Two products under development by Oregon State University could give Northwest berry growers new options for controlling the spotted wing drosophila, a particularly harmful type of fruit fly.

One product in particular, described as an “artificial fruit” that lures the pests away from the berries without directly competing against the crop, has Bernadine Strik excited.

“This is cutting-edge work,” said Strik, a berry crops specialist for OSU. “These patent-pending products have me doing a happy dance.”

Details about the product were limited — the patent is, after all, still pending. But Valerio Rossi-Stacconi, who works in the OSU Department of Horticulture, said it is a food grade attractant that can work for both conventional and certified organic growers.

Trials have shown the product reduces the number of fruit flies in berries by as much as 76 percent, Rossi-Stacconi said.

“We are very happy about this,” he said. “These keep the insect from the fruit throughout the whole fruiting process.”

The “artificial fruit” development may be available commercially by 2020, Rossi-Stacconi said.

Researchers shared the latest updates and information with about 40 growers June 6 during Strawberry Field Day at the OSU North Willamette Research & Extension Center in Aurora, Ore.

The other product, designed for blueberries to thicken the skin and protect against the flies, could be available as early as next year.

Spotted wing drosophila is troublesome for berry and stone fruit growers because, unlike other drosophila species, it infests them early during ripening, rather than later as they rot.

According to a study by the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics at the University of California, yield losses can range up to 80 percent depending on the crop and location. In 2008, Oregon, Washington and California accounted for 76 percent of total U.S. raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, blueberry and cherry production.

Assuming maximum yield loss, the combined loss at the farm gate for all three states would be approximately $2.5 billion, including $1.5 billion for strawberries alone.

Oregon grows relatively few acres of strawberries, with just 1,800 statewide. Most are sold to food processors, though Strik said growers have increasingly tapped in to fresh markets over the last 15 years, which has added value to the crop.

“They are really relying on that higher value fresh market,” Strik said. “That has really helped our growers stay competitive.”

The field day also gives growers the chance to hear from experts about the latest information and cultivars to adopt in their fields, Strik said. Other presentations included fungicide resistance and an evaluation of the newest strawberry selections in breeding plots at the research station — with names like Sweet Sunrise, Puget Crimson and Rutgers Scarlet.

“Here’s an opportunity where they can come compare the varieties being grown, and see some of the stuff we are close to potentially naming,” Strik said. “We also want their input.”

Virginia Stockwell, a research plant pathologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Corvallis, Ore., said fungicide resistance is now present in Oregon strawberries. She led a study isolating the fungus that causes gray mold in strawberries, known as Botrytis cinerea, and exposing it to several different fungicides.

The results showed resistance to multiple fungicides was common, Stockwell said.

“The number of tools you have to manage the disease is greatly limited,” she said.

Stockwell urged growers to use multiple methods to control gray mold. It is especially important, she said, to limit where spores can grow by keeping a dry canopy and clean field.

“That’s the cycle we’re most concerned with, is spore production,” she said.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A limited no-drink warning for tap water in and around the state capital was re-issued Wednesday, reinstating for at least two days guidelines advising medically sensitive people to find other water sources as a city spokesman acknowledged a lag in testing for toxins in the water.

The advisory, linked to toxins caused by algae, warns children under 6, people with liver conditions or compromised immune systems, on dialysis, or pregnant or breastfeeding not to drink Salem’s tap water.

The re-issued alert also highlighted a delay in reporting of toxin levels: Elevated toxins in water samples collected Sunday and Monday did not prompt an advisory until Wednesday.

Officials won’t know if Tuesday’s water samples were completely safe until test results are received Thursday, said Kenny Larson, a Salem city spokesman.

Mark Aubel, a chemist and head of a private Florida-based lab that performs the type of tests being used to monitor the city’s drinking water, said there’s no reason testing on the city’s water samples should take longer than a day.

Aubel said his own lab is able to receive municipal water samples via overnight mail and perform the tests the same day, transmitting the results back to city officials within 24 hours of when the sample went in the mail. More than 20 labs are listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as performing what Aubel described as the relevant tests.

Larson said the city is using a lab in Ohio that can’t guarantee results in less than 72 hours.

Officials will look for two days of test results below safe limits for the toxins before lifting the advisory. With Wednesday’s results not expected until Friday, officials won’t be lifting the alert any earlier than the end of the week, Larson said.

