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S. John CollinsNVesComNews Service

Even after snow had melted on slopes above Unity Reservoir in southern Baker County in mid March, ice still covered the reservoir.

AGRI-BUSINESS

2 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

MARCH 2016

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AGRI-BUSINESS

MARCH 2016

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THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 3

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Page 4 5~

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With a strong snowpack weakening the drought, and cattle prices stabilizing above historic averages, the year ahead looks bright for farmers and ranchers in Northeastern Oregon

PAGE 6 i

Starting with a look at %l

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Union County, we'll go

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around Northeastern

Oregon and gauge the prospects for an abundant supply of irrigation water this summer

PAGE 16 The record-setting wildfire season in Baker County is history, but the effects on cattle

ranchers — in particular the temporary closure of grazing allotments, will continue for at least the next two years

PAGE 22

Page 20

Page 24

Living with wolves has become part of ranching life in Wallowa County. Find out how the Birkmaier family deals with the threat, and the effects, of wolves harassing their cattle

Mark and Patti Bennett have a hands-on approach with their ranch in southern Baker County and they

take as much pride in protecting sage grouse habitat as they do in raising high-quality beef

Wild fluctuations recently in the cattle

futures market has local ranchers scratching their heads — and federal investigators looking into the situation

AGRI-BUSINESS

4 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; THE OBSERVER s BAKER CITY HERALD

MARCH 2016

â&#x20AC;˘ With a strong snowpack weakening the drought, and cattle prices stabilizing above historic averages, the year ahead looks bright for farmers and ranchers in Northeastern Oregon

By Jayson Jacoby WesCom News Service

On the morning of the first day of March, Bill Moore had a look around his Baker County ranch and what he saw was white.

And perhaps the barest hint of green.

M oore, who raisescattle near Unity Reservoir, was thinking of green in both the literal and figurative senses.

The literal green is the grass, dormant that morning beneath the white, that will sprout soon, succulent and nutritious, to put pounds on Moore's crop of calves.

Those pounds translate into the other green, which is to say, cash.

"This is a much better start than lastyear, "said Mo ore,apastpresident of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association.

Itcouldscarcely beworse.

Last winter's snowpack was one of the shallowest in Oregon history.

The lack of snow exacerbated a drought that was in its third year.

Moore and other Northeastern Oregon ranchers had to cope with a scarcit y ofboth water and grass.

For the second summer in a row, some ofhis water holes went dry and he had to haul water to his herds.

A cow that's still nursing her calf can gulp 30 gallons per day in hot weather.

And at almost 9 pounds per gallon, well, the ledger sheet looks dismalpretty fast.

"There's no future in hauling water," Moore said.

The immediate future, though, if not quite so bright as the sun glinting off the snow, is much more promising than a year ago.

A series ofstorms startingin November boosted the mountain

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Another contributing factor was the growth in the U.S. cattle herd, which a few years ago reached its lowest level since early 1950s.

Martinsaidhe believes most ranchers understood that the recordhigh prices of2014 and early 2015 likely couldn't be sustained, and that the American herd would grow, causing prices to fall.

But he believes that the unexpectedly rapid decline in prices later in 2015 will temper that trend.

"I think the rebuilding of our cow herds will be a little slower than if we had maintained those recordhigh prices, "Ma rtin said.

The overall effect, he hopes, will be less volatility in the market in 2016.

Other Crops S. John CollinsNVescom News Sennce

Pine Creek flows from the Elkhorn Mountains west of Baker City. An above-average snowpack has eased concerns that the drought will continue for a fourth year in Northeastern Oregon. snowpack well above average across Oregon.

The U.S.Drought Monitor downgraded the drought severity in Northeastern Oregon as 2015 became 2016(see graphs, Page 8).

On the last day of the year all of Baker County was in an extreme drought â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the second-most severe spot on the five-tier scale.

The extreme drought sector spread slightly into southern Union County, as well.

The rest of Union County and Wallowa County were deemed to be in a severe drought, just behind extreme on the scale.

But the first day of 2016 Baker County's drought condition eased from extremetosevere.

The rest of the tri-county region

improvedfrom severe to m oderate.

"It is just such a turnaround from a year ago," said Curtis Martin, who owns a cattle ranch near North Powder in southern Union County."I think we're looking really, really well. I think we're very optimistic."

And the weather isn't the only reason.

Cattle M artin alsohopes the cattle market, after the great upheavals of 2015, has stabilized.

Although prices plummeted by more than 30 percent last summer and fall, current prices remain abovethe long-term average.

"Market stability is much more beneficial," said Martin, a past

president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association.

More than ever, Martin said, the issue is a global rather than a national one.

He said American consumption ofbeef, atleasttemporari ly,seems to haveleveled atabout 55 pounds per capita per year.

That's well below the 85 to 90 pounds of a few decades ago.

But expanding foreign markets, particularly in Asia, have helped offsetthe decreasing domestic appetite.

The strong dollar, however, has m ade American beefless attractive in those markets recently, Martin said, a trend that contributedtolastyear'sprecipitous drop in prices.

Baker Valley farmer Mark Ward, who with his brother, Craig, raises wheat, alfalfa, potatoes, mint and silage corn,is troubled by trends in the wheat market.

Prices in Portland dipped below $5 per bushel this winter.

'That's about what it costs to grow it, "W ard said.

Prices for alfalfa and other hay are down, too.

The strong U.S. dollar that Martin mentioned as driving down beef prices has had similar effects on other agricultural exports, Ward said.

"It's a world economy," he said.

"It's all interconnected."

Markets don't much matter, of course, if you can't raise a crop.

And with the drought apparently dormant, Ward is confident that will be possible in 2016. ''We'restarting offway better than last year," he said.

