Ag_Tab_March_2011

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Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

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Northwest Farm and Ranch is published quarterly by the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News and printed at the Tribune Publishing Co. Inc.’s printing facility at 505 Capital St. in Lewiston.

To advertise in Northwest Farm and Ranch, contact the Moscow-Pullman Daily News advertising department at 208.882.5561 or Advertising Manager Craig Staszkow at cstaszkow@dnews.com, or the Lewiston Tribune advertising department at 208.848.2216 or Advertising Director Bob Reitz at breitz@lmtribune.com, Editorial suggestions and ideas can be sent to Lee Rozen at lrosen@dnews.com or Doug Bauer at dbauer@lmtribune.com

Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 3

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MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

The next farm bill that works its way through Congress will affect the success of these Palouse fields, plus determine price supports and the future of food stamps.

Barry Kough/Lewiston Tribune

Cuts could put family farms, nutrition at risk

D

By Kathy Hedberg | for Northwest Farm and Ranch

iscussions on the 2012 Farm Bill have barely begun, but it is almost certain that however lawmakers craft the package, there will be fewer dollars to deal with and some programs may have to be cut.

Both farmers and nutrition experts say they’re watching to make sure their programs are not sacrificed as Congress looks for ways to trim budget dollars.

Since 1933, America has been supporting farm prices and income through the farm bills, which are updated every five years. In 1964 the Food Stamp Act became part of the legislation and now makes up nearly three-quarters of the funding that goes into the Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill provides funding for things such as commodity and conservation programs, trade, nutrition, credit, community development, forestry, energy and research.

Ben Barstow, a farmer near Palouse, Wash., and president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, said for the most part farmers are satisfied with the current farm bill. But maintaining those programs that keep farmers on the farm is critical.

“It’s time for the American public to step up and decide how many farmers do you want on the land,” Barstow said.

“We look at our fellow farmers in Europe and we see two or three families supported on 80 acres.

And even in highly productive irrigated areas, three families on 80 acres in America — that disappeared 100 years ago.”

Any change in farm programs that reduces payments to farmers encourages bigger farms because in large operations those farm program payments account for only a small portion of the farmers’ income, he said.

“If you’re farming in an area that isn’t productive, such as the

2012 FARM BILL

Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011 very dry land areas of Montana and central Washington, where you’re looking at 30 to 40 bushel (yield per acre), those farm programs are much more important in those areas, because they’re a bigger proportion of their income on a per-acre basis.”

Barstow said finding a way to stabilize disaster payments while encouraging farmers to buy crop insurance would be a good improvement to the 2012 Farm Bill. And even though conservation programs are popular, the reason there aren’t more of them is because Congress has lacked the money to fully fund them.

Kathy D. Gardner, executive director of the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force, said when congressmen held a meeting about the Farm Bill in Nampa last year there was no mention of the portion of the bill that goes into nutrition programs.

“That made hunger advocates nervous because we’ve been hearing rumbles, since people think 75 percent is too much for nutrition programs,” Gardner said.

“So we’re very concerned that these not be reduced, especially right now during this time.”

Gardner said some of the concerns include recent legislation that created a supplemental child nutrition program with food stamp money.

“It’s not a short-term solution when you take food off a child’s dinner table to put it on the lunch table,” Gardner said. “It’s incredibly important. Food stamps are a frontline program for a family so that’s what’s at the dinner table.

“We are going to keep (nutrition program funding) on (lawmakers’) radar and say, ‘This is what we want — please don’t allow any cuts. We know the budget has to be reined in, but don’t do it on the backs of the most vulnerable people in our nation.’ ”

Hedberg may be contacted at (208) 983-2326. or kathyhedberg@gmail.com.

“It’s time for the American public to step up and decide how many farmers do you want on the land. We look at our fellow farmers in Europe and we see two or three families supported on 80 acres. And even in highly productive irrigated areas, three families on 80 acres in America — that disappeared 100 years ago.”

