2018 : Athena / Walla Walla / Willamette
Crop Notes
GROWER: H.T. Rea Farming
GRAIN: LCS Genie, 2-Row Spring Barley (52 ac)
SUSTY: Salmon-Safe; Dry-Farmed
PLANTED: April 21, 2018
HARVESTED: July 31, 2018
Headquartered just south of the Oregon-Washington border, the Rea family has farmed a climatically diverse swath of the Walla Walla Valley foothills for 4-going-on-5 generations. 2018 marked the third year of HT Rea Farms wheat and barley production for Mainstem, all contained in a hyper-localized geography up Russell Creek, on the Washington side of the border. We couldn’t ask for a better combination of soil, average precipitation, and cultural connectivity to the landscape.
The 2018 growing season brought a favorable combination of relatively mild temperatures and moderate precipitation when it was needed most. In terms of plant stress, the year is somewhere in between our 2016 and 2017 vintages.