The Oregon Natural Resources Report - Agricultural News from Oregon

By Rick Sohn,
Umpqua COquille LLC

Strength continues in lumber and log prices. Building permits took a large jump. See below for details and a six-year span of prices and analysis of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage stats.

Proposed New State Rules Allow Expanded Use of “Graywater” and Water Reuse Systems in Oregon
– DEQ seeks comments on proposal through Friday, March 11

Dept. of Environmental Quality

As Oregon sees increasing demand on the state’s limited water resources, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is proposing new rules that will allow Oregonians to reuse graywater for certain limited functions such as garden irrigation and other forms of irrigation. Graywater is wastewater originating from showers, baths, bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks and laundries.

DEQ will conduct public hearings on the graywater proposal throughout Oregon in late February and early March, and is seeking public comments on the proposal through Friday, March 11. The 2009 Oregon Legislature legalized the use of graywater for beneficial purposes if permitted by DEQ and directed the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission to adopt rules for the permitting of graywater reuse and disposal systems.

While graywater is wastewater, it does not include toilet or garbage wastes. Although it may contain a complex mix of organic matter, suspended solids, bacteria and common household chemicals, when used judiciously and in a manner that takes public health into account, it can help preserve limited water supplies and emphasize the environmental ethics of reusing and recycling.

The proposed rules are available for public review on DEQ’s website at http://www.deq.state.or.us/regulations/proposedrules.htm (scroll down to “Graywater reuse and disposal systems.”) As proposed, the rules would:

· Establish a public policy to encourage reuse of graywater for beneficial uses such as irrigation

· Establish requirements for all graywater reuse and disposal systems to protect public health and the environment

· Define three types of graywater based on level of treatment and identify reuse activities, treatment and monitoring requirements, setbacks, access and exposure controls, and site management practices necessary to protect public health and the environment

· Establish design and construction standards for graywater reuse and disposal systems

· Create a three-tier permitting system that defines permitting requirements based primarily on volume of graywater produced

People may submit comments on the proposed rules by mail, e-mail or fax before 5 p.m. Friday, March 11. Written comments may be mailed to Ron Doughten, Oregon DEQ, Water Quality Division 811 SW Sixth Ave., Portland, OR 97204-1390. Comments may be faxed to Ron Doughten at 503-229-6037 or e-mailed to graywaterrules@deq.state.or.us .

DEQ will hold four public hearings on the proposed rules. Each hearing will start with a one-hour overview followed by the opportunity to present oral and written comments. Hearings are scheduled at the following locations:

· Portland, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 5 p.m., DEQ Headquarters, 811 SW Sixth Ave., (SW Sixth & Yamhill), 10th floor, Room EQC-A.

· Bend, Thursday, Feb. 24, 5 p.m., DEQ Bend office, 475 NE Bellevue, Suite 110

· Eugene, Wednesday, March 2, 5 p.m., DEQ Eugene office, 165 E. Seventh Ave., Suite 100

· Ashland, Thursday, March 3, 5 p.m., Pioneer Hall, 73 Winburn Way.

DEQ will respond to all comments and may make changes to its rules proposal based on comments it receives. It will present a final proposal to the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission for adoption at the commission’s August 2011 meeting.

Background

In developing these new rules, DEQ relied on recommendations of a Graywater Advisory Committee. The committee, which met on several occasions, consisted of people with varied technical backgrounds including resource conservation, water supply, wastewater treatment and design, green building, architecture, environmental advocacy, public health and water law. Committee members represented various Oregon regions, state government agencies, local governments, small businesses and individuals.

A document detailing anticipated questions and answers about this rulemaking and about graywater reuse and disposal systems is available on DEQ’s graywater rulemaking web page at: http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/reuse/gwrulemaking.htm (scroll down to “Documents”).
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Registration opens for OSU’s Feb. 26 farm conference (01/19/2011), U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, veterinarian, farmer and member of the House Committee on Agriculture, will deliver the capnote address at the Feb. 26th conference.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State University Extension Service has opened registration for its 11th annual Oregon Small Farms Conference on Feb. 26 in Corvallis.

The daylong event is geared toward farmers, agriculture professionals, food policy advocates and managers of farmers markets. Chuck Hassebrook, the executive director of the Center for Rural Affairs, will open the event with a speech about how small farms are changing agriculture. Hassebrook specializes in commodity program reform, rural development policy, research and extension, rural revitalization and higher education.

