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INSIDE Harvest on the Palouse

Schools versus county fairs

Farmers take advantage of high wheat prices

Districts adjust schedules so students can attend fairs, show projects

A special publication of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID Moscow, ID PERMIT NO. 455

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INSIDE Harvest on the Palouse

Schools versus county fairs

Farmers take advantage of high wheat prices

Districts adjust schedules so students can attend fairs, show projects

A special publication of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News

2 | Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 |

Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

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Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

| Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 | 3 Michael Largent transfers grain from a truck to a silo at Craig Cox’s farm west of Colfax on Aug. 25.

Sarah Mason Daily News

Farmers take advantage of high wheat prices “ Rust causes varied yields for the area By Sarah Mason

Daily News staff writer

The amber waves of grain on the Palouse yielded spotty results this year for farmers. Luckily, this may be a year everyone wins, thanks to the increase in wheat prices which are a result of fires and a drought in Russia. Bruce Baldwin, manager of Palouse Grain Growers, said that although the farmers who are a part of the cooperative saw poor yield this year, they may still see a profit because of pricing. “The short story is harvest is a disappointment mostly because we had average to below average at best and quality is the real unpleas-

ant surprise, it’s very much an off-quality year,” he said. “Fortunately, good prices are hanging in so that gives us a way to offset things.” White wheat prices this year are about $2 higher per bushel than a year ago, running at about $4.75 to $4.80, said Sam White, chief executive of Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative. Craig Cox, a farmer outside of Colfax, said he got polar opposite results this year. His yield turned out to be better than expected, he said. On his winter wheat fields of soft white wheat he harvested between 90 and 105 bushels per acre and about 60 bushels per acre of hard red spring wheat.

“My spring crop and winter wheat was above average,” Cox said. “The only thing I can attribute that to with my spring was I got my rust spray-dusted early.” Cox may have avoided one of the largest problems farmers found in their fields this harvest. White said between the late frost and moisture this spring, some farmers’ yield suffered from rust, a fungus that eats the wheat and shows in a rust-like color. The success of Palouse crops depended on the ability of farmers to spray their crops early to fend off the fungus. “I’ve had growers tell me this year that they cut some of the best harvest this year,” White said, “and some the worst they’ve ever cut was

... it’s very much an off-quality year,” he said. “Fortunately, good prices are hanging in so that gives us a way to offset things.” Bruce Baldwin Palouse Grain Growers manager

this year.” Some farmers weren’t as fortunate as Cox and didn’t have the opportunity to spray for rust early. Windy spring weather meant crop duster planes remained grounded during some of the prime

time to spray, White said. With most acres cut, farmers are either grinding down stubble or readying to mow some of it off. Without any ability to control the market or the weather, White said something farmers can be certain of in the near future are some delays on the Snake River with the dam system closing between December and March for repairs. For now, farmers like Cox have the tasks at hand to worry about. “I’m still kind of cleaning the ground up,” he said. “We’ll probably start seeding around the 20th of September. I’m busier now than ever.” Sarah Mason can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234, or by e-mail to smason@dnews.com.

4 | Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 |

Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

‘We are the true conservationists’ Eric Hasselstrom thinks farmers do well growing the large quantities of high quality grains they do, despite too much government intervention and regulation.

The latest issue is a national Winchester wheat grower says U.S. energy policies climate change policy to stem man-made greenhouse gas throw up roadblocks for the nation’s farmers By Kerri Sandaine Lewiston Tribune staff writer

WINCHESTER - Eric Hasselstrom says farmers, ranchers, loggers and miners are the real environmentalists in this country. “We are stewards of the land,� said the fourth-generation farmer. “We live off the land and want to leave it better off than when we started. We are the true conservationists.� What he doesn’t want is a growing number of government rules and policies telling him how to do his job, the 40-year-old grain grower said. And that’s exactly what happens when bureaucrats back East glom onto a theory, such as climate change or global warming, he said. “The people in Washington,

