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Cattlemen’s association says USDA’s strategy to ship product from South America puts U.S. animals at risk of disease | 12A 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 Tribune Publishing Company Advertising Director Angela Kay at 208.848.2251 or akay@lmtribune.com. Editorial suggestions and ideas can be sent to Lee Rozen at lrozen@dnews.com or Doug Bauer at dbauer@lmtribune.com.
Washington professor shaking up the winemaking industry New study debunks popular belief that hue of grapeseeds affect tannin levels | 14A
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Is it time to close Idaho’s open range? Rancher’s death in Adams County spurs longstanding debate By Kathy Hedberg Lewiston Tribune staff writer
Some are calling Idaho’s open range laws into question in the wake of the shooting death of an Adams County rancher after motorists hit his bull that was loose on the highway. Western Watersheds Project’s Idaho Director Ken Cole said the laws were written solely to protect a special class of people, and adds that it is unlikely Council rancher Jack Yantis would have died during an altercation with sheriff’s deputies Nov. 1 “if it was the responsibility of the ranchers to keep livestock off of public highways.” Farm and ranch representatives, however, say Cole’s assertions are absurd and that blaming Yantis’ death on the state’s open range law is, according to the Idaho Farm Bureau, an “attempt to make political gain from a tragic accident (that is) despicable, sickening and crass.” “An open range or herd law would not have kept the bull in the pasture,” said cattle rancher Doug Boggan, a for-
mer board member of the Idaho Cattle Association. His ranch borders U.S. Highway 95 a couple of miles south of Riggins. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a herd law or open range — animals don’t read the law. Animals … are going to escape their confines occasionally. What I see open range (law) saying is simply who’s liable.” According to Idaho’s open range law, which dates back to the 1880s, the owner of any domestic animal running on open range is not liable for damage to any vehicle or injury to a motorist caused by a collision between the vehicle and the animal. “Open range” is defined as all unenclosed (unfenced) lands outside of cities, villages and herd districts where cattle, “by custom, license, lease or permit” are permitted to graze or roam. The law adds that the owners of livestock lawfully on any highway shall not be guilty of negligence in the case of an accident. “The situation in Adams County is
tragic for everybody involved,” Cole said. “There’s been a lot of criticism that this is a rural issue that should be only addressed by rural people. But everybody uses these highways; people from all over the world drive Idaho’s highways and they’re put at risk of people’s property being on the highways and I really think that should change.” Cole said most people don’t understand why these open range laws exist and find them unfair. In Western states that have open range laws, people have frequently been injured or killed because livestock is allowed to graze and roam freely on state highways. “There are several questions that need to be answered here,” Cole said. “Did Yantis die because he felt emboldened by Idaho’s open range laws to confront the deputies who were about to kill his prized bull for the protection of themselves and bystanders? Do Idaho’s open range laws inflate the sense of entitlement felt by an elite class of people and put lives at risk unfairly? Is it unfair to require landowners to fence livestock off of their property rather than require livestock owners to keep livestock fenced off of other’s property?
“For me, I think it is time for these laws to be drastically changed and for the responsibility to be placed on the owners of the livestock where it belongs. It is not the job of the state to ensure the profitability of ranchers; it is the job of the state to ensure that its citizens are safe.” Idaho County Commissioner Skip Brandt said when he served in the Idaho Legislature a decade ago, the issue of repealing the open range law was posed several times. “It didn’t go anywhere,” Brandt said. “We are still an agricultural-based state and it is a matter of protecting the folks. If you’re running 200 cows and you have a pasture next to a road, nature is going to happen and there are times that (cows are) going to get out.” Although Brandt does not advocate repealing the law, he does believe the state should address designating herd districts that require livestock to be inside a fence along any road with a speed limit of 45 mph or more. Brandt added the law could be changed to address landowners whose animals frequently get out of their See Range, Page 5A
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New voice for Idaho grain producers Stacey Katseanes Satterlee takes helm at state association By Kathy Hedberg Lewiston Tribune staff writer
The new head of the Idaho Grain Producers Association said she learned about farming on the seat of a tractor working for her father to help pay for college. Stacey Katseanes Satterlee, 35, took over as executive director of the association in October after former director Travis Jones left to work for Idaho Congressman Rep. Mike Simpson. Satterlee, who grew up near Pocatello and spent 10 years in Washington, D.C., working for Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and a variety of agriculturefocused associations, said her return to Idaho places her in the state and the industry she knows and loves best. “I love working in agriculture so I was really happy to be able to return to it,” Satterlee said. “The people we represent are truly the best kind of people. I think really highly of people who grow food for the world. I was really excited to be able to get back and work on agriculture issues that I feel passionately about.” Satterlee said her background working in the nation’s Capitol on policy issues helps her appreciate how important it is for farmers to have a voice on the state and national levels. But first, she is getting acquainted with the job and the people she will be working with to advance the industry’s goals, especially when the Idaho Legislature convenes in January. “It’s been a really intense first couple of months getting up to speed,”
Satterlee said. Some of the issues facing grower groups in the coming year have to do with transportation, the farm bill, immigration policy and water rights. “Water is a huge Satterlee issue and that’s important for Idaho grain growers to have a seat at that table,” she said. Other priorities for the grain association include guiding the implementation and education of farmers with the new farm bill; working with the Legislature to maintain funding for wheat and barley research and extension, supporting water, property and privacy rights, and proposing legislation to protect farmers from being forced into a legal process based on citizen complaints over unfounded environmental violations. Crop insurance, especially in light of the significant crop losses due to wildfires and drought the past two years, are among the concerns she will be tackling. In the past couple of months, Satterlee said, there has been more interest on biotechnology and genetically modified organisms. “This list goes on and on,” she said. “I want to work with growers and be their voice at the statehouse and Capitol.” Kathy Hedberg can be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.
