From the Fields: Jason Maloney

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Dust rises as fieldwork continues in far-northern Wisconsin. By June almost all spring tillage was complete and emergence of most crops was well underway.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Lilacs scent the air on an old farmstead near Lake Superior. The beautiful spring flowers remind us of the location of many small farms; they have been a farm favorite for generations.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Lambs crowd each other to get the best selection of feed. Like humans, they often want what another is having.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Fresh-picked wild oyster mushrooms await cleaning. Properly dried they can last for years. They can also be frozen or canned.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Customers mingle with farmers at the first June 2025 farmers market in Ashland, Wisconsin. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 77 percent of farms with direct sales sold directly to consumers in 2020. Of the $2.9 billion in direct-to-consumer sales, on-farm stores and farmers markets accounted for $1.7 billion or 59 percent.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Cattle loiter on green pasture near Benoit, Wisconsin. June rains are helping revive pastures that were short due to lack of moisture.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Cattle graze on short pasture along Cherryville Road south of Washburn, Wisconsin.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

A young down-covered owl perched in a white pine tree near Lake Superior wishes the person photographing him would leave and never return. Young owls are especially vulnerable to predation until they can fly later in the summer.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Blue bead lily blossoms in a boreal-forest remnant along Lake Superior. In weeks to come the flowers will be replaced by the blue beads that give the plant its name.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

A starflower glistens after a morning rain.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Oyster mushrooms burst forth from the trunk of a dead aspen. The mushrooms appear during cool weather following rain. To properly identify wild mushrooms always begin with lessons from an expert – preferably a live one.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

A bunchberry plant blooms as rainwater moistens green leaves. The plant produces red berries later in summer. Some find the berries refreshing; others say they are insipid.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Jason Maloney For Agri-View

Grandpa could always sleep, no matter what worry faced him. Somehow the tiny milk check and other farm income would pay the mortgage and the other bills. It could be that he was confident, but more likely it was that he was tired from working the fields with teams of horses.

Jason Maloney From the Fields mug — Jason Maloney

Jason Maloney from Washburn in northern Wisconsin lives between Lake Superior and the orchards and farms of Bayfield County. The retired soldier and educator grew up on a family farm in Marinette County.