BEND, Ore. (AP) — Deschutes County finds itself in the middle of a marijuana tug of war just two and half years since Measure 91 legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon.

The Bend Bulletin reported Saturday that due to its unique farmland setup, and its restrictive, discretionary rules governing the growing of marijuana outside of city limits, Deschutes County is in the middle of battles over how, when and where plant owners can grow and produce the crop.

Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone says rules established by the county in 2016 help balance the needs of marijuana growers looking to set up shop in rural parts of the county.

Both DeBone and Community Development Director for Deschutes County Nick Lelack say Deschutes County is open to revisiting its rules on marijuana production.

Azure Farms, the Sherman County, Ore., organic operation, faces a difficult and potentially expensive task to control the weeds that neighboring wheat farmers are complaining about.

Judit Barroso, a weed scientist at Oregon State University’s Columbia Basin Research and Extension Station in Pendleton, said she and other OSU experts are willing to help solve the problem that has simmered for years and boiled over this spring into a massive social media campaign that targeted county officials and a confrontational community meeting.

Barroso said the perennial weeds growing at Azure Farms are difficult to control, and it will take more than a single application or action to do the job. Because Azure Farms is organic, it would lose certification for three years if it attacks its weeds with the herbicides used by conventional farms in the area. Some local farmers believe the weed problem is so bad that Azure should spray, take its lumps with decertification and start organic farming again with clean fields in three years.

Dan Arp, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU, said weed scientist Barroso will provide “evidence-based information with regard to what may or may not work” to control the weeds. The help could include information on treatment methods and weed seed transmission, he said.

“We don’t design management plans,” Arp said. “This clearly is a county issue, the county has authority. They’re the ones who have to approve the plan.”

“It’s an interesting example of the issues around co-existence,” Arp said.

At a Sherman County Court hearing last week in the local high school gym, Azure Farms principals David and Nathan Stelzer presented a plan to control Rush Skeleton, Canada Thistle, White Top and Bindweed growing on their 1,922-acre farm on the outskirts of Moro, the county seat. An estimated 300 people attended, more than one-sixth the county’s population.

The county court had warned it would ask the Oregon Department of Agriculture to quarantine the farm if it did not control its weeds. Other farmers, especially those who grow certified wheat, don’t want weed seeds spreading from Azure Farms to contaminate their crops.

Tim Butler, who manages the ODA’s noxious weed program, said the ag department supports Sherman County’s action. “Our mission is to protect Oregon’s natural resource and agricultural economy from invasive, noxious weeds,” he said. “These things have impact directly on ag.

“I think Sherman County is doing the right thing for the right reasons, for sure,” Butler said.

He said a quarantine for weeds has been used only one time in Oregon that he recalls. The weed management plan submitted by Azure Farms “still needs some work” but is on the right track, Butler said.

“That’s where the weed scientists at OSU can provide some insight,” he said. “I think they can get there.”

The Stelzers, who are brothers, proposed a variety of methods, including deep tillage, mowing, increased crop rotation, over-application of fertilizer and application of such things as boron, salt and citrus pulp mulch. Nathan Stelzer is the farm manager; David Stelzer is CEO of Azure Standard in Dufur, Ore., which distributes organic products.

Bryan Cranston, who grows certified wheat next to Azure Farms, said he hopes the Stelzers, neighboring farmers and county officials can find a solution that works for everyone. “I don’t want them to lose organic certification, I don’t,” he said.

But Cranston also said the time for experimental weed control methods has passed. He believes the only way to control Rush Skeleton weed in particular is with the herbicide Milestone, which is not certified for use on organic operations.

Like many in the county, Cranston was angry the farm used social media to rally customers and organic activists to its side. County officials received approximately 57,000 emails, many from people who angrily denounced the county for what the senders characterized as threatening to poison the farm with herbicides. The county courthouse had to shut down its phone system, because it was overwhelmed. Some critics invoked the specter of Monsanto, which had no discernable role in the matter.

