SALEM, Ore. — A record–breaking crowd attended the 30th annual Ag Fest April 29-30 at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.

Tami Kerr, executive director of Oregon Dairy Farmers Association and 2017 Ag Fest chair, was enthusiastic about the record-breaking results of this year’s event.

“It was a record-breaking year in every way,” Kerr said. “The trade show filled faster this year than ever before, we had more local food producers selling cheese, salsa, pies and meat ... new cooking demonstrations from Bob’s Red Mill and there were more hands-on experiences than ever in both Ag Country and the animal barns.”

When she first joined the board 17 years ago, the even drew 7,000 and 8,000 attendees.

“This year,” Kerr said, “we nearly hit 22,000 — 21,964 to be exact. No other state that I know of has a premier agriculture education event that matches this one, and it is a thrill to see entire families learning together about where their food comes from.”

Part of the event was the presentation of the Oregon Ag Fest Agricultural Education Awards. Top award winners were members of the Echo, Ore., FFA, the Henley FFA near Klamath Falls and the Oregon Dairy Women.

To extend their mission beyond the annual two-day event, Ag Fest organizers decided to award student organizations, nonprofit groups and others who promote agriculture and educate Oregonians about it.

Echo FFA members — Echo is a small town 8 miles south of Hermiston in Eastern Oregon — took home the first place prize of $1,000 for their 2,333 “agricultural learning moments” they advocated between January 2016 and March 2017.

Those projects included presenting Ag in the Classroom lessons to elementary classrooms in the Echo School District, hosting a petting zoo for elementary- through high school-age students, teaching a lesson at Rocky Heights Elementary School in Hermiston and taking part in work stations at the Eastern Oregon Agriculture Field Day at the Sustainable Agriculture and Energy Center in Boardman.

The 10 Echo FFA members who attended Ag Fest to accept their award also spent the morning assisting with pedal tractor races, parking cars and the Ag Challenge scavenger hunt.

Henley FFA took home the second place prize of $600 for working with the local Klamath Falls Farm Expo, hosting an Ag Field Day for students at a local elementary school, participating in the Oregon Ag in the Classroom Spring Literacy Project, as well as other community service efforts that included working with PLAY — Promoting Lifelong Activities for Youth — and the Klamath County Forestry Tour.

Accepting the $400 prize for third place was 2017 State Dairy Princess Ambassador Kiara Single and Jessica Kliewer, state director of the Dairy Princess Ambassador Program for the Oregon Dairy Women. Since 1959, the volunteer organization has been telling dairy’s story to the public through the princess ambassador program and other efforts.

LANGLOIS — The Langlois Lions Club will hold their annual Mary Hildebrand Memorial Plant Sale from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at the Langlois Lions Club, 48136 Floras Lake Loop.

Capital Bureau

SALEM — In an expression of solidarity on a day honoring the world’s workers, supporters of Oregon’s immigrants rallied and marched Monday at the state Capitol.

The rally reflected the current attitude of resistance from the left in the wake of the election of President Donald J. Trump, who pledged during his campaign to “build a wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border, and whose administration has reportedly stepped up federal immigration enforcement efforts.

For decades, Oregon has had a sanctuary law that prevents state and local officials from enforcing federal immigration laws if a person’s only crime is being in the country illegally.

Advocates say that immigrant communities in Oregon are seeing heightened enforcement of immigration laws, including arrests of people who are recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, an Obama-era policy that allowed some undocumented immigrants who came here as children to receive temporary relief from deportation and a two-year work permit.

State Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, D-Woodburn, also cited a ballot measure proposal from three state lawmakers filed April 25 to repeal the state’s decades-old sanctuary law by amending the state constitution.

That proposal, Initiative Petition 22, was filed by three Republican state Reps. Greg Barreto, of Cove; Mike Nearman, of Independence; and Sal Esquivel, of Medford.

Alonso Leon, who argues that the president’s enforcement actions threatens public safety by undermining relationships between police and immigrant communities, said the petition would “divide our state and amplify Donald Trump’s harmful and hateful policies.”

The petition will need 88,184 signatures to qualify for the ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Andrea Williams, executive director of Causa Oregon, said immigrants need to learn their rights and “fight back” when those rights are violated.

