Potato farmers in Eastern Oregon have lost an important contract with Heinz, the company that owns the Ore-Ida brand.

Many potato growers in Malheur and Baker counties have had contracts with Heinz for 20 to 30 years, but Heinz recently announced that it’s dropping contracts with farmers in eastern Oregon and southwest Idaho.

That means that some potato farmers must now find a new buyer, or plant a different crop.

Mark Ward leads the Malheur Potato Bargaining Association and is a second-generation farmer.

“We grow some very nice potatoes up here,” he said. “We would like to continue to do this. It’s a big change. It’s uncharted territory. This has never happened before. We are unsure if this is long-term.”

Heinz will now contract with the Ontario Potato Company for its potato supply.

“This will allow both Heinz and OPC to take advantage of economies of scale to improve efficiency and productivity and further strengthen the Ore-Ida brand, while continuing to deliver the best quality and value to consumers,” wrote Heinz spokesman Michael Mullen in an email to OPB.

“This was a difficult decision for Heinz because it will affect many long-term relationships with growers in Oregon, Idaho and Washington,” he added.

Ward says his group has started talking with that company. In Baker County, potatoes are the second most valuable agricultural product.

Southern Oregon communities along a proposed natural gas pipeline route are looking for creative ways to stop the project. Douglas and Coos County residents hope a Community Bill of Rights will give them a legal avenue to assert local control.  

The pipeline for the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas export terminal in Coos Bay would run through the property of Stacey McLaughlin. She doesn’t want it there. And speaking out before government officials has been less than satisfying.  

“It feels like a waste of my time,” she said.  

So McLaughlin is organizing her Douglas County neighbors to enact a community bill of rights. It would give cities and counties the legal grounds to say no to projects that violate local values.  

The group met Friday with Kai Huschke of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund to discuss their options going forward. Huschke said many communities have little to no recourse against state and federally approved projects.  

“So folks are actually moving law to assert that right. That right of government to say no to things like pipelines, and yes to sustainable energy futures,” Huschke said.  

McLaughlin said the Douglas County group is early in the process. Community members are working on language for their community bill of rights, which may eventually include fossil fuel and community health provisions.    

“I think it will create an opportunity for reason and rational thinking to start being the approach we take as citizens in this community,” McLaughlin said, “instead of just settling for somebody just walks in the door and says, ‘hey here’s what you have to do.’”  

In neighboring Coos County, residents are collecting signatures to put a similar measure on the May ballot.   It is uncertain if these types of local ordinances will be legally effective.  

“We’re just now beginning to see where the courts for instance stand in regards to either recognizing corporate rights or that of community rights in rejecting harmful corporate projects,” Huschke said.  

He said about 200 communities in nine states have already passed community bills of rights.  

Several in the Northwest are embracing the idea. Voters in Benton County, Oregon, will vote this May on a Community Bill of Rights targeting food security. An organizing group in Spokane could also have a community rights measure on the ballot in 2015.

Legislation that would expand the use of fireworks to repel birds in Oregon will be voted on by the state House after key lawmakers recommended passing the bill.

House Bill 2432, which would broaden the use of fireworks beyond protecting crops and forest products, moved to the House floor with a unanimous “do pass” recommendation from the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources on Feb. 3.

The bill would allow the state fire marshal to issue permits for using fireworks at golf courses, landfills, airports, seafood facilities and other properties, in addition to farms and forests.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal stopped issuing fireworks permits for golf courses and landfills to scare off geese and other birds in 2010, after it was brought to the agency’s attention that such uses were limited by law to farms and forests, said Anita Phillips, license and permits manager for the agency.

The bill would clarify the law and allow the state agency to again issue such permits, she said.

The agency doesn’t expect more than 50 additional applications as a result of the change, Phillips said.

Representatives of the Oregon Farm Bureau, the Humane Society of the United States and the Oregon Humane Society all urged committee members to support the legislation, though they mentioned some concerns.

Animal advocates said that fireworks must be used responsibly because they can frighten pets, while the Oregon Farm Bureau noted there are only two wholesale fireworks dealers who can sell to farmers and other property owners in the state.

During the Feb. 3 hearing, the committee also moved House Bill 2475, which would authorize penalties of up to $100 for veterinarians who commit minor infractions, to the floor with a “do pass” recommendation.

The fines would be the equivalent of a “traffic ticket” for minor violations, such as failing to notify regulators of an address change, that would not reflect negatively on a veterinarian’s disciplinary record, said Lori Makinen, director of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board.

The committee held a hearing on another bill — House Bill 2474 — that would require the registration and regulation of veterinary facilities to ensure they meet state standards.

Currently, state regulators only have authority over veterinarians, not facilities, which could create problems if substandard conditions were found at a clinic owned by a corporation or non-veterinarian, said Makinen.

However, the committee held off on referring the bill to the House floor pending further discussion and possible amendments.

PORTLAND – Oregon State University’s commitment to improve life in rural Oregon will includes major expansion of its forestry and marine sciences programs and strengthening the statewide system of agricultural and forest research and extension stations, President Ed Ray said.

Ray, in Portland Jan. 30 to deliver his “state of the university” address, met afterward with the Pamplin Media Group’s editorial board and the Capital Press.

He said Oregon State’s forestry, marine science and other initiatives are in line with Gov. John Kitzhaber’s goal of bringing economic prosperity to a wider slice of the population. Rural Oregon has not fully shared in the economic recovery enjoyed by urban areas such as Portland, Ray said.