During the Sherman County Court session, Cranston and others made it clear they didn’t appreciate it.

“Noxious weeds spread the same way something is viral on Facebook,” he said during the hearing. “I would appreciate a visit over a tailgate, not a social media campaign.”

During the meeting, David Stelzer apologized for taking the issue to social media.

Speaking this week, Cranston said weeds from Azure have been a problem for 10 years, and he’s frustrated many people are acting like the problem was discovered only recently. He hopes the county will supervise Azure’s progress on its weed management plan, and he believes the organic farm should pay for it.

Willamette Valley farmer Marie Bowers, who grows grass seed and turnip seed, also said co-existence between farmers is the key issue. In her case, she has a turnip field next to wine grapes. She and the vineyard operator notify each other when they need to spray, for example, and time their work so it doesn’t harm the other.

“You want to be respectful of your neighbor, you want to work together,” she said. “That’s part of what we do in Oregon: We check with each other.”

Bowers said the non-farming public may not understand weed control is important to farmers, especially those growing seed. Seed purity, providing a product that is free of weeds, is “pretty much vital to our industry,” she said.

Tuesdays

TUESDAY, MAY 23

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24

COLFAX, Wash. — The Snake River Family Festival on May 20 celebrated the billions of dollars in economic contributions the Columbia-Snake River system makes to the Pacific Northwest economy.

More than 400 people attended the festival at Boyer Park and Marina in Colfax, Wash. It included free food, children’s activities, live music, an information tent, an interactive salmon display, farm machinery and barge and tug boat displays.

The entire system represents $20 billion of commerce, said Tom Kammerzell, commissioner for the Port of Whitman County and a Colfax rancher.

Nearly 10 percent of all U.S. wheat exports move through Snake River dams, and more than 4.3 million tons of cargo was barged on the Snake River in 2014. It would have taken 167,000 semi-trucks or 43,000 rail cars to carry that amount.

Rob Rich, vice president of marine services for tug and barge operator Shaver Transportation Co., said the river system impacts farmers, grain elevators, fertilizer and seed providers, ports, towboat operators, cruise vessels and electricity and irrigation users.

With the system, Rich said, farmers have a bulk transportation system not affected by weather.

Export elevators downriver receive 40 percent of the wheat by barge and 60 percent by rail.

About 80 percent of farmers using the river system are solely dependent on it, Rich said.

“Where they are sending their wheat, that particular elevator only has the opportunity to receive by truck and ship by barge,” he said.

A typical four-barge tow moves the same amount of cargo as 140 rail cars or 538 trucks.

Trucks are more expensive per ton, so farmers wouldn’t be as competitive in the export market, Rich said.

The current rail capacity isn’t sufficient to meet current or projected wheat transportation needs, according to the committee.

Without the river system, the economic picture would be “bleak,” Kammerzell said.

Chad Crosby of Lewiston, Idaho, is not connected to the industry, but fishes and boats on the river.

He said he was interested in learning more about how the dams produce electricity and in some of the products he sees shipped on the river.

“Educate these young minds,” he said, watching his children participate in activities in the information tent.

Linhda Sagen of Pullman, Wash., said she used to work for the USDA wheat laboratory and researched barley. She and her family were impressed by the displays.

“We forget where our food source is coming from,” she said. “If we didn’t have the dam to transport wheat, (it would mean) essentially farmers going out of business.”

Beth Hegde, senior account director of public relations agency Desautel Hege in Spokane, said rain at the beginning of the event might have initially reduced attendance.

“We’re very happy that once the morning weather cooperated, we had a really good turnout,” Hegde said. “This event was really successful, so we would surely like to think about one for next year.”

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.

LANGLOIS — The Langlois Community Church will sponsor an Emergency Preparedness & Safety Fair from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at the church. The fair is intended at for all South Coast residents.