“We need to continue to advocate for better protections here in our own state,” Williams said.

Suad Elmi, a mother of five who emigrated from Somalia, described her harrowing journey by boat and on foot from her war-torn home to a refugee camp in Kenya.

“We should be united,” Elmi said. “Our president should be a uniter, not a divider. We should use that money he’s trying to build a wall and build houses, you know?”

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who has been a prominent voice advocating for progressive social issues since Trump’s election, reaffirmed her support for immigrants in a brief speech at the event.

In February, the governor signed an executive order barring the use of state resources to enforce federal immigration policy; she’s also advocated for expanding Medicaid to children who are also undocumented immigrants, an initiative called Cover All Kids.

“I know that this is an uncertain and scary time for Oregon’s immigrant and refugee families,” Brown said. “I want you to know that my support for you is unwavering.”

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Wildfires this summer are expected to be most severe in southwestern U.S. states, Florida, Georgia and in some parts of California and Nevada, forecasters said Monday.

The summer 2017 fire outlook issued by the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise also said heavy winter snow and spring rains that flooded many Western states will probably delay the onset of this season’s worst wildfires.

“In the broadest sense, some parts of the country with higher elevation could see a lighter fire year,” said Ed Delgado, the office’s head of predictive services. “In other parts, there may not be a huge risk right now but things could dry out really quickly.”

The threat of wildfires is expected to be normal or below normal for northwestern states, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Wyoming and most of Utah.

The forecast could change if temperatures soar late in the summer and grasses and other vegetation that grew due to wet weather and flooding dries, turning it into fuel for wildfires.

“There is concern regarding elevated fire potential in July and August across the lower elevations of much of western and northern Nevada and possibly into southwest Idaho,” the report said.

Forecasters noted that south-central Alaska could see a burst of intense fire activity sometime this summer due to ongoing drought conditions. In the northwestern U.S. states, fire risks could also surge if temperatures rise in July and particularly in August — forcing the state’s fire season to stretch into the fall.

In California, infestations of bark beetles that kill trees in forests in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada could cause the wildfire risk to increase in May and June.

“Drought is a two-sided coin,” Delgado said. “You tend to get a lot of finer fuel growth in lower elevation areas during wet years. But adding that lower level fuel has the potential to help carry fires to stressed forests, areas that have a lot of dead or dying trees already from the dry years.”

Wildfires have already broken out in Florida, southeastern Georgia, Arizona and New Mexico. Ten new large wildfires were reported as of last week, burning more than 300 square miles (780 square kilometers). Eight of those fires are currently burning in Florida.

“Heavy growth of fine fuels across southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico have led to above normal fire potential along the Mexican border that should persist through June before the monsoonal rains arrive in early July,” forecasters wrote in the report.

Delgado said too many factors are involved in predicting fire seasons to make direct comparisons to various years.

Last year, 8,600 square miles (22,300 square kilometers) were scorched across the U.S., mostly in western states. Six fires burned more than 156 square miles (400 square kilometers) each.

The cost suppressing last year’s wildfire season was $1.97 billion.

The Willamette Valley Agriculture Association has extended the application deadline for its college scholarships until the end of May.

Each year the association, producers of the Willamette Valley Ag Expo in Albany, awards several scholarships to students in Oregon. The award amounts range from $1,500 to $3,000. Proceeds from the annual event help to fund this scholarship.

The purpose of the scholarship is to support students pursuing a career in agriculture production. Students must possess a 3.0 grade point average or higher. The Willamette Valley Ag Expo scholarship is open to students who are sophomores and above majoring in the field of agriculture.

Potential applicants must read the scholarship application and fill it out in its entirety. The application can be found online at http://wvaexpo.com/scholarships/.

Please send completed applications and required materials to: WVAA at P.O. Box 307, Albany OR 97321.

The Columbia-Snake River System will be celebrated at an upcoming festival.

The Snake River Family Festival is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 20 at Boyer Park and Marina, 1753 Granite Park Road in Colfax, Wash.

The event is hosted by a coalition of river users, including the Idaho, Oregon and Washington grain and wheat commissions.

It is designed to help the public understand and appreciate the river system and how it boosts the region’s economy, said Blaine Jacobson, executive director of the Idaho Wheat Commission.

