The Growers Guide October 2022

FINAL

Johnson Hall leaves immeasurable legacy of ag research

By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press

PULLMAN,

Wash. — It’s quiet now in Johnson Hall. The only sounds are the footfalls of workers clearing out the last few bits of equipment from the laboratories and classrooms that until recently had occupied the sprawling building.

Gone is the bustle of students, scientists and teachers who cultivated curiosity, puzzling through the problems that farmers worldwide face. Along the way, they created a roadmap to the future of agriculture. Perched on Washington State University’s campus, Johnson Hall is facing its end. Engineers say its structure is too outdated to repair or rebuild. Over the next year or so, the now empty building will be dismantled.

Matthew Weaver/Capital Press

Johnson Hall on the Washington State University campus in Pullman.

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Kitchen

Here are some great pork recipes, courtesy of the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

Korean BBQ ribs

Servings: About 4 (Depends on size of rack of ribs)

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds pork ribs

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chili paste)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ginger paste

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Rice and green onions, optional, for serving

Directions:

Remove the membrane from the ribs and season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper.

Place the ribs on the grill over indirect heat (you’ll want it to stay around 250 F).

Let the ribs cook for 1 hour (meaty side of the ribs touching the grill grates).

Make the glaze by combining the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, gochujang, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes.

Flip the ribs and brush with the glaze.

Continue cooking the ribs for at least 1 hour more, or until tender, brushing with the glaze several times.

Remove from the grill and let rest for 3-5 minutes.

Cut the ribs between the bones and serve as-is or over white rice, sprinkled with sliced green onions.

Buttered garlic herb porterhouse chops

Ingredients:

4 thick cut porterhouse

Courtesy Iowa Pork Producers Korean BBQ ribs

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions:

Preheat grill to high heat.

In a small mixing bowl combine minced garlic and salt, smash together until a paste is formed. Add melted butter, parsley, thyme, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Set aside.

When grill temperature reaches 450-500 degrees, sear pork chops for 2 minutes on each side. Once seared, reduce heat to medium

high. Brush garlic herb butter mixture onto pork chops, flipping one additional time to coat both sides. Continue to grill for 10-15 minutes until chops register 145 degrees F in the thickest part when tested with a digital instant read thermometer. Pour any remaining garlic herb butter into a glass dish, place cooked pork chops on top to rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Brown sugar honey mustard pork tenderloin

Ingredients:

2 – 1.5 lb. pork tenderloins

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 6 TBSP honey

• 3 TBSP mustard

• 2 TBSP dark brown sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper fl akes

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced and smashed into a paste

• 1 TBSP molasses, optional

Instructions:

Preheat grill to high, allowing grill temperature to come to 450500 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl combine honey, mustard, dark brown sugar, red pepper flakes and garlic paste (plus molasses if using). Set aside.

Dry surface of pork with paper

towels. Discard paper towels. Season pork with seasoned salt and black pepper.

Grill over medium high heat, flipping every 2 minutes to sear on all sides. Reduce heat to medium. Brush honey mustard mixture over pork. Continue cooking and basting every 4-5 minutes, with the grill lid closed between basting, until center of pork registers 145 degrees F on a digital instant read thermometer. Remove from heat and allow pork to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

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Icollect things and one of the things I’ve collected over the years are names of small town’s I’ve either visited or wanted to.

For example, I’ve been in Greybull, Wyoming; Bull Run, Oregon; and Bullhead City, Arizona; but I’ve never been to Bulltown, West Virginia; Bull, Wyoming; or Cowford, Florida.

I spent quite a few days in Bovina, Texas, which was previously called Bull Town. You’d be surprised to find just how many small towns drew their names from the cowboy lexicon. For example, New Mexico has had five towns in its history called Corral, which I’d think would have gotten confusing when the boss man said to take the herd to Corral. “Which one?” you might ask? Further complicating matters is the fact that there’s a Cowpens in South Carolina.

There used to be a town called Ox Bow, Nebraska, but for some reason they changed their name to Angus in 1886. This was years before sporting venues sold naming rights like the ScotiaBank Saddledome, KFC Yum! Center, Tony Macaroni Arena, and Smoothie King Center, so I doubt the Angus Association paid for the name change in Oxbow.

Keeping with the cowboy theme there is a Saddle River, New Jersey, Saddlestring, Wyoming, Lariat, Texas, and a Roundup in both Montana and Texas.

IT’S THE PITTS

By Lee Pitts www.leepittsbooks.com

Dunmovin’ in Ten Sleep

Some small towns have such soothing names you want to go there like Cool, California, or Briny Breezes, Florida, while others seem to be trying to scare you away with names like Bake Oven, Thermal, Stinking Water, or Sweatman.

The hardest job in the world has got to be being head of the Chamber of Commerce in Hell, Michigan, although it would be no picnic in Boring, Oregon, or Dull, Tennessee, either.

And who in their right mind is gonna say, “Back up the moving truck Martha we’re mov-

ing to Humptulips, Hogeye, Hogaw, Punkin Center, Okay or Ordinary.” I think these are all places you actually have to have been born there to get there.

When I’m talking small towns I’m referring to places where there’s five cows and three sheep for every person and no politician has ever visited there. I’m talking about places you’d never think of stopping in unless you broke down.

Places like Crooked River, Coldass Creek, Waterproof, Possum Grape, Scratch Ankle, Sweet Lips, Cheese-

quake, Greasy Corner, Lick Skillet, Wide Awake, Tightsqueeze, Monkey’s Eyebrow, Potato Neck, Cut and Shoot, Breakabean, Smackover, Pie Town, or Stifleknee Knob.

These are places where there’s more people IN the Fourth of July parade than are actually watching it. It’s where good folks leave their doors unlocked and one speeding ticket can double the town’s yearly income.

I love everything about Wyoming, especially the fact that people are so honest there. Who else would name a town Dead Bastard Peak, Crazy Woman Creek or Maggie’s Nipples? I’m told Ten Sleep, Wyoming, got its name from the Indians because they said the distance between two places was 20 “sleeps” away, or 20 nights, and Ten Sleep was therefore half way.

See Pitts,

Pitts

Some small towns named themselves like Bear Wallow, Arsenic Tubs, Happy Valley, Mud Lick, Wagon Mound, Burning Well, Crooked River, Iron Mountain, Dripping Springs, Oil Trough, Goose Lake and Dunmovin’. I can only imagine how Relief, Kentucky, got its name. Did someone have to pull over the wagon train to pee and decided that would be a good place to start a town?

I can’t think for the

life of me why any one would name their town Why, Arizona, or Why Not, Mississippi.

Or Ding Dong, Texas, for that matter. I’ve been to towns called You Bet and Truth or Conse quences, which was actu ally named after a TV game show. And I’m being truthful when I say there’s a town in Texas that shall go Nameless. Really, that’s its name... Nameless. I think the name Recluse, Montana, was named after me, but it existed long before I was born.

Pennsylvania sounds like a land of perverts

when you consider some of their town names like Intercourse, Climax, Blue Ball, Virginville, Lover and Noodle Doosey.

Some towns just want

to be cute like Fountain, Penn., Noah’s, Ark., and Tin, Kan., but my favor ite town name in my col lection is Zzysx, Califor nia, which supposedly

just wanted to be the last word in the English language.

So I guess it’s only appropriate I let them have the last word.

Tasty pork chops with bacon.

Pork

Continued from Page A5

Garlic bacon cream smothered pork chops

Ingredients:

• 6 strips bacon, chopped to ½-inch pieces

• 4 – 8 oz. center cut pork loin chops

• 1 tsp seasoned salt

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 8 oz package fresh mushrooms, sliced to ¼” thickness

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• 2 TBSP fresh basil, julienned

• (or 1 tsp dried basil leaves, crushed)

• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped, chopped (or 1 tsp dried thyme leaves)

• 3 TBSP butter

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 TBSP sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, drained

• 3 TBSP all purpose flour

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered and bacon is cooked. Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate. Reserve bacon drippings in the skillet.

Season pork chops with seasoned salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium high and sear pork chops for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove pork chops to a plate and set aside. To skillet, add sliced mushrooms and garlic. Add butter. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring fre quently until mushrooms and garlic are tender. Add sun dried tomatoes, stir well. Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring, until

Chops

mushrooms soften and release juices. Sprin kle 2 tablespoons of flour all over the mush rooms, and stir the flour in on medium heat until absorbed.