SATURDAY, MAY 20

LANGLOIS — Southwestern Oregon Preppers will hold a meeting at noon on Saturday, May 20, at the Langlois Community Church, 94284 Main Street, Langlois.

As more wind and solar projects take shape in Eastern Oregon, the Umatilla Basin finds itself caught between interests.

On the one hand, Oregon utilities must provide an increasing amount of energy from renewable sources, and green energy developers are eager to build around the region. Farmers, however, worry about a mess of transmission lines criss-crossing their property to connect to the power grid, cutting over fields and taking valuable land out of production.

The conflict is so great that Gov. Kate Brown established an advisory committee in October 2015 to brainstorm possible solutions. After more than a year of meetings, the committee issued its final report in February, taking stock of local agriculture and energy needs.

Morrow County officials also asked to work with the state Department of Land Conservation and Development on a pilot project that, if successful, would allow multiple renewable energy facilities to combine into a single large transmission corridor — eliminating the veritable spiderweb of power lines that would be required to connect each individual project.

In a letter dated March 30, Gov. Brown expressed support for the project and directed the department to work with Morrow County on crafting temporary rules later this year. Carla McLane, Morrow County planning director, said there are no concrete plans in place, but the advisory committee was critical to lay the groundwork and create goodwill.

“We are at the point where we have this (report), thanks to the governor’s office,” McLane said. “I think the hard work is yet to happen.”

The committee included representatives of farms and utilities, officials from Umatilla, Morrow and Gilliam Counties, as well as state Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) and Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner). Hansell said he was pleased with how the parties all came together, and said the Morrow County corridor has a lot to offer the region.

“It’s a solution I think we ought to implement,” he said.

The final report recognizes that agriculture remains the primary economic driver in the basin, especially irrigated farms. Without irrigation, dryland wheat typically yields a value of $100 per acre. But add just one acre-foot of water and that value rises to $500 per acre.

At three acre-feet of water, farmers can grow high-value vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and onions at a value of $5,000 per acre. But accessing that water is not easy. Pumping irrigation water from the Columbia River is not profitable to elevations more than 1,000 feet above the McNary and John Day pools, which limits the land base for high-value crops.

That’s why growers say it is so crucial to protect this bank of farmland. Kent Madison, of Madison Ranches in Echo, said transmission lines impede regular farming and irrigation practices, such as aerial spraying of fertilizer and chemicals.

Madison said he supports a single green energy transmission corridor in order to minimize the impact from wind and solar farms on surrounding agricultural land.

“It’s a whole lot better to have this corridor with one big transmission line through it than four small corridors over a 10-mile area, with four or five transmission lines,” he said. “We need to protect the high-value agricultural ground.”

Though McLane said the corridor project is still in its conceptual phase, she imagines it would run along Bombing Range Road connecting wind and solar developments at the south end of the county to electrical substations at the north end.

But there are a number of hurdles to clear first.

The county is still awaiting the final record of decision from the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Navy on routing a portion of the Boardman to Hemingway transmission line on the west side of Bombing Range Road — part of the Navy’s Boardman Bombing Range — as opposed to the east side. Stephanie McCurdy, a spokeswoman for B2H developer Idaho Power, said those decisions are expected within a matter of months.

If all goes according to plan, then McLane said it may be possible for the local Umatilla Electric Cooperative to upgrade its transmission system on the other side of Bombing Range Road to accommodate the green energy corridor. She figures it would take a 230-kilovolt line to handle the anticipated capacity of proposed new wind and solar developments.

“We’re not done,” McLane said. “B2H is a big piece of the puzzle.”

UEC is already exploring building the line, which would initially hook up to the new 500-megawatt Wheatridge Wind Energy facility that was issued a site certificate in April. Wheatridge is approved for 292 turbines near Heppner, with a portion of the project extending into southern Umatilla County.