D.C., are making rules for the real environmentalists. Their rules restrict productivity. We grow the cheapest and healthiest food in the world and they just keep raising the bar beyond what’s realistic.� Hasselstrom, past president of Idaho Grain Producers Association, is chairman of the National Association of Wheat Growers Environment and Renewable Resources committee. Over the years, he has made about 15 trips to the nation’s capital to discuss agricultural issues with policymakers and various government officials. “What’s scary is the people in the Beltway don’t even listen to us. It’s gotten worse in the last two or three years. We do have good relationships with our Idaho delegation, and we appreciate that.�

emissions. Hasselstrom said he is advocating for legislation that makes sense and provides a net benefit to producers, but realizes energy policies are typically not good for agriculture. Many Idaho growers have told Hasselstrom they do not believe in climate change theory and there is a growing concern that the added costs of any legislation or government program will outweigh the benefits. “You have theory and you have reality, and they don’t match,� Hasselstrom said. “The initial idea may be great. Then they turn it over to a government entity and it all goes out the window. The government regulates everything. It hog ties you until you can’t

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Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

| Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 | 5

CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM

Landowners vary across the border Program aimed to protect natural habitats By Christina Lords Daily News staff writer

The federal Conservation Reserve Program, a tool farmers and landowners use to prevent land erosion, improve water quality and provide natural habitat for wildlife, takes on different emphases in neighboring Whitman and Latah counties. The program, a cost-share and rental payment program for millions of acres across the country run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, was established, as farmers know it today, in the Farm Bill of 1985. But many aspects of the CRP were established by legislation in the 1950s. Jim Knecht, the Latah County FSA executive director, said the agency has seen a recent decline in re-enrollment in the program for the county. He said part of the reason is that less of the acreage in the program is owned by farmers than by area professionals from the University of Idaho, Washington State

University and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. Gradually, they are moving their homes onto the rural property. In contrast, Whitman County has nearly 180,000 acres of CRP land and almost all of the acreage belongs to farmers with cropland in production, said Fred Hendrickson, a Whitman County CRP program technician. In Latah County, Knecht said a number of contracts expiring this year did not rebid because of that urban influence. “Many of these people bought land three to five years ago and were just taking care of ground in the CRP until it was up” for re-enrollment, he said. “We’ll continue to see that trend in the next several years as more urbanites move into the countryside.” Latah County has about 42,000 acres of CRP land — down over the last several years from a high just shy of 50,000 acres, Knecht said. “Latah County is probably more the exception to the rule than the norm

“

Latah County is probably more the exception to the rule than the norm simply because people ... work at WSU, they work at UI and at SEL. We’re really an anomaly that way.” Jim Knecht Latah County FSA executive director simply because people ... work at WSU, they work at UI and at SEL. These people live out in the countryside, but it happens to be CRP. We’re really an anomaly that way.” Meanwhile, in Whitman County, Hendrickson said the county has seen a steady amount of acreage in the program for the last three years. The CRP encourages farmers to con-

vert highly erodible cropland, such as steep embankments and hills and other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, Hendrickson said. Many people plant native grasses, trees, filter strips or riparian buffers instead crops under the program. Farmers receive an annual rental payment for the term of the multi-year contract — usually for 10 or 15 years. The average annual payment for Latah County residents is about $57 per acre, Knecht said. All participants in the CRP are required to adhere to all regulations on weeds to ensure neighboring property remains unaffected, he said. “Farmers have really accomplished an awful lot in the last generation with conservation,” Hendrickson said. “That can be really challenging when you have to pay your bills. The cost of production can be staggering ... You don’t know exactly where you’re going to be from year to year, and this has made a huge difference.” Christina Lords can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 301, or by e-mail to clords@dnews.com.