Add chicken broth and raise the heat to medium high or high to bring mixture to a boil, con stantly stirring. Reduce heat to medium and gen tly simmer for 1-2 min utes until mixture thick ens slightly. Reduce heat to low. Add heavy cream. Stir well.

Return pork chops and

bacon to skillet. Cook on low heat, covered, until the pork chops are cooked through to 145F on a digital instant read thermometer.

Garnish with addi tional fresh herbs, serve warm.

Pork chop and mushroom wild rice casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 – 6 or 7 oz Long Grain and Wild Rice Box Mix (dry mix plus sea soning packet)

• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

• 1 can condensed cream of celery soup

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 4 scallions, chopped

• 4 tbsp minced fresh parsley

• 4 – 8 oz. boneless center cut pork loin chops

• ½ tsp seasoned salt

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

• 1 cup shredded Mon terey Jack cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium mixing bowl add dry rice plus seasoning packet, cream of mushroom soup and cream of celery soup. Whisk until combined. Stir in chicken broth. Pour rice mixture into a greased 9×13 glass baking dish. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes.

At 60 minutes, remove baking dish from oven, uncover. Stir ½ of the chopped scallions and of the minced parsley into rice mixture, reserving remaining scallions and parsley for garnish.

Place pork chops over rice mixture in the pan. Sprinkle on seasoned salt and ground pepper. Top with cheese.

GRAIN

& MISC.

Return to oven, uncov ered, for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and golden and pork chops register 145 degrees F on an instant read ther mometer. (*pork cook ing times will vary based on temperature of chops going into the casse role, oven temperature, etc.) Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle chopped scallions and minced parsley over top. Serve warm.

Johnson

Ironically, it will cost more to demolish Johnson Hall than it did to build 60 years ago. A shiny new building will replace it in the lineup of research facilities on campus.

Johnson Hall cost $7.5 million to construct in 1961 and will cost $8.5 million to bring down, said Rich Koenig, chairman of WSU’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Researchers, teachers and students all would agree that the value of the research and teaching that took place there was immeasurable.

When it opened, Johnson Hall marked a new era in

agricultural research. Within its walls, WSU and USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists made revolutionary discoveries for farmers raising wheat, barley, canola, chickpeas, apples, potatoes, hops, tree

fruit, turfgrass and forests. Organic production and soil science were also studied.

They helped battle the diseases, weeds and insects that plagued crops and made progress in agricultural education and technology, pro-

ducing generations of farmers, ranchers and researchers.

Beginning in space

Credit the “space race” between the former Soviet Union and the U.S. for the impetus to build Johnson Hall. It was one of many “knee-jerk” buildings constructed nationwide in response to the Soviets’ launch of the Sputnik satel-

lite in 1957, said Tim Murray, professor and WSU Extension plant pathologist.

“The U.S. felt like we were behind in science, and all of a sudden there was this rush to build science buildings, and so they put them up fast and cheap,” Murray said.

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Johnson Hall in 1961. The building, which has been the heart of agricultural research since it opened in 1961, is slated for demolition beginning in November.

Matthew Weaver/Capital Press

One of the entrances into Johnson Hall.

See

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WSU

Johnson Hall also fulfilled the university’s long-running goal of adding a new plant science building devoted exclusively to agriculture.

WSU took the unusual step of naming the building after someone who was still living: Edward C. Johnson, a longtime dean of the college of agriculture and director of the state’s agricultural experiment stations. The board of regents had accepted Johnson’s retirement “reluctantly” and unanimously approved a resolution that the new building be named for him.

The 195,000-square-foot building was state-of-the-art when it opened — “a showpiece of the campus,” according to a WSU document on the history of the building.

But it has outlived its usefulness to modern science, due to its aging structure and high operating costs.

In 1998 and again in 20142015, an engineering firm found Johnson Hall “on the verge of failure” in many areas. Because of the high number of deficiencies, renovation would be “prohibitively expensive,” according to the university.

It will be replaced by a federally funded building that will house USDA and WSU plant bioscience researchers. The new building will cost nearly $105 million. It will open in the winter of 2025-2026 and will be the fifth in a cluster of six interconnected research and education biological science buildings.

Johnson Hall will be demolished over the next year to 18 months, beginning in November, Koenig said.

Familiar faces

Several longtime researchers gathered July 21 for a final walkthrough of Johnson’s halls and shared their

memories: Koenig, who was a graduate student in 1990 to 1994 and returned as a faculty member in 2003; Murray, who arrived in 1978 as a graduate student and became a faculty member in 1983; crop and soil science professor emeritus Bill Pan, who arrived in 1984; USDA ARS plant pathologist Tim Paulitz, who arrived in 2000; and weed science professor Drew Lyon, who arrived in 2012.

Without the research conducted in Johnson Hall, they said, wheat farms today would be riddled with weeds, disease and insects, have lower yields and lower quality. They’d also be vanishing, victims of rampant soil erosion.

They also reflected on the passing of researchers who were “icons.” Among them: USDA club wheat breeder Bob Allan, wheat breeder Clarence “Pete” Peterson, WSU emeritus professor and mycologist Jack Rogers, barley molecular geneticist Andy Kleinhofs, barley breeder Steve Ullrich, and husband-and-wife team Bill Johnston, emeritus professor of turfgrass management, and Ellen Johnston, who worked in plant pathology’s mycological herbarium.

Each made profound contributions to the region’s agriculture, and many were fixtures around Johnson Hall. For example, Allan continued to work for 25 years after retiring in 1996.

Architecturally unique

When it opened, Johnson Hall had 42 research laboratories, 19 teaching laboratories, seed and soil testing laboratories, a fruit and vegetable pilot processing plant, an X-ray machine for genetic research, four plant growth control chambers, two insect rearing chambers, 30 cold or frozen storage rooms and a classroom wing.

MEET

Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Rich Koenig, chairman of Washington State University’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; WSU weed science professor Drew Lyon; professor and WSU Extension plant pathologist Tim Murray; USDA Agricultural Research Service plant pathologist Tim Paulitz and WSU crop and soil science professor emeritus Bill Pan in one of Johnson Hall’s classrooms.

Dan Helbling Rena OlsOn

TyleR elsTaDnic MayeR

Dan

But the building had many shortcomings, too.

The systems in the building were designed during a time when agriculture was not lab oratory-based, Murray said. To handle more research, the uni versity constantly needed to bring in more electricity con duits and upgrade ventilation.

Those changes required drill ing into the concrete foundation.

“No matter where you were in the building, all you’d hear was this (drilling sound)” — usually while class was going on, Murray said.

There were enough holes in the concrete that water from one lab would occasionally shower down onto the lab below, Pan said.

“Everybody got to design their own lab, so every lab was custom, and that is not efficient from an architectural point of view,” Murray said. “There’s no two labs in the building that are alike, I don’t think.”

Treasures and trash

Moving from Johnson Hall is

TRACTORS

like “vacating a 200,000-squarefoot home that you’ve lived in for 50 years and everything that’s accumulated,” Koenig said.

“Just entire rooms of things that, I’ve been here 18 years and didn’t know existed,” he said.

“Or just a file cabinet some where contained things that were hugely valuable or of his

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toric importance.”

Researchers had to sort “trea sures from trash,” Pan said.

They found old seed collec tions and rock and mineral col lections, which are now used in teaching or have been relocated to other parts of the university or sent to storage.

Murray found two large col lections of plant disease spec

HAY & FEED

WSU

imens, including large fruiting bodies of fungi that parasitized trees. Some samples date back to the early 1900s.

“We’ll never see some of those again, that size, because we don’t let trees get that old any more,” he said.

Many are slated to be digi tized and archived in university libraries.

Least favorite things

Ask researchers what they disliked about Johnson Hall, and a list quickly forms.

“Probably the ventilation, the fact there was no air condition ing in the offices,” Paulitz said. “You had a radiator for the win tertime, but in the summertime, we had to put fans in the door and take air from the halls. ...”

Portable air conditioning units also lined the windows to keep the offices “habitable” in the summer, Koenig said.

Even so, parts of Johnson were “just miserable,” Murray said.

Favorite things

Layered beneath the com plaints, though, is begrudging fondness for the old building.

As a graduate student, all of Koenig’s classes were there.

It was “a bit surreal to come back and teach in those class rooms that I took classes in as a student,” he said.