Robert Echenrode, UEC general manager, said one large corridor would be a more strategic effort to plug renewable energy projects onto the grid, as opposed to landowners being inundated with requests for power lines.

“We listened to the landowners in this corridor area, and I believe we were successful in finding common ground,” Echenrode said.

Tamra Mabbott, Umatilla County planning director, said they will be watching Morrow County closely to see if the green corridor model can be a success.

“Certainly, we’re looking for a win-win and that’s what we hope Morrow County will come up with,” Mabbott said.

When the state went all-in on renewable energy, McLane said nobody thought about the consequences for Oregon farms. But a green energy corridor might just be the answer to Morrow County keeping their agricultural base whole.

“For rural counties, (renewable energy) does bring an economic benefit. But how do we protect these other things that are important?” McLane asked. “It would be nice if the local jurisdiction could be the balancing authority for that.”

———

Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0825.

An Oregon dairy farm lost approximately 600 tons of hay early May 19 when a fire of unknown origin swept through a wood and steel commodity barn.

Firefighters from the Mount Angel, Monitor, Silverton and Woodburn fire districts responded to the fire reported at 1:06 a.m. at AJ Dairy, 16153 Marquam Road. They found the barn fully involved in flames. The cause was undetermined; a preliminary estimate put the damage at about $300,000 for the building and contents, according to the Mount Angel Fire District.

Tim Kuenzi, co-operator of the dairy, sustained burns on his hands and ankles when he tried to move a front-end loader out of the burning barn. Kuenzi said he threw on coveralls and rushed to the barn when the fire was discovered, but the equipment was too hot to move.

“I’m thankful there was no loss of life and the animals are safe,” he said. He said his burns were bandaged and he was able to work the following day.

DENVER (AP) — Now that Nevada has approved an early start to recreational cannabis sales, existing medical marijuana companies in the state are readying for a burst of new business that could equate to tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue this year.

With Las Vegas alone drawing 40 million-plus visitors in 2016, the overall recreational cannabis industry is set to take another big step forward.

The early rollout will make Nevada the fifth state with an operational recreational market and the first to launch since last November’s election, when voters in four states approved adult-use programs. Nevada will also be the first new recreational state to go live under the Trump administration.

“It’s great news for everybody,” said Ben Sillitoe, the CEO and co-founder of Oasis Cannabis, a medical marijuana dispensary in Las Vegas.

Nevada’s recreational marijuana industry got the thumbs-up for an “early start” program Monday, when state tax authorities approved temporary regulations that allow licensed medical marijuana companies to begin adult-use sales July 1.

The recreational program isn’t expected to fully launch until 2018 because the tax commission has until January to finalize rules for the industry.

According to Marijuana Business Daily estimates, Nevada’s recreational market could generate $75 million or more in sales this year and $450 million-$550 million annually down the road. Tourist spending is expected to account for a heavy portion of sales.

The early recreational marijuana program will run from July 1 until January 2018 and will be open to roughly 190 medical marijuana dispensaries, growers and processors.

Sillitoe said the industry, state officials and other stakeholders “all worked together to make this happen quickly, and I think Nevada is a good example of how good regulation works to advance the industry.”

However, there are plenty of caveats. The biggest: At the outset, only existing medical marijuana businesses will be allowed to obtain recreational sales licenses; other interested companies must wait until January to jump in.

Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of USDA’s predator control efforts in Idaho, arguing the environmental effects were inadequately studied.

The complaint, filed by Western Watersheds Project, Wildearth Guardians, Center for Biological Diversity and Predator Defense, seeks to stop “killing projects” by USDA’s Wildlife Services division until a new analysis is complete.

An environmental assessment by USDA authorizing predator control by Wildlife Services in Idaho violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to disclose the full “direct, indirect and cumulative effects” of these activities, the complaint said.

Wildlife Services should have conducted a more comprehensive “environmental impact statement,” or EIS, that took into account the total effects of killing black bears, coyotes, cougars and wolves in addition to poisoning ravens and starlings, the plaintiffs claim.