By Erik L. Ness
American Farm Bureau Federation

Politics have been part of irrigated agriculture since the first Sumerian ditch bosses controlled the waters of Mesopotamia. The importance of irrigation can be seen throughout the history of mankind as farmers and engineers worked to provide reliable water resources for food and fiber crops and adequate sources of water for the general public.

Today’s advanced irrigation systems are economic dynamos that energize local and regional economies far beyond their primary mission of watering important crops. They provide needed hydro-electric power, recreational opportunities, public safety, habitat for wildlife and water conservation initiatives.

As with any system that provides such value and vital economic assets, many interests eek to get their hands on the check valves in an effort to control the water and all that comes with it.

Washington Farm Bureau Comments on Proposed 2011 Workers’ Compensation Rates Dear Director Schurke:
By Washington Farm Bureau
Comments:  On behalf of farmers and ranchers across Washington state and our more than 40,000 member families, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to submit comments regarding the proposed increase in industrial insurance rates for 2011.

As you know, Washington Farm Bureau has for decades educated our members on responsible workplace safety standards as part of our Retro/Safety program. We take seriously our endeavors to keep agricultural workplaces as safe as possible, so that workers remain healthy and premiums remain low for employers.

We believe this hard work has paid off insofar as agriculture is expected to see only an average 7 percent increase, as opposed to the average 12 percent increase for all businesses or the indicated rate of nearly 18 percent.

Watch Out For These Issues In The 2011 Legislature
By Oregonians In Action

As many of you know, the Oregon legislature will meet again starting in January, 2011. Oregon property owners need to keep a very close eye on Salem, as efforts will be made to pass new laws that both help and hurt property owners and your right to use your land.

Given the very close split between the parties in the Oregon legislature (see the View From Sherwood in this edition), along with a new governor, there is a completely different feel to the upcoming legislature. Bills that would have received serious attention in the last legislative session will not see the light of day in this session, and legislators from both parties will be forced to cooperate with each other in order to accomplish anything.

Global travelers warned not to bring back pests and diseases
By Oregon Depart of Agriculture,

Be aware of where you are traveling and beware what you might bring back to Oregon. That’s the bottom line message from agriculture officials to international travelers who may provide a conveyance for pests and diseases that could threaten the state’s agriculture and environment.”The world has gotten smaller and you can be halfway around the globe in a day,” says Dan Hilburn, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Plant Division and member of the Oregon Invasive Species Council. “It’s no problem for spores, seeds, and even insects to survive the travel. There are many examples of people bringing back with them a pest or a disease to the US that resulted in millions of dollars in crop losses or control costs.”

The latest concern is an animal disease. Foot and mouth disease (FMD) has emerged in South Korea, one of Oregon’s top agricultural trading partners.

Living with Wolves and No Right of Protection
by Karla Kay Edwards
Oregon Cascade Policy Institute

Imagine one day you were told that by law you no longer can lock your home. As you leave your house, two suspicious people are sitting on your front porch. So you get your kitchen broom and shoo them away. But they are still in front of your house on the sidewalk (legally not on your property). You call the police. They file a report and promise to monitor the situation. You eventually have to leave your home to run errands. When you come back, your computer that you use to run your business is gone. While you are confident that the folks you ran off your porch and who witnessed you leaving are the culprits, the police inform you that they found no fingerprints. Therefore, they aren’t sure if you simply misplaced your own computer.

This is essentially the scenario livestock producers face every day with wolves in Wallowa County and other parts of Oregon, except for ranchers it is even more emotional. It isn’t just an inanimate object that ranchers are unable to protect. They are beloved pets and livestock which ranchers have spent a great deal of their life raising and nurturing.

National Corn Growers Association
By Cathryn

As Girl Scout cookie sale season launches across the country, the organization is taking back to the streets with a message that leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of agvocates as they take their formerly internal anti-ag messages to our doorsteps.

Last summer, Corn Commentary (Volumes 1 and 2) looked at the blatant hypocrisy inherent in profiting from the sale of cookies that incorporate a myriad of corn products while bashing the farmers who supply them. Now, the Girl Scouts are taking it one step further by offering Shout Outs!, an HFCS-free cookie.  Are they serious? This is still a cookie that has approximately the same fat and calorie content as many of their other options. This is another blatant case of jumping on the anti-HFCS bandwagon without considering either sound science or even the message that this sends about our childhood favorites like Thin Mints and Trefoils?