In 2017, OSU will open a $60 million forest science complex that will focus on research and development of advanced wood products that can be used in high-rise buildings, Ray said. The center will increase the value of Oregon’s wood products and restore jobs to rural areas where natural resources are located and can be milled.

Money for the forestry center will be split between $30 million in state bonding and $30 million in private fund raising. Ray said OSU’s wood products expertise could be paired with the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts

An anonymous donor has pledged $20 million toward construction of a new building at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Ray said. Up to 500 students will be studying at the center by 2025, and coastal communities will benefit from the development, research and education associated with it, he said. The governor has asked the Legislature to match the gift with $25 million in bonding authority.

In another development significant to rural Oregon, the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend will expand next fall to accomodate four-year students, Ray said.

On another front, OSU is part of an 11-university alliance working to increase admission, retention and graduation rates for low-income, minority and first-generation students.

Ray said inequality in the U.S. higher education system is such that a student from a family with an annual household income of $90,000 or more has a 1-in-2 chance of graduating from college, while a student from a family making $30,000 or less has only a 1-in-17 chance.

“We are in the process of creating a country of haves and have nots,” Ray said, “which tears at the fabric of our society and undermines our democracy.”

Regarding the 2015-17 state budget, the OSU Board of Trustees has recommended $123 million for statewide programs that include ag research stations, extension programs and forest research. The figure includes $16 million for new or expanded programs dealing with sustainable landscapes, water quality and quantity, public health and food safety, technology for “value-added” manufacturing and workforce training.

Ray said he’s been disappointed at an apparent lack of understanding about the value of OSU’s statewide programs and how they bridge the urban-rural divide.

“Why it is that programs that are 100 years old have to fight so damn hard to get a dime?” he asked.

On other topics, Ray said the OSU’s enrollment now tops 30,000, counting the main campus in Corvallis, the Cascades campus and on-line students. In December, the university completed a seven-year capital campaign that raised $1.14 billion for construction, scholarships and faculty endowments. The donors included 190 who gave $1 million or more. The campaign is paying for 28 new buildings or renovation projects, 79 new faculty positions and more than 600 new scholarship and fellowship funds.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is optimistic the state’s first industrial hemp crops will be planted this spring.

The department last week adopted administrative rules that will govern production and handling, plus licensing of growers. The process culminated a long struggle by hemp backers, who maintain hemp can be used for clothing, food, cosmetics, oils and other purposes.

State approval was hung up for years by federal drug laws, which classify industrial hemp the same as marijuana. Oregon voters approved hemp production last November in the same measure that legalized recreational use, possession and cultivation of pot.

The rules define production and handling requirements while establishing a permit and licensing process for growers of industrial hemp, which includes fees associated with ODA’s program. With the adoption of the rules, ODA is expecting a crop to be planted this spring as permits will soon be issued.

Under state law, licenses to grow or handle industrial hemp fiber and permits to grow agricultural hemp cost $1,500 and are valid for three years. Hemp fields must be at least 2.5 contiguous acres, and the crop must contain less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to distinguish it from marijuana, which has much higher THC levels.

Hemp production is still illegal under federal law, and the feds may still be a roadblock to Oregon production. Oregon ag department spokesman Bruce Pokarney said hemp seed for planting is available only in Canada, and bringing it to Oregon will require approval by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

“That’s the next hurdle we need to clear,” Pokarney said.

ONTARIO, Ore. — Easter Oregon farmers’ hopes for a normal water year in 2015 are fading fast.

There is about 30,000 acre-feet more water stored in the Owyhee Reservoir than at this point in 2014, and snowpack levels are slightly ahead of where they were this time last year.

But last year was disastrous for farmers who depend on the Owyhee Project, which supplies water to 118,000 acres of irrigated land in Eastern Oregon and parts of Southwestern Idaho.

The annual allotment for farmers who get their water from the Owyhee Irrigation District was slashed from the usual 4 acre-feet to 1.7 acre-feet last year. Despite that, the system stopped delivering water in August, two months earlier than normal.

An estimated 20 percent of farm ground in Eastern Oregon was left idle last year in anticipation of the low water year.

“The good news is we’re a little better than last year,” said OID Watermaster J.L. Eldred. “The bad news is we’re still not in good shape.”

Basin-wide, total snowpack was at 74 percent of normal Feb. 2.

While there is about 114,000 acre-feet of available irrigation water stored in the reservoir, there is typically more than 300,000 acre-feet at this point during a normal water year, said Bruce Corn, a farmer and member of OID’s board of directors.

“We’re in a little better position than we were last year at this time but we still need a lot more snow to have an adequate irrigation season,” he said. “Right now, there is a lot of uncertainty and concern.”

High-pressure weather systems over the Treasure Valley area have mostly kept storms at bay this winter, said OID Manager Jay Chamberlin.

“We’re really losing ground out there pretty fast,” he said. “We need to ... get rid of these high-pressure systems and get some storms. It’s getting kind of serious.”

The only real good news is that Owyhee River flow levels near the reservoir have risen quickly following rain storms, which is an indication the ground is wet, Corn said. “That’s something we did not see last year.”

Owyhee basin snowpack levels aren’t terrible but three straight dry years have compounded the water supply situation, said Julie Koeberle, a hydrologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service snow survey program in Oregon.

While reservoir storage levels are above last year’s totals, “That’s really just a drop in the bucket from what they actually need,” she said. “They really have a long ways to go.”

There is time for improvement, she said, but if the situation hasn’t improved by the first part of March, “the message will be to brace for a low water supply.”

Irrigators aren’t sounding the alarm yet, she said, “But they’re raising their eyebrows.”