Ben Barstow, Palouse farmer and president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers

Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 5

CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM

Preserving land, but not farmers CRP PROGRAM’S DOWNFALLS AND FUTURE ON THE PALOUSE

L

By Sarah Mason | for Northwest Farm and Ranch

ACROSSE, Wash. — Lifelong LaCrosse resident Darrin Flemming has watched the farming families of western Whitman County blow out of town like the dry soil that covers part of the region.

Since the 1980s, the number of farming families have decreased, in part due to the federal Conservation Reserve Program, he said.

Since 1985, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency has paid farmers to grow native species to decrease soil degradation and erosion. Farmers will often enroll their farms into CRP when they retire – then move off the land. Or some will enroll an entire farm into CRP to ensure a guaranteed income every year. Farmers in Whitman County receive between $45 and $80 an acre on average.

Flemming estimated that about 40 percent of the property around LaCrosse is CRP prop-

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erty, land that is taken out of production and allowed to go fallow.

Michael Largent, a county commissioner and fifth generation farmer in Whitman County, said farmers have to keep a business mentality about their land. Largent maintains about 2,100 acres of CRP property, a large part of his family’s original farm.

“A good landlord is just looking for the best deal,” Largent said. “All things being equal, I’d much rather see it being farmed.”

Flemming said since farmers started enrolling whole farms into the program, LaCrosse hasn’t looked the same.

“The time of year I like best is in the spring, when you look out and all the fields are green,” Flemming said. “It’s totally different in the Hay area and toward the river in that direction south and west of LaCrosse here – a lot of it is CRP and it’s not near as pretty as wheat blowing in the wind.”

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Washington State University extension educator Steve Van Vleet said the trend Flemming noticed — landowners enrolling property into CRP, then leaving the county — is not uncommon. About 50 percent of the about $14 million in CRP payments for property in Whitman County leaves the county borders, he said. The FSA has about 3,000 contracts locally, encompassing about 191,588 acres.

Jonelle Olson, the CRP program technician for the FSA office in Colfax, said the agency wouldn’t be able to limit CRP funds to local landowners.

“I’d say it’s probably not our concern because I can’t say that a person here can sign up his land but a person who lives in a different area can’t do it,” Olson said.

There are more whole-farm acres, called general enrollment, in Whitman County’s

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Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

MARKET WATCH

By David Johnson for Northwest Farm and Ranch

Brad Minden likes the upsides of the cattle industry. The lifestyle fits him, as does the recent rise in cattle prices.

PRICE SURGE POINTS TO A TURNAROUND IN CATTLE INDUSTRY

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B

rad Minden is a service manager at a Moscow, Idaho, car dealership. But if he had his druthers, the 33-year-old lifelong Latah County resident would rather be home full time with his family and a growing herd of black Angus cattle.

“I’ve owned cows and been involved with them all my life, since I was a little kid,” Minden said. “For some reason, I just really enjoy them.

Some year I’d like to have enough so I could stay home and work my cows and not have to come to work.”

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Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

Minden is somewhat of a rare breed. He’s about half the age of most people who raise cattle. “I think the average age of a rancher is probably 63 or 64,� said Clay Bickford, co-owner of the Lewiston (Idaho) Livestock Market in Nez Perce County. “A lot of the bigger ranches, older middle-age people own them,� confirmed Dennis Rowland, co-owner of the Cottonwood (Idaho) Livestock Auction yard in Idaho County. “I don’t know how many younger guys are getting in.�

His love of the cattle business aside, Minden said recent surges and sustained prices in the cattle and meat markets are good indicators the future is bright. Bickford and Rowland agreed. “I’d say that beef cattle are selling 20 percent higher than they have forever,� Bickford said. “Mainly because the supply is so short.� “It (the market) is higher than it’s been for years and years and years,� Rowland confirmed. “We’re at all-time highs here.�

What’s more, said the two competing businessmen, all indicators point to the prices of cattle on the hoof and red meat in the market staying high. And while that might cause consternation to the consumer, it helps ensure a turnaround to a disturbing four-year trend in the industry. “About two years ago, when hay was $200 a ton or

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

“Everybody is seeing this good market and they’re taking advantage of it by selling.