“It’s to raise awareness of how the river contributes to quality life,” Jacobson said.

Roughly a third of Idaho’s wheat harvest and 60 percent of Washington’s wheat harvest go to overseas markets on the river system, Jacobson said.

Jacobson said the dams are also hitting a 60-year record in fish returns.

Juvenile fish downstream survival rates past each of the eight federal dams on the river system are 95 to 98 percent, according to the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association.

“Moving commodities by barge is so much more environmentally friendly than any other transportation mode,” said Tom Kammerzell, commissioner for the Port of Whitman County and a Colfax rancher.

The festival is a response to misinformation about the river system put out by groups who want to remove the dams on the river.

“Sometimes it’s said some folks don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story,” Kammerzell said. “We are trying to put out the facts along with a good story. Everybody can come up with their own conclusions, but they have to have all the information to make a good decision.”

“It’s easy to be passive, but passive doesn’t get the message out,” he said. “We need to send a good message to the rest of the country and the world that this is important to us.”

If successful, similar events could be held on the Columbia-Snake system, he said.

The system of dams is keeping the massive Columbia and Snake River system under control as rain combines with snowmelt to fill reservoirs around the Pacific Northwest.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is running the Columbia River at roughly 3 feet below flood stage to allow for extra water and reduce the risk of flooding, said Amy Gaskill, public affairs chief for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division in Portland.

It was the second-rainiest March in 75 years, Gaskill said.

“When we were at the height of that rain, at the Vancouver gauge we were running about 1.5 feet above flood stage,” Gaskill said. “If we hadn’t had those dams in place and managed the river and water in the way it came out of the system, it would have been about 4 to 5 feet higher than what it was.”

The corps is closely watching snowmelt coming off the mountains to adjust management decisions on the river, Gaskill said.

SEATTLE (AP) — Thousands of people are expected to attend May Day rallies for immigrants and workers in Seattle and Portland.

In Seattle multiple marches and rallies are planned throughout Monday. The 18th Annual May Day March for Workers and Immigrant Rights was to begin late in the morning, with participants walking through downtown. Anti-capitalist marches and gatherings were expected throughout the city Monday night.

In Portland, Oregon, marches were set to begin 3 p.m. in downtown. In both Seattle and Portland major traffic disruptions were expected.

Seattle traditionally sees large, disruptive May Day gatherings. Last year police used pepper spray to disperse black-clad protesters. Five officers were hurt, none seriously, and police arrested nine people. In 2015 Seattle police arrested 16 people during demonstrations and in 2014 10 people were arrested. In 2013, police arrested 18 people from a crowd that pelted them with rocks and bottles.

Increasingly massive container ships threaten the relevance of the Port of Portland’s container terminal, where cranes aren’t large enough to accommodate the behemoth vessels, experts say.

“In many ways, this is where the market is headed and what we have to contend with in Portland,” said Randy Fischer, senior analyst at the port. “It’s bigger ships coming in and smaller ships getting pulled out.”

Transportation officials painted a sobering picture of the problems facing container shipping from the port during an April 28 meeting with Northwest importers and exporters.

Container traffic at the port came to a halt in 2016 after several ocean carriers stopped calling at the facility, claiming that slow loading and unloading rendered the market unprofitable.

Productivity problems at the port were blamed on a labor dispute between the longshoremen’s union and the terminal operator, ICTSI, which began leasing the facility in 2011.

The Port of Portland regained control of the container terminal after ending its contract with ICTSI earlier this year, but carriers must still be convinced to return.

“We have a bit of a black eye in the market right now and we need to figure out how best to fit into the market,” said Fischer.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union is still involved in a legal dispute with the port, though it’s less intense than litigation between the union and ICTSI, said Keith Leavitt, the port’s chief commercial officer.

As the port devises a plan to lure ocean carriers back to the Terminal 6 container facility, it will also seek to “reset” its relationship with ILWU, he said.

“When we start making our market pitch, they need to be with us,” Leavitt said.

Financial turmoil in the shipping industry has reduced the number of major global ocean carrier companies from 20 to 14 even as global freight capacity has surged, Fischer said.

