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Union County...City Garbage Service 3412 Hwy 30, La Grande 541.963.5459 Baker County...Baker Sanitation 3048 Campbell Street, Baker City 541.523.2626 Wallowa County...Wallowa County Public Works 619 Marr Pond Lane, Enterprise 541.426.3332

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

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Page 6 Officials with the Oregon Cattlemen's Association and Oregon Farm Bureau believe a proposed trade agreement with the Pacific Rim could benefit local farmers and ranchers

Page14It's called a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances — CCAA — and it could help Baker County ranchers avoid the

PAGE 4

After awinterwith askimpy snowpackandadryearly spring, widespreadrainthesecondhalf of May madea bigdifferencefor farmersandranchers PAGE 8

Union andWallowacounties have so far managed to avoid theworst of the droughtthat hasledto disasterdeclarationsacrossmost of EasternOregon PAGE 10

W ith honeybeeandbumbl ebee populationsdecliningat rapidrates in someplaces, it's moreimportant than ever,for agriculture, totake steps topreservethesepollinators

most detrimental effects if

the sage grouse is listed as an endangered species

Page 18 i™ -

A self-described 'dreamer' and 'big thinker' is hoping to show that Wallowa County is a suitable place to grow quinoa, an ancient grain growing in popularity due to its high protein content

ON THE COVER: A center pivot irrigation system sprinkles a field in the Baker Valley. When this photo was taken in May the Elkhorn Mountains were still snowy.

Kathy OrrNVescom News Service

THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD —3

PAGE 24

Technologyis helpingfarmers keep track oftheir operations,including their irrigationsystems,through their smartphones,evenif they're many milesaway PAGE 26

The basicsof water rights law

AGRI-BUSINESS

4 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

JUNE 2015

• A 3-week soggy spell in May and early June didn't end the drought, but for farmers and ranchers in Northeastern Oregon the reversal of what had been a dry spring might stave off disaster

By Jayson Jacoby

3ANUARY

]]acoby©bakercityherald.com

Curt Martin awoke that morning in mid-May, looked outside at his cattle ranch near North Powder, and for a moment he scarcely recognized the land that's been in his family for more than half a century.

The color, in particular, confused his eyes.

Soft green was splashed across low sagebrush hills that yesterday were dun and gray.

"It was like somebody had taken a brush with fluorescent paint," saidMartin,a pastpresident of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association.

"I have never seen such a dram atic difference in thecolorofthe landscape in just 12 hours. It was the most spectacular turnaround I've ever seen on the rangeland."

And perhaps the most welcome.

The drastic shift in the weather pattern that started May 11 and continued into the first week of June didn't end the drought that has spread from Oregon's southeastern corner into Baker, Union and Wallowa counties ialthough the latter two have not had a droughtdeclaration sofarl.

Achieving that will take at least a couple years with bountiful winter snowpacks and abundant spring rains.

Yet the recent damp trend, which has doused most of the tri-county region with at least 2 inches of rain in the past month, gives farmers and ranchers reason to be optimistic.

The green that brightened Martin's ranch was of course succulent new grass.

And for ranchers grass equates to something else that's greencash.

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APRIL S. John Collins/ Baker City Herald

Persistent rain during the second half of May made for green, and sometimes waterlogged, fields in parts of Baker Valley.

WHAT'S THE WATER OUTLOOK ELSEWHERE? Please turn to Page 8 for stories about the water situation in Union and Wallowa counties, which are unusualamong Eastern Oregon counties in that neither has had a drought declaration.

Grassfeeds theircattle,and in the beefbusiness more pounds means more dollars.

Before the rains commenced, Martin said he was pondering a business decision that would have seemed folly as recently as two years ago. sWe hadstarted looking atreducing our base cow herd," Martin said."I' ve never been in thatposition before."

Now he doesn't think that drasCattle that don't get all the tic step will be necessary. water they need won't put on as "So much depends on the next much weight, Martin said.

45 days," Martin said."If we But the shortage of stock water won't affect only those ranchcontinue to get rain frequentiy it will keep the grass growing. It still ers whose herds summer in the might be a tough summer, but I parched rangelands, said Rick think we're out of the woods."

Lusk, Baker County watermaster.

He's pretty certain that for the It almost certainly will be a tough summer for ranchers whose third straight summer he'll have summer rangelacks reliable to cutoffstock waterto some ranchers along Rock Creek, a mawater sources.

Those ranchers will have to jor tributary of the Powder River haul water to their herds. For that flows east out of the Elkhorn some, this will be the second Mountains near Haines.

That's necessary, Lusk said, to straight summer they've been forced into that expensive and ensure that landowners with older labor-intensive strategy. waterrights getwater toirrigate A cow and calf pair can drink 40 their crops.

Many farmers and ranchers will to 50gallons ofw ater perdayin hot weather — a total of weight of have to get by without their full 336 to 417 pounds. allotment of water this summer,

This year: 0.62 inches Average: 0.82 Cumulative 2013

Deficit: 0.97

MAY This year: 1.98 inches Average: 1.46 Cumulative 2013

Deficit: 0.45

Lusk said.

Still and all, he agrees with Martin that the situation is much more promising than it was in early May. At that point, streamflows were well below average, and Lusk and his deputy watermasters were divvying up water weeks earlier than usual.

But on May 11, the rain began.

See Relief/Fbge 16

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

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AGRI-BUSINESS

6 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

JUNE 2015

TPPandTPA:BehindTheAddreuiations

r a ea reemenscou e From The Oregon Cattlemen's Association SALEM — TPP and TPA have caused quite a stir lately. Don't mistake their impact by the size of their abbreviations.Each set of threelettersrepresents huge possibil itiesfor Oregon ranchers and agriculture.

TPP stands for Trans-Pacific Partnership and TPA stands for Trade Promotion Authority, also known as "fast track authority."

Will Wise, CEO of the Oregon Beef Council, said, "The TransPacific Partnership will deal with some extremely high tarifFs facing Oregon beef exports."

Currently, Oregon beef with a destinationofJapan faces a 38.5 percenttarifF. "If we could eliminate this tarifFbarrier through TPP, we

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S. Jahn Collins/BakerCity Herald file photo

Wheat farmers could be among the beneficiaries of a trade agreement with the Pacific Rim. would substantially increase our exports to Japan, which would increase the bottom line for every Oregon beef producer,"W ise said.

Japan is just one example of what TPP and TPA could open up for Oregon producers.