“It does not disclose how the areas in which it conducts these activities may overlap with one another or how they may act in concert to increase or change impacts on the environment,” according to the complaint.

Capital Press was unable to reach a representative of USDA’s Wildlife Services for comment.

A more extensive analysis is necessary because Wildlife Services has committed to killing ravens at the direction of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to protect the greater sage grouse, the complaint said.

Similar lawsuits against Wildlife Services have recently yielded mixed results for environmental groups.

A complaint filed by Wildearth Guardians challenging environmental studies that underpinned USDA’s predator control programs in Nevada and elsewhere was initially dismissed by a federal judge in 2013.

However, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the case in 2015 and USDA settled it last year, agreeing to update the environmental studies and avoid killing predators in Nevada’s wilderness areas and wilderness study areas until then.

Several of the same plaintiffs in the recent Idaho case also filed a complaint in 2016 against Wildlife Service’s agreement to kill wolves at the behest of Oregon wildlife regulators.

A federal judge dismissed that lawsuit last month, finding that USDA wasn’t required to perform an environmental review of the program because Oregon officials could kill wolves regardless of the federal agency’s participation.

The J.R. Simplot agribusiness company is seeking a preliminary injunction against a potential food supply disruption stemming from a dispute with business partner Frank Tiegs.

Simplot and Tiegs are engaged in a legal battle over the control of two jointly owned food processing companies: Gem State Processing of Heyburn, Idaho, and Pasco Processing of Pasco, Wash.

Ownership of the National Frozen Food Co. of Seattle, a subsidiary of Pasco Processing, is also at stake in the litigation.

Tiegs, a large-scale Washington farmer and business owner, filed a lawsuit claiming that Simplot effectively forfeited ownership of Pasco Processing due to a deadlock over whether to infuse the company with a $6 million capital contribution.

Simplot has filed a counterclaim alleging that Tiegs has grossly mismanaged Pasco Processing and Gem State Processing to his own financial benefit by forcing them to buy excessive amounts of poor-quality crops from his farming affiliates.

Although Tiegs’ takeover of Pasco Processing is invalid, he has nonetheless claimed to lenders and employees to have sole ownership of the company, according to Simplot.

These claims have been used to “intimidate critical witnesses” employed by the National Frozen Food Co. while Tiegs has threatened to “cut off Simplot’s supply of critical products” with little time to find alternative sources, the company argues.

Simplot has asked U.S. District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson for a preliminary injunction prohibiting Tiegs from taking any action based on his claim of full ownership of Pasco Processing.

Pasco Processing supplies roughly 42 percent of Simplot’s “vegetable and specialty inventory,” which equates to about $54 million in sales for the company, said Michael Johnston, vice president of manufacturing and supply chain at Simplot, in a court filing.

Since the conflict erupted, the facility is has provided “dismal service levels” and may soon stop supplying Simplot altogether, he said.

“If Tiegs were to act upon his threat to cease production for Simplot, it would quite literally put Simplot out of the vegetable and specialty businesses, result in multi-million-dollar losses, and have a devastating effect on Simplot’s customer relationships because of failure to meet contractual obligations,” Johnston said.

Joe VanLeuven, an attorney representing Tiegs, said that Pasco Processing does not plan to cut off food supplies to Simplot.

The processing facility’s operator — Washington Potato Co., which is owned by Tiegs — has agreed to continue supplying Simplot through the end of its fiscal year in early September and is willing to negotiate a new supply agreement beyond that date, VanLeuven said.

“It’s very frustrating to read this in a motion when the reality is so different,” he said.

Before the ownership dispute, Simplot bought products from Pasco Processing but did not operate the facility, VanLeuven said. “Whether we’re the sole owner or not, doesn’t mean they’re not a customer.”

There’s also no evidence of intimidation of witnesses employed by the National Frozen Food Co., he said.