Chamberlin said farmers are “hoping to pick up a couple of good storms in February and get this turned around.” But at the moment, he added, “It’s not looking good for us.”

PORTLAND — Wyatt Williams, an invasive species specialist with the Oregon Department of Forestry, said afterward he felt like he was entering the lion’s den. He was about to tell members of the Oregon Association of Nurseries, the most valuable sector of state agriculture, about a problem that would “send ripples through your industry and my field, forest health.”

Specifically, the importation of live plants into Oregon and the U.S. is a primary pathway for invasive insects and pathogens, some of which could cause severe damage to forests in particular.

Williams, invited to speak during the Northwest Agricultural Show in Portland, was hired in 2012 as the state forestry department’s first invasive species specialist. He said there was a 500 percent increase in live plant imports to the U.S. from 1967 to 2009, and about 4 billion plants arrive in the country each year. Federal monitoring is done at 18 stations with only 63 full-time inspectors, he said, and standard inspections may miss an estimated 72 percent of pests.

“We’re missing stuff at the ports of entry,” Williams said. “Something’s broken there.”

By backtracking invasives and comparing shipping records, experts deduced that 69 percent of invasive insects and diseases arrived with live plants, he said.

Oregon’s nursery industry officials say they’re well aware of the problem. The Oregon Association of Nurseries endorses a systems management approach detailed in a 106-page publication, “Safe Production and Procurement Manual.” The manual, available online at http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.oan.org/resource/resmgr/imported/pdf/SafeProduction.pdf, lays out best practices for greenhouses and nurseries to detect pests and diseases and respond quickly if they appear.

Regarding plant imports, the manual recommends checking to see if the material is already available in the U.S. If so, producers can save time and money while reducing risk.

If it must be imported, the handbook recommends growers find an officially accredited nursery in the exporting country and have the material grown out for at least one year or one growing season. It also should be inspected, tested and evaluated in the source country before shipment, or evaluated at an accredited facility in the U.S. prior to commercial increase, according to the manual.

Jeff Stone, OAN executive director, said in an email that the manual is an industry standard and has been used as a model elsewhere. It also helped shape USDA policy governing interstate shipment of plant material.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture also collaborates with the industry to keep pests and diseases out of Oregon, said Helmuth Rogg, the department’s Plant Program director.

“We are all in the same boat,” Rogg said in a prepared statement. “We want to protect our industry, and our state, for that matter, from dangerous plant pests that could be associated with live plant material coming into Oregon.”

The department has regulations in place and uses quarantines to keep pests out of the state, he said. The department also sets thousands of traps to monitor for pests, he said.

Williams, with the state forestry department, said cross-department and industry collaboration is key to keeping invasive insects and diseases under control.

The biggest threat on the horizon is the emerald ash borer, which hasn’t made it to Oregon yet but has killed an estimated 100 million trees in 24 states since it was detected in 2002, Williams said.

Oregon ash grows in wetlands that provide habitat for “all kinds of animals,” he said. An infestation that wiped out Oregon ash could pose any number of problems, he said. The city of Denver, where ash make up 15 percent of the city trees, estimated it would cost $1 billion to remove and replace every ash, Williams said. Portland has an estimated 72,000 ash trees in public places, he added. Williams said he’s placed traps in Oregon ash groves and monitors them for presence of the emerald ash borer.

Other diseases and bugs of concern include gypsy moth, the azalea lace bug, sudden oak death and thousand cankers disease, William said.

ASTORIA, Ore. — In an innovative trade-off, Astoria has agreed not to aggressively harvest timber in the Bear Creek watershed over the next decade in return for carbon credits that could help industrial polluters offset carbon-dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change.

The city is partnering with The Climate Trust, a Portland nonprofit that would purchase the carbon credits. Utilities with fossil-fuel driven power plants pay the trust to find projects that offset pollution and meet the requirements of Oregon’s landmark emission standards law.

By committing to a less aggressive timber harvest at Bear Creek, Astoria could receive about $358,750 in carbon credits after expenses this year and about $130,000 annually for the next nine years. The first year has the most significant potential value because it is based on the city’s existing inventory of timber, while the value for the following years is tied to growth.

“We commit to harvest less than what we could and we then can monetize that,” said Michael Barnes, the city’s consulting forester.

Carbon-dioxide emissions are the most prevalent greenhouse gas from human activity and are tied to global warming. The ocean, soil, atmosphere and forests act as carbon “sinks” that absorb more carbon than is released, so preserving forests can help store carbon and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

The Climate Trust was created to help achieve Oregon’s landmark 1997 law that set standards for carbon-dioxide emissions at power plants. The trust’s projects have led to an estimated 2 million tons of emission reductions, the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 421,000 passenger vehicles.

“One of the things that’s appealing about this project is it’s providing a financial incentive to decrease the harvest in an area that’s really providing clean drinking water to the city of Astoria,” said Mik McKee, The Climate Trust’s senior project analyst for forestry.

McKee said there would be “greater attention paid toward conservation, and clean water, and forest health. And that’s a really appealing thing on a local scale, because that’s going to translate for the citizens of Astoria and the people in the community.

“On a larger scale, this is a harder concept to explain … but trees sequester carbon. So these trees that aren’t being cut are going to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere that, theoretically — at the most simple level — (is) being emitted by the Oregon utilities that are essentially paying through The Climate Trust to have these carbon offsets retired.”

The Astoria City Council approved the project with The Climate Trust in December.

The city already harvests less timber than it could from the 3,700-acre Bear Creek watershed to help protect the drinking water supply.