Officials issued a similar warning May 29. That warning remained in place through June 2, when officials said toxins had dropped to safe levels.

The warning issued Wednesday also applied to water in Turner, Oregon, and the Orchard Heights water district.

Meanwhile the Oregon Health Authority will soon require routine testing of water sources for toxins after contaminated water was discovered in Salem.

The Statesman Journal reported the new rules aimed at major drinking water systems in the state will be stricter than federal guidelines.

State health officials hope to install temporary rules by the end of the month that will require local officials to notify the public of test results.

FRIDAY, JUNE 8

Fridays

HOOD RIVER, Ore. — Oregon’s farm regulators are contemplating a request to increase their budget by approximately $10 million in the 2019-2021 budget cycle.

That amount would represent a roughly 8.5 percent boost over the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s current budget of $117 million in the 2017-2019 biennium.

The money would pay for 19 full-time equivalent positions in ODA’s natural resources, food safety and market access policy areas, as well as its administration.

The $10 million figure is tentative and will be refined over the summer, said Lauren Henderson, the ODA’s assistant director, during a June 6 meeting in Hood River of the Oregon Board of Agriculture, which advises the agency.

About $1.5 million would be invested in ODA’s information technology systems, including improvements to security, he said.

“We’re struggling to keep up with the threats we get every day,” Henderson said.

More than $1 million would go to replacing laboratory equipment in ODA’s food safety program, which “gets used a lot and wears out,” he said.

An unspecified amount of money for cannabis testing would be derived from the state’s cannabis tax funds, which are “oversubscribed,” he said.

Another major expenditure would be $1.7 million for three full-time positions in the “strategic implementation area” program for agricultural water quality, which seeks to reduce farm-related runoff and otherwise improve water quality in specific watersheds each year.

About $375,000 would be dedicated to establishing a position that would coordinate international marketing of Oregon farm goods.

In the short and medium terms, Japan will continue to be a major export destination, said Alexis Taylor, ODA’s director, who is soon heading a trade mission to that country.

However, Japan’s population is aging — likely corresponding with declining food demand — which means Oregon should seek new opportunities in China and Southeast Asia, she said.

Another $250,000 would go to promotion and branding activities beyond the “staff and rent” expenses that consume most of the ODA’s market access funds, Henderson said.

In the policy arena, ODA is considering asking for new tools that would help the agency recoup food safety inspection fees, said Lisa Hanson, the agency’s deputy director.

About 600 entities consistently fail to pay inspection fees, which translates into about $135,000 in missing food safety funds, she said.

The problem mostly pertains to retail outlets, such as small grocery and convenience stores, Hanson said.

The ODA continues to inspect these facilities to protect public safety but is currently limited to issuing civil penalties, which are often also ignored, Hanson said.

Exactly what new tools the agency may need will be discussed before next year’s legislative session, she said.

The agency is also contemplating “strategic fee increases” in its programs for food safety, confined animal feeding operations and weights and measures, she said.

“We’re still working on the numbers,” Hanson said, adding that specifics will depend on how much is available in the general fund budget. “It will be in flux throughout the process.”

ROSEBURG, Ore. — After several years of work, applying for grants and buying and modifying equipment, Oregon Sheep Growers Association members staged their first sheep shearing school last week in Roseburg, Ore.

Participants learned how to handle the sheep, lay out and pick fleeces, use and care for shearing equipment and how to disinfect and suture nicks and cuts to the animal should they happen. Students came away from the school with a certificate of completion and the go-ahead to shear small flocks for hire.

Dan Dawson, a sheep grower and shearer from Roseburg who was part of the team, sees training young sheep shearers is a way for them to earn money when regulations bar them from being employed in most jobs until they are 18 years old.

“One 18-year-old young man came up to me at the end of the school and told me that he had done a lot of hard things in his life but that this had been the hardest,” Dawson said. “I reminded him that it may be hard, but at least they don’t have to be 18 to earn money shearing sheep.”

In addition to Dawson, volunteer instructors included Kathryn Ritchie and John Fine from Roseburg and Wendy Valentine from Bandon.

During the four-day school, four high school students and one adult sheared more than 350 sheep. The program was financed with grant money from the American Sheep Industry’s Let’s Grow program and the Oregon Sheep Commission.

“We’ve been trying to get a sheep shearing school in Oregon for a long time, because we have a shortage of small flock shearers,” John Fine, a longtime sheep grower and former FFA teacher, said. “I had three requests to hire the graduates of this school in the first two days after the school. One producer had too many sheep for a student to handle but two of them will be a good fit.”