However, the total freight capacity represented by smaller ships has shrunk while the share of new mega-vessels has grown, he said. Of the 12 carriers that service the Northwest, eight have ships small enough for Terminal 6 to handle.

Traditional container exports from the Port of Portland mostly consisted of hay, other agricultural crops and wood products, which were generally of lower value than imports from Asia, such as furniture, shoes, apparel, tires and electronics.

Effectively, exporters were dependent on vessels calling on Portland to offload imported products.

Those ships then returned with lower-value agricultural goods, which was financially preferable than heading back across the Pacific with empty containers.

This dependency on imports complicates the potential for shipping hay and other farm products by rail from the facility.

Terminal 6 has an intermodal railyard that’s only been used sporadically in the past but could be used for transloading export containers from trucks onto trains, said Leavitt.

Without container service in Portland, agricultural exporters must truck products to more distant ports in Seattle and Tacoma. Shipping agricultural goods to these cities by rail, on the other hand, would allow them to avoid traffic congestion.

For the idea to work, though, exporters need access to empty containers.

Since Portland isn’t a major consumer market, importers were less likely to use Terminal 6 even when ocean carriers were still calling on the facility. That meant fewer containers were available to exporters.

The problem is now obviously worse, since container shipping has halted altogether, Leavitt said.

If there was a reason to bring more containers into Portland — such as storing empty ones returning from the Midwest — the intermodal railyard would be more viable, he said.

A study by Idaho and Oregon researchers showed that when intrusive Western juniper trees go down, r sage grouse populations go up.

Working primarily in Southeast Oregon from 2010 to 2014, researchers compared sage grouse populations in areas where juniper and other conifers had been cut or burned to bird populations in control areas where trees weren’t removed.

Juniper tree removal increased the sage grouse population growth rate by 25 percent compared to the control areas, concluded the study, whimsically named “Better Living Through Conifer Removal: A Demographic Analysis of Sage-grouse Vital Rates.”

More seriously, the work reinforces what rangeland and wildlife scientists have maintained for years: Cutting down junipers has widespread benefit for the sagebrush ecosystem and especially for sage grouse, which at one point teetered on the edge of Endangered Species Act listing.

The study is among the first to link sage grouse demographic rates to conifer removal, primarily juniper. On a landscape scale, the work showed the potential to increase female sage grouse survival and nest survival, “two of the most important demographic parameters affecting population growth,” according to the study.

An Oregon State University researcher who co-wrote the study said the early results are promising, but cautioned that “We’re in this for the long haul.”

“We hope to carry this 10 years out,” said Christian Hagen, a research faculty member with OSU’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. “Sage grouse is still an upland bird, it’s susceptible to the mood swings of Mother Nature.”

Hagen co-wrote the study with John Severson, who conducted the research for his doctoral dissertation at the University of Idaho. He now works for U.S. Geological Survey.

Taking out junipers primarily helps sage grouse because it deprives predators of perches from which to attack adults, chicks or eggs. Hawks, crows, ravens and jays prey on sage grouse.

Junipers are notorious for taking up water and crowding out other plants, including native sage and grasses. Removing them “preserves basic sagebrush ecosystem function” by extending water availability. Grazing cattle are among the beneficiaries, leading some ranchers to take up the motto, “What’s good for the bird is good for the herd.”

“From an agricultural producer standpoint, what we’re seeing is that maintaining rangeland and forage production for livestock can be compatible with sage grouse,” Hagen said. While the work may not necessarily increase forage, measured by the Animal Unit Month, it can make the land more resilient when the next fire or drought comes, he said.

“I know it’s cliche, but it is win-win,” Hagen said. “You’re providing sustainable rangeland, water quality and habitat for this bird. If you’re doing that, then our concerns over the species become alleviated over time.”

For the study, researchers collected data on 219 female sage-grouse and 225 nests from 2010 to 2014. The worked in an area in Southeast Oregon where western juniper was being removed and an area with no removal in Southeast Oregon, Northeast California and Northwest Nevada. Both areas involved both public and private lands.

Greater sage grouse use range in 11 Western states and was a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act as its numbers declined. Producers warned that habitat restrictions accompanying a listing would hamper or shut down ranching, farming, mining or energy development in wide expanses of the West. At one point, producer groups referred to the potential impact as “the Spotted Owl on steroids.”