AGRI-BUSINESS

MARCH 2016

THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 5

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6 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

MARCH 2016

• Starting here and continuing on pages 8, 10 and 12, we'll look at the water supply outlook for the tri-county region 'Alot ofgrowers certainly

By Josh Benham Wescom News Service

Spring seemed on the early flight into Union County, but the flurries that started March 14 morphed into a real snowstorm the next day.

That unpredictable nature of Eastern Oregon weather symbolized the enigma that is the county's water supply.

Right now, the projections look promising. But it's still too early to know how good Union County's growing season will be.

After 2015 marked the third consecutive drought year for the area, the turn to the new year brought positive news.

In the first week of 2016, the United States Drought Monitor

have been able to breathe a

sigh of relief".

— Damn Walenta, Oregon State University Extension Service

index downgraded the severity of the drought in all of Northeastern Oregon.The index has fi ve intensity levels iafter the lowest — none), beginning with'DO', or abnormally dry, all the way up to 'D4', or exceptional drought. Union County was downgraded to its current March 8 level of'D1', or moderate drought.

On top of that, the snowpack and precipitation levels are higher than recent years in the county.

The Natural Resources Con-

servation Service iNRCSl tracks snowpack and precipitation daily, and in the Grande Ronde, Powder, Burnt and Imnaha basins, the snowpack, in mid March, was 105 percent of average. ''We have that rare occurrence where we have the average snowpack," said NRCS District Conservationist Mike Burton, who works out of the agency's La Grandeoffi ce.

He said he consulted records from thepastfew decades after hearing"direpredictions"about this year's potential drought.

Burton said there are really low dips for 10 to 12 years in precipitation levels, historically, in Union County, only to be followed by a promising season.

"Every year following a low year is an above-average year," he said.

"Coming back up to average this year is more the pattern that has developed over the years."

Darrin Walenta, the agronomist at the Oregon State University Extension Service's Union County office in La Grande, said the improvements that stem from the strong winter snowfalls helped offsetanother dryfall. ''We had a little bit more snow on the ground ithis year),"Walenta said."Alotofgrowers certainly have been able to breathe a sigh of relief."

But it's not time for farmers in Union County to do cartwheels quite yet.

For one thing, the level of

moisture in the snowpack, and at what elevation it's located at, are important. Snowpack levels won't be set in stone until April, according to Burton. If warm rain comes on top of snowpack with less than 40 percent moisture, it can impact how soon the snowpack melts and flows into the streams and reservoirs.

"Its very complicated with a lot of variables," Burton said."But how that snowpack comes off and the timing of the moisture can significantly impact irrigation and crop yields."

The spring rainfall, or lack thereof, can still have a substantial effect as well.

See WaterlPage 8

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THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 7

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8 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

WATER Contintted ~om Page6

"The timing iof precipitation) is just as important as the amounts we receive,"Walenta said.

And that timing even varies in importance regarding what kind of crop one grows or harvests.

W alenta said cropsarem ost susceptible to precipitation effects when they're flowering and nearly ready to produce.

"If we go from a wetApril into May, then it dries offin late May throughlateJune,then you'regoingtoimpact cerealgrainsbecause oftheirdevelopingseed,nWalenta said."If we're thinking about the irrigated crops, if we have an early drought and run out of surface water, then other crops will be affected.n Walenta said the positive snowpack at this point should benefit fanners who rely on Catherine Creek and Grande Ronde River water. ''With a good snowpack, you're going to have access to late season irrigation water," he said."But there have been years where we've had good rainfall in July and August when we typically don't get significantrainfall that helps ithe irrigation situation).

"It's really a moving target right n

now.

In Oregon, irrigation is governed

by the'first in time, first in right" system.

"Water availabilityis subject to how much water you have and who else wants water," Union County Watermaster Shad Hattan said.

"For each water source, we have peoplewith arange ofpriority dates. The ones that have the oldest priority dates receive irrigation water more often than those with lower priorityrites. iGrowersl have to have an irrigation plan and you don't know what that would be until you've been through a few seasons."

Hattan also cautioned that the constant fluctuations, even in the m onths at 2016'soutset,provethat despite the positive developments in snowpack and water basin levels, it all could change.

"Early in the year, we had more than average snowpack," he said.

'Then we had six weeks of mediocre moisture and it was warmer, and we lost some of that snowpack."

Hattan said that in areas lacking a reservoir to store irrigation water, thunderstorms and periodic rains make a huge diflerence. But he said at this point of the year, accurately predicting just how the irrigation water will be dispersed, or if the promising signs of ending the drought will come to fruition, are fruitiess.

"It's impossible to predict," he said."It is a moving target."

AGRI-BUSINESS

MARCH 2016

U.S. Drought Monitor

December 29, 2015

Oregon

(Released Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015) Valid 7 a.m. EST Drought Conditions (Percent Area)

Last Week 12/22/2015

3 Months Ago snsnc15 Start of Calendar Year 12/30/20 h3

Start of Water Year snsnc h5

One Year Ago h 2/30/20 h 3

lntensit: ~ DO Abnormally Dry

D3 Extreme Drought

Dl Moderate Drought

D4 Exceptional Drought

D2 Severe Drought

The Drought Monitor focuses on broad-scale conCktions Local conCktions may vary See accompanying text summary for forecast statements

Author: Chris Fenimore NOAAINESDISINCEI

U.S. Drought Monitor

March 8, 2016 (ReleasedThursday, Mar. 10, 2016) Valid 7 a.m. EST

Oregon

Drought Conditions (Percent Area)

Last Week '/h//0 10

3 Months Ago laenc/5

Start of Calendar Year 12/29/2015

Start of Water Year snsnc/5

One Year Ago 3/h cn0 h 5

lntensit: ~

Wallowa Coun

DO Abnormally Dry

D3 Extreme Drought

Dl Moderate Drought

D4 Exceptional Drought

D2 Severe Drought

The Drought Momtor focuses on broad-scale conCktions Local conCktions may vary See accompanying text summary for forecast statements

By Katy Nesbitt ForvvesCom News Service

WALLOWA COUNTY —Aboveaverage snowpack has eased the fear of drought this year in Wallowa County — a region that has escapedthe most severe drought conditi ons the pastcoupleofyears while the rest of Eastern Oregon has suffered.