I think we’re in for a pretty good market for the next four or five years.�

Clay Bickford, co-owner of the Lewiston Livestock Market in Nez Perce County

greater, there were a lot of guys who just sold out,� Bickford said. “They couldn’t make any money, so they sold their cattle.�

Minden said there are always ups and downs in the livestock business, but he’s tried to gear his small operation to a secure market of family, friends and people who learn about Minden Angus through word of mouth. “If you’re growing and selling them now, it’s a good time,� he said, acknowledging the difficulties of weathering an overall downturn a couple of years ago. “We’ve sold some bulls and sold some meat. And I guess everybody

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is happy. We sell registered Angus bulls and then we sell butcher meat.�

Of course, the patrons who buy and sell livestock on the hoof through Bickford and Rowland have much larger operations than Minden. And the soaring prices seem to have triggered a relative stampede to the sales yards. Last month, for example, Bickford reported a record feeder cattle sale where about 3,300 head of cattle sold for a total of $2.7 million. That represents about a $20 to $25 jump in a hundred-weight price since the first of the year. “Everybody is seeing this good market and they’re taking advantage of it by selling,� Bickford said. “I think we’re in for a pretty good market for the next four or five years.�

Rowland agreed, but tempered speculation with the reality that world events always have an impact on businesses. “The overall picture looks pretty good, as long as we don’t have any drastic problems,� he said. “You know, Japan imports a lot of meat, too. But they’re not going to want a hell of a lot here for a little bit because they don’t have anything to cook it on.�

Bickford and Rowland echoed a national livestock mantra that U.S. red meat production is the product of a quality product. It’s that simple. “Exports are up a large percentage from what they have been,� Bickford said. “We’ve got the safest meat in the world and everybody knows that.�

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Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

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Rowland said the quality of U.S. livestock products also enjoys worldwide acclaim. “The meat trade is at an all-time high and we export a lot of that. It goes to a lot of different countries. And it’s at an all-time high.”

But while the business boom continues in terms of prices, Bickford and Rowland said they’re also experiencing a disturbing decline in numbers of cattle coming across the auction block.

“We’re probably going to be down 20 percent on our cow numbers that we usually run through here just because of the fact that guys are going out of business and nobody’s going in to take their place,” Bickford said.

Rowland said the number of cattle brought to auction might be down even more than 20 percent. “We’re sure selling less numbers, let’s put it that way. Canada is way down as far as what they import into the states.”

The supply shortage might continue for a number of years until the market settles in, hopefully at a new high, said Bickford, Rowland and Minden, until ranchers see clear to rebuild herd numbers instead of taking advantage of record prices.

“Yeah, I am bullish,” Bickford said. “I think this deal is going to be good for quite some time. We’re probably at a new level and we’re going to go up from here.”

Meanwhile, Minden jested that he’s not quite ready to quit his day job. He’ll continue to work at the car dealership and his wife will continue to work at Moscow Family Medicine. And the cattle will continue to roam their acreage south of Potlatch, Idaho.

“What I do is put a price on them.

When we go to the butcher, they’re hanging in the locker and we charge $2.30 a pound,” Minden explained.

“We haven’t changed our price for three years. And we’ve had a lot of repeat customers. They’re really happy with what we provide.”

If supply can’t keep up with demand, prices might continue to increase. But Minden said all small operators have another incentive besides making a dollar. “I enjoy it. It’s hard work, but it’s fun to me and my family.”

Johnson may be contacted at djohnson@lmtribune.com or (208) 883-0564.