The building’s floor plan put some offices together.

“That enabled so much inter action,” Paulitz said.

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Johnson Hall when it opened in 1961.

“We’d see each other — it felt like a very active place,” Murray said. “It was very full of life, because everywhere you went in the building, there was activity.”

One lab was the unofficial meeting place for coffee and lunch.

“We would have big groups of people, and it was really great, because you would get together and have a conversation,” Murray said.

“That closeness is something that’s missing now because we’re all scattered all over the place,” Paulitz said.

New spaces

Johnson’s offices and labs were relatively large, Pan said. Many researchers will move into significantly smaller, but more efficient, spaces.

The Department of Plant Pathology is now distributed among four different buildings. Even when the new building is completed they’ll remain separated, Murray said.

That will make it challenging to maintain social cohesiveness, which has been further complicated by two years of separation due to COVID-19, he said.

The Department of Crop and Soil Sciences will be spread among five buildings, grouped by common laboratory needs, Koenig said.

“The days of a building this size that will house so many different

departments, units, people, I think are gone,” he said.

“I think it’s really important that they’re able to walk around and see and engage with faculty of the department,” Murray said. “I can’t say it’s going to be better or worse, but we know it’s going to be different.”

But overall, it will be “a positive,” Koenig said. “We needed some change.”

Johnson Hall’s legacy

Farmers often tell Murray they remember taking classes in Johnson Hall and reminisce about professors they loved.

Some families now have a fourth generation attending WSU, Koenig said.

“The people in agriculture ... who came through here and were trained as students — they’re leaders, and their kids are leaders, and their kids were trained here,” he said.

Washington State Magazine, published for alumni, solicited current and former students for their memories of Johnson Hall.

Responses included stories of students meeting their future spouses, all-nighters to meet deadlines and wrangling temperamental computers and lab equipment.

Alumna Nicole Snyder wrote that she took her first agricultural education class in Johnson in the fall of 2018 and her last in the fall of 2021.

“I’m so thankful to have gotten to finish my AgEd education

there,” she said. “It was bittersweet having my first and lastAgEd class in the same building, same room, and with the same people.”

“I know it wasn’t the fancy or trendy building on campus, but I

appreciated the homey classrooms and labs where you knew that messes had been made before and would be made again with leaves, soil, potatoes, apples, seeds, etc.,” said another alumna, Jody Strom.

It was, she said, “a reminder that the research and learning that was happening in all those labs, offices and classrooms was part of a long and rich heritage of agriculture in Washington.”

WSU Johnson Hall in 1961.

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away’ at new quinoa varieties

By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press

Efforts to develop new varieties of quinoa tailored for the Northwest are near fruition, a breeder says.

“Starting up a breeding program with a new crop that’s new to the area is a challenge, for sure,” Washington State University breeder Kevin Murphy told the Capital Press. “We’ve learned a lot along the way.”

Quinoa is a gluten-free, nutrient-dense crop grown for centuries in South America. Murphy has been developing varieties for the Pacific Northwest since 2010.

He keeps hearing from farmers who want to grow the crop.

“We’re going to keep plugging away — it takes a long time,” he said. “We want to make sure our first varieties released are good, strong varieties that will gain acceptance in the marketplace.”

Two are nearly ready to go once he gathers one more year of field data,

Murphy said. He estimates the varieties will be available to farmers in the next few years.

He plans to send the varieties to a winter nursery in Chile to increase seed availability. The university also needs to find a company interested in the varieties.

The breeding program has narrowed 1,500 potential lines to six final varieties. Any or all of the six could ultimately be released, Murphy said.

Quinoa production is possible in the cooler areas of dryland farming, Murphy said.

“You get something like last year, drought combined with a very hot summer, and there’s no irrigation, quinoa’s not going to do well,” he said. “We’re not trying to put it where it shouldn’t be. We’re trying to grow it in areas where it does well.”

More heat-tolerant varieties for dryland areas are in the works, he said.

WSU Extension food processing specialist Girish

Shelbie Walker/WSU

Washington State University Ph.D. student Rachel Breslauer looks over quinoa in western Washington. WSU continues work on new varieties for Paci c Northwest farmers.

Quinoa

Ganjayal’s team wants to find ideal uses for the WSU varieties. They the foods they considered are cookies and cooked quinoa.

Three varieties have suit able characteristics for qui noa salad and two are ideal for quinoa cookies, Ganjayal said. The team is testing whether people like the taste of quinoa in cookies, he said.

“These specific varieties of quinoa have high amounts of protein and fiber,” Gan jayal said. “With the increas ing consumers’ interest in healthy and functional foods, these quinoa varieties can be used to create value-added products.”

Murphy estimates 8,000 to 10,000 acres of quinoa are currently grown by 10 to 20 farmers in the Pacific North west, primarily in areas with cooler climate.

Those numbers would likely increase when a new WSU variety is released, he said.

“What we’re really hop ing to do is continue to work with these varieties and food companies, and try to get markets established for these varieties,” he said.

Murphy is working with food companies to develop products made with WSU quinoas. The food compa nies would then work with farmers to produce the varieties.

Overall, demand for food products made with quinoa remains strong, Murphy said.

He wants to optimize the nutritional value of quinoa.

Former graduate student Cristina Ocana Gallegos recently concluded a project examining 350 quinoa vari eties. She applied water mist every 6 seconds for seven days, evaluating them for pre-harvest sprouting. Some lines were more tolerant than the control varieties, Murphy said.

“That’s something that can also help increase the acreage,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest problems, really in the world, for quinoa.”

Washington State University Ph.D.

Rachel Breslauer/WSU

Washington State University graduate students Lili Donovan and Shelbie Walker look over quinoa in western Washington. WSU is developing varieties for Pacific Northwest farmers.

Shelbie Walker/WSU

Latah County Fair Will Crowley showed the grand champion FFA poultry at the Latah County Fair. It was purchased by Spence Hardware and Supply, of Moscow, Idaho.

Latah County Fair

Ryan Brammer showed the 4-H market beef grand champion at the Latah County Fair. It was bought by Sprouse House, of Moscow, Idaho.

Megan Poler showed the grand champion FFA swine at the Latah County Fair. It was purchased by Robert Agnes, of Moscow, Idaho.

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By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN Capital Press

BURNS, Ore. — Sometimes, the best fence is an invisible one.

Researchers from Oregon State University and USDA have published a study showing that virtual fencing is a useful potential tool to help cattle create fuel breaks that could slow wildfires from spreading across sagebrush rangelands.

The study’s findings could prove useful to land managers aiming to reduce wildfire risk.

“We’re seeing the challenge related to wildfires that land managers, particularly on public lands, are facing in the Western U.S.,” said David Bohnert, director of Oregon State University’s Agricultural Research Center in Burns. “They just don’t have the tools to manage those public lands in a way that is timely, particularly related to wildfire. This new study should help begin to change that.”

Virtual fencing involves putting collars on livestock. The collars communicate with reception towers and GPS networks to

Morgan Lawrence/Oregon State University Cattle with collars for virtual fencing research by Oregon State University and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service.

form a virtual fence, the boundaries of which the rancher sets. If a cow tries to leave the “fenced” area, its collar gives a warning sound, such as a beep. If the cow ignores the sound and leaves the boundary, it gets zapped with a mild electric shock.

Virtual fencing has been around for decades, but researchers say advances in satellite, battery and GPS technologies in the last five years have made vir-

tual fencing commercially viable.

The purpose of this study was to see whether cattle, when virtually fenced into an area, would stay in the designated area and eat down fuels.

For the study, researchers set up a 219-yard-wide by 1.9-mile-long fuel break in a roughly 1,000-acre pasture at OSU’s Northern Great Basin Experimental Range near Burns.

The researchers bounded

the fuel break with four virtual fences, each 38 yards apart.

In 2021, the researchers put 16 cows and 23 cowcalf pairs, along with water sources, in the fuel break area. Adult cows wore virtual fence collars that recorded their locations for 30 days.

After the month, the researchers analyzed the findings.

Fencing

Continued from

They found that the daily percentage of cows without calves in the fuel break area was 98.5%, showing that most cows stayed within the invisible boundaries.

The daily percentage of cow-calf pairs in the fuel break was 80.6%, which the researchers say is likely because mothers were apt to follow their calves, which weren’t wearing collars.