An attorney for National Frozen Food Co. was simply notified that Simplot no longer had an ownership interest in Pasco Processing and that it’s inappropriate for NFF employees to insert themselves into the dispute, other than to provide evidence in an impartial manner, VanLeuven said.

Canola isn’t just a crop that farmers can turn to when wheat prices drop, Washington State University oilseed specialist Karen Sowers says.

Farmers should also consider the improvements possible to their wheat crop after growing canola, she said.

“We’ve called canola the opportunity crop for quite some time, but it’s good for producers to see that canola, whether it’s spring or winter, could potentially become a regular part of their rotation,” she said. “It’s helpful with weed control, it’s helpful with breaking disease and pest cycles.”

Some growers have reported wheat yield increases of 5 to 25 percent following canola, Sowers said.

WSU will offer tours of winter canola field trials at 4 p.m. May 23 in Odessa, 10 a.m. May 24 in St. John and 4 p.m. May 24 in Ralston.

USDA projections in April anticipated canola would increase to 34,000 acres in Idaho, 10,000 acres in Oregon and 50,000 acres in Washington.

The current winter canola crop has “a lot of unevenness,” Sowers said. High moisture levels from extended snow cover and high rainfall took nutrients out of roots. The canola looks best in the high-elevation Pomeroy area, and is “fair” elsewhere.

Weed pressure is also high, but canola is a “fierce competitor,” Sowers said.

“Canola is a very resilient plant. It fills in blank areas just by branching out more,” she said. “I think in the end, the crop will even out and be a good, quality crop.”

“Outstanding” moisture levels set the stage for a good spring canola crop, too, she added.

Demand for the crop will remain high from the Viterra Pacific Coast Canola plant in Warden, Wash. Estimates say it would take 400,000 acres to feed that facility, Sowers said.

“We’ve got a long ways to go on that,” she said.

WSU will offer spring canola variety tours in Walla Walla, Pullman, Almira and Fairfield in mid- to late June.

Online

http://smallgrains.wsu.edu/wsu-winter-canola-field-tours/

LANGLOIS -- The Langlois Community Church will sponsor an Emergency Preparedness & Safety Fair from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at the church. The fair is intended at for all South Coast residents.

MORO, Ore. — Azure Farms and Sherman County officials agreed Thursday to try a new weed control plan that would allow the farm to retain its organic certification. The agreement came during a two-hour county court meeting that saw approximately 300 people, more than one-sixth of the county’s population, file into the high school gym.

The county has warned it will ask the Oregon Department of Agriculture to quarantine the 1,922-acre organic farm if it doesn’t control rampant noxious weeds that neighboring wheat farmers say are spreading on to their ground. The local weed control supervisor said the county will spray herbicide and bill the farm for the work if the problem is not dealt with.

The situation, which has been a local issue since at least 2006, came to a head this spring when local farmers renewed complaints that Azure’s property is filled with Rush Skeleton weed, Canada Thistle, Bindweed, White Top and Morning Glory. Conventional farmers, especially those who grow certified seed, said weeds from Azure can contaminate their crops and increase their input costs due to additional spraying.

For Azure Farms, however, spraying conventional herbicides would cause it to lose valuable organic certification for three years after the last application.

Azure Farms is part of Azure Standard, a major distributor of organic products, and the company’s first response — a video that urged a social media uprising against the county — didn’t win them any local friends. County officials counted approximately 57,000 emails from around the world, critical of their proposed action. The county courthouse also shut down its phone system after being deluged with protests.

At the May 17 meeting, however, Azure representatives said they regret the conflict.

“We have every intention of living peaceably with all of our neighbors,” farm manager Nathan Stelzer said.

“I’m deeply sorry if we hurt you guys,” he added later.

His brother, David Stelzer, CEO of Azure Standard, said he authorized the social media campaign but doesn’t have a Facebook account himself and didn’t understand the implications.