“In the past, Gene Pirelli (an Oregon State University Extension agent) and I tried to figure out how to bring Washington State University’s shearing trailer down from Moses Lake but it is was too difficult because of its size,” he said. “When Dan Dawson found one that we could easily collapse and haul on the highway, we set to work and got the funds to buy it.”

The trailer is only eight feet wide but pulls out to 20 feet wide, which provides training space, he said. The trailer complete with shearing equipment is the property of the Oregon Sheep Growers Association.

Ritchie, a sheep shearer with a small flock, used her experience of attending shearing schools in both North and South Dakota.

“We were glad to see so many young people in the class because that’s the best time to start,” she said. “Though the enrollment is limited to 10, having half that many worked well for the students because they got so much one-on-one attention. I thought we did well for our first year and after spending some time to appraise what we did this time we’ll be ready to set the date for the next one.”

The fees for the school were $250 for adults, $225 for students and included a one-year membership in OSGA. To receive information on the next school, email johnandpeggyfine@charter.net. For more information on the ASI Let’s Grow Programs, visit http://sheepusa.org/Growourflock Home

CORVALLIS – Oregon State University will hold its 149th commencement on Saturday, June 16, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Reser Stadium. OSU is one of the few large universities in the nation to hand out students’ actual diplomas during the…

Idaho Power Co. on June 1 decreased rates by about 4.25 percent for irrigation customers in Idaho, but the Boise-based company slightly increased rates its irrigation customers in Oregon pay.

Tax reforms eased irrigation rates in both states. Oregon customers, however, will pay higher rates because of added costs that include ceasing two coal-fired generating operations.

In Idaho, irrigation rates are dropping by 2.33 percent because of recent tax reforms and by 1.91 percent based on the annual power-cost adjustment, Idaho Power said in a statement.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved the company’s request, commission spokesman Matt Evans said.

Idaho Power each year applies to the commission for a power-cost adjustment reflecting cost increases or savings the company realized in providing power to customers. Company spokesman Jordan Rodriguez said the adjustment takes into account factors such as coal and natural gas prices, and the amount of water available for generating hydroelectric power — the company’s most cost-effective source. If the company has more water available for hydroelectric power generation, it can spend less on other sources.

Federal and state tax reforms that generated cost savings for Idaho Power prompted the company and commission to settle on a method by which the company shares those savings with customers. The method, reflected in the new rate package the commission approved, includes a reduction in base rates and a cost offset, the commission said in a release.

Idaho Power is decreasing rates by 7.04 percent overall in Idaho for residential customers and by 6.63 percent for small, general-service customers. Other decreases are 4.48 percent for large general service customers and 5.52 percent for large power users.

The annual fixed-cost adjustment accounted for over half the reduction for residential customers and just over half for small general-service customers — 3.6 and 3.73 percentage points, respectively.

Evans said irrigation, large power and large general-service users are not subject to the fixed-cost adjustment because the commission hasn’t applied it to them to date. And these users have access to other programs that can help Idaho Power manage its costs, such as an incentive for irrigators to have pumps shut off during periods of peak demand, he said.

Idaho Power said its irrigation customers in Oregon would see a combined 2.49 percent increase in rates.

For its Oregon irrigation customers, a 2.69 percent rate decrease due to tax reform was offset by a 3.51 percent increase associated with early cessation of coal-fired operations at the Boardman, Ore., and North Valmy, Nev., power plants — lower than for other customer classes — and a 1.68 percent increase for the annual power-cost update and power-cost adjustment combined, Idaho Power said.

Other overall rate changes for Oregon customers are a drop of 3.27 percent for residential customers and increases of 2.03 percent for small general service, 2.63 percent for large general service and 3.77 percent for large power customers.

Idaho Power said in a separate June 1 statement that the Public Utility Commission of Oregon approved an agreement between the company, commission staff and the Citizens’ Utility Board regarding recent federal tax reform, which reduces residential rates and lessens effective rate increases for other customer classes.

Idaho Power serves more than 547,000 customers in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon.

Online

https://www.idahopower.com/news/

http://www.puc.idaho.gov/electric/electric.htm

http://www.puc.state.or.us/Pages/Index.aspx

A well-known Oregon flour mill wants a federal judge to declare it can use a gluten-free label without paying a nonprofit group for certification.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains to which some people have an intolerance that causes digestive problems.

Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods of Milwaukie, Ore., has filed a lawsuit claiming the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America asserted trademark rights in a “GF” gluten-free symbol that’s similar to a logo used by the company.

The nonprofit sent a letter to Bob’s Red Mill alleging consumers may be “confused into thinking GIG has certified your product as satisfying its gluten-free standards, even though GIG has not,” the complaint said.

Bob’s Red Mill should either stop using the logo or become certified by the nonprofit, the letter said.

The lawsuit claims it’s “somewhat puzzling” that GIG has taken this position because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office considers the GF symbol as “merely descriptive,” which means the nonprofit “has no right to exclusive use of that mark.”

More than 100 gluten-free products are sold by Bob’s Red Mill, which has “built a separate facility with specialized machinery” for such products and targeted consumers seeking to avoid gluten for three decades, the complaint said.

While there is no federal standard for “gluten-free,” the company only uses such labels for products containing fewer than 19 parts per million of the substance, according to the lawsuit.

Bob’s Red Mill is seeking a “declaratory judgment” that it’s not required to pay for certification or cease using the GF logo, which would “require the withholding from store shelves of millions of dollars’ worth of product,” the complaint said. “At a minimum, complying with GIG’s demand would require a significant redesign and marketing process.”

The company has also asked the judge to declare the GF trademark unenforceable and to enter an injunction prohibiting GIG from claiming that others may not use a similar symbol.

Capital Press was unable to reach Sarah Bottorf, the nonprofit’s executive director who sent the letter, for comment.

Gluten Intolerance Group of North America took in about $3 million, most of it derived from “program service revenue,” during 2016, the most recent year for which its tax information is available.

In 2017, the nonprofit filed a lawsuit over the GF trademark against organizations affiliated with Jamie Oliver, a famous chef, which was dismissed earlier this year subject to an undisclosed agreement.

A new tree fruit specialist has arrived at Oregon State University Extension just in time for the cherry and pear growing seasons.

Mateus Pasa was hired in April at the OSU Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Hood River, Ore. A native of Brazil, Pasa spent four years as a research pomologist at the Santa Catarina Agricultural Research and Extension Center in São Joaquim.

Though he primarily worked with apples during his time in Santa Catarina, Pasa will be responsible for finding ways to improve fruit set and production for pears and cherries in the Columbia River Gorge.

“The growers and the fruit industry are very supportive,” Pasa said. “I’m working to help them fix their main problems, and to get better and more efficient and make their orchards more profitable.”

Pasa is no stranger to the region. During his doctorate program, he spent a year at MCAREC working with Todd Einhorn studying the effects of prohexadione calcium — a chemical used to thin trees and reduce fire blight — on the growth of pears.

Pasa now leads the cherry and pear research program at MCAREC, along with Ashley Thompson, who was also hired in April. Pasa said they will continue to develop new rootstocks that allow for planting orchards in higher densities, paving the way for more mechanization and reduced labor costs.

“We need to think ahead and reduce the need for labor,” Pasa said.

Pasa can be reached at MCAREC at 541-386-2030, ext. 38216, or email at mateus.pasa@oregonstate.edu.

Andy Deterding, a crop duster pilot who flew for several decades over many acres of southwestern Oregon, died in a plane accident on May 30.

Deterding, 57, was flying and spraying a herbicide over a field just north of El Reno, Okla., when he made a turn, hit a guy wire on a cell tower and crashed to the ground. He was the only person in the plane. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His business, Andy Deterding Ag Aviation, is based in Pond Creek, Okla. However, for over 30 years, he had flown seed and fertilizer onto hillside pastures in Douglas and Coos counties, seed onto Bureau of Land Management ground that had been burned and lime onto some Oregon Christmas tree plantations. Deterding worked in Oregon in August, September, October and early November.

Ranchers who worked with him remembered him as both a friend and a professional pilot.

“The thing I want people to know about Andy is that he was more than just a pilot who flew fertilizer on your fields, he became a friend,” said George Sandberg, a Roseburg, Ore., area rancher and president of the Douglas County Farmers Cooperative’s board of directors. “This is a tragedy, a great loss.”

The co-op coordinated the delivery of seed and fertilizer with Deterding’s flying schedule on the different ranches when he came to Douglas County.