The cows consumed 48.5% of grass fuels inside the fuel break and only 5.5% of fuels outside it, showing that virtual fencing can be used for targeted grazing.

Chad Boyd, a research leader for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Burns, said these findings complement a growing body of evidence indicating that virtual fencing can successfully be used in livestock management applications.

Some ranchers are already using virtual fencing, and the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are experimenting with it.

The authors of the OSUUSDA study are now evaluating virtual fencing’s effectiveness in keeping

cattle out of riparian areas.

In addition to Bohnert and Boyd, the study’s co-authors were Juliana

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Oregon State University and USDA-Agricultural Research Service researchers install a tower for virtual fence research.

By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press

Breaching the dams on the lower Snake River is the “centerpiece action” to restoring salmon and steelhead populations, according to a final report from NOAA Fisheries.

The White House on Sept. 30 released the report, “Rebuilding Interior Columbia Basin Salmon and Steelhead.” It includes input from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Agricultural stakeholders in July roundly criticized a draft of the report, saying it failed to consider the greater impacts on the environment and the economy, and relied on significant input from the plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking dam breaching.

That draft report deemed it “essential” to Snake River stocks that the lower Snake River be restored via dam breaching.

Breaching the four lower Snake River dams “specifically refers to removing

the earthen portion of each dam, and allowing a naturalized river channel to be established around the concrete spillway and powerhouse structures,” according to the final report.

Breaching would decrease travel time for adult and juvenile fish, reducing powerhouse encounters, reducing stress on juvenile fish that may contribute to delayed mor-

tality after reaching the ocean and provide additional rearing and spawning habitat, the report said.

The report calls for “a comprehensive suite of management actions, including “significant reductions in direct and indirect mortality from mainstem dams, including restoration of the lower Snake River through dam breaching.”

“It will be essential that we implement all these actions, and that we do so at a large scale,” the report said.

The report is part of the Biden–Harris administration’s effort to support development of a “longterm, durable strategy to restore Columbia River basin salmon, steelhead, bull trout, and other listed and vulnerable species; honor long-standing commitments to tribal nations and address tribal cultural, ceremonial, and subsistence needs; balance the priorities of fishing communities; ensure a reliable, affordable, and carbon-free energy supply; and account for the other varied

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

uses of the Columbia River, including flood risk management, water supply, navigation, and recreation.”

NOAA Fisheries developed the report by drawing on existing science, “our own experience and expertise with salmon and steelhead conservation,” regional, state and tribal fishery co-managers and the work of the Columbia Basin Partnership, a task force to develop a common vision and goals for the basin’s fish populations.

The task force included “tribes, states, watershed groups, ports, electric utilities, irrigators, agriculture, sport fishing interests, the fishing industry, and more.”

Lower Monumental Dam on the lower Snake River in Washington state.

highlights conservation program funding to lawmakers

By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press

National Association of Wheat Growers president Nicole Berg recently told a congressional subcommittee that funding for voluntary conservation programs should be maintained or increased in a new farm bill.

Berg, a Paterson, Wash., wheat farmer, spoke to the House Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee on Sept. 20.

The new farm bill will provide a roadmap and budget for the USDA during the next five years.

Berg hopes to see continued or increased funding for such programs as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) in the next farm bill.

“Will that happen? I don’t know — Congress is very, ‘How are we going to pay for an increase in any baseline in the farm bill?’” Berg told the Capital Press. “Those negotiations will definitely start heavier after the November elections.”

U.S. wheat farmers entered more than 7,500 contracts with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service between 2018 and 2021 through conservation programs.

Changes made to CRP in the 2018 Farm Bill reduced rental rates, capped cost share for seed and eliminated financial assistance for mid-contract management. Each change added costs for farmers who participate, and with costs going up, the program is not getting the same interest as it once did, Berg told lawmakers.

Between fiscal years 2018 and 2021, 3,000 valid applications for EQIP from wheat growers went unfunded, Berg said. Over that same period, more than 2,000 valid applications for CSP from wheat growers went unfunded.

Additional applications through RCPP also went unfunded over those years, she said.

Berg also sought quality assurance and training for agency staff to understand the programs when they meet with farmers to develop implementation plans for individual farms.

“Maybe some employees haven’t been on a farm,” Berg said. “One size does not fit all across the country.”

Farmers appreciate voluntary incentive-based programs to implement new practices and technologies to manage the environmentally sensitive parts of their farms, Berg said.

On her farm, she uses programs such as CRP on highly erodible land to manage for the high winds in the Tri-Cities area or for particularly rocky ground.

“It does help build stability in your business plan, because it’s almost guaranteed money, after putting in and managing strips and doing your part and letting it sit there for conservation,” Berg said. “We get a payment for that. That helps with the price of wheat going up or down or maybe the drought situation.”

Nicole Berg

By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press

Agriculture organizations are voicing support for legislation that would prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring publicly traded companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions along their supply chain coming from farms and ranches.

Protect Farmers from the SEC Act was introduced by Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., on Sept. 29.

In April, the SEC published a proposed a rule to require SEC registrants to provide information about climate-related risks that are likely to have an impact on their business or financial condition.

The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors would require companies to report their direct emissions (Scope 1), emissions primarily resulting from the gener-

ation of electricity they consume (Scope 2) and all other indirect emissions (Scope 3).

Farm groups say Scope 3 would include emissions from the vast majority of farms and ranches, as they provide almost every raw product that goes into the food supply chain.

The groups have raised concerns that farmers and ranchers could be forced to report personal information and business-related data, creating onerous reporting requirements.

They contend the proposal would be burdensome and expensive if not altogether impossible for many small and mid-sized farmers to comply.

“The proposed climate rule is so unwieldy and convoluted that publicly traded companies will be forced to require small, independent, family farms to report on-farm data regarding individual operations and day-to-day activities,” Lucas said.

“In this capacity, the SEC would be granted unprec-

edented jurisdiction over family farms and ranches … creating onerous compliance requirements for operations with few or no employees,” he said.

The SEC’s proposed climate disclosure rule could create substantial costs and legal liabilities for farm families, said Zippy Duvall, president of American Farm Bureau Federation.

“Unlike large corporations, farmers don’t have teams of compliance officers or attorneys dedicated to handling SEC compliance issues,” he said.

“We appreciate Rep. Lucas for his efforts to ensure the SEC remains focused on Wall Street while farmers remain focused on putting food on the table for America’s families.”

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is grateful to Rep. Lucas for protecting cattle from more federal overreach, said Kaitlynn Glover, NCBA

executive director of natural resources.

“The SEC’s climate disclosure rule would lead to unintended consequences for small businesses like farms and ranches and adds yet another regulatory burden on cattle producers. The SEC should stick to regulating Wall Street, not main street,” she said.

The National Association of Wheat Growers thanks Rep. Lucas for introducing this important legislation addressing the inclusion of farming in SEC regulation, said Nicole Berg, NAWG president.

“This regulation could add layers of reporting requirements on wheat farmers that are focused on producing a quality wheat crop for domestic and international customers. With all the uncertainty in agriculture today, we don’t need additional regulation, we need to focus on keeping farming operations productive,” she said.

Regenerative organic farmer to headline Spokane symposium

By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press

Farmer Rick Clark esti mates he saves $2 million a year on input costs through regenerative organic farming.

Clark, who farms 7,000 acres near Williams port, Ind., will be keynote speaker during the Farm and Food Symposium Nov. 9-10 in Spokane.

“I think that’s a pretty significant reason” to con sider regenerative agri culture, Clark told the Capital Press. “Another reason would be, we are not affected by supply chain disruptions that are occur ring currently. ... When you take that out of your system and you no longer use those inputs, you become way more resilient to changes in economics and supply chain disruptions.”

Clark’s farm is 100% no-till, non-GMO and all cover crop. He received the 2021 Innovator of the

Year award at the National No-Tillage Conference. He consults under Farm Green Consulting.

Clark describes regen

erative agriculture as the six principles of soil health — mitigate distur bance, a living root, diver sity, armor the soil, con

text and livestock — with the decreasing of inputs until yields stabilize.

That calls for no-till farming reduction of syn thetic fertilizers and chem istries, and building soil health and human health, he said.

Clark advises farmers thinking about adopting regenerative ag to go slow and be sure they’re getting good information from someone who knows what they’re doing.