However, ranchers, federal agencies and local organizations such as Soil and Water Conservation Districts spearheaded an effort that reversed the situation. Ranchers signed voluntary habitat conservation agreements on private land that protected them from additional regulation in return for such things as marking fences to reduce bird strikes and removing juniper trees. Meanwhile, federal agencies prepared management plans for BLM and Forest Service land.

In September 2015, then-U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced an endangered species listing for sage grouse was not warranted.

“The truth is, we’ve never done anything like this before,” Jewell said at the time. She called it the “largest, most complex land conservation effort ever in the history of the United States of America, perhaps the world.”

SEQUIM, Wash. (AP) — New modular classrooms are being built across Washington state using a new wood that’s the buzz of the industry.

Crews began installing four new modular classrooms in Sequim this week as part of a statewide pilot project to create more classrooms using cross-laminated timber, or CLT.

The technology is made by stacking beams in perpendicular layers and then glued or laminated together the layers like a sandwich.

Supporters say it could infuse struggling forest communities with new economic growth while reducing the carbon footprint of urban construction by using a renewable building material.

For the Sequim classrooms, the wood panels came from local trees and were manufactured in Oregon.

Washington state lawmakers set aside $5.5 million in the 2016 capital budget for 20 classrooms made from CLT. Five school districts in the pilot project are in Seattle, Mount Vernon, Sequim, Wapato and Toppenish.

SALEM — A proposal to expand allowable activities for cider businesses on farmland is sailing through the Oregon legislature with minimal opposition.

Imitating rules established for wineries, Senate Bill 677 would permit cider businesses to produce and sell their beverages, serve food and conduct other agritourism activities on-site in farm zones.

Companies generating less than 100,000 gallons of cider a year would have to be within or next to an orchard of at least 15 acres to take advantage of the provisions.

The orchard size requirement would increase to 40 acres for those businesses producing more than 100,000 gallons annually, under the bill.

The Senate has unanimously approved SB 677, and it’s now being considered by the House Committee on Economic Development and Trade, which is expected to vote on it on May 3.

Cider businesses are similar to wineries in terms of government regulation and the process of crushing fruit to make juice that’s then fermented into alcohol, said Dan Lawrence, founder of Stone Circle Cider near Estacada, Ore.

The goal of SB 677 is to provide cider companies with the same opportunity to process and sell their product, while educating consumers about how it’s made, said Lawrence.

“Oregon is in a strong position to be a leader, if not the leader, in this industry nationwide,” he said. “It helps bring dollars and jobs to the countryside.”

U.S. sales of cider surged more than 300 percent between 2010 and 2015, to about $870 million, with Northwest consumers being particularly keen for the beverage, according to testimony from the Northwest Cider Association, which has 25 members in Oregon.

Rep. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, commended SB 677’s supporters for emulating existing land use provisions for Oregon wineries, rather than trying to create a whole new system for their industry.

“There’s fewer unknowns here,” Helm said.

Nobody spoke against the bill during the committee hearing, but written testimony submitted by the Oregon Farm Bureau was unenthusiastic.

The organization wants to encourage Oregon’s cider industry but is concerned “about the breadth of activities authorized” under SB 677, much as it was concerned about previously enacted rules for wineries, said Mary Anne Nash, OFB’s public policy counsel.

The proposal allows bed-and-breakfast operations and other activities “seemingly unrelated” to agriculture in farm zones, without requiring cider businesses to own the orchards, she said.

“This could result in the development of a production facility and business center that is not actually part of the farm use on the property,” Nash said.

Joe Beach has been named editor and publisher of the Capital Press.

The announcement was made April 21 in Salem by Steve Forrester, president and CEO of the EO Media Group, and Kathryn Brown, secretary-treasurer of the EO Media Group — the parent company of the Capital Press.

“Kathryn and I were impressed with the rich field of candidates. We believe that Joe is exceedingly well equipped to move the Capital Press to a new level in its basic news product, as well as all of the newer forms of delivery and product lines we might develop,” Forrester said.

Beach has been in the newspaper business for 37 years, beginning his career as a part-time features writer at the Terre Haute Tribune while studying journalism at Indiana State University. After graduation he was named editor of Indiana Agri-News, a weekly farm publication. He has since held top editorial positions at a number of publications, and has served stints as publisher of three daily newspapers.