“I do apologize for unleashing social media on the county,” he said. “I am sorry.”

But the brothers made it clear they don’t want to use weed control methods that will cause them to lose organic certification. They proposed a combination of tillage, mowing and organic products to do the job. County weed district Supervisor Rod Asher said he will work with Azure in concert with farmers, university weed experts and perhaps organic consultants.

Some of the conventional farmers in the area are skeptical. During the meeting, several said Azure Farms should simply spray herbicide, clean up its fields and resume organic operations in three years.

“This has gone on long enough,” said Bryan Cranston, who grows certified wheat seed adjacent to Azure Farms. He said the farm should use Milestone, a powerful herbicide that will kill the weeds.

Grower Chris Moore, who also farms next to Azure property, said the time he spends on weed abatement has gone from hours to days, and he’s losing productive ground. He said “half measures” by Azure won’t be sufficient.

“If you do undertake it, control every weed,” he said. “Don’t let it go to seed. If you do that, I don’t think you’ll have a problem with your neighbors.”

Jean Luxford-Hubert was blunt.

“What we’re looking at here is bad farming practices that have gone on for a number of years,” she said. “This is pure and simple poor management, poor soil control, poor conservation of the fields.

“You need to fix this problem because you’re encroaching on your neighbors,” she told the Stelzers. “That’s not the way it should be in an agricultural community.”

Blake Rowe, CEO of the Oregon Wheat Growers League in Portland, said Sherman County is one of the state’s key wheat producing regions. Wheat is among the state’s leading export products, with much of it going to Asia, and the area’s reputation for high quality is at risk, Rowe said.

“Weed in wheat is a quality standard that is measured,” he told the county court. “I hope you bring Azure into compliance. There may be different ways to attain compliance, but control is what’s important.”

Afterward, Nathan Stelzer said it appeared most of the conventional farmers in the area want to play “hardball” with Azure Farms and force them to spray. Stelzer said he is committed to working with Asher, the weed district supervisor, on the farm’s proposed weed management plan.

Rowe, of the Wheat Growers League, said a list of weed control practices such as Azure proposed is not enough. The problem must be monitored, with some way found to measure results, he said.

“We’ll have to see what they come up with,” he said.

County Commissioner Tom McCoy said the county wants a workable plan that will control weeds before they go to seed and spread to neighbors.

“We don’t want to spray an organic farm if we can possibly get around it,” he said.

RICHLAND, Wash. — The 2017 Pacific Northwest sweet cherry crop is forecast at 22.7 million, 20-pound boxes, but it could easily exceed the 23.2 million-box record set in 2014, several growers said May 17 at the Five State Cherry Commission meeting.

But they also foresee a good spread of 90 to 100 days to harvest the crop, which they hope makes for orderly supply and sales and good prices.

“This crop is bigger but will have more shipping days. Last year we had 20 days to move the bulk of the crop. This year it should be 40 so it will sell like a smaller crop,” said West Mathison, president of Stemilt Growers, Wenatchee.

The 2016 crop was 20.97 million boxes, the third-largest in history. Many growers said this year’s crop could well be 15 to 25 percent larger. That would put it in the 24 million- to 26 million-box range.

“We will have lots of cherries,” said B.J. Thurlby, president of the industry promotional arm Northwest Cherry Growers and the Washington State Fruit Commission in Yakima.

In 2009 and 2012, weather-caused harvest compression — when the whole crop matured at about the same time — caused a glut in the supply chain and depressed prices. Growers are crossing their fingers that doesn’t happen this year.

After two years of record-early harvest starts driven by warm springs, this year’s cooler spring is bringing the start back to normal, or slightly later than normal.

For years, the first cherries picked in the state have been the Chelan variety at the orchard of John and Debra Doebler at Sentinel Gap north of Mattawa. Heat reflected into their orchard from high basalt cliffs brings early maturity.