“Success the first time you try something differ ent is absolutely impera tive,” he said. “I’m afraid if the farmer did not have success the first time they tried it, they’re going to say, ‘See, I told you this wouldn’t work on my farm.’”

Some farmers in the region are interested in regenerative agriculture practices, including the use of cover crops and holistic grazing with live stock, said Hilary Sep ulveda, communications and outreach coordinator

Farm Green Consulting Rick Clark, Indiana re generative organic farm er, will be the keynote speaker during the Farm and Food Symposium, hosted by the Spokane Conservation District in November.

FARM AND FOOD SYMPOSIUM

https://www. spokanecd.org/ farm-food-sympo sium/

FARM GREEN CONSULTING https://www. farmgreen.land/

for the Spokane Conserva tion District, which spon sors the symposium.

The district in recent years developed a bio-farming program that includes the capital invest ment needed to make the transition, she said.

Clark wants farmers to think about how they could change one or two things in their current operation.

“That’s all I ask,” he said. “I am not there to criticize or put down the way anybody farms. I’m just there to help show them there are other ways to do this.”

Registration is open for the symposium, hosted by the Spokane Conserva tion District. Attendance is limited to 250 people.

$80,000

Farm Green Consulting

Rick Clark, Indiana regenerative organic farmer, will be the keynote speaker during the Farm and Food Symposium, hosted by the Spokane Conservation Dis trict in November.

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Submit upcoming ag-related events on www.capitalpress.com or by email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. All times re ect the local time zone unless otherwise noted.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY OCT. 5-6

National Cooperative Business Association IMPACT Conference (in person and online): National Press Club, Washington, D.C. The conference provides a platform to re-energize the cooperative movement. Website: http://ncbaclusa.coop

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY OCT. 5-9

Trailing of the Sheep Festival: Ketchum, Idaho. The ve-day festival includes activities in multiple venues and culminates with the big sheep parade down Main Street in Ketchum. Website: https://www.trailingofthesheep.org

THURSDAY OCT. 6

Idaho Rangeland Fall Forum: Stephens Performing Art Center, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho. The forum will explore avenues and resources for successful conservation e orts on rangelands. A eld tour is also planned for Oct. 7. Website: https://www.uidaho.edu/ fall-forum

TUESDAY OCT. 11

Western Meat School (online): 5-7 p.m. Paci c time every Tuesday through Dec. 6. This fully remote learning experience will help farmers, ranchers, butchers and others learn the essentials for direct marketing niche meat from experts in livestock production, processing, marketing and pricing. Website: https://westernmeatschool.com/

WEDNESDAY OCT. 12

Growing Groceries Education Series (online): Series of 15 online classes on Zoom platform on growing your own groceries. Classes will be 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays. $5 per class or $50 for all 15. The rst class is Oct. 12; the last class is March 29. Registered participants will be sent a link to a recording of the class. Website: https://bit.ly/3xrr1TI

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY OCT. 12-13

Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum:

The Cable Center at Denver University, Denver, Colo. The forum brings together stakeholders in investing in and building regenerative food systems. https://rfsi-forum. com/current-forum/

THURSDAY OCT. 13

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Deadline: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Washington announced Oct. 13 as the application deadline for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Classic for Fiscal Year 2023. Website: https://bit.ly/3dhEbM6

FRIDAY OCT. 14

Federal Milk Marketing Order Forum: 12:30 p.m. local time Kansas City Marriott Downtown, Kansas City, Mo. Hosted by American Farm Bureau Federation, the forum will explore solutions to FMMO shortfalls. Registration closes at noon on Sept. 23. Website: https://bit. ly/3QCo8Xp

Auto, Truck & Pickup Parts

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Albert Francois Nicole Wells

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Terry Cochran

Mark Appel

Larry Peringer

Justin Vandenbark

Brandon Jorgensen

Jesse McClintock

Adam Hoshauer

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SATURDAY OCT. 15

Free Waste Pesticide Collection Event in Roseburg: Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2110 Frear St., Roseburg, Ore. The Oregon Department of Agriculture through the Pesticide Stewardship Partnership is sponsoring a Free Waste Pesticide Collection Event. This event is an opportunity for landowners, farmers and other commercial pesticide users to rid storage facilities of unwanted or unused pesticide products. Contact: Kathryn Rifenburg, 971-600-5073, kathryn.rifenburg@oda.oregon.gov.

Fall Festival & Auction: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Christmas Valley Community Church, 87921 County Hwy. 5-14, Christmas Valley, Ore. Featuring a live auction, silent online auction, kid activities, country store, chicken and TriTip barbecue, baked goods, kettle corn, co ee bar, hay rides, and more. All proceeds bene t global missions. To view auction items, overnight accommodations, or learn more about the event, visit charityauction. bid/2022fallfestival.

SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY OCT. 16-19

IDF World Dairy Summit: McCormick Place, Chicago. The summit provides a forum for dairy leaders, experts, farmers, processors and traders to discuss how to further advance the sector. Website: https://www.idfwds2023.com

TUESDAY OCT. 18

FIRA USA Agricultural Robotics and Technology Forum: Fresno Convention Center, Fresno, Calif. The forum focuses on problem solving, decision making and planning for agricultural robotics. Website: https://www. ra.usa@ ra-agtech.com

SATURDAY OCT. 22

Free Waste Pesticide Collection Event in Madras: Je erson County Fairgrounds, 2110 Frear St., Madras, Ore. The Oregon Department of Agriculture through the Pesticide Stewardship Partnership is sponsoring a Free Waste Pesticide Collection Event. This event is an opportunity for landowners, farmers and other commercial pesticide users to rid storage facilities of unwanted or unused pesticide products. Contact: Kathryn Rifenburg, 971-600-5073, kathryn.rifenburg@oda.oregon.gov Registration for this event is required by Sept. 16.

MONDAY-TUESDAY OCT. 24-25

Idaho Farm and Ranch Conference: Riverside Hotel, 2900 Chinden Blvd., Boise. Registration for the Idaho Farm and Ranch Conference is open now until Oct. 14. It’s never been a more important time to come together and exchange knowledge and expertise that position Idaho agriculture for success. Website: https://agri.idaho. gov/farmcenter/conference/

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY OCT. 24-26

Dairy Joint Annual Meeting: Gaylord Rockies Resort, Denver, Colo. The meeting brings together the National Dairy Board, National Milk Producers Federation and the United Dairy Industry Association. Registration deadline is Sept. 29. Website: https://annualmeeting.dairy.org

WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY

OCT. 26-29

85th National FFA Convention and Expo: Indianapolis. FFA members from around the nation will converge on Indianapolis to celebrate agriculture and compete. Website: https://convention. a.org/

FRIDAY-MONDAY NOV. 4-7

Angus Convention: Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. The convention provides industry updates, education and networking. Website: https:// www.angusconvention.com

Events,

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yields

By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press

A shorter growing season this year dragged on hop yields across the Pacific Northwest.

The crop started slowly during the unusually cold, wet spring, growers said. Then above-normal summer heat in some spots took a further toll. Southwest Idaho had a record 27 days with highs above 100, the National Weather Service in Boise reported. This year’s June-September period was the city’s warmest on record.

“It was just really hard for the plants to size up,” said sixth-generation farmer Michelle Gooding of Parma, Idaho. “And we will have issues with cone formation.”

Gooding Farms grows about 900 acres of hops. Crews most years target harvest dates for certain varieties. This year, more of the harvest was done based on field-by-field analy-

ses that included evaluating potential damage from spider mites.

“When the heat hit really hard, so did the mites,” Gooding said. Above-normal high temperatures also slowed cone formation.

Alpha hops seemed to handle the heat better than aroma varieties, she said. Aroma yield is 10-15% below average, compared to farm-wide yields at or slightly below average.

Quality was “consistent and solid, with a few exceptions,” Gooding said.

The growing season was “almost the exact opposite of last year,” when the spring was unusually hot, said Jessica Stevens, Washington Hop Commission executive director. This year, “the hops did take awhile. But once the summer heat hit, they took off.”

Washington yields could be below normal by about 200 pounds per acre, said Maggie Elliot, science and communications director for the Hop Commission and Hop Growers of America. Harvest for many farms likely will conclude in the first week of October.

Yields in Washington will be below initial expectations thanks in part to the unexpectedly high number of 100-degree days in August, she said. When temperatures hit about 95, the plant “kind of shuts down,” suspending ripening and preserving general function.