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pasture and roam on the roads. “Generally most ranchers want to do what’s right,” Brandt said. “They want to keep them in. … But you get the bad apples that are just too damn lazy to take care of their critters and that’s the people that we’ve got to address somehow.” The Idaho Transportation Department keeps track of vehicle crashes caused by animals on the highway, but the data does not sort out domestic livestock from wild animals such as elk or deer. Steve Grant, public information officer for the department, said about 25 percent of animal-caused crashes are domestic livestock, including cows, horses, sheep, dogs and others. In 2014, according to the department, there were 10 serious injury crashes involving animals on the highway; 64 visible injury crashes where law enforcement or emergency services were called to the scene; 69 crashes in which officials were not summoned; and 934 property damage crashes. Grant said the onus is on the driver to be aware of the risks of colliding with animals on the highway. “We try to inform (people) that
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Idaho is an open range state,” Grant said. “It’s in our driver’s manual — there’s a section that addresses that. And I believe it’s also a question on the written test. “We want people to pay attention out there. We just want people to get home safe.” Rancher Boggan said, despite what the law says, most of the time when a motorist hits livestock on the road, both parties assume the loss. In reality, he said, the open range law serves more as a way for insurance companies to assess responsibility for an accident. “From my standpoint as a rancher, I do everything in my power to keep the cows off the road unless I’m going to drive them,” Boggan said. “But gates get left open or bulls fight and knock it down; people leave gates open and animals are going to be there occasionally. “To have an all-inclusive herd law across the state sure doesn’t work in almost any of these rural areas. … If you really wanted to do something about animals, we’d need the state highway department to do a better job of how they funnel elk and deer through.” Kathy Hedberg can be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.
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Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Milking every drop out of an educational experience WSU students learn how to produce milk, handle cows By Terri Harber Daily News staff writer
The Cooperative University Dairy Students at Washington State University manage and maintain a herd of dairy cattle — 40 cows and heifers. “It takes 10 lbs. of milk to produce one pound of cheese,” said John McNamara, the CUDS adviser for the past 16 years. He has been with WSU for more than 30 years and is currently an Emeritus Professor of Animal Sciences. Milk produced within this section of the WSU Knott Dairy is used for WSU’s speciality cheeses. The WSU creamery creates three varieties: Cougar Gold, Natural Viking and Natural Cheddar. All three types come in 18-oz decorative tin packages and a portion of the proceeds from sale of WSU Creamery items is used for educational support of Food Science students. Cougar Gold, a white cheddar, is the best known and said to have a
nutty flavor. Before Christmas, this flavor was sold out. More of it should be available in January. Not that long ago, members of the American Dairy Association came to WSU to taste its cheeses. “They said it was the best cheese they ever had,” McNamara said proudly. It’s important for milk used in these cheeses to have a neutral flavor so the cheese makers can have maximum control of the taste of their products. The cows are fed a bland diet to ensure no additional flavor notes end up in the high-protein, high-fat milk used to make the cheeses, he said. Here’s something else to chew on: The group is called CUDS for short. A sly smile forms on McNamara’s face when someone points it out to him. And not just because it’s a cute acronym. There are other similar student dairy programs around the country. The operation has been deemed as being in the top 1 percent of herds in the country for production and
Geoff Crimmins/Daily News
Washington State University junior Chandler Byington milks cows at the Knott Dairy Center in Pullman. Byington is president of the WSU Cooperative University Dairy Students. genetics. Earlier this year, one of their cows was judged to be excellent by the Holstein Association.