"So far it's good," said John Williams, the county's Oregon State University Extension agent.'The early water, according to my ancestors, is the water that is available to us in the late summer. Having

a good snowpack this time of year should help us with reasonable stream flow in August."

In 2014 and 2015 the snowpack below 6,000 feet elevation melted off early. In 2015, Ferguson Ridge Ski Area closed at the end of January and freakishly wann weather in February was inviting for an earlyrelease ofticksatthatelevation. Usually March snows are crucial to the overallsnowpack for the Wallowas, but the spring snow didn't come in 2015.

May rains eased the worry of summer drought, despite the

Author: David Miskus NOAAINiiilSINCEPICPC

diminished snowpack. This year's outlook is much rosier with a more normal amount of snow.

The Milkshakes snow-measuring station that sits at 5,600 feet in Umatilla County shows the water content in the snow is just above normal. High above Wallowa Lake, M t. Howard's station at7,910feet records snow water very close to the average.

'This year in particular we had a cycle of snow, freezing and thawing,nWilliams said.'The way it came in it packed very tightly and it will come out slowly. It's a virtual block of ice up there that will come out slowly."

It's still too early to tell — a lack ofrainin May and June and hot temperatures could change the outlook, but as of the equinox, he said

the soilm oisture,thedeep soilsand theponds areallin good shape.

Tom Butterfield is the president of the Associated Ditch Company that manages Wallowa Lake's stored water. He and his sons grow wheat, alfalfa and timothy hay — crops that grow well at high elevation.

See Water/Page 10

AGRI-BUSINESS

MARCH 2016

THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 9 '

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AGRI-BUSINESS

10 —THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

WATER Continued ~om Page8 Wallowa Lake Dam holds most of the stored water in the county. Kinney Lake is a very smallreservoir outside of Joseph and Minam Lake, in the Eagle Cap Wilderness,stores

water for Lostine River water rights holders. Butterfield said snow at lower elevations and springrains help keep the aquifers filled and the soil moisture in good shape.

'The water level in the upper layers of soil has an effect on how soon you have to irrigate," Buterfield said.

He said the snowpackin the mountains mostly affects those who depend on natural flows.

'They have to relyon that late flow. The Wallowa Lake water users arenotquite assusceptiblebecause we have that stored water," Butter-

field said.

By Jayson Jacoby

The fall rain and winter snow wasn't plentiful enough, though, to soak the next six inches of soil.

"Soil moisture is definitely below normal,"Ward said.

But he quickly amends his statement with a question. ''What's normal?" he asked.

Compared with what was typicala coupledecades ago,the soil this spring is dry, Ward said.

But based on the past 10 years, a period marked by two significant droughts, the latest of which has eased but not gone away, the situation is not dire.

Indeed it's much better, which is to say wetter, than last year.

"Last year was one of the worst droughts I've seen,"Ward said.

Although December snowstorms boosted the 2015 precipitation total slightly above average at the Baker City Airport — 10.57 inches compared with an average of 10.15the year had been on pace to become the fourth straight with below average precipitation.

Baker Valley farmer MarkWard, talking about the easing of drought conditions during the first few months of 2016, also noted that the improvement is relative to the past decade or so, but the ground seems to him drier than what was typical for early spring 20 or 30 years ago.

VVesCom News Service

holding) capacity."

DROUGHT: THE NEW'NORMAL?'

That hadn't happened since the period 1985-88.

Baker Coun Mark Ward has nothing against clean kitchen floors or anything, but he was awfully happy to walk around in mud-caked boots.

The sight that turns a homeowner's stomach makes a farmer's spirits soar.

Ward, who lives in Baker City, is a farmer.

He and his brother, Craig, grow wheat, potatoes, alfalfa, peppermint and silage corn on their family's Baker Valley farm.

As the snow melted in late February, Mark started kicking around their fields — literally, in some cases — and he was in general pleased by what he saw.

And felt.

Soil that was more mud than (hrt.

At least near the surface.

"The topfootlookspretty good," Ward said in early March."I'd sayit' sat85 percent ofiw ater-

MARCH 2016

Precipitation statistics generally bear out Ward's observations.

The past three decades — 2006-15, 1996-2005 and 1986-1995 — all were drier than the annual average of 10.15, which is based on the period 1943-2015.

But the most recent decade, despite the severe droughts of 2012-15, and 2006-08, was not the driest 10-year period. As the chart below shows, it wasn't even the second-driest.

S. Jahn CollinsNVescom News Sennce

Snow persists on the mountains near Baker City. ''What we have now, I'm not calling it bad at all."

Moisture is vital, as anyone knows who has tried to grow much of anything, including, say, a Chia pet.

"To start with your soil profile full iof water) is important,"Ward said."Otherwise you're behind from the start and you can never catch up."

Ward is optimistic that this year's strong start,atleast compared with 2015, will yield a plentiful harvest.

The same storms that soaked his fields also stacked up significant snow in the mountains across Baker, Union and Wallowa counties. eWe think we've got a snowpack that's going to put a lot of water in the reservoirs,"Ward said.

Some reservoirs could certainly use the influx.

Phillips Reservoir, for instance, which supplies irrigation water to about 30,000 acres, mainly in Baker Valley, is close to a record

low volume for mid March.

The reservoir, on the Powder River about 17 miles southwest of Baker City, was about 22 percent full in mid March, holding 15,900 acre-feet ofwater.

A year ago, despite the continuing drought and scanty snowpack, the reservoirwas holding 26,500 acre-feet.

Smallerreservoirsarefaring better.

Thief Valley, in southern Union County, is full, and Unity, in southern Baker County, is about 80 percentfull.