The abundance of especially hot days “further delayed ripening of hop cones on the vine,” Elliot said. The delayed start and subsequent high heat meant cones had less time to ripen and are slightly smaller.

Most Oregon hop acreage is in the Willamette Valley. Summer high temperatures were not a concern to most growers, said Michelle Palacios, administrator of the state’s hop commission. And harvest typically is a week or two earlier than in Washington and Idaho due to the varieties grown.

Quality looks good, but yields likely will be “on the low end of average,” she said. The season’s cooler, slower start delayed set and bloom and left less time for cones to add bulk.

SUNDAY-TUESDAY NOV. 6-8

NFU Women’s Conference : Holiday Inn and Suites Nashville Downtown, Nashville, Tenn. The conference offers networking, education and skill-building. Website: https:// www.nfu.org

WEDNESDAYTHURSDAY NOV. 9-10

Farm and Food Symposium : Centennial Hotel, 303 W. North River Drive, Spokane, Wash. Hosted by the Spokane Conservation District, the Farm and Food Symposium is a two-day, in-person event where progressive farmers, ag industry professionals, and other conservation partners will gather to gain a deeper understanding of the ecological practices and the economic incentives of regenerative farming. Website: https://bit. ly/3LOjt3k

FRIDAY OCT. 14

Olive Field Day — Oregon : 9 a.m.-3 p.m. North Willamette Research and Extension Center, Aurora, Ore. Join us for a field day for olive growers hosted by the Olea Project. The registration cost is $25 and includes morning refreshments, boxed lunch, and an olive oil tasting. Website: https://bit. ly/3xZC0nI

TUESDAYWEDNESDAY NOV. 15-17

Willamette Valley Ag Expo: 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. Linn County Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road E, Albany, Ore. The Expo is put on each year by the Willamette Valley Ag Association. The WVAA is a nonpro t and proceeds go toward the association’s college scholarships. Website: https://wvaexpo. com/

Maggie Elliot

Study of off-farm income reveals growing link between rural, urban economies

By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press

As more farmers and ranchers rely on off-farm income to make ends meet, there is a growing interconnection between rural and urban economies that could influence future policy decisions, according to a new study by the University of Missouri.

The study, commissioned by CoBank, finds 82% of U.S. farm household income now comes from off-farm jobs.

By 2018, 62% of farm-dependent county residents were commuting outside their county for work. That’s up more than 10% compared to 20 years ago, revealing closer economic ties

Activities

Continued from Page C6

FRIDAY-SATURDAY NOV. 18-19

Oregon CattleWomen annual meeting and 70th anniversary jubilee: Sunriver, Ore. Join us at the historic Great Hall in Sunriver, Ore., to celebrate 70 years of beef promotion and education. Among the speakers will be Florida rancher Reba Mazak, president of the American National CattleWomen; Todd Nash, president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association; and Tammy Dennee,

A technician builds a new tractor. A new study found that the cost of land and equipment is a factor in why many farmers also have to work o the farm.

between farm country and larger metro areas, the study found.

“What that means for those of us who serve rural communities is we have to evolve our understanding of

executive director of the OCA. Website: http://oregoncattlewomen.org TUESDAYWEDNESDAY NOV. 30-DEC. 1

Organic Grower Summit: Hyatt Regency Hotel and Spa, Monterey, Calif. The summit o ers presentation, education and networking. Website: https:// www.organicproducernetwork.com

WEDNESDAYTHURSDAY NOV. 30-DEC. 1

Organic Grower Summit : Hyatt Regency

what fuels rural economies, and what these communities need to succeed,” said Dan Kowalski, vice president of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange program. “In many cases, the historical

Hotel and Spa, Monterey, Calif. The summit offers presentations, education and networking. Website: https:// www.organicproducernetwork.com

concept of ‘rural’ no longer applies.”

CoBank is part of the U.S. Farm Credit System, serving more than 76,000 farmers, ranchers and rural businesses members in 23 states across the country.

In a 2018 USDA survey, producers cited more stable income, access to health insurance and retirement benefits as the top reasons for having an off-farm job.

More than half of those jobs were in the service sector as of 2019, including retail, restaurants and health care. Off-farm income is especially important for young and beginning farmers, with 56% of principal operators under 35 holding a main job off the farm in 2017 compared to 37% in 1974.

Rob Fox, director of the CoBank Knowledge Exchange, said the trend is being driven by changes in the agricultural industry.

Over the last 30 years, farming was forced to become more consolidated and efficient to make up for increasing production costs and declining commodity prices, Fox said.

A former dairyman from Wisconsin, Fox said a farmer in 1970 could likely turn a profit with 50 cows and 100 acres. Today, he estimated it would take closer to 500 cows.

Meanwhile, the cost of land has risen from about $500 per acre to as much as $10,000 per acre. A midsize tractor adds $75,000 to $100,000.

Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press File

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Outlook strong for dairy exports

By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press

USDA is forecasting dairy exports in 2022 at a record $9.5 billion, up 22% year over year. That follows an 18% increase in 2021.

Exports have climbed to about 17% to 18% of U.S. milk production, and the U.S. global market share is expected to grow to 25% this year, compared with 20% in 2020, said Megan Sheets, senior director of

strategic development and insights for the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

“We know that dairy exports are growing at twice the rate of domes tic dairy consumption,” she said during the latest “DairyLivestream” webinar.

The outlook for U.S. dairy exports is optimistic, but the current environment is somewhat complicated. One of those short-term headwinds is supply chain challenges, she said.

“For the U.S. to be posi tioned as a global supplier of choice, we have to have a consistent and reliable sup ply,” she said.

The second challenge is inflation and its effects on global demand, and USDEC is starting to see consumer pushback. The third chal lenge is the tight milk supply in the U.S., although milk production grew slightly in

June, she said.

Despite the current chal lenges, the long-term out look is for continued growth in U.S. dairy exports, she said.

One reason is the lack of milk from key competitors, especially New Zealand and Europe, due to structural issues and environmental regulations.

“It’s really opening up the door for U.S. to gain addi tional market share and con tinue to build on the growth of market share momentum that we currently have,” she said.

Another tailwind is the booming cheese demand across the globe.

“What’s really positive for U.S. suppliers specif ically is the cheeses that we’re seeing grow in con sumer demand align really well with our U.S. portfolio of cheeses,” she said.

The U.S. is producing the right varieties — such as cream cheese, mozza rella and cheddar — for that demand.

Additionally, USDEC-commissioned research has identified the specific sensory attributes in cheese that consumers in different regions desire, she said

“So now we can be more competitive, we can be more forward-think ing and innovative … to ensure we’re continuing to meet this global demand for cheese and how we’re able to approach that in a really strategic way,” she said.

Another positive is the growing interest in health and wellness.

“From an international perspective, really what we’re seeing is a focus on nutrition, which really pairs well with what we’re see ing for a demand for pro teins,” she said.

There’s an increase in consumption of proteins across the board, but con sumers are specifically looking for high-quality dairy protein to fill their nutritional needs, she said.

Staff from each of USDEC’s 10 international offices recently reported health and wellness and sustainability are important to consumers in those mar kets, she said.

“That strong interest in health and wellness we know will fuel demand for many different dairy cate gories,” she said.

While there are some short-term headwinds, the longer term outlook for export growth is promis ing. It comes down to hav ing product to export and remaining competitive, she said.

Bags of whey product come off the line. The outlook for dairy product exports remains strong, analysts predict.

Broadband is coming to rural communities

By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN Capital Press

Broadband internet is on its way to rural communities, but some researchers are concerned the agricultural sector may get left behind in federal mapping efforts.

Experts say it is critical that agriculture be prioritized for broadband. A 2019 USDA report estimated that on-farm broadband connectivity and precision agriculture technologies could result in $47 billion in national economic benefits annually and boost farms’ profitability.

The recently passed Infrastructure Act included more than $42 billion aimed at closing the urban-rural “digital divide.”

To determine where to install infrastructure, the federal government is creating a map showing all potential locations where broadband could be installed.

According to Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC has been working with a contractor, CostQuest Associates, to compile this map, which the FCC aims to release in November.

Some researchers have previewed the map and say that agricultural structures, such as barns and farm offices, did not appear to be identified.

“This latest takeaway that ag doesn’t look like it’s going to be included (in the map) is not promising, frankly,” said Brian Whitacre, an agricultural economics professor and digital divide researcher at Oklahoma State University.