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“Many people think antibiotics make their way about what they do there and presents it to the into milk but that’s not the case. We test samples reviewers. to make sure the milk is free of these substances,” Exceptional training and experience is needed McNamara said. “Milk is one of the most checked as the dairy industry continues growing. Learning food products in the world and there’s a large by doing it as part of a family business has become amount of testing.” less common, however. It’s an industry in which diligence, patience “Fewer and fewer students are coming from and the ability to analyze and troubleshoot are all farms,” he said. paramount. McNamara himself grew up in Chicago, a long Operating a dairy also requires willingness way from a farm or ranch. A family friend had a to work hard. Keeping pens, milking areas and farm. When he visited, he’d milk the cows. every area clean where the “I loved it,” he said. “And cows spend time is extremely when I went to college, I became important to ensuring cows are enamored with research.” healthy. McNamara will be retiring Once a year they compete at the end of this academic against other similar student year and was recognized with a groups in a management and Zoetis Physiology Award from observational exercise in which the American Dairy Science the students analyze an existAssociation for his contributions ing dairy operation and provide in the areas of dairy physiology feedback. They do very well. and nutrition. “CUDS graduates manage “It’s kind of like a lifetime some of the largest dairies in achievement award,” he said. the state. It’s a personal and He hopes many of the stuprofessional development prodents who have been involved John McNamara gram,” McNamara said. with the cooperative are able to CUDS adviser at WSU More than a dozen dairy feel the same sense of accomstudents volunteer their labor and knowledge to plishment in their chosen field. conduct day-to-day dairy duties such as milking, One of the CUDS participants, Teresa Erwin, feeding, keeping records, maintaining the cattles’ who grew up in the Seattle area, said she had been quarters, heat detection and artificial insemina- interested in a career focused on small animals tion. until she had the chance to spend time around cows CUDS is reviewed annually by dairy industry at the dairy. She hadn’t been around the animals professionals. Each member prepares a report before. But now she plans to pursue a career in
“
CUDS graduates manage some of the largest dairies in the state. It’s a personal and professional development program.”
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Moscow-Pullman Daily News
FDA seeks to ease fears of antibiotic use in livestock Recent regulations designed to provide more oversight of drug usage By Calley Hair Lewiston Tribune staff writer
Resist the hype surrounding antibiotic use in livestock. A recent release from Consumer Report critical of using antibiotics on animals has fanned the fire surrounding the fear that such practices lead to “super bugs,” or antibiotic-resistant infection. While this fear should encourage more investigation and oversight, consumers should not rush to demand completely antibiotic-free livestock, said Dr. David Rustebakke of Clarkston’s Rustebakke Veterinary Service. “I think it’s wrong to let an animal die of an infection that can be easily treated. To deny producers access to any antibiotics at all is not, in my mind, a viable option,” Rustebakke said. “There has to be a middle ground.” Tightening regulations from the Food and Drug Administration have reduced the risk of drug abuse in recent years. In June, the FDA announced that all antibiotic admin-
istration must be supervised by a licensed veterinarian, not just by the producer. “This strategy will bring the use of these drugs under veterinary supervision so that they are used only when necessary for assuring animal health,” according to a FDA news release. “(The) final rule takes another important step by facilitating veterinary oversight in a way that allows for the flexibility needed to accommodate the diversity of circumstances that veterinarians encounter, while ensuring such oversight is conducted in accordance with nationally consistent principles.” The administration is also phasing out antibiotic use solely for production purposes, i.e., animal growth, not animal health. By requiring a third party to prescribe the medication, the hope is that antibiotic use will only increase health, not profit margins. Antibiotic use in livestock is subject to a strict monitoring process to track resistance to the drugs and to ensure the risk to human health is negligible. Livestock that ingest antibiot-
ics are subject to a withdrawal time before slaughter, Rustebakke said. This minimizes the risk of antibiotic residue in the meat that actually lands on supermarket shelves. This wasn’t always the case, he said. “There’s always been withdrawal times, but they’ve not necessarily been enforced well,” he said. Fears over how antibiotic abuse in animals can affect human health have driven regulatory action, according to the FDA. Drug companies are required by law to print the appropriate withdrawal time on their label, and meat producers must keep printed records of compliance to those times. Rustebakke said the recent scrutiny from the public and fear surrounding antibiotic-resistance drugs have upped the oversight in recent years, and with good reason. The Consumer Report study found that 80 percent of all antibiotics are consumed by animals for livestock, and that the use of antibiotics has contributed to a rise in resistant disease. “I know it’s really a hot-button
topic, but the regulations are there and they’re really well enforced,” Rustebakke said. “All of the antibiotics we use have very specific guidelines for how they can be used.” He said he is actually grateful the public has become increasingly critical of antibiotic use in livestock. For finding a middle ground, scrutiny is key. “People get this idea that antibiotic use in animals is bad so let’s ban it completely,” Rustebakke said. “It’s probably good to have those people on the end, because it forces the producers and the regulatory industries to really pay attention to that.” With continued collaboration between livestock producers, veterinarians, local and federal oversight, and label-savvy consumers demanding safe practices, it is possible to minimize reckless antibiotic use while promoting animal health, he said. “They’re trying to do the best for their livestock, but they’re also trying to produce a product that’s acceptable and safe for the consumer,” Rustebakke said. Calley Hair can be contacted at city@lmtribune. com.
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A screenshot of the Kitsap Fresh website is shown. Kitsap County farmers in Washington sell their products online to make purchasing easier for customers.