“Everybody wanted Andy when the first rains would come late in the summer,” said Melvin Burke, the co-op’s general manager. “It was a tradition for him to come here. His arrival helped kick off the fall season. When you heard Andy flying, you knew the grass was beginning to grow.”

Burke said Deterding understood the importance of getting the product on the ground because growing grass for the livestock meant not having to buy hay to feed.

“For Andy, it was not just about putting fertilizer down by aerial application on the hillsides,” Burke said. “It was about timing for optimal grass growth before the fall rains. He did his best to have the fertilizer and seed down in time for optimal growth before the fall weather turned too cold.

“Secondly, the fertilizer was there and in place when the spring weather returned the next year,” Burke explained. “He could cover areas with that plane that people couldn’t get with ground equipment.”

Burke estimated Deterding flew several tons of fertilizer and seed onto hillside pastures in Douglas County each year.

Dan Dawson, another Douglas County rancher, was a small boy when he first met Deterding about 30 years ago.

“You couldn’t meet a better guy,” Dawson said. “He was a good-hearted, nice guy.

“He flew seed and fertilizer for all of us around here,” Dawson added. “We couldn’t have had anyone better. He knew every ranch in this area. There are so many valleys here and he knew the air currents in every one of them. You didn’t have to tell him twice what you wanted done.”

David and Jill Kennedy, who ranch in the Oakland, Ore., area, had Deterding over to their house for many dinners when he was in Douglas County. On two occasions, he had Thanksgiving dinner with the Kennedys because rainy weather in mid-November prevented him from flying home.

“We’re all just very fond of Andy,” said Jill Kennedy. “He was always just a happy guy. When he laughed, his whole body laughed.

“When he’d come here, he would buzz the house (with his plane),” she added. “He was very experienced, he was very professional about his job. It’s just horrible, horrible to think that good person isn’t going to be here anymore.”

Deterding is survived by his wife Sue and their grown children, Greg, Nikki and Tommy.

Ranchers said it is too soon to know who will provide aerial service to their hillsides later this year, but they hope the Deterding family business will continue the tradition. Greg and Tommy are both pilots.

“We really have a need for that service here,” Burke said. “It’s a unique service that Andy provided for many years.”

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A DNA study of sage grouse has revealed a vast network of mating grounds in the U.S. West akin to interconnected regional airport hubs that the imperiled species is using to maintain genetic diversity across its entire range.

The 19-page report by the U.S. Forest Service made public in early May involved nearly 6,000 sage grouse and maps some 1,200 mating sites in 10 western states and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

Scientists say identifying mating sites that are the most critical hubs can help land managers avoid decisions that could cut the genetic exchange sage grouse need to remain a viable species.

Officials in 2015 opted not to list the chicken-sized, ground-dwelling bird as needing federal protections, but are scheduled to review that decision in 2020.

PORTLAND — Pacific Northwest pear growers anticipate an average crop this year of 18.8 million, 44-pound boxes after lighter crops four years in a row.

Growers produced a record 21.69 million boxes of pears in 2013 but every year since then the yield has been much lighter. Hot weather causing fruit drop and contributing to decay called cork is at least partially responsible for the lighter crops.

The 18,855,900-box estimate is just 58,345 boxes less than the five-year average of 18,914,245 boxes. It is 18 percent bigger than the 2017 crop, which will soon finish sales at close to 15.9 million boxes.

“I like that this looks like a good, full crop. Not record by any means, there should be plenty of promotable fruit for export and domestic markets if this forecast holds,” said Kevin Moffitt, president of The Pear Bureau Northwest in Portland.

That can be a big if. A 17.6-million-box crop was forecast a year ago. It grew to an 18.3-million-box forecast on Aug. 22 but has dropped 13 percent since then.

That’s a much larger shrink than most years, Moffitt said. Beside an increase in cork, about 150,000 boxes of pears were lost in an October fire at Underwood Fruit in Bingen, Wash., near Hood River, Ore.

The Pear Bureau is the Northwest’s fresh pear industry promotional arm and gave the forecast on May 31, the second day of its annual meeting in Portland.

The forecast will be updated in mid-August. Right now, the breakdown by growing district is: Wenatchee, 8.6 million boxes; Hood River, 7 million; Yakima, 2.4 million; and Medford, 751,200 boxes.