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MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 9

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By Christina Lords for Northwest Farm and Ranch

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hile some young people who have been born and raised on the farm are choosing to explore other occupations, many are finding they can’t get going as farmers even if they

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we’re talking buying used equipment ... is a million dollars,” he said. “Buying land is a whole other ballgame. Leasing land is a good way to get started, but when you lease land you’re basically giving a third of your crop away to pay for everything. It’s a real tough thing.”

Suess said he understands the roadblocks facing young farmers. After he encouraged his children to go out and seek different kinds of opportunities, his son chose not to come back to the farm.

“There’s no doubt we’re seeing that as a trend,” he said. “There’s lots of expenses and, at the end of the day, very little profit.”

But with the right kinds of incentives and by looking into available loan programs with credit services that specialize in farming loans, a young farmer can still have a successful operation, Suess said.

Wendy Knopp, the vice president for AgVision with Northwest Farm Credit Services, and Jim Knecht, Farm Service Agency executive director for Latah County, agree.

“It costs so much more to farm now than it did 30 years ago,” Knecht said.

“The old adage is that the best way to go

into farming is to be born into farming or marry into farming, and now, even being born into it is not a guarantee.”

Farm loan programs offered through the USDA can help a young or beginning farmer or rancher secure the funds he or she needs to be successful, he said.

Direct and guaranteed operating loans can be used to purchase livestock, equipment, feed, seed and other materials, while direct and guaranteed farm ownership loan funds may be used to purchase land, construct buildings or make farm improvements.

“We deal with an older clientele,” Knecht said. “I believe the average age of farmers in Idaho is 58 or 59 years old, so finding a young farmer in his (or her) 30s is rare now.”

Knopp said under its AgVision program, Northwest FCS looked at its underwriting criteria to get a loan and reduced some of those limitations and provided a lower interest rate to make it easier for young and beginning farmers to qualify for a loan.

The AgVision program was created by the agency in 2001 and can help farmers in Idaho and Washington.

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Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011 “We made a management decision to help these produces because they are our future,” she said. “We asked, ‘Why aren’t these people coming back into agriculture?’ Some have personal reasons as to why they don’t come back, but some would love to ... they just can’t get in.”

Northwest FCS offers $500 reimbursement vouchers for education and technology, she said.

The education voucher can be used for an array of things, from business planning classes to attending a cattleman’s conference. The technology voucher can be used for items like printers, a GPS or a computer to help with their farming operation.

The agency also works in partnership with the state of Washington with tax exempt bonds for beginning farmer programs for real estate or livestock purchases.

“If we can finance the loan, then the state looks at the criteria for the beginning farmers ... they provide to us a tax exempt bond, and we can pass that interest rate savings onto the customer,” Knopp said.

The state has been working with Northwest FCS for the last three years on the tax exempt bonds, which has provided about $4 million worth of loans to beginning farmers, she said.

Lords can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 301, or by e-mail to clords@dnews.com.

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

WEATHER WHYS

How many livestock are killed each year by lightning strikes?

N

Associated Press

o one knows for sure because record keeping tends to be very sketchy in many parts of the country, says Brent McRoberts of Texas A&M University. But there is no doubt that hundreds of cattle, horses and sheep are killed every year by lightning in the United States.

“The Department of Agriculture says lightning causes about 80 percent of all accidental livestock deaths,” McRoberts explains.

“What usually happens is that livestock often huddle together under a large tree during a thunderstorm, which we know is one of the worst places to be. There are numerous cases of ranchers finding two or more cows or horses dead under a tree after a thunderstorm.”

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ANSWER: At least as often as it strikes people and perhaps more often, McRoberts adds.

“Unless there is a barn nearby, livestock are out in the open during thunderstorms, so their chances of being hit are greater,” he says. “And the types of injuries are about the same.