A growing market for locally produced goods Online sales a new way for farmers to reach customers By Samantha Malott Daily News staff writer
A growing trend in the shop local movement is allowing farmers to reach customers online rather than only at markets or co-ops. Laura Ryser, community and economic development specialist with the Washington State University Kitsap County Extension, is serving as a mentor from the university to the Kitsap Fresh online farmers market that was created last spring. Ryser has also helped secure funding for the program, including a $105,533 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We saw there was a really big need to include an additional market for local food producers to be able to sell their food,” Ryser said. In Kitsap County, farmers markets are the primary way for producers to sell to local consumers, but farmers wanted to be able to reach a bigger customer base. Online sales do just that. “This is happening in many, many places,” she said. Idaho’s Bounty, based in Boise, for example, is using the Internet for large scale distribution to local consumers, as well as a fair amount of wholesale to restaurants, she said. “I think in most places there is absolutely a world for this,” she said. Ryser said communities need to look at where the farmers want to sell, if they currently have enough places
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to sell their products and if customers have easy access to the products. Each week the producers have a few days to enter in what products are available and at what quantities into the online market, she said. The online market then opens for a few days for consumers to make purchases. When the market closes, the producers gather all the purchased products and bring them to the drop-off/pick-up location where volunteers from Kitsap Fresh package orders, she said. Ryser said each producer sets his or her own prices and a 13 percent fee is charged to the consumer for processing costs. Product prices come out similar to a farmers market, she said. “So far it just seems like the people who are regular customers are loving it because they have built it into their schedule and are getting good produce they trust,” she said. “For the farmers, it is really very easy as long as the drop-off place is close enough. It might not be worth it for a small order.” It also can benefit sellers, as they don’t have harvest or prepare any of their products until they are purchased, she said. Some other online markets do home delivery. She said the online markets are meant to compliment and not compete with farmers markets and co-ops, she said. Samantha Malott can be reached at (208) 8834639 or by email to smalott@dnews.com.
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Moscow-Pullman Daily News
El NiĂąo may help wheat Previous warm, wet weather patterns were great for Washington wheat farmers By Josh Babcock Daily News staff writer
The National Weather Service is projecting El NiĂąo weather conditions for the Pacific Northwest this winter, and for Palouse farmers the increased temperatures and heavy rainfall may offer a boost to their crops. Director of Communications and Producer Relations for the Washington Grain Commission Scott Yates said farmers have benefited in past years from the El NiĂąo weather pattern with an increase in wheat yields and overall production. Yates said the region has experienced the weather pattern two other times in the past 30 years, including the winter of 1982-83 and the winter of 1997-98. He said 1983 was a record-
breaking year in Washington state, where farmers averaged 64.2 bushels of wheat per acre. In 1998, farmers produced 61.4 bushels per acre, Yates said, noting in 2014 the average across the state was 50.4 bushels per acre. “Things are looking good for the wheat growers,� Yates said. He said the warm temperatures allow for the heavy precipitation to soak into a thawed-out ground rather than resting on frozen ground and being lost to runoff, which is what can happen during regular years. With this summer’s extremely dry and hot conditions, Yates said, the soil is in dire need of moisture, especially on the Palouse, where farmers are even more dependent on rain.
“Lots of things can happen, but right now things are looking up,� Yates said. At Washington State University, Arron Carter, a winter wheat researcher, is working to create a breed of wheat that can withstand poor weather and produce a larger yield. Carter said while there is not much snow forecast for the winter, sometimes snow can be a good thing for wheat. A winter when plants are snow-covered is known as a closed winter, and times without snow is referred to as an open winter. “When the snow is on the ground it creates insulation — so right there at the surface level where the plants are warm, there can be a water layer on the surface,� he said. “Typically, snow cover is better,� Carter said, “but it See Wheat, Page 12A
Geoff Crimmins/Daily News
Winter wheat grows in a field between Colfax and Pullman on Dec. 15.
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12A | Saturday, December 26, 2015 |
Northwest Farm and Ranch
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Foot and mouth fears arise over plan to import beef Cattlemen’s association says USDA’s strategy to ship product from South America puts U.S. cattle at risk of disease By Calley Hair Lewiston Tribune staff writer
Washington’s cattle ranchers are rearing up against a recent decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would allow the import of beef from northern Argentina and parts of Brazil, claiming it exposes their livestock to a dangerous disease. “The risk is far too great,” said Jack Field, executive director of Washington Cattlemen’s Association. “We don’t believe the USDA has done adequate due diligence in implementing adequate safeguards.” The ailment in question, foot and mouth disease, is a highly contagious viral disease that causes fever and blisters in cattle, pigs and other cloven-footed animals, according to a fact sheet from the USDA. While the disease was eradicated in the United States nearly 90 years ago, it remains a persistent problem in other regions of the world. Yet the fears that the fresh source of imports could expose domestic livestock to foot and mouth disease are unfounded, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “Our import decisions are based on scientific principles, and thorough evidence-based risk assessments,” said Donna Karlsons, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service pub-
Wheat from Page 10A
49
BLOWOUT SPECIALS
degrees, however, at that temperature, Carter said, it can be difficult because the plant has put so much into surviving the winter it has no energy left to produce a reasonable yield. Carter said wind, though, can be the worst for wheat. Wind desiccates the plant, and in times of blowing dust, thrown soil can serve as a sandblaster that pelts and damages the plant, he said. Despite the National Weather Service’s El Niño forecast, neither Yates nor Carter knows how the weather this winter will actually shake out. “If you believe the weatherman, we’re not going to get super cold this year,” Carter said. “But we all know they are not 100 percent correct.” Josh Babcock can be reached at (208) 883-4630 or by email to jbabcock@dnews.com.