Beef specialist seeks life beyond reserve program WSU professor Donald Nelson says controlled cattle grazing can help rejuvenate grasslands By Eric Barker Lewiston Tribune staff writer

Donald Nelson wants to find alternatives to the Conservation Reserve Program that are not dependent on government support but still yield environmental benefits and landowners’ profits. The beef specialist for Washington State University extension says well-managed grazing of perennial grasslands is the answer. Nelson and a team of other WSU extension agents worked with a group of landowners in central and eastern Washington to see if CRP-type lands could be used to feed cattle while also rejuvenating grasslands that produced little digestible protein. Known as Beefing Up the Palouse, the two-year pilot

“

We have a lot of side benefits in terms of getting good healthy perennial grass stands, soil stability, (reduced) wind and water erosion, improved fertilization and water infiltration.” Donald Nelson Washington State University extension beef specialist was carried out in 2007, and 2008, and will be extended this year through 2012. “We are looking for alternatives that will produce revenue equal to or greater to what the CRP did and at the same time improve the resource in the

standpoint of ecoystem processes,” Nelson said. The Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers who qualify to leave marginal and highly erodible land out of crop production. Instead, it is planted with grass, trees and other

plants. The soil is stabilized, wildlife habitat is created and in many cases water quality is improved. But the federal government is reducing the number of acres of CRP land from about 39 million acres today to 32 million. Nelson said that, given economic constraints and efforts to reduce federal deficits, the acres eligible could decline further in the future. “There are some situations where the ground won’t be reenrolled and where people, for some reason or another want alternatives to the government program.” Through carefully managed grazing, he and his cooperators showed it is possible to turn a profit and achieve the same conservation objectives. The pilot project showed landown-

ers were able to make $38 to $48 per acre. They leased grazing rights and were paid based on the amount of weight cattle gained. Their profits compare to about $50 to $55 an acre that landowners can make by participating in the CRP program. Although profits were less than the government payments, Nelson said they could be boosted in the future if the grasslands can be rejuvenated so they produce forage that is more nutritious than the tall and indigestible grass often found on CRP ground. He also said things like leasing hunting rights, negotiating better weight-gain prices from livestock owners who graze their animals on the lands and perhaps even getting paid to sequester carbon could bring See BEEF, Page 6

6 | Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 |

Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

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in more revenue. Or landowners could own the cattle themselves rather than leasing grazing rights. That would increase their risk but could double or triple their profits. If landowners left the CRP program and used managed grazing they would be able to get their fields certified as organic. Most CRP lands have not been treated with chemicals for 10 to 15 years. “That is a valueadded product,� he said. The key to the whole idea is grazing the land and then leaving it free of animals long enough for the grass and other plants to recover. He envisions better biodiversity, improved soil stability, water infiltration and water-holding capacity. That in turn could recharge aquifers

and keep more water in streams that otherwise may go dry. “We have a lot of side benefits in terms of getting good healthy perennial grass stands, soil stability, (reduced) wind and water erosion, improved fertilization and water infiltration.� The planned grazing does take some infrastructure such as electric fences to keep cattle and other livestock in the right places and piping or pumping water to the sites. It also takes more intensive monitoring to make sure the land is not overgrazed. “When a plant is bitten, the goal is to have it bitten once and not have it bitten again until it recovers from the initial grazing, and the recovery period is going to vary.� he said. “You can’t do it by the calendar; you have to be on the ground and see what is happening. It takes a level of management higher than what

people are used to.� He said grazing can stimulate plants. For example, he said, before European settlement of western North American, in some places there were huge herds of buffalo. They tended to stay on one place and in tight groups to avoid predators. When grasses in those places were eaten down they would move on and might not return for a year. But when they did return, the grasses had regrown. “Plants need an opportunity to regrow their roots or you will have a weak plant that will die.� During the next phase of the experiment Nelson hopes to document the environmental benefits he envisions and perhaps see landowners make more money. Eric Barker can be reached at (208) 848-2273, or by e-mail to ebarker@lmtribune.com.

Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

| Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 | 7A

Spiders: Easily misunderstood creatures UI entomologist writes primer to help humans understand arachnids “At certain times of the year, the phone rings off the hook with people asking questions Their eight eyes peer at us about spiders,� he said. “People from under rotting wood or line up outside my door with mason and pickle jars containdark corners. They’re creepy. They’re ing suspect hobo spiders.� The 28-page, fullcrawly. Eight-legged, color guide, distributed furry creatures of the through the University night. of Idaho Extension Most, however, are Service, provides simply misunderstood. detailed rundowns They aren’t out to of the 10 most comcrawl in your nose and mon spider families in ear canal or bite you Idaho divided into two while you sleep. For ecological groupings: the most part, they’re Bechinski those that spin webs content to catch and to capture their prey eat the insects that really and those that don’t. Photos bug us. With his new publication, snapped by the author himself “Homeowner Guide to Spiders are included throughout the Around the Home and Yard,� guide for easy reference. There’s also a spider primer University of Idaho entomologist Ed Bechinski hopes to in case you’re wondering if the clear up some of the common creature that just ran across misconceptions surrounding your living room carpet is really a spider or a small dog. Part arachnids. By Kevin Gaboury

Lewiston Tribune staff writer

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three of the guide outlines the three poisonous spiders found in Idaho - the western black widow, the hobo spider and the yellow sac spider. The venerable brown recluse “DOES NOT OCCUR� in Idaho, the guide proclaims. “Even the two potentially most harmful spiders — the black widow and the hobo spider — rarely injure people in Idaho,� Bechinski writes. With his spider guide in the books, Bechinski is now working on a guide to beneficial insects, such as lady beetles and parasitic wasps. Kim Thompson/ Lewiston Tribune The professor is also the The only spider in our region that can cause a serious health author of homeowner guides to yellowjackets, bald-faced hazard is a female black widow spider, which has a distinctive red hornets and paper wasps; hour glass mark on it. bees; minor stinging insects; scorpions and their relatives; at: http://www.uidaho.edu/ Extension office. centipedes and millipedes; cals/news/feature/arachnid/ and pillbugs and sowbugs. spiders. Kevin Gaboury can be reached at His works can be downThey also can be purchased (208) 848-2275, or by e-mail to loaded and printed for free at any University of Idaho kgaboury@lmtribune.com.

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8 | Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 |

Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Scientists are trying to figure out how create a perennial version of grain plants, so annual planting isn’t required in some areas.

Mysterious perennials Researchers at WSU’s Mount Vernon center are working to develop grain varieties that would rebound year after year Unlike annual crops such as wheat, rice, corn, peas or sorghum — which This question intrigues collectively account for Stephen Jones and other about 70 percent of the human diet and a agricultural sciensimilar percentage tists at Washington of the world’s farmState University: land — perennials How do plants go dormant in windecide to live or die ter and pop back up — and once that in spring. They don’t hurdle is past, how die, thus eliminating do they go on livthe need for replanting? ing each year. “To us, it’s a Consequently, beautiful question,� Jones creating perennial said Jones, director of WSU’s Research and varieties of the most popuExtension Center at Mount lar cereals, legumes and oil Vernon. “There’s been so seed crops could reduce the little work done on it, very amount of fuel farmers need to grow food. Perennials little is known.� This life-or-death issue require less fertilizer and lies at the heart of the uni- herbicides as well, and by versity’s research on peren- some estimates use up to five times less water than nial grains. By William L. Spence

Lewiston Tribune staff writer

annuals. With substantially deeper and larger root systems, they also control erosion more effectively and help add biomass and nutrients back to depleted soils. This list of potential benefits is why some scientists say the development of perennial grains would rank among the greatest innovations since the dawn of agriculture 10,000 years ago. Jones isn’t willing to go quite that far, but he does think perennials would give farmers more options - particularly on marginal lands that have steep slopes, lower precipitation or other characteristics that make them

Barry Kough Lewiston Tribune

See PERENNIALS, Page 14

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Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

| Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 | 9

Cow poop: not just for fertilizer anymore Scientists say anaerobic digestion can help reduce greenhouse effect by conserving energy By Joel Mills Lewiston Tribune staff writer

WSU photo

This anaerobic digester at the Vander Haak Dairy in Lynden, Wash., is converting manure into both fuel and nutrient-rich fertilizer that could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. has been producing methane gas that is burned in a large Caterpillar engine to produce electricity. But the vast