DECADE

AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL

2006-2015 1996-2005 1986-1995 1976-1985 1966-1975 1956-1965 1946-1955 ALL-TIME (1943-2015)

9.47" 9.83" 9.45" 12.33" 10.24" 10.76" 9.32" 10.15" Source: Baker CityAirport records

Snowpack As of the middle of March, the snowpack across the region was running about 10 percent above the long-term average, although at several individual sites the water content of the snow ia measurement more meaningful, when itcomes toforecasting irrigation water supplies, than snow depth) was more than 20 percent above average.

The much more dramatic difference, though, is between this year and last year.

Here's a few examples, again, as of mid March: • At Bourne, in western Baker County, the water content was 15.4 inches, compared with just 2.0inches,arecord low formid March, in 2015.

• At Moss Springs, in the Wal-

lowa Mountains east of Cove, the water content was 24.3 inches, well above the 14.0 inches measured at the same time a year ago.

• At Schneider Meadows, in the southern Wallowas, the water content was 32.1 inches — more than double the 16.0 inches measured in mid March 2015.

See Water/Page 12

AGRI-BUSINESS

MARCH 2016

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THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 11

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12 —THE OBSERVER s BAKER CITY HERALD

WATER Continued ~om Page1A Those statistics buoy the beliel's ofWard and other farmers that 2016 will mark the be~ o f a wetter trend.

But snowpackin the high mountains isn't the only potentiallycrucial factor.

Hoping ForRain Farmers and ranchers in this region also hope for springrains in the lowlands. Unlike Western Oregon, where fall and winter ate the wettest seasons, late spring — May and June — is statistically the rainiest stretch in much of Northeastern Oregon.

Indeeditwasapairof2015rainstorms, one in May and one, peculiarly, in early July, that at least tempered the severe dmught.

Springrains are bene6ciai in two ways: First, the moisture nourishes crops that are in the early stages of gmwth.

Second, the more rain that falls during spring, thelesswaterirrigation managers have to releasekom reservoirs,leaving more for the criticai summer period when crops need more water.

But even though decades ofweather recouls suggest that Northeastern Oregon

farmers and ranchers can expect, with a reasonable degree of certainty, that spring will bringatleastacoupleofsoggy spells,W ard would never put his farm in a position where its success depended on a timely downpour.

'There is no time when I really trust the rain, even when Ihavehaydown,"Waul said with a chuckle.

The reference to haymflects the belief among farmers and ranchers — a belief that is only partly folklore — that the best way to end a long dry spell is to cuthay, which is more valuable ifit can dry on the ground before it'sbaled.

Pretty much any grower who's beenin the business for more than a few years has watched, not long atter cutting a6eld ofhay, as thunderclouds amassed on the horizon and soonatterdoused the6esh-cutalfalfa or grass.

One weather phenomenon thatWaul won't crackjokes about, though, is wind.

Just as a scarcityofrain seems to be a de6ningclimatic characteristic of the past decade or so, so too does an abundance of wind.

And wind, Ward says, has the opposite e%ct of a good downpour. ''Wind just sucks the moisture out of the ground,"he said.

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Cattle prices have stabilized after a tumultuous 2015.

By Dick Mason WesCom News Service

For Union County cattle rancher Jason Beck, it is a matter of perspective.

Beef prices are down this year after rising to all-time record highs the past two years.

But Beck is not concerned.

"Last year was incredible. It was once in a lifetime," Beck said. eNow it is more normal, like it has beenthe past 10 years.Itisall relative. I accept it, it is OK." The rancher said he knew that the beefpricesof2014 and early

2015 were not sustainable.

"I remember thinking, 'Oh man, this can't last.' It was scary," he

"That is the main concern, that is the thought on the forefront of the SRld. minds of ranchers. They have to Beck said he believes ranchers deal with this to survive." in Union County are more worBeck said wolves are much riedabout wolves than beefprices. more of a threat than coyotes in "Right now wolves are a far big- largepartbecause oftheir size.

Coyotes kill newborn calves but ger concern," Beck said.

H e said that even ifbeefprices arenota threatto adultcattle were to plummet, it wouldn't like wolves are. ''Wolvesare used to taking mean much to ranchers who lose cattleto wolves. down elk. A cow is nothing for "Ifyour cattle are getting eaten wolves," Beck said. iby wolves) it doesn't matter what W olves also aremore ofa threat the priceofbeefis,"Beck said. because they harass cattle by forc-

ing herds to run until one of its weaker members falls behind and falls prey tothe wolves.

The toll on a herd being chased by wolves is greater than just the number of animals killed by wolves.

"It is hard to quantify, you can't put a number on it," Beck said.

He explained cattle in a herd being harassed by wolves will lose weight because they will eat less.

And pregnant cows are more likely to lose their calves.

Beck said he and most other

ranchers try to do everything they can tokeep their cattle comfortable and unbothered. He said that unstressed cattle generally gain more weight â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and pounds equate to dollars.

Beck said ranchers also want to keep their cattle happy out of a sense of compassion. Beck said he was once at a meeting of ranchers when someone asked who had everspent more to take care ofa cow than what it was worth?

"Everyone raised their hand," Beck said.

Cheapergas,grain heps offset drop incatte prices fromrecord highs

By Dick Mason WesCom News Service

Beef prices overall are down from what they have been the past two years but there are many reasons for ranchers to feel good about the present situation.

Chad Mueller, program coordinatorand head adviser of the Oregon State University Agriculture Program at Eastern Oregon University, is convinced of it.

M ueller noted that thepricefed cattle

arebringing at market isator above the averageprice for the past 10 years.Fed cattleareready to beprocessed.

Feeder cattle, animals which still need to be fed so they can bulk up, are bringing lower prices but their prices,like those for fed cattle, have also stabilized, Mueller sard.

Mueller said the lower prices which hit lastfallaftertwo yearsofsoaring prices were to be expected because beef produc-

tion was up.

