Last week, Kathleen, Clayton and I were in Santa Maria running some errands. One of our last stops was Farm Supply to pick up some dog food, chick-en scratch and a few other things.

On a given day, a store like Farm Supply can be as good as any coffee shop to find out what is really going on in the ag community. You run into cattlemen, grape growers and farmers, large and small.

First, we ran into Larry Gearhart, a longtime area cattleman. After exchanging Bhow you beens,C the conversation turned to the three storms predicted for the area. Well, it sounded good, we agreed.

BI hope the weatherman is right this time and it doesn/t just blow right by us. I/ll believe it when I see it,C Larry said, as he made is way out of the store.

We finished our order for insulation to wrap our water pipes, in case it got cold after the storms went through, and made our way to the front of the store.

While at the counter buying our dog food and chicken scratch, we ran into Bob Williams.

My brother Dana and I used to sell Bob hay when he ran the feed lot on the north end of Santa Maria. The feed lot is no longer there but Bob continues to raise cattle and farm dryland hay.

Bob was in to get some forage mix to plant before the expected rains. His pickup was parked outside, with a trailer behind being loaded with several pallets of seed.

We talked about the price of hay and reminisced on how many acres of dryland grain used to be planted in the area. We walked outside about the same time and I asked, BYou are going to get that planted before the big rain, aren/t you, Bob?C

BYou bet,C he replied, and off we went.

I drove down to Solvang on Saturday afternoon after receiving 1.60 inches of rain the day before. I took my usual route down Alamo Pintado and was stopped at the traffic light at Highway 246. Dark rain clouds were stacked up along the coastal mountains, with sun shining on the fields below Mission Santa Inés.

I was taken back to when the fields on both sides of the highway, now home to var-ious stores, banks, restaurants and nice homes, were once farmed to dryland hay.

I can recall when you could drive through Old Mission Drive in front of where Rock Sorensen lived and built small castles out of stone.

Max Holman used to farm those fields when we were growing up in the Santa Ynez Valley. As I recall, Max had two T-40 International track-layer tractors, among many other pieces of farm equipment. Dana and I watched Max disc the ground and get it ready to plant using the T-40s.

I remember us thinking, boy those tractors, with their wide tracks, must really be strong, as they were twice as big as our T-20.

Max also did custom farming and harvesting. I believe he had one or two John Deere 55 grain harvesters. Max and his crew would go all around the valley harvesting grain and, I think, garbanzo beans as well with those harvesters.

Dana and I got to know Max years later while he was still farming a little ground. We would go down to see Max, who along with his wife, Marge, lived at the base of the hill where the High Meadow homes are today.

Marge had a dress shop known as the Smart Shop in Solvang for many years, and I can remember going in with Dad as he shopped there for a dress or blouse for Mom/s birthday or Christmas present.

When we had a problem with a tractor or needed a hand to find a part, Max was the guy to see. Usually, someone would be visiting with Max, like Joe Ames or other longtime valley farmers, discussing local as well as worldwide problems.

If Max did not have the part we were looking for, he would say, BYou need to call Myers Ward Tractor Supply over in the valley. … They will have that part, and tell them I told you to call them. If not, we/ll call Mick, he lives over there near Selma. He/ll help us find it.C

That would lead to a few more stories that referenced Mick. After about the third story including Mick, I asked Max just who was this Mick he kept referring to.

After a slight pause and a look of astonishment, Max told me in a louder-than-normal voice, BThat/s my son, Mick. You boys remember him, don/t you?C Well, not really, as Mick was 10 or 15 years older than we were.

Those conversations probably took place close to 35 years ago.

Well, I optimistically welcome 2008, as we continue to be blessed with the bountiful rainstorms we all need, particularly the cattleman and dryland hay and grain farmers along the Central Coast.

Kevin Merrill is a vineyard manager for Mesa Vineyard Management. He is president of the Central Coast Wine Growers/ Association and a member of the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau board. He can be reached at kmerrill@mesavineyard.com.

January 13, 2008