One study shows that while about 70 percent of humans struck by lightning still survive, the fatality rate of horses and cattle is much higher. This is because no one is around to treat the injured animal, plus the body mass of the animal is larger than a human, meaning more tissue damage can occur. Often, a rancher will see a dead animal on his property and not see any apparent cause. A necropsy (animal autopsy) often reveals that the animal died from a lightning strike.”

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CRP from Page 5 CRP lands than small parts of particularly erodible property, called continuous enrollment.

Van Vleet said the trend of whole-farm enrollment defeats the purpose of the program. Not only does the money leave local coffers for out-of-county and out-of-state landowners, but standardized conservation practices don’t always apply to specific properties.

“Yes, it helps (farmers earn money), but that’s not what the program is for, the program’s for the conservation of land,” Van Vleet said. “If you have a whole farm that’s in enrollment ... (they) should at least be doing more management practices.”

Van Vleet and Flemming agreed the best thing for local economies would be to put farms back into production. Much of the soil in areas like LaCrosse is fertile and ready for production, as long as it’s done properly, Van Vleet said.

If landowners encouraged young, aspiring farmers to farm their land, more families would once again reside in the now dilapidated, abandoned houses around the county,

Flemming said.

Van Vleet’s hope to convert CRP into croplands could become a reality within the next two years. Because of the contracts many farmers signed, more than 500,000 acres of CRP land will expire by 2013.

Though Olson said there isn’t any indication of major changes to the program yet, government funding for CRP may change within the next couple of years thanks to cuts to federal programs.

If landowners swap their swaths of CRP land for a producing farm, Mary Rosen, director at the Palouse Conservation District, said help is available both for financing and for improving the skills needed to operate a farm. “We’re trying to give them different options ... get them looking at direct seed or trying to get them directly (in contact) with WSU … or with Spokane Conservation District,” she said. “We have so much funding available.”

And unless farmers take careful measures when bringing a farmland back into production, they could undo the soil conservation they strove for in the conservation reserve program, Van Vleet said.

Mason may be contacted at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234 or at smason@dnews.com.

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| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 13

PESTICIDE APPLICATION

WSDA poised to update nozzle regs in 2012 “With the current industry standards for nozzles now being used on federal pesticide labels, growers will need to update their nozzles to ensure compliance with the label.”

Jason Kelly, communications director for the WSDA

By Kasey Crawford for Northwest Farm and Ranch

R

ules for pesticide applicator nozzles that haven’t been changed in 30 years will receive a much needed update in 2012.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture began developing a new rule to update old pesticide application rules governing spray nozzles in 2010 but was delayed when Gov. Chris Gregoire suspended state rule-making until January 2012, in hopes to conserve financial resources and aid economic recovery.

Jason Kelly, communications director for the WSDA, said nozzles are currently categorized as fine, medium and course, instead of the old industry standards based on the diameter of the nozzle opening.

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Nozzles vary in quality and features and depending on the method of application and the apparatus, nozzles could be used for as few as two or three years before needing to be replaced so many farmers may already be using the current industry standard nozzles, he said.

The contradictions between the federal pesticide labels and the outdated state rules regarding nozzle categorization could cause farmers confusion. Those still using outdated nozzles may be out of compliance with federal labels as well as taking an unnecessary risk regarding crop production, he said.

“Depending on conditions, a smaller droplet size can increase the risk of pesticide drift, which can result in unintended crop damage or human exposure,” Kelly said.

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The WSDA doesn’t anticipate a huge additional cost for farmers as the rule only governs the nozzle, Kelly said.

“The rule only pertains to aperture size and updating WSDA rules to reflect the current industry standard of how aperture size is categorized,” he said.

A WSDA advisory committee consisting of wheat growers, commercial applicators, nozzle manufacturers, a representative from Washington State University Extension, pesticide dealers, ground applicators and aerial applicators reviewed the proposed rule change before Gov. Gregoire implemented the moratorium.

“The department intends to resume the rulemaking process when the moratorium expires,” Kelly said.