Jerome Rosa, executive director of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, believes the international trade bills will open up larger marketing opportunities for Oregon ranchers.

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"It costs less to get our products to Japan than it does to the other side of the Mississippi."

Rosa was able to have a brief conversation with President Obama when hevisited Oregon

earlier this May. Rosa said thepresident told sWe need to support Ron him, Wyden on TPP and TPA." Oregon Cattlemen's Association President Ray Sessler agrees that the international trade bills would benefi tOregon ranchers.

"The passage of TPP and TPA will allow Oregon agriculture to blossom more than it already does," Sessler said."It will benefit ranching specifically by providing additional, unique beef-trade opportunities with Japan and other Pacific Rim countries. This is a rare chance to share Oregon's high quality beef with other countries, "Sesslersaid.

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AGRI-BUSINESS

8 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

JUNE 2015

Rain helps keep Wallowa Coun off drought list

By Katy Nesbitt

Total Pgeoipitatian Anomaly: May 2015

WesCom News Service

ENTERPRISE — An old adage says, "If you don't like the weather in Eastern Oregon, wait five minutes."

Little wonder, then, that predicting how the dry winter in Northeastern Oregon will affect summer stream flows for fish, farms and fire danger is a tricky business.

John Williams, OSU extension agent for Wallowa County, said, "Remember in March I said if it doesn't rain,it'sgoing to be a long dry spell? Well, it rained."

Williams said gauges on Alder Slope, a neighborhood that borders the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest outsideofEnterprise,registered as much as 5 V3 inches of rain in May. "Close to the mountain got up in the neighborhood of five inches.

Up north got less,"Williams said.

"Still, two inches over three weeks is quite a lot of rain — it assures us wearegoing to grow a lotof grass."

The rain helped keep Wallowa County, like its neighbor Union County, off the list off Oregon counties, including Baker County, where a drought emergency has been declared.

Williams said the snowpack leveled off and was holding at 80 percent or more in April. When the rain came, the snowpack melted a little slower.

The rains, Williams said, didn't come all in one gullywasherWallowa County didn't suffer any flash floods and after each storm there was enough time for the ground to absorb the water in time for the next storm.

"The good news is when we got 2 to 5 inches we got it really slow, which is great for soil moisture," Williams said.

The rain brought the county back to average fortotalprecipitation for the water year, which startedOct.1,2014.

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Union County drier than usual, but no drought declaration

By Cherise Kaechele WesCom News Service

It is hot and it is dry in Eastern Oregon, and local crops might feel the ramifications of that weather trend this summer.

It's no surprise the area suffered through a dry winter.

And because snowpack is the largest source of irrigation water for the region, a dry winter also makes for a dry summer, said Jim Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"The total precipitation La Grande received from Oct. 1 i2014l through June 3 is 13.9 inches," Smith said."The average over that period of time is 14.75 inches of precipitation."

The rain showers the area received a few weeks

off about three weeks earlier than average, pushing out potential water concerns until later in the summer.

Williams said the lack of snow in the higher elevations really affects livestock ponds, especially in the northern part of the county. He

ago agodid push the average amount ofrain in May toabove normal.

That wet spell didn't make up for the precipitation the Grande Ronde Valley is lacking. But compared with the rest of Eastern Oregon, the northeast corner is faring well.

"Union County and Wallowa County are the only two counties in Eastern Oregon who have not declared a drought," said Jason Spriet, Oregon's water resource districtmanager for Eastern Oregon."Baker County, Harney, Malheur counties — pretty much the further you go south in Eastern Oregon, the more severe the drought gets."

said those ponds benefited greatly 6om the rains.

"Back when we were at the tipping point in early May the ponds were not filled. Now some of those ponds are partially full,"Williams sard.

As for the springs, some had

SeeUnion County/Fbge 20

already run dry before May. "Some of the springs that had dried up are back running,"Williams said.

Wallowa County has two main irrigation reservoirs — natural lakes modified for water storage.

The main water storage resource

is WallowaLake,300feetdeep.

Even when it appears low in late summer, there is a lot of water still available. Williams said 35,000 ofthe45,000 irrigated acresin Wallowa County use water from Wallowa Lake.

He said the lake is at its storage capacityand isreleasing water into the Wallowa River.

Williams said, "If you're under thedam you'reprobably OK.D The other reservoir is Minam Lake, far into the Eagle Cap Wilderness and the head of the Lostine River from which 14 canals divertwater to irrigated pasture in the Wallowa mid-valley.

With plenty of water running through the Wallowa River, Williams said none of Wallowa Lake's stored water had been used by the end of the first week of June.

"Some pivots are on, some aren't," he said.'Those with gravity flow are more likely using their irrigation than those who have to pay for electricity."

W ater orage st also playsoutin the soil, Williams said.

'The soil profile means more than anything. We put a lot of water in the soil. Four and five feet down is dictated by what happened three or four years ago,n Williams said.

As for the vast, unirrigated rangelands where most of the county's cattle spend part of the summer, Williams said the ground is going togrow a lotof grass, and native bunchgrasses should do well.

Whether those grasses remain green through much of the summer depends, of course, on whether the rains return.

Wallowa County averages about one to one and a half inches of rain during the summer, most of it from thunderstorms.

'The rain has been a godsend; it moved us back from joining the drought. Whether we get summer rain or not will determine how we do in the late summer, so stay tuned,"Williams said.

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

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THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 9

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10 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

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JUNE 2015

Saving bees: A benefit to agriculture

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Laura Navarette, wildlife biologist, said the bee population is declining but there are fairly simple ways to help remedy that.

By Cherise Kaechele VVesCom News Service

It's no new news that bumblebee and honeybee populations are declining at drastic rates. Both insects play a fundamental role in agriculture.

Laura Navarrette, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service, gave a presentation June 6 at the Cook Memorial Library on the Eastern Oregon University campus that included advice on ways local residents can help bring back the populations of these vital pollinators.

"Honeybees get a lot of attention but bumblebeesare greattoo,"Navarette said.'There are over 4,000 species of bees. Honeybees and bumblebees are social. They have a social system, an entire caste system."

See Bees/Fbge 12

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AGRI-BUSINESS

12 —THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

JUNE 2015

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Kathy Orr /Wescom News Service

A movement in Congress to repeal a law requiring country-of-origin labels on beef could benefit Oregon ranchers.

ouse asses i re eain coun -o-ori in a ein

By Mary Clare Jalonick Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Under threat of trade retaliation from Canada and Mexico, the House has voted to repeal a law requiring country-of-origin labels on packages ofbeef, pork and poultry.