Beach was named editor of the Capital Press in November 2008, and since August 2014 has also managed the EO Media Group/Pamplin Media Group statehouse bureau. He will retain those duties in his new role as editor and publisher.

He’s been married to his wife, Rebecca, for 32 years. They have two children — Jessica and Jacob.

“It is an extreme honor to have been chosen to lead the Capital Press, and I appreciate the trust Kathryn and Steve have placed in me,” Beach said. “The Capital Press has a unique relationship with its readers and advertisers. I look forward to working with everyone at the paper, the most talented people I’ve known in my time in the business, to continue that tradition as we diversify the products we offer.”

An Oregon law professor says producers need to keep their cool, ask questions, take pictures and be prepared to help detained employees if agents from the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency show up at an orchard, vineyard, dairy or other ag facility.

Susan Felstiner, who teaches at Lewis & Clark College in Southwest Portland, was part of a panel discussion at an Immigration Forum put on in late April by five Oregon producer groups. With immigration issues and labor shortages hot on producers’ minds and farmworkers fearful that they’ll get swept up in raids, Felstiner said it’s easy to get caught up in emotion.

She offered steps to head off problems and protect the rights of producers and employees.

• Owners should mark parts of their businesses as private. ICE agents don’t need an owner’s consent to enter the public area of a business, but entering a private office, for example, would require a warrant. Fields should be posted as private property as well, she said.

• If agents arrive, have employees tell them to wait in a designated public area while the owner contacts an attorney, “So they don’t go wandering around,” Felstiner said.

• Keep employees’ I-9 forms and supporting documents together in a secure place. The I-9 forms are ones by which employees show they can legally work.

• Determine if agents have a warrant, and what kind. An ICE administrative warrant usually gives them authority to detain an individual, Felstiner said, while a broader judicial warrant gives them authority to search the premises.

• If agents have a warrant, take a photo of it with your phone and send it to your attorney, Felstiner said. Write down names, badge numbers and agencies involved. Video shot with cell phones has become an important tool to document officers’ behavior, she said, but it’s important not to obstruct agents. Stand about 10 feet away.

“You shouldn’t do any harboring (of undocumented employees) or hiding, or aid in escaping, provide false information or shred documents,” she said.

• In case of an arrest, remember your personal right to remain silent, and brief employees ahead of time on their rights. If an employee is detained, ask where he or she is being taken, and follow up to track their location.

• If an employee is arrested, think about helping the family hire an immigration attorney, Felstiner said. Consider paying the bond amount so the detainee can be released pending a hearing, and make sure any money owed to the employee is paid.

Felstine works at Lewis & Clark Law School’s Small Business Legal Clinic. She’s a founding member and past president of the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association. In addition, she’s a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association and Oregon Women Lawyers.

The Immigration Forum, held April 20 in Newberg, involved the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Association of Nurseries, Oregon Winegrowers Association, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association and Oregon Dairy Farmers Association. Close to 200 producers attended. The meeting was closed to the media, but representatives of three groups spoke to the Capital Press afterward about what was said and the mood inside.

All agreed workers are scared by the tough talk coming out of the Trump administration about a crackdown on illegal immigration, especially because even though the worker may be documented, a husband, wife or children might not be.

Tom Danowski, CEO of the winegrowers group, said there is a “chilling effect” on employees, with some afraid to drive to work or take their children to events such as athletic practices.

Jeff Stone, executive director of the nursery association, said there is a “pervasive fear more tangible and real than we’ve seen in the past.”

He said the agricultural labor shortage is severe, and for nurseries represents a cap on growth. Nurseries have recovered from the recession, he said, but some are operating with 40 percent to 50 percent of the labor force they could use. As a result, some who could grow their business 25 percent are growing at a rate of only 2 or 3 percent because they don’t have sufficient labor, Stone said.

Representatives from ICE and other staff from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security attended the forum and took questions from producers. According to producers, the ICE representatives said they are not going on big sweeps or raids to catch undocumented immigrants. Instead, they’ve enhanced what Obama administration did; they go after targeted felons, and if other illegals are in the vicinity, they sweep them up, too. Under Obama, they let go the ones who were simply undocumented.