Kasey Crawford is a Daily News intern and student at Washington State University.

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14 | Thursday, March 31, 2011 | MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

Sitting in a combine for several hours at a stretch may incur a specific health risk, deep vein thrombosis.

Barry Kough/Lewiston Tribune

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HEALTH

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Risk of blood clots higher for farmers

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By Kathy Hedberg for Northwest Farm and Ranch

REENCREEK, Idaho — There are more risks to farming than just poor crop prices and unpredictable weather.

Sitting on a tractor or combine for hours on end also takes its toll. Research shows that the incidence of deep vein thrombosis — meaning blood clots that form in the leg and can migrate to the lungs and potentially cause death — is

R

Y

four times higher on the Camas Prairie or north central Idaho than elsewhere in the country.

Megan Wilson, a family nurse practitioner at St. Mary’s Hospital in Cottonwood, says health care providers see a noticeable increase in the number of patients suffering from deep vein thrombosis during harvest in the late summer and fall.

While the data has not been See Clots Page 18

| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 15

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16 | Thursday, March 31, 2011 | MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

WASHINGTON APPLES

Two new varieties nearly ready for market

By Joel Mills for Northwest Farm and Ranch

P Growers visiting a Washington State University orchard in Quincy take a look at the new WA2 apple variety last year.

Washington State University photo

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ULLMAN, Wash. — After 15 years of breeding, Washington State University now has two of its own apple varieties entering the market.

Bearing the working titles WA2 and WA5, the varieties will be renamed and marketed by the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission once final trials are completed.

“It’s a long process to get a new apple tree grown,” said Keith Jones with the WSU Research Foundation. “It takes three to five years before you can start assessing fruit.

Then you have to do storage tests and other things. So it’s a complex process.”

Breeding actually started in 1994, when WSU founded its program to develop apple

T

varieties suitable to the central Washington soils and climates. And as the leading apple-producing state with half of U.S. production, Washington growers needed the program to adapt other varieties to their particular growing conditions.

The program uses traditional methods, crossing parent trees that produce fruit with the most desirable traits. Crosses of existing varieties in the program’s first year went through successive plantings and evaluations, with selections made for various growing and eating characteristics.

The work has culminated over the last year, with the release of the WA2 variety to a limited number of growers. WA5 grower trials start this spring.

Jones said new varieties grab attention in an apple market flooded with choices, and See Apples Page 17

u for feeding the world!

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Your hard work and concern for the environment keeps our land fertile, productive and safe. It is through your hard work that has enabled our proud nation not just to feed its own, but to send food abroad and ease hunger in other parts of the world.

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Apples from Page 16 garner the highest prices.

“If you look at the new apples coming along, they’re different colors, different shapes,” he said. “Right now is a great time to be an apple consumer, because there are all kinds of different flavors of apple out there, and you can go choose the one that you like.”

The newer varieties frequently sell for twice as much as older varieties, he said, and help growers stay competitive.

The medium-sized WA2 apple has an orange-red to pinkish-red blush over a yellow background, and has a very firm, juicy texture, according to WSU. It also stores well, losing little firmness over both the medium and long terms.

WA5 trees grow quickly and compactly, and have good production, according to WSU. The fruit has a distinctive red-orange stripe over a yellow background, and is firm and juicy with a medium sweetness.

Apple variety research is funded from several sources, including trade groups like the tree fruit commission. And while the

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

state funding that pays for some faculty salaries and other underlying expenses is threatened by budget cuts, the program has actually seen its overall resources increase, Jones said.

“WSU has been really successful over the last three or four years in competing for federal dollars,” he said. “This apple program has started to produce new varieties that we are hoping to get out of the university and into the hands of the Washington growers.”

| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 17

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Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

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broken down into which of these cases are farm-related and which are not, evidence suggests the long, tedious hours farmers spend on their tractors can be deadly.