The World Trade Organization rejected a U.S. appeal last month, ruling that the labels that say where animals were born, raised and slaughtered are discriminatory against the two U.S. border countries. Both have said they plan to ask the WTO for permission to impose billions of dollars in tariffs on American goods.

The Housevoted 300-131 lateWednesday torepeallabels that tell consumers what countries the meat is from — for ex-

TRADE Continuedfrom Page 6 Gail Greenman, the Oregon Farm Bureau's directorofnationalaffairs,sees that the two bills could benefit not only Oregon ranching, but Oregon agriculture in general.

"Oregon produces the best agricultural commodities in the world," Greenman said."Oregon exports 80 percent oftheagriculturalproductsitproduces

ample, "born in Canada, raised and slaughtered in the United States" or "born, raised and slaughtered in the United States."

The Senate has yet to act.

The WTO ruled against the labels last year, prompting the appeal that was again rejected in May. The Obama administrationhas already revised the labelsonce to try tocom ply with previous WTO rulings, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said it's now up to Congress to change the law to avoid retaliation from the two countries.

The law was included in the 2002 and 2008 farm bills at the behest of northern U.S. ranchers who compete with the Canadian cattle industry.

and half of that goes outside the United States, the majority of it to Asia and countries in TPP." Some of the exports Oregon ships are beef, wheat, wine, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. ''Well-crafled trade agreements with Asian and European countries will allow farmers and ranchers to compete on a level playing field with overseas competitors," Greenman said.

While TPP will open up a whole new

See Labels/Page 26

world of global trade, it needs TPA to pass in order to be efficiently implemented.Itisim portant thatthose involved in Oregon agriculture understand the basicsofthebillsand supportthem. aTPA is probably the only way that TPP can be implemented to help our farmers and ranchers,"Wise said."Fast

Track iTPAl, should be supported by all Oregon producers if they want to see thistrade agreement realized and their profits therebyincreased."

Continued from Page10 Navarette said the two bees are more efficient pollinators than other bee species.

Bumblebees are bigger and furrier than honeybees, she said. They have smaller hives, but they can pollinate in cold weather, unlike honeybees.

Local honeybee hobbyist Ray Westenskow thinks the colder temperatures in the Grande Ronde Valley make it harder for honeybees to produce honey here.

Westenskow said he buys a new swarm every spring, then sells them to people who take the bees to California where thegl prosper in the warmer temperatures.

"Between late September to April there's no food for them,"Westenskow said.aiLa Grande) isn'ta good place to keep bees."

It's not impossible, though, to keep bees in the area — it just requires more work.

D&B SupplyManager Randy Mai said the storeoffersclassesto thoseinterested in having a hive.

The class is usually held in the spring and shows participants how to keep hives, how to start a hive and take care of the swarm. aWe'relearning as we go,"Ma isaid oftheclass.

"Some 4ivesl did really well, others didn't. It's a learning experience."

Westenskow agrees with Mai that keeping a healthy hive is a learning experience. Talking to those who have honeybees and who possess the experience can help if you're just beginning with

the hobby.

Having the food essential to keep the bees, whether they're bumblebees or honeybees, is possiblythe most important partoftheprocess.

Navarette said the required habitatand food, especiall y forbumblebees,doesn'trequire a lotof money to be spent.

Bees require access to a diversity of flowers for pollen and nectar. The blooms should be budding both early and late in the season to give the bees enough of a crop to sustain themselves.

Bumblebeesare able tothrivein colder temperatures. They nest underground, usually in abandoned holes made by ground squirrels, accordingto documents provided by Navarette.

Bumblebees are generally even tempered, while honeybees are territorial and fairly aggressive — usually the ones to sting someone.

The likely culprit of the dying population of bees can be the use of insecticides, specifically neonicotinoid, which is fatal to bees. In Portland, 25,000bees were found in aTargetparking lot in 2013, Navarette said. The employees had used the insecticide on some trees that were in full bloom, attracting the bees and ultimately killing them.

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JUNE 2015

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AGRI-BUSINESS

14 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

JUNE 2015

With potential federal listing of the sage grouse looming, agreements can help protect landowners From the Baker County Soil and Water Conservation Districts On March 18, representatives from five Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDsl in Eastern Oregon gathered on the vast rangeland near Burns.

There, all five SWCDs signed an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would allow private landowners to protect themselves from possible land use regulations that would come with the listing of the greater sage grouse on the federal Endangered Species List.

In 2010 the federal agency deemed the sage grouse a candidate for listing, but five years later, a final listing decision is slated for September, which could very well bring on big changes foragricultureproducersin the western states — both environmentally and economically.

The Soil and Water Conservation Districts have anticipated this decision approaching, and they are taking a proactive approach to working with landowners and other agencies.

One beneficial tool is the

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Jayson Jacaby/WesCom News Service file photo

Two male sage grouse perform the species' spring strutting ritual among the sagebrush atVirtue Flat, about five miles east of Baker City.

ing reflectors on barbed wire fences, or byremoving encroaching juniper. More often than not, landowners are already operating under these good management practices; they just simply need to get it down on paper.

In return for the efforts CCAA — Candidate Conput forth by landowners to servation Agreements with preserve sage grouse habiAssurances. tat, the CCAA will essentialCCAAs are voluntary, ly act as an insurance policy flexible agreements between and will allow property private landowners and owners to continue their optheir local Soil and Water erations with no additional Conservation District. By land use regulations or fines entering into the CCAA, the imposed on them even if the landowner agrees to manage grouse is listed. their property in a matter Through the CCAA, money might become available thatreduces threatsto sage grouse habitat. to assist landowners with This could mean someimprovingexisting conservathing as simple as installtion measures on their land,

or to institute new ones. Conservation measures will vary depending on the property owner, and will depend on the presenceofexisting or potential habitat threats in the area.

These threats may include: • Habitat fragmentation • Wildfire • Lack of fire • Juniper conifer expansion • Unmanaged or improper grazing • Exotic invasive vegetation • Vegetation treatments • Drought • Mechanical degradation of riparian areas • Catastrophic flooding • Recreation

• Predation • West Nile virus • Wild horses/burros • Insecticide A listing of the sage grouse would affect eight counties in Oregonthat have known sage grouse populations, and have been identified as having priority or low density sage grouse habitat.

Harney County has the largest estimated habitat area, followed by Malheur County, Baker, Union, Crook, Deschutes, Lake, and Grant.