Based on a 3 percent annual growth rate, Barnes said the city could harvest about 3 million board feet a year and not deplete an inventory of about 100 million board feet of standing mature timber.

But the city harvests about 750,000 board feet of timber a year. Last year, the harvest was larger — just under 850,000 board feet — and the city netted about $350,000 for the capital improvement fund.

Revenue from the carbon credits would also go into the capital improvement fund.

“The harvest level that we’re able to do annually under this program is no different than what we’ve been doing,” said Ken Cook, Astoria Public Works director. “So this is not crimping our style necessarily. The level we’ve been harvesting ensures that the water quality is not harmed.”

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s mountain snowpack, vital for farms, fish and ski resorts, is posting record low depths despite normal precipitation.

The reason is persistent warm weather this winter.

Natural Resources Conservation Service hydrologist Julie Koeberle says there is time for things to improve, but expectations are low. Long-range forecasts call for warm weather, with no clear indication whether it will be wetter or drier than normal. Meanwhile, some snow measurement sites are their lowest since the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

“It really depends on what happens in February,” Koeberle said. “Come March, the writing will be on the wall for sure.”

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought spreading and intensifying across Oregon, except for the coast and the Willamette Valley. With rains not heavy enough to overcome persistent dry conditions, 2015 is likely to be the third straight year of drought in southern parts of the state, she said.

High temperatures in the western half of the state have left current snowpack measurements low: 16 percent of normal for the Willamette Valley, 28 percent for central Oregon, 18 percent for the Rogue-Umpqua region, and 17 percent for the Klamath Basin. Things are better in eastern Oregon, where temperatures have been lower. Snowpacks ranged from 47 percent in the Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Willow basins, to 79 percent in the Harney and Owyhee basins.

Precipitation throughout Oregon has been normal or near normal since the Oct. 1 start of the water year, despite a dry January, according to the service.

The reservoirs behind major dams operated by the Army Corps of Engineers in the Willamette Basin generally do not start filling until the beginning of February, said corps spokesman Scott Clemans. Overall, they are 5 percent full. In the Rogue Basin, reservoirs are 44 percent full. Lost Creek Dam reservoir is filling, but Applegate is not.

Clemans said in recent years, heavy rains have arrived in late spring in time to fill reservoirs.

Snow that builds up in the mountains serves as a natural reservoir, feeding streams and replenishing groundwater as it melts.

“We are really kind of staring climate change right in the eye right now,” said Kathie Dello, associated director of the Oregon Climate Change Institute at Oregon State University.

While there will still be plentiful snowpacks in some years, overall the trend is for them to decline as average temperatures continue to rise, she said.

“Last year we had a bad fire season, and that is in part due to the lack of snow,” which left the ground bare, and prone to dry out, she added.

The first comprehensive look at Oregon’s wine industry in four years estimates it has grown to have an economic impact of $3.35 billion, counting direct and related sales, jobs, services and products.

The report by Full Glass Research describes an industry on a post-recession roll, with planted acres increasing by 18 percent since 2011, the number of wineries up 45 percent and a 39 percent increase in sales.

Oregon grape growers and wine makers have successfully focused on making higher-priced, higher-quality wine, especially the signature Pinot noir, “turning the state’s low yields and tricky climate into an asset,” according to the report.

“Oregon growers continue to achieve the highest average price per ton while Oregon wineries realize the highest average revenues per case,” according to the report.

Wine grapes aren’t even in Oregon’s top 10 most valuable crops. The National Agricultural Statistics Service list grapes 11th in 2013 at $107 million; Full Glass Research lists the crop value at $128 million. But the report details an industry that “punches above its weight,” as a publicist put it, and has economic ripples ranging from the production of oak barrels and steel tanks to money spent by tourists in tasting rooms.

Among the points of interest in the report:

• There are 17,000 “wine-related” jobs in Oregon and the industry produced 2.7 million nine-liter cases in 2013.

• Despite dramatic growth, small to medium size producers prevail in Oregon. The state’s three largest producers would rank 52nd, 53rd and 76th in California.

• Oregon consumes 36 percent of its own wine production and exports the rest. Among international export markets, Canada takes more than one-third. Japan is second, with Mexico, Hong Kong and Scandinavian countries emerging as the fastest growing markets.

• A Wine Opinions national consumer panel showed regular purchasing of Oregon wines among high end consumers increased from 22 percent in 2008 to 41 percent in 2013. The “romance and appeal” of wineries and “upscale demographics” of wine consumption assures that wine tourists spend more than other visitors.

• In 2013, Oregon wineries spent $11.5 million on corks and other bottle closures, $21.9 million on glass, at least $8.4 million on steel tanks and $5 million to $7 million on barrels. They also spent about $10.4 million for 37 million labels.

• Annual vineyard costs for cultivation, pruning, weed control and trellising range from $3,500 to $8,000 per acre.

• The average per acre cost of developing a vineyard is $20,625. That includes soil prep, layout, planting, trellising, vines, rootstock, irrigation and other costs, but not the purchase price.

• Change may be coming. From 2012-14, four of the top 20 largest wine companies in the U.S., including Kendall Jackson, and three companies from the famous Burgundy region of France, purchased or expanding holdings in Oregon.

Farmed Smart certification offers regulatory ‘safe harbor,’ leader says

By Matthew Weaver

Capital Press

KENNEWICK, Wash. — The Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association is looking for farmers to sign up for a new certification program that will provide farmers a “safe harbor” from some regulatory agencies.