“Over the past several years I have seen a number of farmers who were diagnosed after sitting in a tractor or combine for an extended period of time,” Wilson said.

“These (deep vein thrombosis cases) are potentially preventable.”

One-third of the people who develop pulmonary embolism that starts as a blood clot migrating to the lungs will die, Wilson said.

She recently spoke to about 70 farmers from Idaho and Lewis counties at a growers’ meeting at the Greencreek Community Center.

Wilson’s research is part of her doctorate of nursing program and includes working in the St. Mary’s clinic as well as going out into the community to educate people about the risks and prevention strategies for deep vein thrombosis and skin cancer.

Risk factors include immobility for long periods of time, dehydration and sitting

with legs bent at 120 degrees with feet off the floor. Signs and symptoms include lower leg pain, one calf larger than the other, swelling and redness of the lower leg and lower leg tenderness.

Prevention includes frequent exercising against resistance, increasing fluid intake, quitting tobacco use, sitting with feet touching the floor and wearing compression stockings.

Wilson also said aspirin has not been proven effective in warding off deep vein thrombosis.

Wilson may be contacted at the St. Mary’s medical clinic at (208) 962-3267.

Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail. com or (208) 983-2326.

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MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

CROPBUSTERS

X-tra

A field, a pheasant and a farmer Items for Cropbusters are taken from “The Edge,” Susan Engle’s popular daily column in The Lewiston Tribune.

Redneck ways

A Spokane man decided to head into the country to go pheasant hunting. He’s having a pretty successful morning until he plugs a big bird and it drops into a farmer’s field.

As the city guy goes into the field to get his pheasant, the farmer walks up and stops him. “That pheasant is on my farm and it belongs to me.”

The two start arguing. After 10 minutes, the farmer says, “Look, why don’t we settle this the way my daddy taught me.”

“What did your daddy teach you?”

“Well,” the farmer says, “when two good ole boys out here have a set-to, one

feller kicks the other one where it hurts as hard as he can. And then that feller, why, he kicks the other one as hard as he can ... you know, right where it hurts. Last man standing wins.”

The city man thinks for a bit, and then agrees and braces himself. The farmer hauls off and kicks him hard, dropping the man to the ground, where he writhes in intense pain for more than an hour.

Finally he staggers to his feet and says, “All right, n-now it’sit’s m-my turn.”

The farmer grins, “Aw, heck, you win.

Keep the bird.”

He who laughs last

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal brayed for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and

| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 19

the well needed to be covered anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

His neighbors came over to help him fill in the well. When the donkey realized what was happening, he brayed loudly, and then fell silent. After a few shovelfuls of dirt, the farmer looked into the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up.

This continued until the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off.

The usual moral of this story is: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells by never giving See Humor Page 20

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20 | Thursday, March 31, 2011 | MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE up. Shake it off and take a step up.

The Edge moral of this story is: The donkey later came back, walked up to the farmer and bit a chunk out of the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash became infected and the farmer died in agony from septic shock.

So what’s the moral? When you do something wrong and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.

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Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

107590_033107 84951H1-06

A Spokane farmer died and went to hell.

One day, the devil came by and noticed the farmer wasn’t suffering like the rest of the tormented. Satan checked the gauges and saw that it was 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity. He was puzzled, so he approached the farmer and asked him why he was so happy.

“I like it here,” the farmer said. “The temperature is just like plowing my fields in June.”

Well, that irritated Satan to no end, so he went over to the thermostat and cranked the temperature up to 100 degrees, with 90 percent humidity. He waited around just to see the farmer start sweating.

To Satan’s surprise, the farmer started whistling as if it was a mild spring day in the country. The devil approached and asked him how he liked the weather.

The farmer replied, “This is even better.

It’s like pulling weeds in the fields during July.”

The devil was now seriously ticked off.

He went over to the controls and cranked the heat to 120 degrees, with 100 percent humidity.