Administration Denies Petitions to Raise Public Lands Grazing Fee
By National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

WASHINGTON (Jan. 20, 2011) – The Obama Administration issued final responses this week denying petitions to increase the grazing fee on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Service (USFS) grazing allotments. The decision was made in response to the petitions and a lawsuit filed by five environmental activist groups asking the government to address the grazing-fee formula and adjust the fee in order to, in their words, “cover the costs of the federal grazing program.”

CA Governor: Taxes, Cuts and Agriculture
By Kate Campbell
California Farm Bureau

Staring at a $25.4 billion state budget deficit, Gov. Jerry Brown presented a proposal last week for addressing the problem. If approved by the Legislature and if funding sources are placed on the ballot for voter approval, the fiscal strategy would be carried out during the next 18 months and include significant changes to government operation and the addition of $12 billion in taxes.

Brown’s budget proposes total spending of $127.4 billion for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Of this amount, proposed General Fund spending totals $84.6 billion.

Topping the list of changes that would have a direct impact on agriculture is the proposed elimination of funding for the land conservation program known as the Williamson Act, and greatly increased fees for water discharge permits. The California Department of Food and Agriculture also would see its budget reduced.

Oregon State University receives $5 million grant to prevent child obesity
By Oregon State University Extension Office

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State University has received a grant of nearly $5 million to develop an obesity prevention program for children in rural Oregon. Roger Beachy, director of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), announced the award during a press conference on the OSU campus today. “Childhood obesity is a problem many families face across the nation,” he said. “However, children in rural areas face obstacles such as limited access to fresh healthy food, physical activity and recreational programs that help prevent obesity.”

Project directors Deborah John and Kathy Gunter from OSU Extension were awarded $4,878,865 to start the program, called “Generating Rural Options for Weight-Healthy Kids and Communities” (GROW HKC). Cooperative Extension in Oregon and six other Western states will develop a plan to prevent obesity among rural children and field test it in rural communities within three Oregon counties: Clackamas, Columbia and Klamath.

Oregon Farm Bureau Legislative Update

Last week and after much anticipation, Governor Kitzhaber announced his top level staff of which a majority has a background in the renewable energy industry. At Dunn Carney’s Ag Summit, the Governor shared that Katy Coba will maintain her position of Director of Agriculture. We are still waiting for the appointment of a Natural Resources Advisor.

At this first press conference after taking office, the Governor announced the following priority proposal for his administration:

- The Department of Energy to invest $2 million of unused federal stimulus money to do energy audits on 500 school buildings.
- Ensure that EPA regulation of biomass reflects the beneficial carbon profile of woody biomass in the Northwest.
- Include preference for biomass boilers in school retrofit programs.
- Set regular meetings with key members of the manufacturing community, and focus on regular communication with the business “clusters” that have developed in Oregon.

Natural Resource News Note:

The Oregonian reports this week about the phenomenon of stolen cattle reappearing at the homes of their rancher’s home years later. The article describes how the Collins family lost 150 Cattle, worth $115,000, a few years ago. Last year 20 of the cows returned suddenly. In Malhuer County, cattle thieves have taken over one thousand cattle which has the value of over one million dollars lost.

The reason listed for the returning cows is fear of being caught. All of the cows returned have been branded cows.  None of the returned cattle have been unbranded.  More cows may have been stolen than have been reported stolen. Many ranchers would rather keep quiet about personal thefts than go public with what has happened to them.

Facebook pays $8M for Farm Bureau web name
By Natural Resource News Note:

Facebook just paid a pricey $8.5 million for the American Farm Bureau Federation’s web domain name www.fb.com. Reuters reports that Faecbook wants to use it for internal use. Farm Bureau will now use their other web domain name www.fb.org for their main website. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg said, “The Farm Bureau agreed to sell us fb.com and we in return have agreed not to sell farm subsidies.” Limited availability and rising demand has pushed higher and higher prices for web domain names.