Association executive director Kay Meyer described the program, called Farmed Smart, during the Pacific Northwest Oilseed and Direct Seed Conference in Kennewick, Wash.

Third-party auditors would certify farms that employ conservation practices and transition to direct seeding, Meyer said.

“We’ve got our regulatory agencies on board, saying if farmers are getting certified, they are achieving water quality standards because of these practices that they are implementing,” Meyer said.

The association is creating a memorandum of understanding with the Washington Department of Ecology defining management practices.

The program has credibility, said Chad Atkins, water quality specialist for the department in Eastern Washington.

“We’re used to looking for problems and then holding the hammer over people in order to get those fixed,” Atkins said. “This provides an opportunity to come at it from a different direction — rewarding producers for environmental protection.”

Campbell’s, Wal-Mart and Pepperidge Farms already see the program as a way to meet their sustainability initiatives, Meyer said.

The association hopes to certify 200 farms, or roughly 400,000 acres, in the Pacific Northwest. The first 10 farmers would pay no certification fee, and the next 30 would pay a reduced fee.

Genesee, Idaho, farmer Russ Zenner said he already has Food Alliance certification as a producer for Shepherd’s Grain, and said Farmed Smart is similar. Food Alliance certification concentrates on sustainable farming practices.

Mark Sheffels, a Wilbur, Wash., farmer, said some aspects of the program, such as buffers along streams, potentially represent a significant economic sacrifice for farmers because of maintenance costs and weed problems.

“Our part of the world is typically the most productive dirt (anywhere),” Zenner agreed. “There’s going to have to be significant incentive to take that out of production.”

Sheffels said the criteria is tough, but doable. It’s also timely, as farmers realize there will be greater expectations for agriculture in the future, he said.

“Everybody expects more regulatory scrutiny in the future and being part of this program says you recognize that and you’ve already addressed it,” he said.

POCATELLO, Idaho — Researchers say the number of potato psyllids found harboring the Liberibacter bacteria that causes the crop disease zebra chip dropped significantly in the Pacific Northwest during 2014.

A new study out of Washington, however, has heightened concerns about resident psyllid populations overwintering in the Pacific Northwest.

Zebra chip, which causes bands in potato flesh that darken when fried, first arrived in the Pacific Northwest in 2011. By 2012, infections remained minimal as a percentage of the overall Idaho crop but ran as high as 15 percent in certain spud fields, said University of Idaho Extension entomologist Erik Wenninger.

In 2013, 33 of 1,093 psyllids captured through a UI monitoring program tested positive for Liberibacter.

Just 170 psyllids were captured in 2014, with four testing positive for Liberibacter. No infected spud plants were found.

Almost all of Idaho’s 2014 psyllids were of the Northwest haplotype, compared with 2013 when many Western psyllids were also found, suggesting to Wenninger that there may have been more “homegrown” psyllids this year, rather than insects blowing in from other regions.

Oregon State University tested 15,000 psyllids in 2014 — half of the 2013 total — finding 0.5 percent were positive for Liberibacter and “few plants in the field were symptomatic.”

Washington’s monitoring program confirmed only two Liberibacter-positive psyllids of 1,000 tested, said Joe Munyaneza, a research entomologist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Yakima, Wash. Munyaneza led an experiment showing psyllids that feed on bittersweet nightshade — a common plant in the Northwest known to support the bugs between potato crops — seem to have greater cold hardiness than insects that feed on potatoes alone.

“We believe the bittersweet nightshade is conferring some cold-hardy property to the psyllids,” Munyaneza said.

Munyaneza’s team has also found a second psyllid host plant, called goji berry, or Lycium. His team continues to find psyllids surviving at five Washington goji berry sites.

Wenninger said Idaho’s monitoring program thus far shows psyllids arrive in Idaho during the second week of June, with numbers gradually increasing as the season progresses and higher populations found further west in the state, where temperatures are higher.

During the past two seasons, the network has included intensive weekly monitoring of 13 fields with vacuum samples and 10 sticky traps, plus light weekly monitoring of 75-94 fields using four sticky traps. UI has base funding through a federal grant to continue some level of monitoring, but has applied again for an Idaho Potato Commission grant to continue the exhaustive network.

“We’ve asked at several stakeholder meetings if people want us to keep sampling, and we’ve found pretty overwhelming support for it,” Wenninger said.

Other new psyllid research by Wenninger shows more than 90 percent infection in plants exposed to high densities of Liberibacter-positive psyllids at least seven weeks before harvest, compared with minimal infection by plants exposed closer to harvest. The study suggests to Wenninger growers may not be at especially high risk when psyllid numbers spike late in the season.

Other new research shows zebra chip infection increases in storage, but cooler temperatures can curb the rate of increase.

The Hazelnut Growers of Oregon cooperative is hoping to provide its farmers with a new benefit: peace of mind.

Pasteurization equipment recently installed at its processing facility in Cornelius, Ore., will provide a “kill step” for diseases like salmonella and E. coli, which have prompted hazelnut recalls and attracted scrutiny from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“It’s somewhat of a firewall between them and the FDA,” said Jeff Fox, CEO of the cooperative.

By heating nuts to nearly 200 degrees Fahrenheit and treating them with pressurized steam, the pasteurization equipment results in a 100,000-fold reduction in pathogenic microbes.

The process is expected to shield hazelnut farmers from the FDA’s regulatory muscle, thereby growing the cooperative’s community of suppliers.

The FDA will require processors to identify disease risks and tailor specific remedies under proposed food safety rules that will be finalized this year, said Charles Breen, a food industry consultant and former agency official.