"It was a basic correction in the market from supply and demand," Mueller said.

Beef prices fell in September and October and have since stabilized. Mueller said thiswas a reliefbecause some feared that prices would continue slipping.

On the expense front two big pluses ranchers have going for them now are that relatively low gasoline and diesel prices arestable,and alsogenerally below aver-

age arepricesforgrain and other cattle feed. The lower fuel prices are reducing the costoftransporting cattle.

"Trucking costs will be down," Mueller SRld.

Mueller said the stable grain prices will help ranchers determine what their bottom line is going to be.

"It will help them project how much money they will make," Mueller said."It will improve predictability."

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For ranchers, fires' effects linger long

By Jayson Jacoby WesCom News Service

The biggest fire in Baker County history spared Doug Shook's home but it wreaked havoc on his business.

Shookand hiswife,Sandie,own the Burnt River Ranch, a cattle outfit near Durkee.

The 104,000-acre Cornet/Windy Ridge fire burned past their place in mid August 2015.

The Shooks'ranch came through relatively unscathed, although BLM fire crews, setting a backfir e to protectthecouple's home, burned pasture where they normally graze their herd during the fall.

But by far the bigger problem happened on nearby public land, where the main fire scorched a BLM allotment the Shooks have used annually since 2010.

That allotment is half the public grazing ground the Shooks rely on.

"It's a good one,"Dougsaid ofthe allotment.

Their permit allowed them to graze cattle on the public land from April 15 through Oct. 31.

But not this year.

Or next.

The BLM allotment will be off limits to cattle for at least the next two years, to allow grass and other plants to regain a roothold in the charred soil. t We're not a big outfit, but this is big to us," Shook said.

They're among more than a dozen ranchers who will have to find someplace else to graze their cattle, or selloffsom eoftheirherds,

because oflast summer's fires.

Cornet/Windy Ridge was the biggest by far of those blazes. But the Dry Gulch, Lime Hill and Eldorado fires burned more than 50,000 additional acres, including portions of many public grazing allotments.

The fi reshaveprompted the BLM to prohibit grazing altogether on 14 of the 352 allotments in the Baker Resource Area, and cut back on grazing on seven more allotments.

Thatrepresentsthelossof3,171 animal unit months iAUM — the amount of forage a cow and calf pair eat in a month) — about 7 percent of the AUMs on the Baker Resource Area.

Bert Siddoway, who also ranches in the Durkee area, said the fire burned two allotments he has permits to, one on BLM ground and one on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

In all, he has lost 350AUMs for at least the next two years.

"It's goingtoaffectm yoperation quite a bit," Siddoway said.

Both Siddoway and Shook said they arelooking forprivate grazing land to lease.

But there was no surplus of such ground even before the fires. And the temporary closures of public allotments added to the demand.

Which of course has boosted lease rates.

"Everybody's looking for pasture," Shook said.

The fires' effect on the lease rates for private pasture will be substantial, but it should also be

Private Land Seeded After Fire The Burnt River Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service to spread by helicopter grass seed mix on 5,700 acres of private land burned in the Cornet/I/Vindy Ridge fire in August 2015. The grass will help stabilize scorched ground and reduce the risk of erosion this spring.

S. John CollinsNVescom News Sennce file photo-2015

The Cornet/Windy Ridge fire burns south of Baker City in August 2015. temporary, said Leticia Henderson, the livestock and natural resources agent for the Oregon State University Extension Service office in Baker City.

'This year will be a skewed year becauseofthe lossofforagedueto the fires," Henderson said.

Siddoway said he had to turn out some ofhis cattle on part ofhis ranch where he normally grows hay to feed his herd during winter.

That in turn forced him to buy

more hay.

"Hay prices are low, so that's a good thing," he said.

Although ranchers who have permits for public grazing allotments have to abide by the decisions offederalmanagers, they of course have more flexibility on their own pastures.

Henderson said she has fielded questions fiom several local ranchers, startinglastfall,about when they should consider allow-

ing cattletoreturn to areasthat burned last summer.

The answer, she said, rarely is simple.

"It's so case-dependent," Henderson said.

In almostevery case,she said, cattle should be excluded from burned range for at least one year.

On land that had a healthy complement of native bunchgrassesbeforethe blaze,ittypically takes two to three years for those grasses to re-establish to the extent that they can accommodate grazing, Henderson said.

That said, she understands the temptation landowners might have to accelerate that timeline.

Henderson pointed out that some of the greenest parts of Baker County this spring are areas that burned last summer.

That lush grass, though a welcome sight, is also misleading, she said.

The grass isnotcapableof withstanding heavy grazing now, Henderson said.

Couple adjusts after Grizzly Bear fire ''We normally use it for 45 days with 239 cows.

This year we are just using less cows for a longer Buck and Chelsea Matthews manage the Anchor periodoftim e,"M atthews said.

Bar Ranch outside of Troy. It's a unique area where The ranch leased land last year from Oregon cattle graze on top of two benches high above the Department of Fish and Wildlife and that will be Grande Ronde River. Last summer the Grizzly used for the early turnout June 1.

Bear fire burned into the ranch's public grazing alFinally, another bit of fortune fell their way. lotment on the Umatilla National Forest. This year Matthews said a neighbor's land came out of the the Matthewses are making adjustments to their Conservation Reserve Program last September and is now available to graze. grazingrotations in thatarea. t Buck Matthews said the ranch has two pastures We are going to run 100 cows there to make up that are rotated from year to year for early turnout the balance," Matthews said.

— June 1 to July 15. The ranch used the pasture Last August the Grizzly Bear fire started in the that burned last year, so by chance they are grazing Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness in Washington the unburned pasture in 2016. and took a couple big runs, coming just feet from ''We are using the one in our normal rotation this thetown ofTroy and nearlyjumping the Grande year — that worked out really well," Matthews said. Ronde River. Running cattle during one of the area's more dangerous fires on record, in steep The fire burned 24 percent of the late season pasture used from July 15 to Oct. 20, putting a little canyon country with no cell phone coverage, was pinch on their forage availability. Matthews said he tough enough, but Matthews said it could have did a few different things this year to accommodate. been a lot worse.