The ICE officials said a highly publicized Feb. 24 incident in Woodburn, Ore., was an example of that policy. Agents stopped a pair of worker transport vehicles, seeking two men wanted on criminal charges, and ended up detaining 11 people on allegations they were in the country illegally.

Dave Dillon, executive vice president of the Oregon Farm Bureau, said despite fear of an ICE crackdown, there’s “more smoke than fire” at this point.

He and others, however, said dysfunctional immigration policies are at the heart of the problem.

“This is 30 years of a broken system coming home to roost,” said Stone, of the nursery association. He said fixing it is not a mystery: Bring workers into “legal status,” avoiding the politically-loaded word “amnesty,” and create a guest worker program.

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — Tumbleweeds are a common sight across Eastern Oregon, rolling over the vast landscape like something out of an Old West movie.

They are also a scourge for dryland wheat farmers, spreading hundreds of thousands of tiny seeds that invade fallow fields and rob the ground of critical moisture.

The weed isn’t native to North America, but is believed to have been brought to South Dakota in contaminated flax seed in the late 19th century by Russian immigrants. It spreads quickly, with the stem detaching from the root and being carried by the wind across long distances, leaving its seed along the way.

A group of growers in southern Morrow County has come up with an ambitious plan to eradicate the invasive tumbleweeds — Russian thistle — from approximately 100,000 acres south of Ione, where they say the problem has exploded in recent years.

But first, they must receive a $7 million matching grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The Natural Resource Conservation Service administers the program funding, which supports collaborative work to protect natural resources while benefiting agriculture.

The group submitted its pre-application proposal to the agency on April. If selected, they will submit a full proposal by Aug. 31. Grants will not be awarded until November.

John Rietmann, who has farmed near Ione for more than 30 years, said the project would run over five years and help determine best management practices for dealing with Russian thistle. The management area would run north to Ione along Baseline Road, south to the Heppner-Condon highway, east to Rhea Creek and west to Eightmile Canyon.

The goal, Rietmann said, is to sustain no-till farming in the region, which has already proven valuable for local farmers.

“This is the best methodology to reduce wind and water erosion, and to maintain soil health,” he said.

No-till relies on direct seeding, where a drill plants the crop seed and fertilizer directly into the soil with minimal disturbance on the surface.

Rietmann said he has been no-tilling for 12 years now, and others in the group for even longer.

“We’ve all invested a lot of money getting ourselves educated in the tools and equipment needed to be involved in direct seeding,” he said.

Russian thistle, however, threatens to make that investment unsustainable. Farmers use herbicides, such as glyphosate, to spray for weeds without tilling fallow fields. As Russian thistle continues to spread, Rietmann said they are having to spend more time and money treating the problem.

Combined with the sagging price of wheat, Rietmann said it is pushing the cost of production beyond their break-even point.

“This is a low-margin business as it is,” he said.

Research from Oregon State University also shows some tumbleweeds are becoming resistant to glyphosate, forcing farmers to turn to other higher-risk chemicals. If they can eliminate Russian thistle, Rietmann said it would dramatically reduce input costs and ensure farmers can afford no-till practices.

Rietmann said they have already raised nearly $7 million in matching dollars and in-kind work for the grant. The project would have on-the-ground support from Larry Lutcher and Judit Barroso with OSU Extension Service, and Stewart Wuest with the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Barroso, who works at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center north of Pendleton, said the proposal is a great idea and based on sound science.

“If we are able to prevent the spreading of Russian thistle, we’ll be more successful controlling the weed,” she said.

Kacee Lathrop, district conservationist for the NRCS in Morrow County, said she helped steer the group toward applying for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. She said she is impressed by the initiative from local growers.

“They’re the ones who identified the problem and are seeking help and funding, which is pretty unique,” Lathrop said. “It’s a pretty aggressive goal they’re trying to attain.”

Rietmann said the project would be daunting, but if successful could be a game-changer for the region.