Whitacre previewed part of the map in July.

While it’s possible CostQuest has changed the map since July to identify agricultural structures, researchers aren’t too

optimistic.

In response to broadband researchers’ concerns, Mike Wilson, vice president of CostQuest Associates, said that “agriculture is not left out of the maps.”

The FCC defines what is or isn’t a broadband serviceable location, and Wilson said it’s important to understand the definition’s nuances.

“Things like barns, chicken houses and grain silos are not considered BSLs (Broadband Serviceable Locations), while working offices and residential structures that are within agriculture parcels generally are,” he said.

Wilson said CostQuest has captured data on all structures across the U.S. and classifies certain structures as “agricultural.”

“This data can be used to support things like precision ag,” he said. “We’re big believers in data supporting farmers and the agricultural industry, generally.”

Nationwide, agriculture has long been underserved for broadband connectivity.

In Oklahoma, for example, in an analysis of 2020-2021 data, Whitacre and co-researcher Christina Biedny, a Ph.D. student, found that agriculture was the leastserved land use category, with 39% of agricultural structures lacking 25 mega-

bits per second download/3 Mbps upload and 78% lacking the speed the Fiber Optic Association defines as “sufficient:” 100/20 Mbps.

If the FCC’s map overlooks agriculture, it won’t be the first time the agency has produced flawed maps.

For decades, the FCC has been criticized for its maps, which have vastly overestimated broadband availability, according to the Center for Rural Affairs. The maps relied on data from utilities labeling a unit of geography as “served” even if only one household in an entire census block — containing 600 to 3,000 people — received service.

Congress realized this definition was problematic, so in 2020, legislators passed the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act, scrapping the census block definition for a new method.

This method involves compiling a national “broadband serviceable location fabric,” a dataset that is supposed to include every sin-

gle structure in the U.S. — houses, businesses, barns — where broadband could be installed.

It’s a behemoth project.

Biedny, of Oklahoma State, said one challenge of compiling a map of this magnitude is that data sources vary widely, ranging from county assessor records to on-the-ground verification.

Some experts who recently previewed the FCC’s map have already flagged problems.

Mike Romano, the {span} Rural Broadband Association{/span}‘s executive vice president, told the trade publication Telecompetitor that about 90% of his association’s members found missing locations on the FCC map, and two-thirds saw extra locations.

Tony Chiotti/EO Media Group

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of

connections possible.

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Poll shows overwhelming support for MCOOL for beef

By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press

A new poll of U.S. vot ers shows overwhelming support for legislation to reinstate mandatory coun try-of-origin labeling for beef.

The poll by Morning Consultant — commis sioned by the Coalition for a Prosperous America and partially financed by the ranchers organization R-CALF USA — found 86% of U.S. voters support the American Beef Label ing Act.

The bill would reinstate country-of-origin labeling for all beef products sold in the U.S. and has been introduced in the House and Senate.

While mandatory COOL is in place for imports of several other food prod ucts, such as chicken, sea

food and nuts, Congress repealed the requirement for beef and pork in 2015.

That repeal was the result of four rulings by the World Trade Organization that mandatory COOL dis criminated against imports

of cattle and hogs from Canada and cattle from Mexico that were subse quently processed into beef and pork.

The WTO authorized Canada and Mexico to impose more than $1 bil

lion in retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.

But the U.S. has been working to reform the WTO. Congress has also signaled it would no longer allow the WTO to prevent it from supporting domes tic supply chains when it denied a tax credit for elec tric vehicles not assembled in the U.S., said Bill Bull ard, R-CALF CEO.

“This new approach paves the way for MCOOL as it too will help support the domestic live cattle supply chain,” he said.

R-CALF has pushed to reinstate mandatory COOL for beef to allow U.S. pro duced beef to compete with undifferentiated imports.

Consumers are being deceived in two ways, according Bullard. First,

foreign beef bears a U.S. inspection sticker, which obviously leads consum ers to believe it must be a domestic product, he said.

“The second way con sumers are deceived is more blatant. Current law allows foreign beef to be labeled as ‘Product of USA’ even it is only cut up or repackaged here in the United States,” he said.

For the past eight years, R-CALF has been telling Congress it made a terri ble mistake in repealing mandatory COOL and the vast majority of Americans want it reinstated, he said.

“But we didn’t have proof of our assertion until now,” he said.

The poll shows reinstat ing mandatory COOL has extremely strong support among all parties, he said.

Poll shows it is sup ported by 90% of Repub licans, 86% of Democrats and 83% of independent voters.

“MCOOL is also sup ported by an overwhelm ing number of voters all across the United States,” he said.

The poll found it is sup ported by 82% of North east voters, 90% of Mid west voters, 87% of voters in the South and 84% of voters in the West.

“Unsurprisingly, the pole results show that 90% of voters are concerned that foreign beef importers can legally put a ‘Product of USA’ sticker on a pack age containing beef that was born raised and har vested outside the United States,” he said.

Those who oppose MCOOL, primarily the largest beef packers and trade associations under packers’ control, claim that even if consumers want origin labels they really don’t care where beef is produced, he said.

“But the poll shows that’s not true, as a super majority of voters — 77% of them — believe it’s important that the beef they purchase was born, raised and harvested right here in the United States,” he said.

The poll results are available at https://pros perousamerica.com .

A new poll shows support for mandatory country-of-origin labels on beef.

Global turmoil cuts Oregon’s initial hazelnut prices by half

By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press

As harvest begins, Ore gon hazelnuts will fetch roughly half the price they did last year due to the tough global market conditions.

Under a deal struck between growers and pro cessors, the minimum ini tial price for hazelnuts will range from 40 to 53 cents per pound this year, com pared to 80-90 cents as har vest got underway in 2021.

“You’ve got any and all things that can go wrong for hazelnuts going wrong at this point,” said Terry Ross, executive director of the Hazelnut Growers Bar gaining Association.

Traditionally, the initial price sets a floor for hazel nut prices but growers can receive bonuses as proces sors sell the crop through the year.

At this point, though, hazelnut farmers are fac ing a “devastating” situa tion, Ross said. “The initial minimum is not a profitable scenario.”

The only upside for the hazelnut industry as a whole is that low prices and reliable production will spur consumption of the crop domestically, he said.

“It will allow us to expand to new markets with new product lines,” Ross said. “The current situation is unfortunate but the future prospects are positive for market development.”

Several factors around the world have conspired to diminish the initial hazelnut price, starting with runaway inflation in

Hazelnuts are processed after harvest. Minimum prices for Oregon hazelnuts have fallen by about half since last year.

Turkey, the biggest global producer, he said.

Inflation within Turkey effectively devalues its cur rency, reducing the export price of its hazelnuts, Ross said.

“They just have a huge competitive advantage being so much cheaper against the U.S. dollar,” he said.

The dynamic is aggra vated by a second year of strong Turkish hazelnut production, which has con tributed to a 20% increase in global supplies, Ross said. Meanwhile, consumer demand for hazelnuts has fallen in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, consump tion of the crop in China — a major destination for Oregon hazelnuts — has been restricted by contin ued lockdowns meant to slow the spread of COVID, he said.

Shipping problems have further added to the indus try’s troubles, since the

cost of getting contain ers of hazelnuts into China has doubled in three years, Ross said.

“Turkey’s a mess, Chi na’s a mess,” he said.

Oregon farmers will receive a minimum of 40 cents per pound for in-shell hazelnut varieties, which have the lowest nut-toshell ratio, or “shell-out.”

Cultivars with the high

est shell-out rate, which generate the least byprod

Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Pres Freshly harvested Bar celona hazelnuts during Oregon’s 2021 harvest.

uct for processors, will sell for at least 53 cents per pound, while the initial price for mid-range variet ies has been set at 47 cents per pound.

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Hydroponic crops ruled allowable under organic law

By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press

A federal appeals court has affirmed the USDA’s policy of certifying hydroponic crop growers as “organic” even though the practice doesn’t improve soil fertility.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected arguments by critics who claimed the Organic Food Production Act prohibits hydroponic methods from certification.

“If the OFPA’s clearly barred hydroponic production, we would be required to enforce it according to its terms and set aside USDA’s interpretation,” the 9th Circuit said. “But no part of the statute clearly precludes organic certification of crops grown hydroponically.”

