Rooted Youth: Summer Work Crew

The Crew:

Brent, Kathryn, Sara, Savannah, and I (Claire) all grew up in the Yakima Valley, appreciating the beautifully warm and green summers. Since we were small, we watched the hops, apples, cherries, and other crops begin to form and take their shapes; and, for this last summer, we immersed ourselves in the process that creates this beauty.

All five of us joined forces in the beginning of the summer, agreeing to work for my family’s farm in Moxee, Wash. This is a tough job that takes dedication and hard work, but together we knew we could motivate one another.

Four out of the five of us are veterans of the farm’s Odd Jobs Crew; essentially, meaning we have worked at least one summer getting dirty for the farm. We convinced Savannah, the final member of the crew, to join us. We knew this would be a unique experience because it is not typical for five friends to have the opportunity to work alongside each other.

Now, like most everyone who lives in the Yakima Valley knows, summers can be excruciatingly hot and dry. The days are long, yet we always managed to create some type of excitement for ourselves!

Here’s what a typical day looks like for us….

On days that we know are going to be hot, we meet at the farm office at 6:15 a.m. Typically, Sara, Kathryn, and Savannah arrive first because they carpool together, and Brent and I follow in close behind. We enjoy the mornings, simply because everything is still. The roads are clear because many families haven’t woken up, yet in the distance we hear the tractors beginning to wake up and engines roar.

Once we put our lunches in the fridge, fill up water bottles, and make our bathroom trips, all five of us pile into Brent’s truck to begin our first task. We aren’t the usual field workers, though, because we are the crew that is given all the “odd jobs” around the farm. What this really means, is that we have the great opportunity of learning the very important skills of…..weeding. Yes, those pristine looking pump stations you see along the road? That’s us. And those clear rows in the hops? That’s also us.

Okay, we may not weed the ENTIRE time, but we have picked up a few skills on how to properly shovel or hoe some sweet morning glory. Sometimes we plant shrubs or flowers for the office pots, clear drip irrigation lines, or even run errands for the farm.

There are days though, where something unexpected occurs!  We were weeding these ginormous weeds in the hop rows that the tractors can’t reach when all of a sudden, a mother hen and about eight little baby chicks began running through the rows. The hen and most of the chicks made it out of the thick, green hops, but some did not. The hen kept chirping and we had no idea why, until Savannah and I figured out that some of the chicks must have gotten stuck in the dense vines on the ground. We stopped work and listened closely, hearing tiny little chirps. We discovered the area they were in and lifted the vines so they could be free! About three or four chicks ran quickly to the safety of their mother. Every time we return to that field, we always check in on the baby chicks since they live right next to it, counting to make sure all eight are there.

Another part of our day that we really, really enjoy is lunch. We have Taco Tuesday, which is when we hit up the taco truck that is next to the East Valley Market. Almost always, three people will order two tacos, a pork burrito, and a pork torta so we can all have a little share of each. I love my food spicy so I always ask for the extra salsa for some more kick. We also have Ice Cream Thursday (and sometimes Friday). The ice cream cookie sandwiches are typically what we buy, but the occasional Twix ice cream bar is in there too. Sara’s weekly dilemma is deciding which to buy, but either way the cool ice cream always makes us feel better.

After lunch, we usually finish whatever job we were working on before. This time of day is the toughest, but somehow we manage to finish out our eight, and sometimes nine, hour days! They are long days, but having the opportunity to work for my family’s farm alongside my friends has actually been a blessing. We enjoy each other’s company, making this job worth it.