Growers who produce crops meant for raw consumption will also be subject to a “produce safety” rule that governs on-farm practices.

It’s likely that hazelnut growers who document their crops are treated with this “kill step” will not fall under the FDA’s on-farm purview, Breen said.

“The agency will probably accept it as an appropriate measure to control a hazard,” he said. “I think this approach is one that will reduce FDA’s interest in farms that are growing nuts subject to this process.”

On-farm measures to prevent microbes are difficult for hazelnuts, which are harvested from the ground in orchards that are tough to protect from animal incursions.

Some bacteria can persist in the soil for years and live independently from animal digestive tracts, said Philippe Cornet, food safety and quality supervisor for HGO.

Even expensive fencing would not ensure the exclusion of pathogens, since birds fly over orchards, he said. “You would have to put it in a bubble and sterilize the soil.”

The cooperative expects to reap other rewards from the new pasteurization line — improved food safety is expected to win new customers and reduce costs over time, said Fox.

The cooperative has spent approximately $3 million on the pasteurization project and expects a payback time of about five years on the investment, he said.

Reduced transportation will provide measurable savings, as HGO will no longer have to ship hazelnuts to California for treatment with propylene oxide, a chemical used for sterilization.

“Freight costs are rather expensive and the treatment itself was rather expensive,” Fox said.

Apart from direct costs, the propylene oxide treatment slowed hazelnut deliveries to HGO’s customers. With on-site pasteurization, the turnaround for clients will be much faster, he said.

The cooperative’s insurance premiums are expected to fall due to the pasteurization line and it will be able to reduce sampling and testing costs.

Avoiding a potential disease outbreak offers another major advantage, Fox said. “Recalls are very expensive.”

Before installing the pasteurization machinery, HGO had to resolve some serious questions about the technology.

The main concern was the potential impact to sensory qualities, Fox said. “That was probably one of the biggest things.”

If pasteurization dried the crop excessively, the nuts would taste different and their weight would be reduced, denting revenues for the cooperative. Altered color was another worry.

After treating hazelnuts at a pilot plant of the equipment’s manufacturer, Napasol, HGO found that any changes were negligible and decided to move forward with the project, Fox said.

While pasteurization is new to the hazelnut industry — which is centered in the Northwest — other tree nut growers in California have successfully adopted the technology, said Cameon Ivarsson, scientific director for Napasol.

“Everybody is going in that direction in the U.S.,” she said.

The move to pasteurization was initiated by the almond industry, which mandated the process under a federal marketing board order in 2007, Ivarsson said.

Since then, walnut, macadamia and pistachio processors in the state have begun treating their crops voluntarily, she said.

Pasteurization with heat and pressurized steam is growing in popularity because the European Union prohibits propylene oxide treatments due to fears of carcinogenic byproducts, Ivarsson said.

Processors who sell in the U.S. market are taking notice, since some domestic consumers have also raised concerns about the chemical, she said. “There’s a potential for backlash.”

Oregon’s farm industry will be more vulnerable to “bad bills” this year due to larger Democratic majorities in the state legislature, said Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose.

Proposals that harm agriculture — such as legislation that would raise fuel prices — will be hard to block now that Democrats have gained two seats in the Oregon Senate for an 18-12 majority and one more in the House for a 35-25 majority, she said.

“This is not a session to be passive. Ag and natural resources are under assault,” Johnson said at the Dunn Carney law firm’s Ag Summit in Wilsonville on Jan. 21.

However, lawmakers may be nervous about approving bills that cause “pain at the pump” for voters and are willing to listen to constituents more than lobbyists, she said.

Growers should pay close attention to proposed bills and inform their local lawmakers on how they affect agriculture, Johnson said. “Be a resource for your legislators.”

Gov. John Kitzhaber will probably push aggressively for energy and environmental legislation, such as extending the state’s low carbon fuel standard, which is expected to substantially increase prices, she said.

Attempts to impose new taxes or raise existing ones are also likely, as are proposals for a major hike in the minimum wage, Johnson said.

“I hope we’re not rushing iconic bills though without understanding unintended consequences,” she said.

Proposals to raise the hourly minimum wage from $9.25 to $12 or even $15 are expected to gain traction, which will probably prompt some businesses to mechanize and cut jobs, said Katie Fast, vice president of public policy for the Oregon Farm Bureau.

A bill to impose mandatory paid sick leave for employees “definitely has legs this session,” while other legislation would remove a state pre-emption statute that blocks local governments from setting their own minimum wages, Fast said.

Lawmakers are also expected to propose new regulations for pesticides — particularly aerial spraying — as well as genetically modified crops, said Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Coexistence among different types of agriculture is gaining more attention among legislators, she said. “We’re seeing more and more challenges in this area.”

OREGON CITY — Fern Russell was fetching water and feed for her sheep when she heard an odd noise from a pen on the lower side of the barn. That’s where she was keeping two ewes, each with twins.

Lambing season is a busy time, and Russell had checked on the ewes and their twins just 45 minutes earlier, but she thought she’d better take another look. She saw one of the ewes — Julie is her name — murmuring to and licking a lamb lying in a corner of the pen. But wait; four lambs and the other ewe were right there too.

“There’s five lambs here now,” Russell thought to herself. “How can that be?”

Julie didn’t seem mystified by the new lamb’s appearance. Twelve days after her twins were born, she apparently had another baby.

“She was talking to it, making little noises,” Russell said. “She claimed it. It was hers.”

Russell walked up to the house and told her husband, Richard Rea, that he wasn’t going to believe what had happened. Being a husband, he asked her what she’d done now.