Their normal start is June 1. Last year was their earliest ever, on May 18, and the year before it was May 23, giving Stemilt Growers the first cherries to pack.

At the meeting, Mathison said the first cherries will probably be picked June 12 this year. But later that day in their orchard, the Doebler sons, Ryan, 30, and Travis, 26, estimated a start of June 5 or 6. Their father, John, said June 7 or 8 is more likely.

“Usually, the warehouse comes out and says, ‘Let’s start tomorrow and then they do and whoops, it’s too green.’ Then it’s ‘Let’s wait a day,’” Debra Doebler said.

“There’s always an eagerness but there’s no real reason to be early because California has plenty of fruit,” John Doebler said. “It’s better to be patient and have better quality.”

The Pacific Northwest harvests about 80 percent of the national sweet cherry crop, and California harvests 15 percent, followed by Michigan and New York. Washington grows roughly 85 percent of the PNW crop.

2016 prices have not yet been released by USDA, but Washington’s 2015 crop garnered $436.9 million and averaged $19.70 per box. Those were low due to harvest compression from hot weather. The national value of sweet cherry sales that year was $758.9 million.

California harvests before the PNW and for several years has been hindered by bad weather. This year, it has its largest crop in years, estimated at 7 million to 8.5 million, 15-pound boxes.

The bulk of the California crop will be harvested the weeks of May 21 and 28 and should be wrapping up as Washington’s harvest ramps up.

“I worry about California having some carry-over. There’s always some shippers down there who sit on some fruit and then put it out after we start. I hope that doesn’t happen this year. Those little nuances can really affect us,” Thurlby said.

He said Washington’s late start makes him nervous about having enough volume for Fourth of July sales. He anticipated roughly 5 million boxes in June, 14 million in July and 4 million in August.

“I pray we hit the Fourth with some volume and if every retailer is at $5.99 per pound, we are dead. We need to get ads (with prices of $3.99 and $2.99 per pound) going for momentum,” Thurlby said.

The crop in Turkey is early this year and should be finished by mid-July, opening a window for Northwest sales into Europe, he said.

South Korea, China, Southeast Asia and Mexico are priority foreign markets with Myanmar and Cambodia promising for the future, said Keith Hu, international program director of Northwest Cherry Growers.

A big help to exports is a new Western Distribution Services’ cold storage facility next to Sea-Tac Airport, Thurlby said.

“Last year, we put more fruit through Sea-Tac than ever before, but we’ve always needed more cold storage there so this has the potential to really help us,” he said.

James Michael, domestic promotions director of Northwest Cherry Growers, said 71 percent of cherry sales are impulse buys. He encourages retailers to prominently display cherries because they are a top revenue item.

With 76 million out of 318 million Americans buying cherries, there’s huge growth potential, he said.

Cherries are a great source of fiber, a natural anti-inflamatory and make a great evening snack, he said.

“They have a low glycemic index so their sugar is absorbed more slowly and they have natural melatonin to help you sleep,” he said.

The five state forecast is for 186,000 tons for Washington up from 149,218 in 2016 and 165,267 in 2015. Oregon is forecast at 39,000 tons down from 41,156 in 2016 but up from 21,784 in 2015. Idaho is forecast at 1,800 up from 833 the previous two years. Montana is estimated at 1,000 tons and Utah at 200.

The Washington breakdown is: Wenatchee district 100,000 tons, up from 86,368 in 2016 and 87,248 in 2015; Yakima district 85,000 up from 62,850 in 2016 and 78,019 in 2015.

The Oregon breakdown: Hood River, 7,000, down from 7,055 in 2016 and up from 4,860 in 2015; The Dalles, 30,000, down from 33,330 in 2016 but up from 16,766 in 2015; Milton-Freewater, 2,000, up from 771 in 2016 and 158 in 2015.

The Five State Cherry Commission adopted an $18 per ton grower assessment for promotions.

July 31, 1932 - May 8, 2017