Hay there!

Hay there!

Do you know the difference between hay and straw? Hay is stalks of wheat with the grain heads intact, while straw is the stalks without the seed heads. Yes, these are the important facts you learn when you grow up in Eastern Washington, as I did!

There is a lot of wheat grown in my home state, especially in Walla Walla, where Pursued by Bear is located. Many vineyards that now produce some of the finest wine grapes in Walla Walla were once wheat fields. 

And while the climate and soils of Eastern Washington are perfect for wheat, these conditions also make Washington ideal for growing wine grapes too. Why? Because of warm daytime and cool nighttime temperatures during the growing season, low rainfall, and a northern latitude that offers 17 hours of daylight during the peak of the growing season.

So hay, I guess these two crops really do have something in common after all! 

Kyle