The top volumes by variety will be: 9.3 million boxes of d’ Anjou, up 10 percent from 2017; 4.5 million of Green Bartlett, up 24 percent; 3.1 million of Bosc, up 42 percent; 1 million of Red d’Anjou, up 7 percent; and 309,100 boxes of Starkrimson, up 20 percent.

The percentage jump in Bosc is large because it was short last year, Moffitt said.

Organic pears are expected to total 1.6 million boxes, up from 1.2 million last year.

“There’s been more and more transition. It takes three years to transition from conventional to organic. Demand has been growing and our supply is behind demand,” Moffitt said.

Harvest is forecast to start with Starkrimson in Hood River on Aug. 3 and will finish in late September or early October in higher elevations of Hood River and Leavenworth at the upper end of the Wenatchee Valley.

The Pear Bureau renewed grower assessments at 38.5 cents per box for promotions and 3.3 cents for Pear Bureau administration and funding the Northwest Horticultural Council. It increased research assessments from 3.1 to 4.5 cents per box.

The preliminary domestic and foreign promotions budget will be about $6.9 million, up $500,000 from the preliminary spending plan approved a year ago. Of that, $5.7 million is for domestic promotions and $1.2 million for export promotions. Some $2.8 million from the USDA Market Access Program is expected to bring export promotions up to $4 million and the total budget up to $9.8 million.

The 2017 crop was 94.45 percent shipped as of June 1 versus 93.78 percent of the crop shipped a year ago. About 883,000 boxes remained to be sold versus 1.1 million a year ago.

Sales have been slower than shippers wanted, with exports down because of a strong dollar, larger fruit and more small fruit selling domestically in pouch bags, Moffitt said.

“The biggest problem in return to grower is getting fewer boxes per bin because of cork. Yield is down in Anjou because of cork,” he said.

Yakima and Wenatchee prices of d’Anjou were $22 to $26 per box for U.S. No. 1 grade, size 80s on June 1, down $1 from a year ago, according to USDA.

A class action lawsuit that alleges insufficient logging of Oregon’s forests can go to trial without first being reviewed the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Linn County Circuit Judge Daniel Murphy has rejected a motion by the State of Oregon to allow for an “interlocutory appeal” on thorny legal questions before the Oregon Court of Appeals.

The complaint seeks more than $1 billion in damages on behalf of 14 counties and numerous taxing districts, which claim they’ve received inadequate logging revenues from forestland they’d donated to the state government in the early 20th century.

Contractual agreements require those forests to be managed for maximum timber revenue, but for the past 20 years, Oregon has instead focused on environmental and recreational values, according to plaintiffs.

Over the past two years of litigation, Murphy has ruled on several contentious points of law in the case, such as whether “sovereign immunity” bars counties from suing the state government in this context.

In January, the judge denied a request by Oregon’s attorneys to dismiss the lawsuit on that basis, but the state government had hoped to raise the matter and others in an “interlocutory appeal” before a trial.

While the state’s attorneys claimed the Oregon Court of Appeals would provide a “road map to the key issues,” the counties argued such an appeal would unnecessarily delay the proceedings by up to three years.

Postponing the trial would prejudice the counties’ case because witnesses and experts “are already in advanced years and may not be available, or may have less clear recollection,” once finally called to testify, said John DiLorenzo, the plaintiffs’ attorney, in a court brief.

With the judge deciding against an interlocutory appeal, a trial can be expected to take place within the first half of 2019, most likely by March, he said.

Capital Press was unable to reach an attorney for Oregon for comment on the decision.

George Fox University, a private Christian school based in Newberg, Ore., is reaching out to small farmers and vintners in the Willamette Valley after receiving a $100,000 Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grant from the USDA.

Students and faculty in the university’s College of Engineering will use the grant to help agricultural producers become more energy efficient, conduct energy audits and consider renewable energy options on the farm or vineyard.

The university is collaborating with Spark Northwest, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization dedicated to renewable energy development. Funding will be provided by the USDA over two years, beginning this fall.

Bob Harder, dean of the College of Engineering at George Fox, said students will also benefit by becoming more widely recognized in the state as viable contributors to the growing needs of agriculture.

“George Fox is located right in the heart of a verdant countryside surrounded by agricultural endeavors of all kinds — berries, grapes, nuts, dairy and hops — which provides us with a significant opportunity to get to know and serve our neighbors, an advantage we have over some of the other engineering programs located in more urban parts of the state,” Harder said in a statement.

