beginning of preparations for winter, the heartbeat of an ancient rhyme of seasons and work, a song of the gifts of nature and a miracle of earth, rain, soil and sun; where a single seed becomes a bounty. The heat and sweat and strain come to a point, at last.

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…”

The words of The Book of Genesis spell out the meaning of harvest. All places on earth where there is any life know something of this crescendo of reproduction and wealth. Even the city dweller who has never seen or smelled harvest may perceive it as a rise in the pitch of the buzzing energy and heat of mid-summer.

Here are we, among the hills and rivers of a marvelous place on the earth. Is it just chance? Do we deserve to be in this peaceful and rich time and place? There is no answer that can stand alone. We must just accept this gift and be humble, knowing that the best we can do is to share what we can and treat each other with what dignity and good cheer we can muster.

The sweet rush of harvest is a short time. Winter is coming. There is bounty in the valley now. Maybe we can just slow down a bit and see it better. Stop and watch the combines roll. It is a balm to the soul to know that even with all the harshness of the world, harvest is a great good, because with it there comes a chance for peace.

The price of Pacific Northwest Soft White wheat was higher in late February/early March, reaching $6.50 per 60-pound bushel. Now, as the new crop looms, the price is about $6.15 for wheat delivered to Portland. Twenty-seven years ago (1992) it only took $3.37 to buy the same ham sandwich that is $6.15 today. The actual price of Portland-delivered white wheat in ‘92 was $4.21, about $7.69 in today’s dollars.

The multi-year price trend is positive. Chicago Soft Red wheat futures, still the most-quoted wheat price in the world (a different variety than our white wheat), is just over $5.00, down from $5.57 in the last week of June. The market, a wily beast with a living personality composed of many minds around the world, is well aware that the northern hemisphere is about to have lots of wheat for sale. Thus, notwithstanding the standard potential for violent interruptions, we have not much price drama for the moment, as all eyes are on harvest for the next 30 days or so.

Gary Hofer is a Waitsburg resident, former crop market analyst and longimte contributor to The Times.