Baker County alone has an estimated490,581 acres of priority or low density sage grouse habitat — about 25 percent of the county's land. Landowners who would like to find out if their land falls in habitat area are

encouraged to contact Baker County SWCD stalK Staff members at the Baker County SWCDs are prioritizing on a first-come, irst-served basis,focusing f initially on the core priority areas, then to low density areas and beyond.

Landowners who enter into the 30-year CCAA understand that the agreements are completely confidential, and can be negated at any time if the landowner so chooses. The first step to entering into a CCAA with a local Soil and Water Conservation District entails contactingthe appropriate staff member; in Baker County that is Habitat Conservationist Logan Ross.

A Letter of Intent is

signed, which demonstrates the willingness of the landowner to participate in the comprehensive CCAA process. So far, we have had several privatelandowners in Baker County have take the first step to enteringinto a CCAA with the Soil and Water Conservation District.

In Baker County, all Letters of Intent must be signed with the SWCD by August 2015 into move forward with finalizing a CCAA. Once a Letter of Intent is signed and on file, the habitat conservationist will begin collecting information for the site specific plan. Information is gathered byinterviews with the landowner regarding current management practi cesand operations, as well as site visits to identify possible threats and dif ferent conservation measures specific to the area and the producer.

As long as landowners follow their site specific plan, which will be designed to enhance the overall health of the property just as much as it enhances grouse habitat, they can be comforted in knowing that their land and their livelihood will be protectedand secure ifthe sage grouseisindeed added to the Endangered Species List.

To learn more about the CCAA process, or to move forward with signing a LetterofIntent,pleasecontact Habitat Conservationist Logan Ross at the Baker County Soil and Water Conservation Districts at 541-523-7121 extension 111 or at logan.ross@bakercountyswcds.com.

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 15

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AGRI-BUSINESS

16 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

JUNE 2015

RELIEF Continued ~om Page 4 ''When the rain started, people who were bickering over water, stopped," Lusk said."Because of the rain, most everybody who wants water is getting it now."

That wasn't the case during much ofApril ,w hen even landownerswith water rightsasold as 1884 were cut off, Lusk said.

And it won't be the case once the rain ceases, as it almost certainly will by July.

"As soon as the rain stops, streamflows are going to plummet again and we will be down to base flows," he said.

Many reservoirs are also depletedfrom threeconsecutiveyears with below-average rainfall.

Phillips Reservoir, for instance, along the Powder River 17 miles southwest of Baker City, was at 39 percent ofcapacity thesecond week of June. Water from Phillips irrigatesmore than 30,000 acres in Baker Valley, and farmers there will have to get by with less than their full allotment of reservoir water this summer.

Nonetheless, Lusk said it's difficult to underestimate the value of the several soggy weeks.

For some farmers it likely will mean the difference between a good crop and a dismal one.

Delbert Stephens, who raises timothy and alfalfa hay, wheat, potatoes and cattle in Baker Valley, saidthe copious rainshave eased his stress.

"The rain has just been a huge, huge asset," Stephens said."It takes that sharp edge ofI: And after a while those sharp edges, well they start to hurt."

The pain was especially acute in early May. Not only had the spring rains failed to arrive — May is the wettest month, on average, in Baker County — but a combination ofbelow-fieezing nights and a persistent north wind was sapping m oisture from already desiccated ground, Stephens said.

And althoughhe remained optimistic, Stephens admits that as the first week of May passed with

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S. John Collins/ Baker City Herald

Mill Creek, a tributary of the Powder River that flows from the Elkhorn Mountains west of Baker City, was flowing well after widespread rain during the second half of May. no improvement in conditions,"I startedsecond-guessing myself."

He began to ponder, for instance, which ofhis crops he would irrigate, and which fields he might have to sacrifice.

But then, on May 11, the first drops began to pelt Baker Valley.

For the first few days the rain, though welcome, had little effect.

But rain fell on 18 of the next 23

days.

By early June Stephens actually had to shut off sprinklers to avoid overwateringsome ofhis crops.

And those crops, he said,"probably look as good as they have for this time ofyear ever for me."

Stephens' trust in Baker Valley has been not so much restored as realrmed.

"This little valley seldom fails us," he said.'This year it gave me a lesson that I need to have a little more faith. It sounds easy to say

S. John Collins/ Baker City Herald

Soggy weather in May spurred the growth of forage in the unirrigated rangelands east of Baker City. now, but it was stressful."

And he was hardly alone in his anxiety.

Stephens said he talked with a rancher earlier this spring who was so dismayed by the lack of grass in

Baker County's unirrigated rangelands that he was preparing to feed hay to his herd all summer.

But the rain spurred such a thickcrop ofgrassthattherancher likely will adhere to the regular,

traditional system of moving his herd onto the range for part of the summer, saving thousands of dollars in feed costs.

See Relief/Page 20

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 17

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uinoa: ou o

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

r o nounce eas ose

• Self-described 'dreamer,'Teddy Golder, wants to know if this ancient crop can be grown profitably in Wallowa County

By Katy Nesbitt WesCom News Servlce

ENTERPRISE — Quinoa, once an obscure crop grown in the Andes Mountains of South America, has gottenso popular thatdemand is outpacing the supply.

To meet the growing need, test cropsare being planted to see if this mountain-loving crop can grow in the Wallowas.

Teddy Golder of Newport said he grew familiar with Wallowa County on backpacking trips in the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

"The whole reason I became involved was because I want to live out there and be able to make a living," Golder said.

He said he was first turned on to quinoa — pronounced "KEENwah" — when it was first becoming popular.

"A nutritionist friend of mine in Eugene told me the climate and altitude in Wallowa County is not that different than some areas in South America," Golder said.

"Then I learned through Washington State University we really do have one of the most optimum areastopotentially grow it."

Goldersaid he started communicating with stafF and grad students at Washington State when he discovered the university was leading the way in quinoa breeding.

Through his connections in Pullman and locally, he brought the researchers to Patrick Thiel's Prairie Creek Farm outside of Joseph, which is well-known for itsorganiccarrotsand potatoes soldatrestaurants and atthe Portland Farmers Market.

"I introduced the grad student to Pat. She was impressed — it was a good marriage there," Golder said.

Thiel is one of a handful of local farmers who are experimenting with quinoa, Golder said.

Through his networking, Golder

Once sacred, now 'super' Considered sacred by the ancient lncas of Peru, quinoa has been deemed a "super crop" by the United Nations for its high level of protein.

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"We really do haveoneof the most optimum areas to potentially grow (quinoa).