Founded in 1885 as a school for Quakers, George Fox offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 40 majors, 13 master’s and doctoral degrees and six seminary degrees. More than 4,000 students attend classes at the main campus in Newberg, south of Portland.

The university’s foray into agricultural outreach began two years ago, when school President Robin Baker gave a presentation about enhancing the value of George Fox among local communities.

As part of that initiative, one goal was to “develop solutions to real-life challenges in the Northwest through effective cross-disciplinary collaboration between students, professors and the marketplace.”

Harder said the university saw a “clear alignment” between the needs of the USDA Rural Development agency and the strengths of their engineering program. The College of Engineering — led by associate professor Chad Stillinger, and with encouragement from Jill Rees, USDA Rural Development economic coordinator for Oregon — decided to apply for the grant, which it received earlier this spring.

“In looking at our surroundings, it became obvious that one of our regional stakeholders was the agricultural industry,” Harder said. “Through this grant our students will get the unique opportunity to interact with owners of small farms and vineyards, understand their energy needs and use their technical engineering capabilities to assist them in diagnosing energy waste as well as propose efficiency measures and renewable energy options.”

Harder said the grant also positions the university for future USDA funding at the “energy-food-water-climate nexus,” including precision agriculture, field drones and sensors and digitizing data.

Erin McDuff, a spokeswoman for USDA Rural Development in Oregon, said the program is available not only to farmers and ranchers, but rural communities where farmers and ranchers live and work to help them thrive.

The renewable energy development program specifically is designed to help businesses save money on their utilities, which will make them stronger and more resilient, McDuff said.

“We’re also hoping to bring that innovation and new technology into those communities and make them more successful,” she said.

George Fox was the only university in Oregon to receive the grant this year.

For most of the past three years, Jonathan Sandau was content working as a district aide for U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore. But when the Oregon Farm Bureau announced earlier this year that former Government Affairs Specialist Jenny Dressler was leaving, Sandau saw an opportunity on the horizon.

In February, Sandau made the leap from national to state politics, joining the Farm Bureau as its newest government affairs specialist.

“This was a huge opportunity for me,” Sandau said. “I have always wanted to balance politics and agriculture, and you can’t blend agriculture and politics more than in Farm Bureau.” Sandau added that few opportunities would have pulled him away from Schrader’s office. “But this is one of them,” he said, “if not the only one.”

Dressler, who joined the Farm Bureau in December of 2014, left in March to take a position with the Salem lobbying group Public Affairs Counsel.

Sandau, 28, comes by his enthusiasm for politics and agriculture naturally. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Portland in political science, and he was raised on a fifth-generation family farm just east of Salem.

His work in politics includes a six-month internship with Schrader’s office in Washington, D.C., and work on former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s re-election campaign in 2014, in addition to the three years he spent as a district aide.

Still, his immersion in state politics was a bit daunting, as he started with the Farm Bureau midway in the February 2018 session.

“It was trial by fire,” he said. “The short session was a good introduction into what state politics looks like and how it is done.”

Sandau, whose family has belonged to Farm Bureau for as long as he can remember, said he has enjoyed getting to know legislators and the dynamics in play around the Capitol. And he has enjoyed his visits with Farm Bureau members.

“Getting out on folks’ farms and seeing first-hand how the issues impact them is something I think is critically important for us and for policy makers to do. The more we can build those bridges between the farming community and legislators, the better,” Sandau said.

“Agriculture in Oregon has an excellent story to tell, and that story is not on the forefront of people’s minds,” he said. “So, we have to work at telling the story that what we are doing is good, that what we are growing is socially, economically and environmentally responsible, particularly when the perception is sometimes otherwise. And at the Farm Bureau, we have a very credible, authentic and well-branded voice to help folks tell their story.”

Sandau, who is married and lives in South Salem, said he hopes one day to get back to farming, and said if the opportunity arises, he could see a future in politics, as well.

“Right now, though, this is where my focus is,” he said, “and I can’t imagine a better position to be in.”

Capital Press

Crop and field conditions in much of Idaho and eastern Oregon look good headed into the key summer growing season.

Milder spring conditions compared to the cold, wet 2017 got many crops — and some weeds and pests — off to a strong start this year. Several farmers like what they see and are optimistic.

“We are ahead of last year. The crops look good,” said Galen Lee of Sunnyside Farm in New Plymouth, Idaho. The farm grows sugar beets, peppermint, asparagus, alfalfa hay and corn. Sunnyside also has a beef herd and a dairy.