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As many feedlot and dairy owners now know, cow poop isn’t waste, it’s energy. But researchers at Washington State University think they can use the increasingly common process of anaerobic digestion to reduce the greenhouse effect. “A lot of people look at an anaerobic digester as an energy technology, or an electricity technology,� said Chad Kruger, the interim director of the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. “And we’ve said that, yes, it’s a waste management technology that can produce electricity. But what it really is, is a fertilizer plant.� A digester at a Lynden, Wash., dairy

majority of Kruger’s research there has been focused on the recovery of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to

use as sustainable fertilizer. Most nitrogen fertilizers are made from fossil fuels, and therefore contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change. But biologically derived nitrogen fertilizers can displace traditionally produced fertilizers, Kruger said. Plus, if they’re produced on the farm, they could dramatically reduce production costs. “It’s a very significant emissions reducer, significant energy producer, and in quite a few cases, they’re very compelling projects from an economic standpoint,� Kruger said of anaerobic digesters. Over the last seven years, the center has been studying other technologies and strategies that could reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. One is using smarter tilling methods that keep carbon in the soil where it can help feed plants, and out of the air where it can trap heat and warm the planet. Over the last 500 years, but before See POOP, Page 13

10 | Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 |

Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Researcher: Controlling mites is key to saving bees WSU entomologist contends unchecked parasite invasion is leading cause of die-offs By Brad W. Gary Lewiston Tribune

Beekeepers have to fight pesticides and Colony Collapse Disorder to keep their colonies buzzing, but controlling the varroa mite may be the biggest challenge. Steve Sheppard, a professor of entomology at Washington State University, said the mites can kill a colony if left untreated over a number of years. Sheppard “The biggest problem for beekeepers remains controlling the mite,� he said. “If you control the mite, a lot of other problems ... the bees are able to deal with them.� Bee colonies continue to see higher die-off numbers. Beekeepers who lost 5 to 10 percent of their colonies a quarter-century ago are now losing 20 to 30 percent each winter.

The mites, which were introduced to the U.S. in the 1980s, can greatly harm a colony if beekeepers aren’t paying attention, Sheppard said. The mites have a short lifespan and quickly develop resistance to pesticides. Meanwhile, Colony Collapse Disorder continues to be a concern, Sheppard said, but the worst fears when the disorder popped up four years ago haven’t materialized. A recent paper, he said, suggested 61 different causes for the disorder. Entomologists have been watching the disorder since October 2006, when beekeepers across the country reported losing 30 to 90 percent of their hives, Varroa destructor mite according to the U.S. Department bee lifespan and susceptibility to of Agriculture. Also, Sheppard said WSU diseases. “Beekeepers now need to be researchers have been working on the lethal effects of over expo- much more aware of the health of sure to pesticides in bee colonies. their colony,� he said. Pesticides may not be immediately lethal, Sheppard said, but Brad Gary can be reached at (208) 848-2262, even sublethal doses can affect or by e-mail to bgary@lmtribune.com

Proposal: Calif. farmers could own water pipes 200,000 acres of tainted farmland would be retired By Garance Burke Associated Press

FRESNO, Calif. — The federal government is considering giving Central California farmers some massive water infrastructure to settle a lawsuit over drainage problems that killed birds and left farmland too salty for crops, according to a draft proposal obtained by The Associated Press. Shifting the cleanup cost to the private sector would save the federal government about $2.2 billion, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials said Wednesday. The complex deal could transfer the government’s stake in local pumps and drain pipes to some of the country’s biggest farming operations, according to a bureau letter detailing the legislative strategy for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. In exchange, farmers in the sprawling Westlands Water District and other nearby irrigators would retire a total of at least See PROPOSAL, Page 15

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Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

| Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 | 11A

Less impact, more beef WSU study finds beef industry has reduced its impact while improving its productivity By Elaine Williams Lewiston Tribune staff writer