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depends on air temperature. If air temperatures don’t get low, then it doesn’t matter.” As of Dec. 14, he said this year he has yet to see any extremely low temperatures that would harm any of the different wheat lines he is researching in the field. “By about 15 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s when we start worrying the susceptible varieties start to take a hit,” Carter said. In his research, he screens different winter wheat varieties between about negative 4 degrees to 17 degrees. In some cases he has screened varieties in temperatures as cold as negative 11
lic affairs specialist. “APHIS conducted multiple site visits to each country with an expert team of specialized veterinarians to confirm that surveillance, prevention and control mechanisms are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of (foot and mouth disease) entering the U.S.” The announcement marks the first step in opening these regions to U.S. beef markets, which boasts the most beef consumers in the world and the fifth highest consumption per capita. “Open markets are key to providing export opportunities for U.S. commodities,” Karlsons said. But according to Field, the domestic risk of exposure isn’t worth ecoLewiston Tribune nomic advantages overseas. The USDA says its regulations and scientific research will protect against Foot and “If we had foot and mouth disease Mouth Disease from infecting American livestock, including pigs. in the United States, it would completely devastate the livestock industry,” Field said. “It’s completely non- slaughtered in the relevant region Furthermore, the beef shipped to the where foot and mouth disease has not U.S. cannot have shared premises discriminate.” The monetary ramifications would been diagnosed for at least one year. with any other cattle diagnosed with be severe indeed. A December 2013 consequence assessment from the USDA determined that an outbreak of the disease would cost the industry between $2.8 billion and $4 billion. To mitigate this risk, cattle farmers in Brazil and Argentina will be required to meet certain conditions in order to continue shipping chilled and frozen beef to the U.S., Karlsons said. The animals must be born, raised and Size Blowout Price
Northwest Farm and Ranch
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
| Saturday, December 26, 2015 | 13A
Mother Nature knows best
the disease in their lifetime. 19 percent of the world’s supply, As a final precaution, all beef Brazil follows closely behind at 16 must be matured for 24 hours before percent. Argentina is the sixth largentering the counest producer of the try to inactivate world’s beef, conany potential foot tributing nearly 5 and mouth virus. percent. “Argentina and Field said he’s Brazil have the concerned about necessary legal what flooding the framework, animal market with imports health infrastruccould do to already ture, movement depressed beef pricand border controls, es. He said some diagnostic capabiliof Washington’s ties, surveillance cattle raisers have programs and been hanging on to emergency response their cows longer Jack Field capacity to detect, Washington Cattlemen’s Association than they normally control and report would to try to wait executive director FMD in the event out the slump. of an outbreak,� “I don’t know if Karlsons said. we’ve found the bottom yet,� Field Despite these precautions, said. domestic cattle raisers remain While he’s worried about the unconvinced. effect on the cattle market, he said “From the outside looking in, I his primary concern remains the certainly don’t see an adequate level exposure of foot and mouth disease. of safeguards there,� Field said. “The number one concern of From an economic standpoint, the (Washington Cattlemen’s opening up beef markets to Brazilian Association) is looking at the health and Argentinian imports could hurt of the animals,� Field said. domestic cattle raisers. While the United States remains Calley Hair can be contacted at city@lmtribune. the No. 1 producer of beef at nearly com.
Keeping the beef warm, healthy all winter a priority
“
By Shanon Quinn Daily News staff writer
From the outside looking in, I certainly don’t see an adequate level of safeguards there.�
As the cold air dips into the valleys of the Palouse and glittering white flakes cover its rolling hills with a thick blanket of snow, two-legged animals tend to make their way to warmer climes — even if only as far as the living room heater. Four-legged animals, like cattle, don’t have that luxury. The outdoors, from January to December, is their living room. With a bit of effort and a close eye on diet and accommodations, the bovine outside can remain comfortable. “If an animal has adequate nutrition it will survive some devastating weather,� said Steve Parish, professor of large animal internal medicine at Washington State University. Parish, who has been a veterinarian for 40 years, said ensuring livestock have a healthy diet is a valuable preventive action a farmer can take in the winter. “The most important thing is we feed them quality hay, and quality hay
means it’s adequate in protein and energy,� he said. Parish said to ensure the quality of hay, ranchers can send samples to a laboratory and have them tested. “The analysis will say whether or not that hay is adequate in protein and energy,� he said. “If it’s not, then the farmer or rancher can take that information and think about how they can supplement that hay.� Supplements to a cow’s diet can mean many things, from the addition of a higher quality of hay to a feed supplement. “There are multiple supplements that farmers can get,� Parish said. “One of the most common things are what our ranchers would call a protein tub. Basically it’s a large tub of a supplement that’s often based with molasses and has other materials in it that contain both protein and energy to the cows.� The importance of adequate and quality feed have more impact than simply keeping the cattle full. See Best, Page 14A
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14A | Saturday, December 26, 2015 |
Northwest Farm and and Ranch
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Washington professor shaking up the winemaking industry New study debunks popular belief that hue of grape seeds affect tannin levels By Calley Hair Lewiston Tribune staff writer
Winemaking is a notoriously finicky process. But a recent study by James Harbertson, a Washington State University professor of enology, indicates that winemakers may have one less thing to worry about: seed color. According to the study, the hue of grape seeds doesn’t impact the tannin levels, or astringency, in the resulting wine. These findings could debunk a popularly held belief in the industry, although Harbertson said he doesn’t expect an immediate effect on winemaking practices.