Lee said he has seen some weeds in spots, “but the crops are taking off.”

Getting necessary spraying done was one challenge given southwest Idaho’s considerable wind recently, he said.

April was drier than usual in the area, and Lee started irrigating earlier than is typical. This year’s water supply is good, he said.

Malheur County Onion Growers Association President Paul Skeen, who farms near Nyssa, Ore., said onions in the area “have had a really good spring.”

“Things were planted on time, we had good moisture, and the crop looks as good as it has ever looked,” Skeen said. “There are some problems occasionally in a field or two, but for the most part the crop looks excellent.”

The current onion crop’s condition outshines the usual for this time of year and is much better than that of a year ago, he said.

Following last year’s heavy winter and wet spring, onions in eastern Oregon got off to a late start and then endured lots of heat as the 2017 growing season unfolded. Skeen said yields were lower, though onion quality was excellent.

“At this stage, we are looking like we are going to have excellent quality this year, too,” he said.

Skeen is not concerned any more than usual about weeds, weather or pests.

“It’s part of growing onions,” he said. “But the fields are pretty clean and Mother Nature has been, for the most part, pretty good to us.”

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service on May 29 reported that in southwest Idaho, onions were almost completely emerged and continued to appear in good condition.

In north central Idaho, Robert Blair of Blair Farms, in Kendrick, says fields and crops look good.

“We have had good moisture so far this year. Conditions for growing so far have been very good,” he said.

Seeding in the region is probably “99 percent done” except for some legumes, alfalfa and grass seeding left to do at higher elevations, Blair said.

Winter wheat is “looking good and heading out,” meaning the kernel-containing wheat heads are emerging, he said.

North central Idaho got another dose of rain May 31 and early June 1 — good for crops but possibly increasing risk for diseases like rust in wheat and blight in chickpeas, Blair said. “I’m going to be monitoring that.”

Weather and growing conditions, a mixed bag last year, are good so far, Blair said.

“Right now, we are having ideal growing conditions,” he said. “It has been a little on the cool side, but the moisture we have received here has been really good … keeping the moisture level really good from what’s evaporating out.”

Blair said that a year ago, “we had a couple straight weeks of high-70- to mid-80-degree days the end of May and the first week of June, and a cloudburst rainstorm the first week of June. And that was the last rain we had last year through the growing season.” High heat followed, and spring crops such as spring wheat and legumes did not fare well. Yields were off by at least 15 percent in places, he said.

Ideally, this June will bring some timely rains and will not get won’t get too hot, he said. Highs around 80 and lows in the 50s are good, he said. He plans to watch closely around mid-month for weed issues.

“If you get those timely rains in June, it makes farming that much easier,” Blair said.

Drought continues to spread across vast portions of southern and Eastern Oregon, with Lake County the latest to receive an emergency declaration from Gov. Kate Brown.

“Forecasts are predicting severe drought and wildfire conditions for much of Oregon,” Brown said in a statement. “The conditions in Lake County are already concerning, and I’m directing state agencies to prioritize assistance in the area to help minimize the impacts drought conditions could have on the local economy.”

Drought has also been declared in Klamath, Grant and Harney counties. Racquel Rancier, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Water Resources Department, said no other applications are currently pending.

The Lake County Board of Commissioners requested drought relief in March, citing below average precipitation and inconsistent water storage, ranging from 51 percent of normal at Cottonwood Reservoir to 114 percent of normal at Drews Reservoir.

Approximately 45,000 acres of irrigated farmland were expected to run out of stored water between April and May, and 147,000 outlying acres were also expected to run out of water around the same time, according to the county’s drought resolution.

“Many longtime Lake County farmers and ranchers have commented that they have not seen water conditions this severe since 2015,” the county resolution states.

As of May 30, snowpack has entirely melted in the Lake County and Goose Lake basins. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly all of southern and Eastern Oregon in some stage of drought, from abnormally dry to severe conditions.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center also forecasts Oregon will be hotter and drier than normal for the next three months, exacerbating drought statewide.

“The Lake County Board of Commissioners determines that extraordinary measures must be taken to alleviate suffering of people and livestock and to protect or mitigate economic loss, and to be responsive to the threat of wildfires,” the resolution continues.

The governor’s drought declaration gives water managers some increased flexibility to assist producers on the ground, such as emergency water use permits, water exchanges, substitutions and in-stream leases.