A study paid for by beef producers has found the practices of ranchers and feedlots have reduced the environmental impact of the industry while productivity has increased in the last 30 years. In 2007, 13 percent fewer cattle were slaughtered than in 1977, but those animals yielded 13 percent more beef, according to research done by Jude Capper, an assistant professor of animal sciences at Washington State University in Pullman. At the same time, producers used 20 percent less food, 30 percent less land, 14 percent less water and 9 percent less fossil fuel than

30 years ago while decreasing carbon emissions by 18 percent. Capper’s work may have been in response to questions that are being raised about the beef industry in places such as an advertisement sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It shows a person eating what appears to be a hamburger with the caption “Feeding kids meat is child abuse. Fight the fat. GoVeg. com.� Capper included the ad in a presentation on her study in Denver earlier this summer. The way that the United States will meet its requirements for nutrient-rich protein and improve environmental stewardship will be

through using contemporary agricultural technologies, Capper said in a prepared statement. “These findings challenge the common misconception that historical methods of livestock production are more environmentally sustainable than modern beef production.� Capper didn’t examine the nutritional content of beef. The diet of cattle is basically the same now as it was in the 1970s, Capper wrote in an e-mail. Courtesy photo They live in pastures Jude Capper, assistant professor of animal sciences at Washington before being taken to feedlots where they consume State University, does research on beef yields of cattle. corn products along with some hay and soy, Capper wrote. “As nutritional content is largely determined by diet, no significant differences would have been expected.�

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Elaine Williams can be reached at (208) 848-2261, or by e-mail to ewilliam@lmtribune.com.

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12 | Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 |

Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

School versus county fairs Districts adjust schedules so students can attend fairs, show projects By Holly Bowen Daily News staff writer

With the Palouse Empire Fair in full swing this weekend and two more area county fairs set for this month, many local families must decide whether to keep their children in school or let them skip to participate in the annual agricultural festivities. Fair time brings both opportunities and pitfalls for rural schools, according to area superintendents. Michael Morgan, superintendent of the Colfax School District, said the fair is a good educational experience for students. He said it becomes a short field

trip where elementary school students learn about animals and other aspects of agricultural life. He said students skipping school to participate in or simply attend the fair isn’t a big problem in Colfax, where teachers are flexible with make-up assignments because they know so many children are busy at fair time. “I realize how much work kids put into their animals and the projects they do, and to be able to show them off to the community and their peers becomes a very important piece, also,� Morgan said. Schools encourage students to regularly attend class not just

for their own benefit, but because attendance affects how much money they eventually receive from the state. Tera Reeves, superintendent of the Whitepine Joint School District that serves Deary, Bovill and Elk River, said the district supports and encourages student participation in 4-H, FFA and county fairs, but it also adjusts its calendar to avoid a hit in average daily attendance. “We want to balance the need to have school in session with knowing that we are going to have high absenteeism during that time,� she said. The district declared this Friday, Sept. 17, a vacation day so students

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can attend the Latah County Fair, which runs this Thursday through Sept. 19. Colfax, Rosalia and Tekoa schools took Friday afternoon off to accommodate participation in the Palouse Empire Fair, which runs through Sunday. Genesee won’t have classes this Friday, and Potlatch and Troy schools have cancelled classes both Thursday and Friday. Kendrick and Juliaetta students will have this Thursday and Friday and Sept. 23 and 24 off, respectively, for the Latah and Nez Perce county fairs. Holly Bowen can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 239, or by e-mail at hbowen@dnews.com.

5

Ag businesses see increase in sales Increase attributed to wheat prices, good crops, federal programs By Yesenia Amaro Daily News staff writer

Managers of some area agricultural equipment and supply businesses say they have seen an increase in sales the past year or two because of high wheat prices, and sales can only get better if the economy picks up. “The economy is actually heading in the right direction,� Jesse Salinas said. “If it keeps on getting a little bit better, people will feel the liberty to spend money.� Salinas is the manager for D & B Farm & Home Stores in Lewiston. He said the business has already seen an increase this year, compared to last year. He said he didn’t have a specific percentage of the increase, but farmers are mainly purchasing oil for their tractors, plumbing and irrigation systems, among other small repair items for tractors. Salinas said he hopes the business will continue See SALES, Page 13