“It’s not what I did,” Russell responded. “It’s what a ewe did.”

“Well,” he asked, “What did a ewe do?”

Something rare, apparently. People of course suggested the new lamb belongs to another ewe, but Russell said the pen was secure. “Nobody could have gotten in there,” she said.

Others concluded the newcomer is a late triplet, but Russell said a veterinarian disagreed. The vet said Julie must have ovulated twice while Russell had a buck, a registered Suffolk named Junior, mingling with the ladies of the flock. The vet said the double pregnancy was very rare.

Russell and her husband live on 23 acres outside Oregon City and raise a small flock for wool and meat. They’re both retired from the former Omark Industries, a chainsaw manufacturer, and raise sheep as a side business.

The property was a dairy when her parents bought it in 1948, and they turned it into a beef cattle operation. Russell’s interest in sheep began when someone gave her a wether when she was in grade school.

At this point, Julie and her three lambs appear quite healthy, Russell said. The new one is noticeably smaller than the twins, most likely because it’s 12 days younger.

Russell said her ewes are good producers, with twins common. Two of her ewes in previous years had quads — four lambs — so Russell is keeping an eye out as lambing continues. She had 27 ewes due to give birth this season.

“This multiple birth thing is in our sheep,” she said.

But twins followed by a single is something new for a ewe to do.

BOISE — Idaho lawmakers are being asked to approve a temporary rule that would allow hops planting stock to move freely among Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

It would create a common quarantine area within that three-state region and require hops material coming from other states to be certified disease-free.

The change would make Idaho’s rules for hops material consistent with similar rules adopted by Oregon and Washington in recent years, said Lloyd Knight, administrator of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s Plant Industries Division.

“It draws a circle around the Northwest and allows better movement of hops within that three-state area, and has additional requirements for hops coming in from out of that area,” Knight said.

Washington, Oregon and Idaho rank 1-3 in hops production in the United States and the industry in those three states is closely aligned, Knight said.

“We have a lot of planting stock that goes back and forth between the three states and our diseases are all consistent within that three-state area,” he said. “(Industry) just wants to be protected from diseases outside that three-state area.”

The ISDA approved the temporary rule at the request of the Idaho hop industry in September but lawmakers still have to OK it.

“Previously, it was a pain in the rear for anybody that wanted to bring roots in,” said Idaho Hop Commission Administrator Mike Gooding. “Now a single person can bring roots in from Washington or Oregon without any problem.”

Besides allowing planting stock to move more freely within the three-state area, he said, the Northwest hop industry also wants to protect itself from diseases that could be brought in from other states.

At the top of that list is the powdery mildew fungus.

The Northwest hop industry has only been able to substantiate a single mating type of powdery mildew, said Gooding, who grows hops near Parma, Idaho.

The new rule requires any hop green matter from outside the region to have tested negative for certain diseases, including powdery mildew.

“If we were to allow other vegetative material in, there’s a possibility we could get the second mating type in, which would then lead to quicker resistance against the regiments that we have developed for powdery mildew control,” Gooding said. “We’re killing two birds with one stone. We’re making it easier for people to bring in new varieties to try and we’re also keeping the second mating type of powdery mildew at bay.”

BOISE — The adoption of Roundup Ready sugar beets is saving Idaho and Eastern Oregon growers an estimated $22 million a year.

“That’s the reason, folks, that we have all adopted this technology. It’s a powerful tool,” Snake River Sugar Co. Chairman Duane Grant told members Jan. 15 during the group’s annual meeting.

SRSC is a cooperative of farmers that supplies sugar beets to Amalgamated Sugar Co.

Roundup Ready sugar beets are genetically modified by Monsanto Co. to resist glyphosate herbicide, which the company sells under the trade name Roundup. SRSC members in Idaho and Eastern Oregon planted 178,000 acres of Roundup Ready sugar beets in 2014.

According to SRSC estimates, sugar beet growers’ cost for herbicides to control weeds has dropped from $66 per acre to $11 per acre since they started planting Roundup Ready sugar beets in 2008 and herbicide application costs have dropped from $42 to $21 per acre.

The cost of hand labor has fallen from $60 per acre to $0.

Even though the cost of seed has increased from $44 per acre to $143, the crop has yielded greater yields. Grant said a net margin increase of $122 per acre can be directly attributed to Roundup Ready sugar beet growers.

That has meant a $22 million benefit annually to the cooperative, Grant said.

Weed control had become a critical issue for sugar beet growers before the availability of Roundup Ready sugar beets, Grant said, and the technology has helped change the industry.

Growers “could not control weeds with conventional technology and they were tired of working all night long, spraying ineffective herbicides and then ultimately getting to harvest with a field full of weeds,” said Grant, a Rupert farmer.

“With the advent of Roundup Ready technology, yes, growers are making more money but more importantly, they can predictively produce a crop every single year. That is as meaningful to a growers’ bottom line as what he is making on that acre for that year.”

Besides making it more profitable to farm, the adoption of genetically modified crops has also greatly decreased the use of pesticides, Grant said.

Grant pointed to the results of a meta-study that combined the results of 147 other studies and showed the use of genetically modified crops has reduced pesticide use by 37 percent, increased crop yields by 22 percent and increased farmers’ profits by 68 percent.

He encouraged other farmers to spread the news about those results.

“We have an important story to tell and we should tell it,” he said. “You guys need to get out there and speak up about it.”

Adrianne Massey, managing director of science and regulatory affairs for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, told SRSC growers that one of the main criticisms genetically modified crops face is that only multi-national corporations produce them.

