Home Page, Wasco County, The Dalles, Klickitat County, Skamania County Columbia Community Connection Home Page, Wasco County, The Dalles, Klickitat County, Skamania County Columbia Community Connection

Thoughts from the Tractor Seat: Who Owns the Land Matters

The family farm remains the backbone of this nation’s food system. If we lose that connection between the land and the people who love it, we won’t just lose farms. We’ll lose the foundation of rural America itself.

Read More

Gorge Giggin’ Guide Highlights Oct. 21-27

Live music, spooky screenings, and costume parties light up the Gorge this week, from salsa nights and the Rocky Horror 50th anniversary to Funkship’s Halloween dance party, Thunder Island’s Fall Market, and The Granada’s Spooktober Film Festival.

Read More
Home Page, Klickitat County, Skamania County Columbia Community Connection Home Page, Klickitat County, Skamania County Columbia Community Connection

2024 WAGAP Annual Report available

The 2024 Annual Report for Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is now available to the public following approval by the board of directors during a recent meeting. The Community Action Agency has served Skamania and Klickitat counties since 1966, supporting low-income families to improve their quality of life.

Read More

Thoughts from the Tractor Seat: Oregon’s Fabric, Fraying at the Seams

The first day of fall arrived this past week. Out in the orchard, the mornings carry a chill, the sky deepens to that September blue, and the seasons shift once again. Farming teaches you that change is certain — the blossoms of spring give way to summer fruit, and autumn reminds us that nothing stays forever.

Read More

Conclusion of my story about adopting a dog from Texas

The plan was for the rescue dog I’d chosen to be crammed in a crate and driven by van from Texas to The Dalles. The first text message I received from the Mutts and Meows Rescue in Missouri City, Texas, said they were departing from Texas on Sunday, then it was changed to Monday morning, then to late Monday afternoon. After a flurry of text messages, they reported the van left on Monday evening.

Read More

Thoughts from the Tractor Seat: Why You Should Join Your County Farm Bureau — Farmer or Not

Not long ago, we talked about how fragile America’s food system has become. Farmers and ranchers face growing challenges — from water regulations and rising input costs to corporate consolidation and uncertain markets. Yet one thing hasn’t changed: when farmers and rural communities stand together, we are stronger.

Read More
The Dalles, Home Page, Wasco County, Klickitat County, Skamania County Columbia Community Connection The Dalles, Home Page, Wasco County, Klickitat County, Skamania County Columbia Community Connection

Thoughts from the Tractor Seat: The Shifting Table; When America No Longer Sets the Menu

Not long ago, America was the breadbasket of the world. Our fields and orchards fed not only our own people, but millions overseas. When ships left the Pacific Northwest loaded with cherries, apples, wheat, and pears, we knew the world was waiting for what we grew.

Read More

Thoughts from the Tractor Seat: From Horse Teams to Satellites, Agriculture’s Century of Change

Not that long ago—within the lifetime of folks still living in Wasco and Sherman Counties—the farm fields echoed with the steady clop of draft horses. Harness jingled at dawn, sweat darkened their hides by noon, and at day’s end the team pulled the wagon home. It was the rhythm of farm life.


Read More