“It still pretty much is industrywide. I’m not sure if our study will make a big dent in that,” Harbertson said. He and his graduate student, Federico Casassa, set out to investigate the link between color and tannins expecting to confirm the connection. The traditional theory was that green seeds from immature grapes would impart more tannins into the wine, creating the bitterness and astringency that many drinkers would rather avoid. “We were kind of the same opinion as the rest of the wine industry,” Harbertson said. “If the seed color is a See Shaking, Page 15A
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A calf lies in a stall in a barn at Washington State University’s Knott Dairy Center in Pullman.
Best
from Page 13A “With cattle, it’s really important when those days get into the single digits to give them a little extra food. If they have a little more fat, that helps them out, it keeps them warm,” said Bev Shirts, beef unit manager at the University of Idaho. Shirts said the simple act of digestion in a cow also creates additional heat to keep the winter chill out. “Cattle that are in good nutrition generally have good hair coats, and if they have good hair coats, they’re able to withstand the wet and the cold that they would be subjected to,” Parish said. Another way to keep the cows warm is to provide a space of shelter from the winter elements, Parish said. It’s wind chill, he added, that causes the most
problems. “Cattle can take a lot of cold, they can take a lot of snow, they can take a lot of rain,” he said. “... As long as they have something like a windbreak or a barn or a lean-to or trees or a brush patch or something like that where they can get out of the wind, it’s amazing how much of a cold temperature they can take.” As with all other seasons, the cattle management plan remains of utmost importance during the winter, which means providing fresh, unfrozen water at regular intervals and a mineral block, which is like a One-A-Day multivitamin for cattle. The trick, Shirts said, is the quality of care the animals receive. “As ranchers, we know if we take care of them, they’ll take care of us,” she said. Shanon Quinn can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to squinn@dnews.com.
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Shaking from Page 14A
big important thing, then we can really put it to the test.� The results were a surprise, he said. So much so that they repeated the experiment the following year with the same outcome. “It didn’t matter,� Harbertson said. “The amount of tannins you had in wine didn’t change.� To investigate the link between seed hue and tannin levels, Harbertson and Casassa created different batches of wine from grapes with seeds ranging in color from green to brown in their Prosser, Wash., facility. To isolate seed color as the tested variable, they had to control for fruit maturity and alcohol levels. “If you have more alcohol in the wine, it tends to extract more seed tannins,� Harbertson explained. The pair also added sugar or water to the fruit to mimic the sugar levels at different points in grape maturities. For the sake of the experiment, they increased their maceration period, or time spent soaking the grapes to extract the tannins, to 30 days. This would help to highlight any differences in tannin levels between green and brown seeds. “Thirty days is a long time. If some-
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
thing were going to change, it would change,� Harbertson said. In a blind taste test, subjects couldn’t detect a change in astringency based on seed color. “People behave like instruments and actually rate the attributes of the wine,� Harbertson said. “They couldn’t tell any difference.� The industrywide belief that seed color dictates tannin levels originated from a study conducted in Australia linking browner, riper seeds to lower astringency, Harbertson said. There was a gaping hole in those studies, he said. “The people who did the experiment never actually made any wine,� Harbertson said. In spite of this, Harbertson said, the winemaking community is slow to accept a challenge to the pre-established notion that seed color is an effective way to predict astringency. “It’s very difficult to change their opinion about that. I’m getting a little push back,� Harbertson said. “I’ve caught no end of hell from winemakers who have read these results and gone, ‘bah.’ � The response may be slow, but winemakers are starting to take notice of their findings. At a recent conference in which he presented the results of the study, the crowd was receptive and interested to learn more about how the
| Saturday, December 26, 2015 | 15A
Winemaking equipment from WSU’s Prosser, Wash., facility is shown. study could impact their own harvesting practices, Harbertson said. “I kind of expected the audience would chuck tomatoes at me or something,� he said with a laugh. “This is why the experiment wasn’t done to begin with.� Sweeping change across the industry will require more investigation into the (possibly nonexistent) link between seed color and wine taste. Harbertson hasn’t
Courtesy WSU
entirely written off examining seeds to help predict the qualities of a wine. “We like the idea of looking at the seeds,� Harbertson said. “We just don’t think people need to worry about tannins and the extraction of them versus ripe or unripe.� Calley Hair can be contacted at city@lmtribune. com.