"It was a lot of finagling and we had to sell down In the fall, the ranch sold 100 mother cows. In addition, Matthews said pasture normally used in our herd. It could have been a huge disaster, but the early season he will now use for the late season I was able to find some private grass," Matthews — July 15 to Oct. 24. sald.

By Katy Nesbitt

For WesCom News Setvice

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THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 17

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MARCH 2016

• Dealing with the predators has become a routine part of life for some cattle ranchers in Wallowa County

By Katy Nesbitt For WesCom News Serwce

WALLOWA COUNTY — Living with wolves has become part of ranching life in Wallowa County. In the winter months, when cows are preparing to give birth, herds are particularly vulnerable.

Kelly and Tom Birkmaier's ranch house is a 45-minute drive north of Enterprise. In the winter, it's best to take the Crow Creek Road, a dirt and gravel route through the Zumwalt Prairie.

Tom Birkmaier's grandparents bought the place in the 1940s, not far from where his great-grandparents had lived. When Tom's grandfather died unexpectedly, his father, Mack, left the Navy and came home to run the family ranch.

"He started with 20 cows and a

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$50,000 debt," Tom said.

He joined his father in the family business more than 20 years ago. Today the herd boasts several hundred head. The Birkmaiers' cows graze on public land in the summer, winter on the Zumwalt and come to the ranch in early March to calve.

This year, Tom said he had hoped to keep them on grass a little longer, but a couple incidents with wolves prompted him to bring them to the home place for safety.

Kelly said one morning in Februarywhen they went tofeed, three cows appeared to have been chased — one stayed with the herd andtwo traveled far from their winter pasture. She said biologists with Oregon Department

of Fish and Wildlife (ODFWl flew twice to find the cows before Tom could locate them on the ground.

"They were both pretty flighty when he found them," Kelly said.

Katy Nesbitt / FarWescom News Sennce

Kelly Birkmaier prepares for calving season at the family's ranch on Crow Creek, 45 minutes outside of Enterprise.

'As livestock producersmost of us have a deep commitment to animal husbandry as part foour business. Itis heartbreaking to know we cannot provide the protection and care due to

wolfharassment and depredation."

— Tom Birkmaier, Wallowa County rancher

aWithin a matter of days, one of them sluffed a pair of twins."

The Birkmaiers found a pair of twins at another ranch to graft onto the cow. Because the cow's behavior was erratic, she was hobbled, haltered and sedated when the twins were introduced.

She thought it was safe to take her two young sons to see the cow and her adopted twins.

"She seemed OK.Everything went smoothly with the calves so

the boys and I went in to see her," Kelly said. "From lying down she turned her head and looked at us and focused on the baby. Before Tom could say, 'you better watch out', that cow was on top of meshe head-butted me three times on the arm and shoulder."

The second incident occurred a couple weeks later along the Crow Creek Road. When the Birkmaiers went to feed, Tom said they saw about 120 cows

"balled up." ''When they saw the pickup and the hay, I called them and they started running toward m e — andthen ran right by me," Tom said.

He said he drove three miles on an ATV to reach one cow.

When he caught up with another lone cow about a mile from the herd she started smashing the four-wheeler with her head.

An inspection of the pasture showed signs of wolf tracks and places where the cows had rolled down a hill "I could see imprints in the ground of their bodies Their feet got down in the mud and they flipped over. Those are the ones that I'm worried about during calving time — they did complete

somersaults," Tom said.

He said this year he tried something new with his cattle and took advantage of a warm spell in February.

"Isaved a bunch ofgrasslast fall and saw two weeks of warm weather," he said."There was a little bit of green in the grass, so they were eating alfalfa and grazing. There was water everywhere and the cows were doing fantastic.

Itsaved a lotofm oney on hay."

But the risk of wolves outweighed the benefit.

Last winter was the first time they suspected wolves had disturbed the herd.

'They went through two fences to the south and three to the north," Tom said."All four fence wires were broken."

He said it took four hours to get the cows back together.

'The cows would not eat and were panting from pure exhaustion," he said.

The cows, two months from calving, had cuts on their faces and their briskets. A few weeks later the Birkmaiers' cows began to calve. Calves were born backwards, upside down and tail first.

"As li vestock producers,most of us have a deep commitment to animal husbandry as part of our business," Tom said. "It is heartbreaking to know we cannot providethe protection and care due to wolf harassment and depredation."

He said when he heard the storiesfrom Idaho ranchers 10 years ago he thought, "they just have wild cows."

'That is the biggest eye-opening thing I have seen — a gentle herd of 300 cows can spook at bunch grass blowing in the wind," Tom said.

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THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD — 21

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a e u u res u u a ionsam se

By Katy Nesbitt

He said cattleedged up to$1.40

ForWescom News Service

WALLOWA COUNTY — Beef prices were on the risefor the last few years, butin 2015 avolatile market had producers scratching their heads.

Todd Nash manages the Marr Flat Cattle Company based in

Joseph.

"Futures contracts have been very volatile on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange," Nash said.

He said the United States' up and down limits on the exchange went down as much as $6 in one day — other days the increases are just as radical. ''We don't know the reason for the fluctuations," Nash said.'We called around and asked why did we go down or up and nobody knew — there's still a lot of uneasiness in the market. No one wants to hang their neck out."

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per 100-weight, but iflooking out two months it's down to $1.19. ''When you get close to kill date you see pretty good demand and the price will rise. It's an interesting time," Nash said.

John Williams, Wallowa County's Oregon State University Extension agent said, 'Those shiftscould bebecause a big feed lot didn't get their pen cleaned out and they don't need 3,000 head coming in,"Williams said.'Way back when, I always said you can generally follow the corn prices."

