Lewis County PUD Provides Wood Chips to Local Farm That Serves the Community

Jun. 9—The Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) recently teamed up with a Glenoma farm by recycling wood chips to help serve the community, according to a news release.

Mark and Noël Bates of Rainy Glen Farms and Bates Family Foods serve the entire east Lewis County area with farm fresh vegetables and wholesome, nutritious foods. They also give back to their community, according to the county. In 2022, the farm donated 2,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Randle Food Bank.

"The PUD serves the community through delivery of safe, reliable, at-cost electricity, which means a significant amount of work keeping the power lines free of vegetation growth and other environmental hazards," PUD stated in the release. "The PUD's tree trimming crew's work is never-ending, but one crew, led by Kodie Baker, found an opportunity to add additional value to the community by providing the Bates with a half dozen wood chip drops derived from vegetation management work along the highway and other nearby roads."

Mark Bates thanked Lewis County PUD for its assistance.

"When we explained our needs to Kodie and his crew, bam, it happened. Chips appeared! This is a perfect example of an ideal customer-service based model of public and private partnership," Mark Bates said in the release.

The Bates family said they learned about the functionality of wood chips for water conservation and their ability to reduce noxious weeds as mulch on their farm fields and orchards at a small farm symposium last year run provided by a Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board expert.

According to the Bates, they can now grow more food because of the wood chips the PUD provided.

"It's stories like these that make me proud to be a commissioner for such a great organization that always embodies being there for the community and being at your service," said PUD Commissioner and Board President Ed Rothlin. "This is just another example of how our crews' hard work benefits everyone they work with."

The Bates said they look forward to working even more closely with the PUD in the future.