More and more storeswant to know where their

grain isfrom, and thatgives meconfidence.

— Teddy Golder, who is experimenting with growing quinoa, an increasingly popular grain, in Wallowa County

and a big thinker, which is part of creatingstories.Isee m yselfasa project coordinator and letthe scientists stay focused on their task — finding the right microclimate vesttime togarner more interest to grow quinoa." from local farmers and investors.

He said he is writing a pamGolder said he knew it was the phlet about quinoa and discovright time to get into the quinoa ered it was indigenous in the market when he started following Mississippi Delta 6,000 years ago; a popular blog by Alyssa Rimmer then the crop was lost except in on her website "Simply Quinoa." pockets of South America.

When it got popular he said Golder said, 'This woman has written cookbooks and has tens of farmersstarted making good thousands of followers. Not a day money andsomething odd hapgoes by that a reader doesn't ask, pened — peoplelefttheirfactory ''When are we gong to get locally jobs in the city to move to the grown quinoa?" country and grow quinoa. Even A music and film writer, he said cocaine farmers are switching he brings a writer's mind to the to quinoa, Golder said, because project. there is almost as much money Goldersaid,"I'm a dreamer to be made, and with no legal Photo by Jerome Goertzen

Jerome Goertzen andTeddy Golder grew quinoa lastyear on Jamie and Doug Tippett's ranch outside of Joseph.

also met Jerome Goertzen, a likeminded entrepreneur interested in developinga company around quinoa.

Golder said he is looking into warehouse space and researching distribution. He said Sara Miller at the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District is helping him look into grants, loans and crowdfunding ideas.

The key, he said, will be in the marketing, and he plans to shoot a videoright before harvestthis year to attractinvestors.The Washington State research team is planning a symposium at har-

problems.

Once the European and America market discovered quinoa it wasn't long before farmers couldn't supply the world demand.

"They'verediscovered itin Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile. It's been insti tuted as partofschool lunch programs because of its high protein content," Golder sard.

Quinoa is a high-protein seed eaten like a grain.

Some were worried it was a trendand that thelocalfood movement didn't care about the sourceoftheir grains.

'That's changing — more and more stores wants to know where their grain is from, and that gives me great confidence," Golder said.

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 19

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20 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

RELIEF

"We're getting the right rain

Continued ~om Page16 It's that green wave that captivated Martin on that May morning.

Nor was he the only one to notice the colorful change.

Lusk, whose job mandates thathe visitallpartsofBaker County, said he noticed during an early June drive from Baker City to the Pine Valley, a route that passes some of the county's most valuable rangeland, how "lovely" the land looked, cloaked in the soft green of new grass.

"I haven't seen that for the past few years," Lusk said.

Some of that thriving rangeland that Lusk admired during his drive belongs to Mike Widman, a Baker Valley rancher.

Widman owns about 10,000 acres of range in the Love Reservoirarea about 17mileseastof Baker City.

Widman has had to deal not only with drought, but also with

at the right time."

— Rancher Mike Widman

lingering effects of the Sardine fire, a lightning-sparked blaze in August 2012 that burned some ofhisrange aswellasadjacent private and public grazing land.

Like Martin, Widman said this spring's transition &om discouragement to optimism has been more rapid than any year in his experience.

"In 40-some years I've never seen a turnaround so fast,"Widman said.'We're getting the right rain at the right time."

Widman said some ofhis lower-elevation rangeland was so dryearlierthisspring that he wasabletograze cattleon it forjust 10 daysinstead of35 as usual.

There wasn't enough to grass to feed the cattle — and Widman said he won't let the animals nip grass to the ground, anyway,

because it's too hard on the land in the long run.

By early June, though, the range — especially at middle and upper elevations — was excellent. ''We're sitting in pretty good shape right now,"Widman said.

The effects of the drought, though, will persist.

Widman said many creeks are flowing at levels more typical of August than June.

And some of his ponds didn't

fill.

Nonetheless, Widman said he will remember 2015 as the year when the spring rains, late though they were, eventually arrivedto stave offpotential disaster.

And though he chooses a porcine rather than a bovine metaphor, his point is clear.

"Itreally saved ourbacon," Widman said.'We'd be pulling cattle offthe range 60 days earlier than usual if not for this rain."

JUNE 2015

UNION COUNTY Continued from Page8 Spriet said Union and Wallowa counties are doing OK as far as water is concerned, although streamflows and most reservoir levelsare below average for this time of year.

"In some areas, the rain storms in the last couple of weeks have helped some things," Spriet said.

"They increase the storage levels in some areas. It rained all over Eastern Oregon. Wallowa Lake has gone up to a good level because of the rain storms."

Spriet said while this has been the norm for the counties in the lastseveralyears,thisdoesnot mean it's going to be a recurring issue.

Smith said the driest months tend to be July, August and September. The amount of precipitation Union County received in November and December by way of snow helped prolong things a bit.

Farmers in counties with a declared drought, including Baker, have stateand federal programs available to help them deal with the effects,Sprietsaid.

He's making sure towns in the areas in severe drought have enough water for the community to last through the summer. ''We're trying to be aware of the municipalities, and make sure they don't run out of water," Sprietsaid."We're trying to be ahead of that.And help them fi nd alternativesupplies ifnecessary."

Sprietsaid some people have had to deepen theirwe lls,especially in the south half of Eastern Oregon, to getaccessto m ore water.

"It's certainly been very dry in Eastern Oregon," he said. "Union County hasn't seen major impacts from the drought. There's a lotofsummer lef t to go.W e're trying to be aware of what's going on and gather what information we can."

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AGRI-BUSINESS

22 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

JUNE 2015

SUCCESSION PLANNING FOR FARMS AND RANCHES

By Debby Schoeningh ForWesCom News Service

Estate and succession planning does not fall into the category of "onceit'sdone,it'sdone."

Ideally the plan starts when the first child is on the verge of entering theworkforce — orearlierand the plan grows and changes along with the family's needs and desires.

Itcan takeyearsto hammer out the details, and it's a process that is not without challenges.

Bart Eleveld, an extension economist at Oregon State University, says successful farm and ranch estate planning includes the transfer of assets and handing over of the business control isuccession) to the next generation in

a way that is economically feasible In many cases, Eleveld says, it's for both the senior and junior fam- a matter of their offspring not wantily members. ing to carry on the family business, He says one reason partly due to the agriculture"price squeeze. producers put off "Prices received haven't gone estate and succession up asfastasinputprices,"says planningis because they are reluctant Eleveld."Smaller farms may no lonto think about their ger derive an adequate income to own mortality. A Eleveld provide for a family, and sometimes large percentage of junior members would rather purfanners and ranchers also do not sue morelucrative careers."