The dispute over hydroponics — in which crops

are grown in perlite or another medium, often in large greenhouses — has been brewing for years in the organic community.

Critics claim the practice undermines the fundamental organic tenet of building soil fertility, but hydroponic supporters say opponents are simply afraid of competition from highly efficient producers.

The Center for Food Safety nonprofit and other critics petitioned the USDA to revoke organic certification from hydroponic growers, but the agency denied the request and a federal judge upheld that decision last year.

During oral arguments in July, the plaintiffs told a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit that USDA’s policy has subverted the OFPA’s goal of ensuring consistent practices in the organic market.

“We have two sets of identical tomatoes, except only some of them live up to the true meaning of organic,” said Sylvia Wu, the Center for Food Safety’s attorney.

Consumers expect organically labeled crops to be grown according to standards for soil health specifically required by the OFPA, she said. Hydroponic crops by definition cannot meet those standards because they’re not grown in soil.

“The words ‘organic’ and ‘organic farming’ refer to soil organic matter,” Wu said. “So soil-building is the foundation of the environmental benefi ts that consumers associate with the organic label.”

The USDA countered that OFPA’s soil fertility provisions only apply to crops that are grown in the ground, but do not actually ban hydroponic methods.

If the law was intended to prohibit soil-free practices from organic certification, it could have done so directly rather than through oblique provisions related to soil

Hydroponic butter leaf lettuce grows in a greenhouse. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected arguments by opponents of hydroponics in organic agriculture.

health, said David Winik, the USDA’s attorney.

“That would have been a surpassingly strange way for Congress to create a soil requirement, if soil were as central to organic production as plaintiffs suggest,” he said.

The three-judge 9th Circuit panel has now unanimously agreed with the USDA, ruling that the law doesn’t require the agency to impose a regulation barring hydroponic methods.

The OFPA mandates that producers follow an organic plan and grow crops on land that hasn’t been treated with prohibited substances, while restricting their use of

synthetic chemicals, the ruling said. It does not, however, specifically ban hydroponic methods.

The USDA’s acceptance of hydroponic methods is consistent with the OFPA’s approach of allowing practices unless they’re specifically banned, the 9th Circuit said.

The USDA has sufficiently “explained its reasoning” for its interpretation to be entitled to deference, even if certain experts disagree with the conclusion, the appellate court said.

“But expert opinion is not a reason for us to reverse the district court, much less second-guess USDA,” the ruling said.

Matthew Weaver/Capital Press File

The new and the old. The Washington Grain Commission gave Washington State University nearly $500,000 for two new plot combines to improve speed and efficiency when harvesting research plots.

Plot combines improve speed, efficiency for WSU researchers

By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press

Two new state-of-the art plot combines will help Washington State Uni versity wheat breeders improve their efficiency as they harvest their test plots.

The Washington Grain Commission provided nearly $500,000 for the new equipment.

The new Zurn 150 plot combine harvesters include monitors for yield and infor mation about each test plot.

“Basically when we get back from harvesting somewhere, we have all the data for yield, test weight and quality samples ready to go,” said Arron Carter, WSU winter wheat breeder. “I can immediately make selections ... all within a matter of an hour after harvest.”

That process would take two days with the old equipment, Carter said.

“Previously you would have to bring all the grain

back, weigh every bag, col lect all the data and then analyze it,” he said.

“The previous combines were worn out and so the accuracy of information and

timeliness (was affected),” said Glen Squires, CEO of the Washington Grain Com mission. “You’ve got lots and lots of plots that have got to be harvested in a

short period of time, and all the data from the harvested plots generated to help fur ther the breeding process. It totally enhances the pro grams themselves.”

Washington State University

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Research shows potential for hemp as animal feed

By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press

CORVALLIS, Ore. —

Researchers at Oregon State University are find ing that hemp has potential as a source of nutritious feed for lambs without any major impacts on animal health or meat quality.

Results of a study pub lished Aug. 12 in the Jour nal of Animal Science could influence whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration eventually approves feeding “spent hemp biomass” to live stock, unlocking another potential market for the versatile plant.

Spent hemp biomass is a byproduct consisting of leftover leaves and stalks after hemp is processed for cannabidiol, or CBD, oil.

According to USDA data, 62% of all hemp cultivated nationwide was grown for CBD extraction.

The OSU study, funded

in part by the Oregon Beef Council and USDA Agri cultural Research Service, aims to determine whether this leafy byproduct can

supplement feed for dif ferent types of livestock, including lambs, beef and dairy cows.

“To our knowledge, our

study is the first to evaluate the effects of feeding spent hemp biomass to live stock,” said Serkan Ates, an associate professor of animal and rangeland sci ence for OSU and co-au thor of the study.

So far, data suggests researchers are on the right track.

The project initially focused on sheep, with 35 weaned Polypay lambs

kept in single pens and randomly fed different amounts of spent hemp biomass ranging from 10% to 20% of total feed. Some lambs were not fed any hemp as a control group.

Over the course of four weeks, the lambs ate the hemp pellets followed by a four-week “withdrawal period,” after which they were assessed for weight gain, carcass characteris tics, meat quality and over all health.

Although lambs eat ing 20% spent hemp bio mass consumed less feed in the short-term, intake was not affected over the long-term, the study found. Lambs eating 10% spent hemp biomass actually ate more over the long-term, compared to the other groups.

Except for an increase in shrinkage during cook ing, meat quality was not affected by feeding lambs hemp. The animals’ metabolism was also not adversely affected.

These findings are important for both hemp farmers and livestock pro ducers, Ates said, because they provide evidence that the byproduct can be incor porated into animal diets.

“If the (FDA) approves its use as an animal feed stuff, hemp farmers could have a market for what is essentially a waste prod uct and livestock producers may be able to save money by supplementing their feed with the spent hemp biomass,” Ates said.

Industrial hemp was decriminalized and classi fied as an agricultural com modity under the 2018

Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press

Oregon State University researchers have published a study on the effects of feeding spent hemp biomass to Polypay sheep.

New UI Extension educator focuses on livestock, small acreage, youth

By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press

Cheyanne Myers is the new University of Idaho extension educator specializing in livestock, small acreage and 4-H programming.

She is based at UI’s Canyon County Extension office in Caldwell. She succeeds Samantha Ball.

Myers started Sept. 12. She helps producers and others tap into UI programs and research on topics ranging from production practices and business viability to women and young people in agriculture.

She emphasizes helping small-scale livestock and crop producers use water more efficiently, improve soil health, incorporate conserva-

tion practices and make their operations more sustainable.

Improving soil health can reduce the need for herbicides and pesticides, boost

pasture grass production and aid farm viability — important as continued population growth pressures agricultural land, Myers said.

Sharing university research in an understandable way that can be put into practice is the essence of the job, she said.

“Your job is to go share that information,” Myers said. “Not everyone knows where to go, how and where to turn, and how to benefit from it.”

The 4-H youth development program is geared toward increasing experience and knowledge about agriculture. Related extension education can help “provide the opportunity to gain this experience,” she said.

Myers will participate in

Treasure Valley Dairy Heifer Replacement Program, in which 4-H students raise an animal for two years.

She lives in Fruitland, where she graduated from high school. She got interested in agriculture through a work study program when she was studying pre-veterinary medicine.

Myers, 26, earned a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and a master’s in animal nutrition, specializing in ruminants, both at UI. Her master’s thesis focused on increasing nitrogen utilization to decrease its excretion in feedlot cattle fed finishing rations.

She belongs to the American Society of Animal Science.

Farm Bill. The following year brought an explosion of hemp production across Oregon, with 64,000 planted acres.

Since then, the number of licensed plantings has crashed, down 95% to 3,250 acres in 2022. Among the factors cited by farmers and industry experts is a lack of regulatory certainty from the FDA, which has constrained the development of new products containing CBD.

Unlike marijuana, hemp cannot have more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis that gets users high.

According to the study, chemical analysis showed spent hemp biomass to have similar nutrition to alfalfa, with no mycotoxin, terpenes or organic residuals as a result of the CBD extraction process.

However, more research is needed, Ates said. In particular, researchers observed a reduced “liver clearance” in lambs fed spent hemp biomass, referring the liver’s ability to metabolize other drugs.

“Spent hemp biomass can be considered a safe feed for ruminants and a good alternative to alfalfa for livestock, especially if it presents an economic benefit,” Ates said.

Cheyanne Myers