Idaho farmwife, Gayle Anderson uses her cuisine talent to teach non-farmers about agriculture.  Last year, Anderson began the “Dinner on the Farm” series where she and wheat farmer/husband Joe Anderson hosted a small group of “city folk” for dinner.  The event allows non-farmers a chance to learn about where their food comes from.  There is no charge to attend these dinners and it is by invitation only.  The dates for this year’s dinner events are September 10th and 17th.

Joe and Gayle farm with his brother, Jay Anderson, and his wife, Lisa.  Together the family partnership farms a total of 4,150 acres in Genesee, Idaho.  They grow winter wheat, spring wheat and garbanzos beans as their main crops and occasionally raise barley, mustard or lentils.

If you like cheese and if you like local food – you’ll be excited that the Co-op carries Brush Creek Creamery’s soft cheeses.  Webb and Lisa French, their children, and their three cows craft it on their farm in Deary, Idaho.  In the cheese cooler across from the Hot Bar and Deli, you will find labneh, crème fraiche and marinated feta.

Although long time lovers of and 15 years experience making cheese, the family first started selling their products in June 2011 at the Moscow Farmer’s Market and about three months ago at the Co-op.  Under Idaho’s “small herd exemption rule,” they are permitted to sell raw milk and cheese from their cows- Blue Bell and Brie, both Jersey cows, and Blossom, a Jersey-Guernsey cross.

“Water, feed, collect eggs,” say Hannah, Serah, and Seth Sukut in unison, describing their daily duties as owners of Sukut’s Farm Fresh in Kamiah, Idaho. Together along with the help of their parents, Melissa and Danny, they have provided chicken eggs to the Co-op since July. You can find a colorful dozen in the refrigerated section at the back of the store.

Through a 4-H project that started last January, the family continues to learn the ins and outs of raising chickens and operating a business. With 290 laying hens and 40 roosters, the sibling trio is especially busy during the winter when their birds eat less grass and bugs and require more feed, up to 75 pounds a day. Seth, 13, cares for a mixed coop of birds, mainly the roosters. Serah, 11, works with about 50 birds, and Hannah, 10, oversees nearly 200. Smiling, Hannah said, “Everyday is an Easter egg hunt,” since several hens prefer laying eggs around the pasture rather than in their nesting boxes. These hens “fly the coop” daily.