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Agriculture | Fall 2010

Poop from Page 9

the advent of the internal combustion engine, tilling of soils accounted for half of human-caused carbon emissions, according to one study. The burning of fossil fuels has pushed the proportion down, but turning the soil still accounts for a significant amount of carbon that is released into the atmosphere, Kruger said. No-till or reduced-till farming can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is released through oxidation, he said, and can increase the amount of carbon that is held in the soil. “The more organic matter you have in the soil, the more fertile the soil is,� Kruger said. “Organic matter works like a sponge. It contains nutrients, and those nutrients are then released for plant growth.� So-called conservation tilling practices also have the side effect of reducing direct emissions of greenhouse gases simply because farmers don’t have to drive their tractors as often. Kruger’s research team also looked at ways to use nitrogen

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

fertilizers more efficiently, no matter how they are produced. According to their study, the combination of direct nitrous oxide emissions and indirect carbon dioxide emissions from fertilizer manufacturing represents a substantial source of greenhouse gases. “We know we’re not very good at managing our nitrogen because it doesn’t tend to stay where we put it,� Kruger said. “It’s an essential nutrient, and a pollutant at the same time, depending on where it’s at.� Options to replace fossil-fuelderived fertilizer include the cultivation of legumes like peas and lentils, which naturally fix nitrogen in the soil, and the use of different manures and organic additives to the soil. Kruger and other WSU researchers hope to continue their work through two proposals submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including one that would form a partnership between Washington, Idaho and Oregon. The center’s entire study is available online at http://csanr. wsu.edu/CFF/.

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from Page 12 to see an increase in sales for the remainder of the year. Dennis Guettinger, sales manager for Columbia Tractor Inc. in Moscow, said the business has seen about a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in the sales of large farming equipment, but also has seen a 25 percent to 30 percent decrease in residential equipment, such as lawn mowers and small tractors. “We kind of saw that coming,� he said of the increase. Guettinger attributes the increased sales of large equipment to a good crop-

ping season, favorable pricing and federal government insurance programs to help farmers protect their crops. He said he doesn’t anticipate seeing a bigger increase. Doug Mann, general manager for Blue Mountain AgriSupport Inc. in Lewiston, said the business saw a 30 percent increase last year, compared to the previous year. He said farmers mainly bought combines. His business sold three of them for an average price of $340,000. But that did not come as a surprise. “We knew the (wheat) prices had gone up,� he said. “Just like any other ag-relat-

ed business, we are relying on the price of wheat mainly, and when the price is high, we all do a little better, just like the farmers do.� Mann said he didn’t know what kind of an increase the business has seen thus far this year, but he believes the sales are going to remain steady for now. Mike Parrish, general manager for Arrow Machinery Inc. in Colfax, said sales at the business have remained steady. But he said he hopes to see an increase in coming months due to the price of wheat and the good cropping season. “We are hoping to see more activity in the fall,� he said.

New news all day, every day.

Joe Mills can be reached at (208) 8830564, or by e-mail to jmills@lmtribune.

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14 | Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 |

Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Perennials

“

from Page 8

unsuitable for annuals. “The goal isn’t to beat annuals in a head-to-head competition,� Jones said. “Perennial grains aren’t the solution to everything. They’re one more tool in the large, complex system of agriculture.� Understanding why plants decide to be or not to be is an important step in developing that tool. From a biological standpoint, Jones said, it turns out to be a pretty straightforward issue. In wheat, for example, one narrow section of genetic code controls annualization. It can be switched on or off by crossing with a perennial wheat grass. That’s the easy part. The hard part comes in breeding plants that know how to live. “To continue to live, (perennials) have to do a few things,� Jones said. “They have to go dormant in the winter. They need to resist the cold. They need to be ‘smart enough’ to not start growing again in January. They need to grow and flower in the spring. That’s where the complexity comes in — knowing how to live. “ In this effort to breed perennial grains, researchers are essentially trying to reverse one of the first agricultural decisions ever made. Historically, all annual grains were developed from perennial stock, Jones said. They were natural mutations that the earliest farmers selectively bred over time. By favoring such attributes as high yield,