However, one thing for junior plan to retire or don't want to give up control of the operation. Often members to consider, he says, times it's a matter of not wanting is that with a farm of marginal to change their lifestyle, which may size, young producers can often be required for junior members to times get significant income &om take over. outside sources that will enable Eleveld says itis also common for them to keep the family farm senior members to sell the fann to operational. comfortablyretire.

He says the generational differ-

"It's almostimpossibleforayoungergeneration totakeoverif they are notfirst transitioned by a senior generation."

— Bart Eleveld, extension economist, Oregon State University

ences in lifestyle and technology can also be a factor when it comes to junior family members wanting to take over the farm.

Many families, he says, delay the process until their children have moved on and invested time and education in a different direction.

"Often times it is a case of the younger generation not getting the keys to the car soon enough, as the parents won't let go and turn it over in an orderly fashion," Eleveld says."It's almost impossible for a younger generation to

take over if they are not first transitioned by a senior generation."

He says there area lotofdifferent factors at play and a family will delay succession planning and transition for many reasons.

The most important first step in the planning process, Eleveld says, is for senior family members to have a &ank discussion with junior members to determine if the younger generation wants to take over the family farm, and if it is possible.

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THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 23

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JUNE 2015

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By Debby Schoeningh For WesCom News Service

When horses were the cornerstone of farm work, un-crating an iron horse-drawn plow with interchangeablepartswa sajoyfulevent.

The crude hand-held equipment of prior years was left behind and the future of agriculture loomed bright.

As steam-powered tractors morphed into gas guzzlers and became widespread, horses were given a much needed break and people thought that finally, technology had arrived to the agriculture industry. Little did they know, they hadn't seen nothing yet.

Modern day tractors not only rival a luxury car in terms of comfort, theypracticallydrivethemselves thanks to GPS guidance systems.

This computer-based technology is advancing at a rapid rate, and it gives producers the accuracy and efficiency that had been missing from the Agindustry, says David Bouchard, integrated solutions managerofTri-County Equipment, a John Deere dealer with branches in BakerCity,LaGrande and Enterprise.

Bouchard says although GPS technology is 20 years old, it is just the ti p oftheiceberg.

"Today producers can now do so much more than location mapping," he says. John Deere builds on to the GPS foundation adding technology that allows producers to monitor machinery, gather data such as average yield, moisture and seedingrates, pre-plan and set up field guidance lines, and send the information to the tractor, which the operatorcan accesson thetractor's computer display.

For instance, when the system is used on a combine, the farmer can monitor the exact location as well

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David Bouchard ofTri-County Equipment shows how easy it is to monitor farming equipment fitted with a GPS guidance system from his cell phone.

as how much gran is gong through it. Mapping can be utilized to figure out trends to farm the property to getthe bestyields.

The tractor can be settovary fertil izeroutput to account for the differences in soil quality and can automatically drive, applying it in a straight line. But say you want to go along a curved ditch or bypass a swale — no problemthe system can guide the tractor along those lines also.

The tractor will keep on the set guides even when dust kicks up and impairsthe operator'svisibility — no more having to wait until the dust clears.

Even though the tractor drives itself in a straight or curved line, it still requires an operator to make the end row turns. However, with the addition of the iTek Pro ilntelligent Total Equipment Control), the tractor will auto-

matically turn around. These guidance systems will free up the operatorto conduct other business or even watch the football game on a hand held device while plowing the field without worrying about overlapping or getting off track.

However, perhaps the most valuableaspectofthesystem is that every piece of machinery fitted with the guidance system can be monitored remotely from a computer,cellphone or tablet from almost anywhere.

'You can literally monitor your planting and harvesting while on vacation in Jamaica," says Bouchard.

The John Deere AutoTrac universal steering kit can be used on just about any brand of tractor, even olderones,aslong asithas power steering. Bouchard says he has also seen it used on riding

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Along with the GPS technology, phone apps are available that provide information on setting up and maintaining equipment.

lawn mowers and potato trucks.

With JDLink, Bouchard can log in to a customer's on-tractor system and troubleshoot any time, any where.

The GPS guidance systems operate using 44 satellites within John Deere's StarFire network, which is capable of one-inch real-time accuracy. Because John Deere owns its own network of referencestations and processing

hubs, users do not have to rely on a third-partyfor service.

The tractor or other equipment utilizing John Deere's technology is fitted with a dome on the outsidecab that iscapableofreceiving satellite signals to calculate the position of the equipment, which is transferred to an on-board computer.

SeeTechnology/Bge 26

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

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26 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

A primer on Oregon water rights Oregon Water Resources Department Water use and rights shaped the West more than any other natural resource.

Oregon's water laws date to 1909 and have been amended tomeet growing demand and further define water rights.

According to "An Introduction to Oregon's Water Laws" published in 2013 by the Oregon Water Resources Department, all water is publicly owned.

With someexceptions,cities,irrigators,businesses, and other water users must obtain a permit or license from the Water Resources Department to use water from any source — whether it is underground, or from lakes or streams.

The Introduction says in general, landowners with water flowing past, through or under their property do not automatically have the right to use that water without authorization from the Department.

Oregon's water laws are based on the principle of seniority of an approved right. This means whoever has the senior right on a stream is the last to be shut offin times oflow stream flows. If there is a surplus beyond what is necessary to fulfill the senior right, the water right holder with the next oldest priority date can take what is available.

This continues down the line until there is no

TECHNOLOGY

surplus or until all rights are satisfied. The date of application for a permit to use water usually becomesthepriority date oftheright.

In Oregon, the prior appropriation doctrine has been law since Feb. 24, 1909. Before then, water users had to depend on themselves or local courts to defendtheirrightsto water.

A waterright isattached totheland described in the right, as long as the water is used. If the land is sold, the water right goes with the land to the new owner. Once established, a water right must be used as provided in the right at least once every five years. With some exceptions established in law, after five consecutive years of non-use, the right is considered forfeited and is subject to cancellation.

Oregonlaw does notprovidea preference for one kind of use over another. If there is a conflict between users, the date of priority determines who may use the available water. If the rights in conflict have the same date of priority, then the law indicates domestic use and livestock watering have preference over other uses.