That’s because the regulatory costs involved with getting approval for a GM crop are between $15 million and $36 million, she said.

“That is why,” she said. “Small companies and public sector plant breeders cannot afford the (money) that it costs to develop (them).”

Enhancing the fertility of soils through the use of cover crops will be the focus of an organic conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

In addition to presentations on soil fertility and cover crops, the conference will include a farmer-to-farmer exchange of knowledge and best practices, presentations on a new crop insurance program and future organic market opportunities with Clif Bar and Amy’s Kitchen.

Nick Andrews, small farms extension agent with Oregon State University, Amber Moore, University of Idaho soil fertility specialist, and Lauren Hunter, University of Idaho extension specialist, will present the latest science-based approaches to organic soil nutrient management and cover cropping.

Farmers will learn how to monitor the nitrogen value of cover crops and plan their organic inputs to meet crop needs.

Anne Berblinger, an organic farmer of Gales Meadow Farm, Forest Grove, Ore., will describe her work with Andrews on soil health, cover cropping and organic nutrient management planning and monitoring.

She will take attendees on a virtual tour of her farm, where she grows more than 300 varieties of vegetables and herbs, direct marketing to consumers and local chefs. She participates in an OSU vegetable seed breeding project, including conducting variety tastings with chefs.

She will also show the native hedgerow she installed to provide habitat for beneficial insects and other wildlife.

The event is presented by Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides with additional support from the two universities.

Preregistration for the conference is required by Jan. 26. Register online at www.pesticide.org or contact Arlie Sommer, agworkshops@pesticide.org or 503-312-1415.

A bill proposed by Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber seeks to expand the authority of state farm regulators over genetically engineered crops.

Until now, the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s power to regulate genetically modified organisms ended when the USDA lifted federal restrictions on them.

Legislation introduced at Kitzhaber’s request — Senate Bill 207 — would allow the department to establish “control areas” to separate biotech crops from organic and conventional crops if the agency determines it’s “necessary to avoid conflicts” from cross-pollination.

Under state law, control areas are intended to protect crops from pests, diseases and noxious weeds.

The ODA can create control areas for biotech crops if the USDA regulates them as potential plant pests, but the state agency loses the authority once they’re determined not to pose that risk.

However, lawmakers have specifically allowed ODA to extend that control area authority to canola. Seed farmers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley fear that canola could cross-pollinate with related crops and ruin their market.

SB 207 would amend that statutory language to include control area authority for genetically engineered crops.

The proposed bill requires the agency to specify the types of crops that are regulated within the boundaries of control areas or excluded from them.

ODA must be “reasonable and just” in how it uses the authority and conduct a “careful investigation” before creating control areas, according to the bill.

Oregonians for Food and Shelter plans to oppose the legislation in its current form, said Paulette Pyle, grass roots director for the agribusiness industry group.

ODA’s control area authority was intended for managing diseases, weeds and pests, not biotech crops, she said.

“For now, it’s a no go for us,” Pyle said. “Right now, we don’t see any need for it.”

Kitzhaber likely proposed the bill to assuage GMO critics who opposed legislation he introduced in 2013 that pre-empted most local government from regulating genetically engineered crops, she said.

“He’s trying to make the organic folks feel protected because they feel like they’re not right now,” Pyle said, noting that any bill will be subject to amendments. “We’re all going to be involved.”

Richard Whitman, Kitzhaber’s natural resources policy director, said he’s still consulting with members of the governor’s task force on genetic engineering and other industry stakeholders about GMO legislation.

The final language of the bill hasn’t yet been nailed down, but the basic concept is to create a voluntary process to resolve conflicts between farmers who grow organic, conventional and biotech crops, Whitman said.

The system would not be foisted upon growers without their agreement, he said.

“It’s not really trying to dictate a particular result,” Whitman said. “That should be dictated by the people on the ground.”

Friends of Family Farmers, which supports stronger biotech regulation, believes it would be a good idea to make clear that ODA retains the ability to create control areas for genetically engineered crops after they’re deregulated by USDA.

“That seems like an important clarification of the agency’s authority,” said Ivan Maluski, its policy director.

Maluski said he can’t comment on a possible voluntary coexistence process for growers of biotech, organic and conventional crops because he has not seen the actual legislative language.

Any coexistence measures between farmers are already voluntary, he said. “I’m not sure how it would be different from the current system.”

Willamette Valley farmers concerned about crop damage caused by geese will get a chance this month to talk it over with the wildlife officials who oversee management of the birds.

The Polk County Farm Bureau is hosting a discussion with representatives from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon at Rock-N-Rogers cafe, 670 S. Pacific Highway West, in Rickreall.

Crop damage from migrating and resident geese has been a problem for years, but farmers believe the problem is getting worse. They maintain the geese population is healthy, especially cackling Canada geese, and would like more leeway in hunting and hazing them off fields.

Migrating geese are managed under a treaty that involves several states, Canada and Native American tribes, which makes tweaking the plan difficult. The Pacific Flyway Management Plan contains a population estimate goal for cackling Canada Geese of 250,000 birds. Since 1999, when the plan was last updated, the population estimate for cacklers has exceeded the goal six times, according to USFWS.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act limits hunting to 107 days between March 10 and Sept. 1, according to USFWS. Farmers can obtain “depredation permits” to take 20 cacklers out of season, but changes to hunting regulations have to originate with the Pacific Flyway Council.

Flocks of geese cause significant crop damage. Some producers assign employees to drive from field to field to haze geese.