We’re saying there should be a push for perennials similar to the push for biofuels.� John Reganold WSU soil scientist ease of threshing and uniform ripening, they created the amber waves of grain that now cover the Palouse. “You can see once a field starts to (turn gold), it goes all at once,� he said. “The plants still have moisture, nutrients, everything they need to keep going — but they all die. Over the last 10,000 years, we’ve selected annual wheats that die very efficiently.� How to bring them back from that without losing all the benefits of an annual — that’s Jones’s beautiful question. Scientists on five continents are currently investigating perennial grains, he said. The hope is to develop varieties that can be mixed in with annual grains — so that farmers in the Palouse, for example, could plant perennials on steeper slopes but harvest them at the same time as their annual wheat. How long that will take is an open question. WSU soil scientist John Reganold recently co-authored a paper in the journal Science that estimated com-

mercial varieties could be available within 20 years — if more research and funding is directed at the problem. “We’re saying there should be a push for perennials similar to the push for biofuels,� Reganold said. “And even at that, it would take a very small percentage of the USDA’s research budget.� Roughly half the world’s population lives on the type of marginal lands where perennial grains would be most advantageous, he said. Given the lower input requirements and improved erosion control, even someplace like the Palouse could benefit. The overall wind and soil erosion in this region averages about nine to 10 tons of topsoil per acre, per year, Reganold said, although with no-till practices and other measures that can be reduced to almost nothing. On bare soil, some individual rain events could strip as much as 50 tons per acre. The root system on perennial wheat grass is two or three times as long as the root system on an annual grain. It’s much thicker as well. Besides holding the soil better, it reaches minerals and water that’s unavailable to the annuals, helping bring them to the upper layers. “The best soils in the world were under the native grasslands (in the Midwest),� Reganold said. “Those were all perennial grasses. That’s what we’d be mimicking with perennial grains.� Spence can be reached at (208) 848-2274, or by e-mail to bspence@lmtribune.com.

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Agriculture | Fall 2010

MOSCOWďšşPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Conservationists from Page 4

do your job.� Hasselstrom plans to attend a National Association of Wheat Growers meeting in Minneapolis this fall to discuss climate change and other hot agriculture topics with farmers throughout the country. “I am hoping the voice of reason will be heard in D.C. and nothing drastic is done in climate change legislation.� When he’s not on the road, Hasselstrom

Proposal from Page 10

200,000 acres of tainted farmland and bear the burden of cleaning up toxic runoff and thousands of acres of polluted soil. Westlands representatives and environmentalists alike blasted the proposal. One environmental group said the government’s latest plan would give away too many public facilities and wouldn’t

keeps busy raising 110 head of beef, 600 acres of hay, 1,200 acres of wheat and 500 acres of barley. He said the biggest headache of his multifaceted job is trying to influence agriculture policy. But he’s not giving up. He believes it is important to be involved and help represent Idaho farmers rather than complain and do nothing about the policies that could threaten his livelihood. “I’d rather pick rocks or build fence than put on a suit, but somebody’s got to do it.�

| Weekend, September 11 & 12, 2010 | 15

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take enough cropland out of production. “You can’t irrigate this land without creating toxic pollution, bottom line,� said Tom Stokely, a water policy analyst with the nonprofit California Water Impact Network. “Taxpayers shouldn’t give up that kind of public investment, especially because there is no insurance that the plan will actually work.� Westlands is the nation’s largest irrigation district and includes giants of agribusiness,

such as Harris Farms, one of California’s biggest farming operations, and Tanimura & Antle, the nation’s top lettuce grower. Despite this year’s plentiful rains, the agricultural basin has been hit hard by years of drought. “There is nothing in the proposal that would help them with their drainage problem or to improve water reliability,� said Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf. “We will probably be in court about this.�

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MOSCOWPULLMAN DAILY NEWS

Agriculture | Fall 2010

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