Below is a list of the top 10 most expensive web domain purchases prior to the to Facebook-Farm Berea deal.

by Rex Storm, Forest Policy Manager
Associated Oregon Loggers

Truckers & Loggers Swallow Oregon Tax Hikes: Effective Jan. 1, 2011, logging and trucking businesses across Oregon began paying the “phase 3” transportation tax increase, which was passed by the Democrat super-majority 2009 Legislature. This “phase 3” tax adds another 25% to statewide fuel & gasoline taxes, raising both taxes about 7 cents/gallon at the pump. Previously on 1/1/10, the ”phase 1” truck registration fee rose 104%, equivalent to about $500 per year increase for an 80k lb truck. Then on 10/1/10, the “phase 2” increase raised the weight-mile tax by 25%, about a 3.2 cents/mile increase for an 80k GVW truck. Additionally, truck flat fees jumped 25%, or about $1,192/year increase for an 80k truck. These taxes inflate the cost of hauling wood products from forest to market.

Diesel Price Shoots-Up: The average price of Oregon diesel fuel jumped 6 cents per gallon in the last month to $3.37 per gallon, according to AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report (12/17/10). This rate is 17% above diesel prices at this time last year. Oregon’s diesel fuel price at the pump ranks the 16th highest in the US, compared to the nationwide average of $3.26/gal. Oregon truckers and forest contractors will also be hit by new state fuel tax increases on Jan. 1st, which immediately pushed pump prices about 7 cents higher for highway fuel. Daily fuel & gas prices are reported online at: www.fuelgaugereport.com

Agenda for Congressional Action Unclear, but Full Nevertheless
National Association of Wheat Growers

Congress largely paused legislative business and partisan rancor this week following the tragic shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 other people on Jan. 8. The House of Representatives on Wednesday took up a resolution condemning the attack, but otherwise put off anticipated debate on health care reform repeal until next week. The House’s week will be short, though, with Martin Luther King Day on Monday and party retreats taking time away from the schedule. The chamber’s next scheduled break is a “constituent work week” set from Jan. 31 until Feb. 4.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate is in recess until Jan. 25.

When both chambers return, funding the government is likely to be front and center, with an existing continuing resolution expiring in early March and a new House Majority interested in cutting spending.

Grants NAFO’s petition to reconsider; outlines rule-making and scientific inquiry
National Alliance of Forest Owners

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today granted the National Alliance of Forest Owners’ (NAFO) petition to reconsider the treatment of biomass carbon emissions under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule (Tailoring Rule). In doing so, the EPA announced that it will defer permit requirements for biomass energy production for a period of at least three years pending future consideration of the science and subsequent rulemaking. Dave Tenny, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement:

NAFO applauds EPA’s action as a critical step toward recognizing the full carbon benefits of biomass as a leading source of renewable energy. The three-year moratorium is an appropriate response to NAFO’s request. It will allow the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to work with Congress, biomass producers and users, scientists and other interested parties to develop a science-based policy supporting a vibrant biomass energy sector for the long term without penalizing biomass energy production in the interim.

AFBF Calls for Strong Farm Safety Net, EPA Oversight
By Oregon Farm Bureau Federation

ATLANTA, January 11, 2011 – Delegates at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 92nd Annual Meeting voted to maintain a strong farm income safety net, address dairy price volatility and urge greater oversight of regulatory actions by the Environmental Protection Agency. As Congress prepares to draft a new farm bill later this year and in 2012, the delegates reiterated their support for extending the concepts of the 2008 farm bill. “The 2008 farm bill has worked as farmers and ranchers have weathered market ups and downs over the last four years,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “It’s important to maintain a program that protects our nation’s food, fiber and fuel supply and the consumers who rely on agriculture’s productivity.”

Oregon Delegation Wins Suspension of Unfair EPA Biomass Regulations
By Oregon Congressman Greg Walden

WASHINGTON, DC— Representatives Greg Walden (OR-02), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), and Kurt Schrader (OR-05) received a letter from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson detailing significant changes to EPA’s regulation of emissions from biomass facilities. Walden, DeFazio, and Schrader have worked tirelessly to fix unreasonable regulation of carbon-neutral biomass emissions since the EPA announced the restrictive policies.

In the letter, the EPA described three key revisions to its regulation of renewable biomass emissions.

- The EPA will complete expedited rulemaking to defer the regulation of renewable biomass emissions under the Tailoring Rule for three years

- During these three years, the EPA will analyze biomass emissions and construct a new system that addresses these emissions sensibly and scientifically
- The EPA will engage in notice-and-comment rulemaking, allowing the public to comment before final decisions are made to establish the new regulatory system