"Not anymore," Nash said.

Williams said corn went from $3 to $7 a bushel; then prices plummeted."May corn futures are at $3.59 bushel, but went down today to $1.40. On the grand scale, corn has come down and cattle has come down, but monthly, weeldy or within the year — it doesn't

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Besides the obvious conlribution to the market slide from the supply side, Nash said there's still a lot of confusion.

"A lot of the guys are saying the fundamentals are sound and there's no reason for it. There's even afederalinvestigation over this."

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"The erosion of the Canadian dollar and the tightness of Canadian cattle supply should help keep American costs high," Williams said.

China's taste for beef has strongly affected the market.

After a sharp incline in beef consumption, a downturn in its economy decreased their demand, Nash said.

"China is huge to us. If it increases its annual consumption by 10 pounds per person, it equals the entire consumption of the

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before — that's too much supply," Nash said. thefundamentals are sound Williams said that supply ofbeef isthe resultofheavier and there's no reasonfor it." animals, not more of them — the — Todd Nash,Wallowa County nation's cattle herd is nearly as rancher, talking about big low asit'sbeen since the 1950s. fluctuations in cattle futures Today an average finished steerisclose to 1,500 pounds ata follow,"Williams said.

Nebraska feed lot, the highest in Nash said before stabilizing, history, Nash said.

"That's a lot less calves with beef prices were still well above historic averages. m ore meat per cow, calfand steer," Though there may be a lotof Nash said. uncertainty in the market, Nash Another cause for the market saidfutures on livecattlew ere as glut, Nash said, was the U.S. imhigh as $2.60 and corn was cheap. porting more beeflast year than it There was optimism that prices has in a long time. Imported beef might go higher. For a while, &om Mexico and South America, feedlotsand meat packers were especially hamburger, can come in making money and the retailers at much lower costs than domeskept buying beef at high prices tic beef. until they started backing up.

Despite the influx of imported "Retailers have 37 percent more South American beef, Williams frozen beef than they had the year said Canadian imports are down.

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24 — THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD

MARCH 2016

i;ijisr I::; '>" S. John CollinsrvvesCom News Service

A calf eludes Mark Bennett temporarily while he is trying to catch and tag one of the new additions to the red Angus herd.

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• Mark and Patti Bennett run their Baker County cattle ranch to protect sage grouse habitat as well as produce beef

By Joshua Dillen WesCom News Service

UNITY — In spite of loud complaints coming from a half-day old calf at the Secret Valley Ranch, it will have a better and healthier life than most.

It will also produce a healthier and tastier meal once it makes its way to a dinner table, said Mark and Patti Bennett, who own this ranch in southern Baker County.

Mark, who's a Baker County commissioner, said their cattle live a life different from most. sWe don't use hot shots or cattle prods," he said.sWe work them in smaller groups."

Patti said thatcompared to cattle at most other ranches, the Bennetts' animals are not nervous when people are around them and won't get startled nearly as easily.

'They have a better life here," she said."It's not about numbers, it's about quality. Studies have shown that cows with unpleasant personalities don't produce quality meat."

The Bennetts said they raise fewer cattle than they used to.

Thisgetsthem a betterpriceper head because the quality of the beef goes up significantly. They explained that through their land management policies and how they raise their cattle it gives them more time and resources to focus on providing a quality product that is healthier for consumers.

"Our beefcan be bought at Whole Foods," Mark said.s You won't see it at McDonald's."

See Bennetts/Fbge 26 i tI S. John CollinsrvvescomNews Servrce

Mark and Patti Bennett have secured plenty of historic information about their SecretValley Ranch in southern Baker County.

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THE OBSERVER a BAKER CITY HERALD —25

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MARCH 2016

BENNETTS Continuedfrom Page 24 The Secret Valley Ranch covers 10,000 deededacresand the Bennetts also utilize about 44,000 acres through a Forest Service grazing allotment. The Bennetts are permittedfor 400 to450 head ofcattle.

They raise theircattlein a stress-free environment that follows guidelines set by the Global Animal Partnership iGAPl. The nonprofit organization recognizes ranchers and other meat producers that have been certified in GAP's five-step animal welfare rating program.

Cattle raised in compliance with GAP guidelines are not crowded, have an enriched environment, are pasture centered, have no physical alterations and spend their entire life on the same ranch.

To be certified, a ranch or farm must have a written plan that identifies how it will stay in compliance with the GAP standards.

Mark said an independent auditor makes sure the ranch meets those standards.

Any sick animals that need treatment withantibioticsaresegregated from the ones in the GAP program and not sold as all natural beef.

"Those may end up at McDonald's," Mark sard.

During spring calving season, the Bennetts get up every three hours during the night to check on the pregnant heifers in a field near their house.

The nextday,bawling &om the67-pound calf iestimated by wrapping a gauge around its hock just above the hoof) is because the Bennetts are ear tagging and taking other measurements before dousing its umbilical cordscarwith iodine.

Bennett first chased down the calf and used a two-handed grasp ofhide to lift and lay it on the ground. He holds the struggling and feisty red Angus calf as Patti quickly places a tag in its ear that is numbered in a way that indicates who its mother is, the year it was born and more. Information aboutgenerations ofcattleistracked and stored through a computer program.

Mark said that taking care of the land is very important to him and his wife and is partofthe holistic approach they apply to theiroperation. eWe balance the stewardship of the land and the management of the cattle," he said.

"It's not what we get out of it, but how can we make it better," he said.

Partnerships with U.S Fish and Wildlife Services iUSFWl, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife iODFWl, the Burnt

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S. Jahn CollinsrVVesComNews Servrce

Mark and Patti Bennett tag a calf followed by logging detailed information in a record book kept for their Baker County ranch.

"Webalancethestewardship of the landand themanagement of the cattle.