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16A | Saturday, December 26, 2015 |
Northwest Farm and Ranch
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
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DAVENPORT, Wash. — Along a blustery rural highway, foresters from Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are proving that living snow fences — windbreaks made of live trees — can protect Northwest roads and farms from winter’s fury. More than a decade ago, a group of WSU, state and federal researchers planted the Davenport Living Snow Fence, two 880-foot double rows of Rocky Mountain junipers designed to catch wind and snow along Highway 25 just north of Davenport, Wash. Ten years later, the scientists returned, measuring poles in hand, to see how the wall of junipers had fared. They discovered that, contrary to popular belief, living snow fences can thrive in Washington’s drylands. Living fences are common in the Great Plains, where winters are frequently harsh and drifts topping 30 feet close highways. The Davenport fence was planted to show that Plainsstyle windbreaks can grow well in
areas with less than 16 inches of annual rainfall. “There was a belief that trees wouldn’t grow here,� said Don Hanley, an extension forester and emeritus professor with the WSU School of the Environment. “We knew that was wrong. People were using the wrong stock, and they weren’t planting or maintaining them correctly.� To change that, he, Gary Kuhn and Dennis Robinson, now-retired foresters with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, enlisted help from the Washington State Department of Transportation to find a snowdrift-prone stretch of Highway 25. Working with a cooperative landowner, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the local Lincoln County Conservation District, the foresters laid down tough polypropylene Courtesy Andy Perleberg, WSU Extension weed-blocking fabric, planted a hardy For the past decade, Washington State University’s Living Snow Fence has strain of junipers — and waited. “We had good stock that was plant- survived and thrived near Davenport, Wash. ed correctly and good site preparation,� year marks, then shared their findHanley said. “We put everything we irrigation.� Hanley, Kuhn and Robinson mea- ings in “Davenport Living Snow Fence had into it perfectly. And the trees grew, and grew, and grew — with no sured the windbreak at 5- and 10- Demonstration: A 10-year Survival
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Northwest Farm and Ranch and Growth Update,” a technical bulletin published in December by WSU Extension. Read it at https://goo.gl/kO25Jd. They found that the trees had crown closure — they had grown their branches together to form a complete wind barrier — in five to six years. “With a live snow fence, you want them to close quickly, so they can start doing their job,” Kuhn said. “Growth has been tremendous,” Hanley said. “More importantly, it’s been observed by thousands of people driving that highway.” “Living snow fences are like an insurance policy,” said Kuhn. “About every 10 years or so, we get bad winters in Washington. When we do, roads are closed and people have big problems.” Living fence benefits are widely documented, Hanley said. The trees keep roads clear of snow,
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
making them safer while minimizing the expense of plowing. They help homes and barns stay warmer, saving on heating costs. Windbreaks shelter barns, pastures and livestock pens, for example, protecting newborn calves from cold while saving on feed costs — cold livestock eat more. Windbreaks also keep valuable topsoil from blowing away in the wind. Live fences require less maintenance than their wood or metal counterparts, while also providing cover for wild birds. Increased plantings of windbreaks could benefit the Northwest’s conservation nursery industry, Kuhn said. The Davenport fence is expected to live for at least another 25 years with little maintenance. Knowledge gained from the experiment has helped develop other living fences near Anatone, Wash., and Athena, Ore.
Idaho plant breeders developing new herbicide-resistant sugar beet Associated Press
BOISE — Two seed companies are working together to develop a new variety of sugar beet that is resistant to three different herbicides. Monsanto Co. and German plant breeding company KWS Saat want to create a genetically engineered beet that would allow growers to better control weeds, reported The Capital Press. They plan to hold trials over the next three years and have the sugar beet on the market in eight to 10 years. Most sugar beets grown in the Snake River region have already been engineered by Monsanto Co. to resist its widely-used Roundup herbicide. KWS signed an agreement with Monsanto this year to develop the new sugar beet variety, which will tolerate the herbicides glyphosate, glufosinate
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and dicamba. manage glyphosate resistance The two companies also in weeds.” worked together to develop the University of Idaho weed sciRoundup Ready sugar beets. entist Don Morishita said the “We’re very new variety is excited about a good idea, but it. We think it’s added that some going to increase kochia weeds grower productiviin the area are ty,” KWS scientist resistant to both Aaron Hummel dicamba and told growers durglyphosate. ing the Snake The third herbiRiver Sugar Beet cide, glufosinate, Conference earlier works well in the this month. Midwest but isn’t Aaron Hummel Researchers say as effective in this KWS Saat scientist the combination region’s dry, lowof three herbicidehumidity environresistant traits will be helpful ment, he said. because weeds resistant to one “I think this idea of stackchemical will still be killed by ing traits is a reasonable one one of the other two herbicides. but I’m not entirely sold that Hummel said the new beet (dicamba and glufosinate) are won’t be a silver bullet, “but it’s the best two traits to stack into a very good solution that will sugar beets grown in Idaho and help you have more options to Oregon,” he said.
“
We think it’s going to increase grower productivity.”