“Logic says, in the agricultural community, this will move beyond the project boundaries as people see whether it’s successful or not,” he said.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

I am not sure when the first picture was taken, but it's a great shot of the old high school in East Bandon which survived the fire, and the gymnasium that even outlasted the school. When I was in high…

LANGLOIS - A Langlois-area rancher is seeking information and offering a reward that will lead to an arrest of people who shot and gutted one of his yearling calves in the early morning hours of April 13.

SALEM — A slew of bills that stirred up controversy in Oregon’s agriculture and timber industries have met their end, at least for the 2017 legislative session.

In some cases, though, legislators have vowed to revisit the issues in future years or find other ways to approach the underlying disputes.

Following is a summary of proposals that were voted down or killed by an April 18 legislative deadline:

• Solar development restrictions: A proposal to make commercial solar projects tougher to build on high-value farmland in Oregon has died, but discussions on the subject are expected to continue.

House Bill 3050 would have required developers to conduct an “alternatives analysis” to search for other sites before installing solar panels on high-value farmland.

Critics say the proposal would preserve agriculture from incompatible uses but solar industry representatives argued the bill would impede Oregon requirements that utilities buy power from small-scale producers.

The “alternatives analysis” bill will go no further this legislative session but a work group will study the issue of commercial solar development on farmland, said Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, who chairs the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

• Wage and hour lawsuits: Employers would be barred from recovering attorney fees from workers who filed losing lawsuits over unpaid wages under a bill that recently sank in the House Business and Labor Committee.

Labor advocates claimed that workers are currently afraid to bring wage and hour claims against their bosses due to the possibility of owing attorney fees.

Proponents argued that HB 2169 would have removed this deterrent to legitimate claims, but opponents said it would have disrupted a necessary balance in such disputes.

• Dairy emission regulations: Two large dairies in Oregon have forestalled a bill that aimed to impose air emissions regulations on dairy farms across the state.

State regulators would have been required to draw up rules restricting dairy air emissions under Senate Bill 197, which supporters said was recommended by a 2008 task force that included dairy industry representatives.

Opponents countered that Oregon’s air quality is highly regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and that dairies are voluntarily adopting measures to reduce emissions.

An alternative to SB 197 was made possible by Three Mile Canyon Farms, a large dairy near Boardman, and Lost Valley Ranch, a proposed large dairy nearby, which have agreed to devise “best management practices” to control emissions, said Sen. Mike Dembrow, D-Portland, who chairs the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

• Pesticide spray notification: A bill imposing new notification requirements for aerial pesticide sprays in Oregon forests was voted down 3-2 despite several changes proposed by Dembrow, its chief sponsor.

Timber industry representatives complained the original language of Senate Bill 892 would have unreasonably complicated the timing of pesticide applications, which must often be shifted due to weather.

In an attempted compromise, Dembrow proposed delegating the length of the notification window to the Oregon Board of Forestry and exempting uninhabited areas from the spray notification requirement.

The deciding vote against the amended bill was cast by Sen. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, who said he’s uncomfortable with the notification requirements due to the history of sabotage against Oregon’s timber industry.

• Neonicotinoid restrictions: The Energy and Natural Resources Committee allowed Senate Bill 929, which would have restricted the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, to die without comment.

Proponents of the bill argued that homeowners without pesticide training shouldn’t be allowed to buy the chemicals, which have been linked to pollinator die-offs.

However, critics said that classifying neonicotinoids as restricted-use pesticides could steer people to more toxic pesticides that are harmful to people as well as insects.

• Livestock antibiotic limits: A bill restricting antibiotic usage in Oregon’s livestock industry has died in the Senate Committee on Health Care despite objections from critics who claim federal controls insufficiently limit usage of the drugs.

Pharmaceutical companies changed antibiotic labels to disallow uses aimed at livestock growth promotion, but critics claim this “loophole” continues to permit antibiotic usage for disease prevention in livestock.

Senate Bill 785 would have restricted antibiotics to treat or control the spread of a disease under the supervision of a veterinarian and required confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, to report usage.

Supporters of the bill said it would help slow bacterial resistance to medically important antibiotics, but opponents argued the proposal was too rigid and rendered unnecessary by federal measures.

This year's Earth Day was Saturday and to celebrate my friend Carlin Woodall and I went down to the Dragonfly Farm & Nursery north of Langlois, where they were having an Earth Day celebration with vendors, live music and sales.