Ifthe governor declares a drought,the Department can give preference to stock watering and household consumptive purposes, regardless of the priorit y dates.

guidance technology at Tri-County Equipment have increased subContinued ~om Page 24 stantiall y thisyear over previous With John Deere's Active years as producers focus more on Implement Guidance added to the increasing efficiency and producsystem, farm implements can also tion.

"It's agreattoolforfarmers," have a dome for direct communicationwith thetractorforactive says Bouchard."It reduces operaimplement guidance. tor fatigue, so maybe he or she can Other additions to the guidance put ina longerwork day orby the system include iGrade for water end of the day have more energy management, Mobile Weather sen- to go home and play catch with the sor displays and documents realkids. All of the pieces fit together to time weather, and the Intelligent help your business and life, and it Total Equipment control iiTechl justkeeps getting better." will raise a farm implement in the Tri-County created a separate same spot, atthe same speed and departmentlastyearto provide height every time. training, setup, updates and help John Deere's Real Time Kinevirtually any time it's needed, and matics iRTKl base station, allows Bouchard has taken extensive producersto haverepeatability for trainingtooffersupporttocustoman increasedlevelofaccuracy. ers.

"These precision agriculture "They call, we respond, any time — farmers don't work 8-5," says tools focus on maximizing returns while using minimum resources," Bouchard. says Bouchard."Plus, you will have To some it may sound like a luxury item, but the global food to make fewer passes translating to less time and less fuel." production goal is set to double Bouchard says sales of the foodproduction by 2050 tom eet

the demand of the world's growing population. Bouchard says, "Ifa producer can geteven get1 percent more yield by using these technologies, we are that much closertothatgoal."

For more information about the John Deere guidance systems, call David Bouchard at 541-963-7151.

Real World Experience Ward Ranches in Baker City has been utilizing the John Deere guidance technology with the integrated AutoTrac system for about nine years. Mark Ward says it has saved money, allows them to be more accurate than they were when"driving by eye," and saves on man hours.

"Now we don't really even drive, the tractor drives itself consistently at precisely how many feet apartwe setthe distance,"says W ard.'We alsosavefuelasthereis no overlap."

W ard says he alsofeelsgood about using the guidance system from an environmental standpoint.

JUNE 2015

LABELS

have cal led fora repealofthelaw they have fought for years, includContinued ~om Page12 ing unsuccessfully in federal court.

It also was backed by consumer They say it's burdensome and advocates who say it helps shopcostlyforproducers and retailers.

House Speaker John Boehner, pers know where their food comes from. Supporters have called on R-Ohio, said after the vote that the the U.S. government to negotiate last thing American farmers need "isforCongress to sitidly by as with Canada and Mexico to find labels acceptable to all countries. international bureaucrats seek to In a statement Thursday, a punish them through retaliatory spokesman for U.S. Trade Reptradepoliciesthatcould devasresentative Michael Froman tate agriculture as well as other said the Obama administration industries." "has long taken the position that Philip Ellis, a Wyoming rancher one way to end this dispute is by and president of the National repeal, butwedo notconsider Cattlemen's Beef Association, that this is the only way Congress said vote by the House sends a could bring the United States into clear signal that this is a failed compliance with its obligations." program.

"COOL has been without Canada and Mexico have opposedthe labelingbecause it benefit to the U.S. cattle industry causestheiranimals to be segreand producers like myself," said gated from those of U.S. origin — a Ellis."And now with retaliation imminent from our largest trading costlyprocessthathasled some U.S. companies to stop buying partners, it is time this legislation exports. is repealed. There is no other fix Meat processors who buy anithat can be put in place to bring mals from abroad as well as many valuetothisprogram orsatisfy others in the U.S. meat industry our trading partners." ''We can set the amount of fertilizer needed, the correct amount on the correct place," he says.'We don't want to over-fertilize,we want to leave the land in good condition for the next generation."

Ward says they use the system in halfoftheirtractors,and do updates every year to keep current on the technology.

There are different models, components and add-ons, howeverWard says they spent about $40,000 on the system they have in place and it had paid for itself within a couple of years.

The remote guidance technology benefits other areas of agriculture as well, including irrigation.

Joe and Dana Hill of Baker City can monitor their pivots remotely with the AgSense Field Commander. The Field Commander is an advanced GPS driven pivot monitor/ control system that communicates via a digital cell network to provide near real-time information.

The Hills have fields that are a few miles away and they no longer

have to make the drive to check on their pivot activity. ''When a pivot breaks down, it sends us a message and we can restart it from our cell phones," says Dana.That came in handy during a recent power outage she says,"It was 2 a.m. and we didn't have to getout ofbed to gorestartit."

They can also track how much water is being put down, adjust the speed and program thepivots to dispersedifferent amounts of water in areas that need more or less.

"Before we had to drive out every day and ad~ust everytlnng by hand, so it has saved us quite a bit of time and helps us use water more efficientiy," says Dana.

Adam Kerns of ACI in Baker City, an irrigation equipment company and distributor of AgSense products, installed the Field Commander for the Hills.

Adam says it can be retro-fitted to work on older pivots. For more information contact ACI at 541-

523-2300.

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 27

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FAMILY Continrred ~om Page22 "It's an awkward discussion for the junior generation to bring up, so the senior generation needs to take the lead, but communication is imperative, "hesays.

Other challenges include the dividing of assets between multiple siblings.

"Agreement amongst siblings is often not a simple process," Eleveld says.'The idea thatassets need to be divided equally may not be fair in every situation. All siblings could have an ownership percentage, even if one retains the management. The defaultis to split the farm evenly among offspring; however, it may mean it would be impossible for the farm to continue as a viable unit, which may not work for some families."

There are numerous scenarios, and Eleveld says,"Every familyis completely different and there are many ways to pass on the management, ownership or both that would allow adequate retirement income for the senior generation."

The benefit to having estate and succession plans in place, he says, isthat"there isa betterchance ofhaving the outcome match the goals and objectives of all involved."

And the best chance for that to happen, he says, is to involve a team ofexperts.

"It's not necessarily going to be cheap," he says,"butyou get what you pay for, and you are asking for trouble if you try to do it yourself."

High on his list of experts to add to your team is an accountant knowledgeable in estate and capital gains taxes.

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

Tax Considerations

Seeking Sound Advice

Jake Collier, CPA at Guyer and Associates of Baker City, says there are multi pleways to reducefederal and Oregon estate/inheritance taxes, but"one shoe does not fit all."