18A | Saturday, December 26, 2015 |
Northwest Farm and Ranch
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Skagit Valley Malting on the cutting edge By Aaron Weinberg Skagit Valley Herald
BURLINGTON, Wash. — Skagit Valley Malting founder Wayne Carpenter ducked his head inside one of two sprawling metal silos that are under construction on a 10-acre lot at the Port of Skagit’s Bayview Business Park. His voice echoing inside the silo, Carpenter described how in July the silos will be packed with 850 tons of grain for drying and storage. “When it’s done, computers and stirrers will make sure the grain dries evenly,” he said. “It’s not a normal way of drying grain in the U.S.” Skagit Valley Malting has been doing things differently since forming five years ago. Originally conceived in collaboration with the Port of Skagit to increase the value of local grain, Skagit Valley Malting is malting and germinating grains no one else
can. That means brewers and distillers can unlock new flavors, and bakers can produce food with better flavor and more nutrients. Companies have been lining up to work with Skagit Valley Malting, with representatives from all over the world visiting the plant. “We have 54 customers already, and we haven’t even advertised,” Carpenter said. “And this is all happening here in the Skagit Valley.” Expanding capacity and helping farmers The skeleton of a 14,000square foot grain sorting and drying facility stands next to the two silos. The building will be completed in January and ready for operation a few months later. The construction on the 10 acres is a step toward greatly expanding Skagit Valley Malting’s production. The company has been
important for local agriculture since it formed. Farmers have to grow wheat or barley every few years to recondition the soil, but the wheat and barley earn only commodity fee prices. Carpenter and others came up with the idea to pay farmers a premium price for that rotation crop for malting and germinating purposes. That adds value to agriculture in Skagit County. Dave Hedlin, owner of Hedlin Family farms, sold about 100 acres of barley to Skagit Valley Malting this year. “With the land values and import costs, it’s difficult to make a margin on grain,” he said. “Places where you can add value, like Skagit Valley Malting, are really important. It’s worked out well for us.” Skagit Valley Malting is working with two other local farms, including Knutzen Farms and Washington Bulb
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As production expands, Carpenter said he’ll bring in more farms.
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Skagit Valley Malting founder Wayne Carpenter and Skagit Port executive director Patsy Martin stand ouside two large silos under construction that are part of the malting company’s expansion Dec. 10 at the Port of Skagit County in Burlington, Wash.
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Northwest Farm and Ranch This year, the company harvested 1,700 tons of grain. With the new facility, Carpenter anticipates being able to harvest 2,800 tons this summer and 4,500 tons the following year. The property has more than enough land to manage grain in the Skagit Valley, Carpenter said. As many as 28 grain silos will fit on the new property, although Carpenter said the number built will depend on how much grain the valley produces. “We have to build a facility that doesn’t slow down the farmer,” Carpenter said.
More expansion planned Carpenter unrolled a blueprint on a desk in the waiting room of the malting facility, showing another glimpse into the future of Skagit Valley Malting. The company has plans to build a 40,000-square-foot malting facility on the 10-acre lot. It will house up to 30 of the company’s custom-engineered malting machines.
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
| Saturday, December 26, 2015 | 19A
Construction won’t start until next year or even later, Carpenter said. The current malting facility has two of the company’s full-size custom-engineered malting machines running, with a max capacity of six. The machines are capable of malting types of grains others can’t. For instance, brewers use about 10 varieties of grains among the 21,000 available. Skagit Valley Malting’s machines can malt thousands of varieties of grains. This allows brewers to unlock flavors previously unknown to Associated Press the market. Lead scientist Bob Rock Skagit Valley Malting founder Wayne Carpenter checks out does a lot of work with the barley Dec 10 in Burlington, Wash., grown last summer by Skagit machines. Valley farmer Kraig Knutzen. “No one is doing this right now,” he said. “It’s mind-numb- Guests must sign non-disclo- which can malt any seed as ing the number of possibilities sure agreements before step- long as it’s not too tiny, can we have here.” ping inside. No photos are handle up to 22,000 pounds The company is keeping its allowed. of grain per batch. Similar machines mostly under wraps Last week, one of the large machines cost about $1 miluntil international patents are metallic malting machines spun lion, but Carpenter said his are granted. around as a milling machine much more efficient. Windows that could offer shaved one of its openings to “We are trying to make malting as efficient as posglances into the malting room exacting measurements. Each malting machine, sible for prices on par with are covered by cardboard.
European imported prices,” he said. “But the grain is going to be mechanically better, so they are basically cheaper.” Carpenter still has a few secrets up his sleeves. One is hidden inside his current sorting and drying facility. It’s his homemade malting machine, which he and Rock made in his garage about five years ago. The machine, tucked in a dark corner behind sacks of grain, represents the birth of the company, even if Carpenter won’t admit it. “It’s too ugly,” he said. “Someday when we’re more established, I’ll show it to people.” Other secrets involve further expansion. The company is exploring creating new facilities in a half-dozen cities. There is also a third phase in construction planned for the 10-acre lot, but Carpenter can’t talk about most of that yet because he’s still working out details with other companies. In the meantime, he’s getting constant visits from those interested in working with the company.
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