It's notwhatweget out o fit, but how can we makeit better." â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mark Bennett

S. Jahn CollinsrVVesComNews Service

Mark Bennett stands at an irrigation diversion on Camp Creek. The structure allows fish to pass and does not dirty the water as the bulldozer-made dams that were used in the past.

River Soil and Water Conservation District iSWCDl, U.S Natural Resource Conservation Service iNRCSl and the Oregon

Water Enhancement Board iOWEBl have helped to allow the Bennetts to practice land conservation and preserve wildlife

habitat on their ranch. eWe've found all of these agencies really great to work with," Mark said.

Money from OWEB has allowed him to create seven diversions off Camp Creek, which runs through the ranch, while the Bennetts have paid for five diversions.

The previouspractice toprovidewater forstock and irrigation was to build push-up dams with a backhoe to redirect the water from the creek for off-stream watering.

"That would get mud and oil in the water from the backhoe," Mark said.

The push-up dams also were detrimental to fish habitat. The new diversions allow fish to pass.

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BENNETTS Continued ~om Page 26 The Bennetts have improved riparian habitat along the creek by planting aspens and placing boulders where the banks had eroded.

"It slows ithe creek) down and allows it to recharge the ground," M ark said."I trestoresthe riparian area."

That helps aspens to establish themselves along the banks and the shade from those treescools the water while the roots help filter the water. Both effects benefit

MARCH 2016

V

c

fish.

Fences keep cattle from getting into the creek. eWe have the streams fenced off so we don't have them destroying theriparian areas,"M ark said.

Workers have cut juniper trees on 7,000 acres of the Bennetts' ranch with financial help from OWEB and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

A single mature juniper can suck up as much as 50 gallons of groundwater per day.

Bennett said that many years ago, former Oregon State University Extension agent Jay Carr explained to him how juniper can harm rangeland, including other native plants as well as wildlife habitat, by claiming most of the water.

Although Bennett couldn't afford to do a large-scale juniper removalproject,he cleared trees from one acre around a spring that had gone dry.

Over the next year the spring rebounded and even started flowing as a small stream.

Since then the Bennetts have applied for grants through multiple agencies, including ODFW, which paid to cut juniper on 100 acres of the ranch in exchange for access to do sage grouse studies.

The juniper removal had its rewards. eWe saw water restored and grasses came back," Mark said. eWe saw sage grouse come back like we'd never seen them before."

Patti said ODFW biologist Nick Myatt told the Bennetts their

cies act.

Mitigating juniper and enhancing the watershed is only part of conserving the land.

Rangeland health is important for the cattle as well as wildlife and plant habitat.

M ark addressed the holistic approachtoland management again.

"Itdoesn'tmake sense to treat for juniper without monitoring the fields," he said.

Mark uses a smart phone app thatcompares pictures ofpasturesused forgrazing over time to determine how much grazing they can handle and stay healthy.

"It allows us to determine if a fiel d isovergrazed or itcan be grazed more."

The app, called GrassSnap, S. John CollinsNVesComNews Sennce

Mark Bennett has his share of country gates and muddy spring days at his SecretValley Ranch in southern Baker County. iThe Riley Freeman award is named after a past chairman of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association Wildlife Committee. Freeman saw the need for greater coordinationand cooperation between private landowners and stateand federal naturalresources agencies. While he defended an individual's property rights, he alsoadvocated forpartnerships between wildlife managers, landowners and wildlife consumers.

In his memory, ODFW and OCA established an annual award to S. John CollinsNVesComNews Sennce recognize an OCA member that The small log hut with its sod roof is one of the original homebest exemplifies Riley Freeman's passion for the cattle industry, steads on Bennett's property. good land stewardship and avocaranch had the only sage grouse fall in while getting a drink and tionforpartnerships.l lek ia site where male sage grouse keeping cattle away from leks durAs a rancher and county comcongregate during the spring mat- ing the birds' mating season. missioner, Mark has worked as a ''We really believe in taking care representative ing season to perform the species' to Oregon'sSageelaborate courting ritual) that was of the land," Mark said.'We don't Con group which has pushed for a increasing in numbers in Baker want to take advantage of the reasonableapproach toprotecting County. land." sage grouse habitat while finding eWe have enhanced the sage The Bennetts were recognized common ground between ranchin December 2015 for their coners on sage grouse issues. He has grouse and their habitat," Patti sard. tribution to sage grouse and other spent considerable time working Other steps the Bennetts have wildlife habitat by ODFW and the with the Oregon state governor's office, ODFW, USFW, BLM takentoimprove sage grouse Oregon Cattlemen's Association. habitat and numbers include inThey received the 2015 Riley Free- and other agencies. Through its stalling ladders in cattle troughs, man Award at the Cattlemen's efforts, the group has helped to which help birds and other Association's annual conference in keep the sage grouse from being animals escape drowning if they Bend. listed under the Endangered Spe-

allows the user to compare and align previous images to current ones to track the impact ofgrazing on a field.

Mark said the app has been very helpful. He said 27 ofhis ieldsare geotagged to allow f interaction with the app's GPS capabilities.

The Bennetts don't do all of this work themselves.

Help with calving, feeding stock, heavy equipment operation, welding, mechanic work, roping, shoeing horses and too many other tasks to list on the ranch comes from their hired hand Rory Swindlehurst.

Swindlehurst and his family live on the ranch, which is necessary as the job is 24 hours a day seven days a week.

SwindleHe Saidhe dOeSn't

hur s t

do it for the money.

"It's not a job, it's a lifestyle," said Swindlehurst, a lifelong cattleman."I like it and I stay busy."

He said that lifestyle makes him richer than any job ever could.

Mark and Patti both beamed with pride as they talked about the work they do on their land and thecattle they raise. ''We have a little more work to do than other ranchers," Mark said."It's worth it."

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THE OBSERVER tk BAKER CITY HERALD — 29 •

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