“Now let’s see what the farmer is up to,” he said to himself. Instead of wailing and gnashing his teeth, the farmer is kicked back in a lawn chair smiling with delight.

Satan poked him with his pitchfork and asked, “Why are you so happy?”

The farmer replied, “This is great. It’s just like working in the silo with my friends in August.”

Satan stormed off, vowing to make the farmer suffer one way or another.

This time, the devil turned the temperature down to 25 degrees, with no humidity.

“That’ll fix him,” he said to himself.

He went back to the farmer’s corner and was astonished to find the farmer jumping up and down, laughing and whooping.

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Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 21

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

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out, saw the crashed bus, and asked the old farmer, “Were they all dead?”

The farmer replied, “Well, some of them said they weren’t, but you know how them politicians lie.”

By the busload

A busload of politicians was driving down a country road one afternoon.

Suddenly, the bus went off the road and crashed into a tree in an old farmer’s field.

Seeing what happened, the old farmer went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole and bury the politicians.

A few days later, the local sheriff came

Got humor? The Edge and Cropbusters is always looking for items to make us laugh. Send your jokes and suggestions to Susan Engle, The Edge editor, at edge@lmtribune.com or to The Edge, 505 Capital St., Lewiston, ID 83501.

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“Hey Satan, come join the celebration!” the farmer called. “The Mariners just won the World Series.”

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22 | Thursday, March 31, 2011 |

Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

Parting shots: Farewell to winter The best of reader generated photos from lmtribune.com and DNews.com

Farm equipment rests in a snow-covered field east of Moscow, Idaho. The photo was taken by Cathy Lyman of Moscow.

Debbie Sherman captured this scene of the old barn on the Pullman-Moscow Highway.

We want your images!

A peaceful scene shot by Melinda Dutton, New Year’s Eve, near Pullman.

Submit your best farm and ranch images for publication! Go to DNews.com and click on “Send a File” and then “Reader Photo Submissions. Or check out lmtribune.com and click “Inland360 Snapshots.”

Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

Put your message in these hands ...

EVERY FARM & RANCH FARM TO MARKET ROAD NORTHWEST, USA

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

| Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 23

Farm and Ranch Northwest

New publication serves Northwest agriculture industry

Pend Oreille Ferry

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31 counties x 3 states x 16,000 copies Tribune Publishing Company, publisher of the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News, announces a new, quarterly publication to serve the Northwest agriculture industry.

It’s relevant and diverse

Spokane

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Northwest Farm and Ranch calls on the award-winning news staffs at the Tribune and Daily News, along with industry, extension and research experts, to inform growers and producers about best practices, newest equipment, latest research and the top seed, feeds and breeds, plus the humor and humanity of farm and ranch life today.

It’s got you covered

Umatilla Morrow

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Northwest Farm and Ranch will cover all corners of the Northwest ag industry. The aim is to be the one-stop resource for ag issues and events.

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Northwest Farm and Ranch is sent by direct mail and through newspapers to 16,000 farms, ranches, ag-related businesses and rural residents in three states.

Prints quarterly in March, June, September and November.

For more information, please contact: Craig

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Phone (208) 882-5561 ext. 227 or e-mail cstaszkow@dnews.com

Call today to be added to our mailing list!

24 | Thursday, March 31, 2011 |

Farm and Ranch | Spring 2011

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS / LEWISTON TRIBUNE

SEVEN AREA LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! WWW.LESSCHWAB.COM LEWISTON 1408 Main Street

GR ANGEVILLE 411 E Main Street

OROFINO 302 Johnson Avenue

COLFA X 215 W Walla Walla Hwy

LEWISTON - ORCHARDS 251 Thain Road

MOSCOW 1421 E White Avenue

PULLMAN 160 SE Bishop Boulevard

CLARKSTON 1468 Bridge Street

(208) 743-1594

(208) 746-2948

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(208) 882-3538

(208) 476-5589

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