For instance, he says, establishing an LLC iLimited Liability Corporation) is a great planning tool for some, but"annual changes to federal C olli e r and state tax laws need to be closely monitored."

Collier says there are numerous things to consider when creating an estate and succession plan, includingtherealestatevalueofthe property, which can be more difficult to value than other assets.

County assessor records might not be current with the market, which is often driven by non-farmers and ranchers buying properly, so you may need to work with a real estate appraiser to determine the"real" market value.

In some cases it is advisable for senior members to start a gifRg process forassetsand property to helpdefertaxes.The2015estate and gift tax limits are $14,000 per year, per person.

Other considerations include life insurance trusts; utilizing IRS Code 2032A for certain family farms, which allows some farmers to valueproperty ata discount; and management tactics such as conservation easements.

"Having a plan with the flexibility to adapt to changing laws is important," says Collier.

He recommends adding an attorney and possibly a financial advisortoyour team ofexperts.

Michael Stolp, family business advisor at Northwest Farm Credit Services, offersconsulting services • For more information, Eleveld and his associates, including the to the firm's clients as a first step Austin Family Business program at OSU, put together a video on for estate and succession planning. estate and succession planning which can be ordered by sending $15 ''We focus on developing an to Oregon State University, attn: Bart Eleveld, 213 Ballard Extension aligned plan emphasizing comHall, Corvallis, OR 97331.

The video can also be viewed online at munication, strategy, management https://youtu.be/YSN5YVOHjrU . They will also be holding classes, on succession and asset transition," which the video is based, Nov. 7 and Dec. 11 in Klamath Falls, and says Stolp. Without Nov. 6 and Dec. 12 in Medford. For more information contact Bart understanding and Eleveld at 541-737-1409. a clear plan, things can happen to upset • For more information on adding an accountant to your estate and the balance of the succession planning team, Jake Collier, CPA can be contacted at Guyer and Associates, 541-523-4471, jake@glbm.net process. For instance, one family spent half S tol p a million on a new • For more information on estate and succession planning through combine. The older family memNorthwest Farm Credit Services, contact Michael Stolp at 509-340bers paid for it with their retire5264 or Michael.Stolp@northwestfcs.com.You can also find more ment funds. It's about perspective information at https://www.northwestfcs.com .

— balancing all spectrums oflife."

When considering an estate RECOMMENDED PRIMARYTEAM OF EXPERTS • Attorney, specializing in estate transitions and succession plan, Stolp says families need to ask themselves • Accountant with inheritance tax and capital gains experience • Investment Advisor to help convert assets several questions, including: • "Where have we been and what lessons have we learned?

• Where's our business today? understand how individual roles Stolp.

• Where do we want to go 4oth and responsibilities evolve in a The more proactive the family with our business and with our succession plan. Defining the next business is and the more comlives)." chapter is best done thoughtfully. municative family members are, • And equally as important, In some cases, succession plans the easiertheprocess willbe,and ''What do we do to create the encounter challenges when unthe sooner children know their financial capacity to make it hap- certaintyregarding expectations options, the sooner they can begin pen?" clouds how people are empowered to preparea direction with their Stolp says succession planto make decisions. In other cases, education and work experience.

'The ultimate legacy people ning is an investment in the next changes in roles and responsibiligeneration, and having — sometiescan affectpeople'sself-esteem. leave their children is values and times difficult — conversations These issues underscore the opportunities," says Stolp."Family importance of intellectual intelis required to achieve executable businesses' legacy is more than ligence and emotional intelligence the farm and ranch. It's the undersuccession plans.

"Ask yourself, what do the pag- in succession planning. standing and confidence to build on "Farming and ranching can es in the next chapter look like?" something greater than one generasays Stolp."Finding meaning and take alotofblood,sw eat and tion. It requires flexibility, creativity purpose takes intentionality." tears— theright successorwill and a business model that adapts Stolp says it's important to understand the trade-offs," says to the times."

More Assets For Estate Planning

Website a owsfarmers, ranchersto workwith NRCSprograms onine PORTLAND — Farmers, ranchers, Bill programs, request assistance, and track and private forest landowners can now do paymentsfortheirconservation activities. business with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Client Gateway enables farmers, ranchers and private landowners Conservation Service iNRCSl through a new online portal called"Conservation Clito securely: • Request NRCS technical and financial ent Gateway."

The website — www.nrcs.usda.gov/client- assistance • Review and sign conservation plans gateway — allows producers to work with conservation planners online to access Farm and practice schedules

• Complete and sign an application for a conservation program • Review, sign and submit contracts and appendicesfor conservation programs • Document completed practices and requestcertifi cation ofcompleted practices • Request and track payments for conservation programs • Store and retrieve technical and

financial files, including documents and photographs.

Conservation Client Gateway is entirely voluntary.

Itgivesproducersa choicebetween conducting business online or traveling to a USDA service center.

Conservation Client Gateway is available to individual landowners and will soon be extended to business entities.

AGRI-BUSINESS

JUNE 2015

THE OBSERVER tk BAKER CITY HERALD — 29

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800.443.9314 • farm-credit.com

La Grande New Holland

Vision Wealt h

60588 MCAlister Rd. La Grande 541 -963-81 44 8 0 0 - 8 72-0773

P ortfolio M a n a g e m e n t 541-523-0900

HughesInsuranceI,~M EBaas nt ek ronf Terry Hughes, Agent

10 East Cambell Street

R obb in s F a r m E qu i p m e n t I n c .

1 81 2 Main Street, Baker City

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1405 Campbell St, Baker City 541-524-1 984

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Enterprise 541-4264205

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Oregon island City 541- 6 2+5040

TRI-COUNTY EQUIPMENT LA GRANDE - 11201 Island Ave. 541-963-71 51 BAKER CITY - 41216 Hwy. 30 541-523-6491 ENTERPRISE - 911 South River St. 541-426-3116

Member

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62302 Pierce Rd. La Grande, OR 5 41-963-4 9 8 5

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541-963-4646

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Since 1977

54 I -938-7390

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541-963-4663 61999 Quail Road, Island City bowmantruckin s.com

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North Powder • Imbler 541-898-7333 • 54 1 -534-5655

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Eric Collins (360) 325-5655

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See our display lot at 10102 S.McAlister Road, Island City 541 663-0246 ortoll free 800 682-0589

IIIEraudePaintI;Sfass 601 Adams, La Grande 541-963-8671

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SUSTAINAELIE AGRICULTURE ANO ENERGY y EOAROMAN.OREGON

101 Olson Rd. Boardman, OR

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