NW Natural Resource Note,

NW lumber firms are benefiting from the Japan Tsunami aftermath.   The Vancouver business, Columbia Vista Corp., exports 75% of its lumber to Japan and has recently hired two dozen new workers.   A Japanese lumber company, Miyoshi, was destroyed after the Tsunami and now relies on $120,000 a month orders from Columbia Vista.

Another NW firm to benefit is Vanport International.  Here is their feature in The Oregonian:

“Fewer than a dozen Northwest companies have mastered the art of milling lumber to Japan’s exacting metric specifications. But for those that have, the need to repair or replace more than 300,000 houses hit by the tsunami last year creates opportunity. None stands out more than Oregon’s Vanport International Inc.  The company, guided by its soft-spoken chairman, German native Adolf Hertrich, has cultivated extraordinary ties in a nation that has often frustrated conventional U.S. exporters. These links helped the Boring-based company survive more than one near-fatal predicament. As competing mills tanked, Vanport morphed to build on its Japan business and forge new cross-cultural ties, most recently rescuing the mill at the Warm Springs Indian Reservation outside Madras. “

read more

Congressman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was joined by 27 of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives today, May 15, 2012, to introduce the bipartisan Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2012 (H.R. 5744). According to Public Lands Council President John Falen, H.R. 5744 will allow forest lands to be responsibly managed to prevent catastrophic wildfires that put human and animal health and safety at risk while costing economies severely.

“Decades of mismanagement and convoluted environmental regulation have left our nation’s vast forest lands one spark away from a catastrophic wildfire. In many parts of the nation, these forests, which have historically provided grazing land for livestock and habitat to wildlife, are nothing more than kindling for the next big fire,” Falen said. “Forest lands must be responsibly managed but that is not happening today because environmental extremists have abused regulations currently on the books to tie the hands of land management agencies. The Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act will restore some common sense to forest management, improve public safety and restore the environment.”

H.R. 5744 will allow the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to streamline projects to reduce hazardous fuel loads, thus reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire and protecting endangered species on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Authorized projects include timber thinning and livestock grazing. Joe Guild, chairman of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Federal Lands Committee, urged Congress to consider H.R. 5744 and commended Congressman Gosar for stepping up and working to restore the ability of the federal government to work with farmers and ranchers to prevent catastrophic wildfires.

“Catastrophic wildfires cost taxpayers millions of dollars in immediate response and subsequent restoration projects. Managing the land and reducing hazardous fuel loads to prevent wildfires is the right thing to do,” Guild said. “Environmental extremists should not be allowed to continue obstructing our ability to responsibly manage the land and its resources. Congressman Gosar’s legislation is a crucial step in the right direction of stopping the abuse of well-intended environmental laws. We urge members of Congress to support this legislation and help prevent future devastating catastrophic wildfires.”

The conference process for divergent House- and Senate-passed surface transportation bills began this week with a public hearing on Tuesday that was dominated by opening statements and calls for passage of a long-term bill. The 47-member conference committee is charged with bridging the gap between the House’s five-year, $260 billion extension and the Senate’s two-year, $109 billion bill.

Current surface transportation law expires on June 30. The law has been extended a number of times since 2009, when the last long-term transportation measure expired.

The bills being conferenced affect construction projects around the country and authorize the federal gas tax that pays for them. Though considered a surface transportation measure, the bill also includes provisions related to railways and waterways.

The Senate version of the legislation, S. 1813, has a number of provisions important to rail customers, including establishing a timeline for rate cases taken to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), requiring the STB to issue quarterly reports of complaints received and changing the maximum relief possible for shippers in “simplified” rate procedures.

Also included in the final Senate bill were amendments addressing exemptions from commercial trucking requirements for agriculture-related intrastate commerce and clarifying the agriculture hours-of-service exemption.

This week, NAWG signed on to two letters supporting rail and maritime provisions under consideration.

One letter, sent to the chairmen and ranking members of the relevant committees in both chambers, urged the conference committee to include the freight rail subtitle from the Senate’s version of the bill in the final compromise package.

NAWG and the 11 other signatories said the rail provisions were “modest steps that we believe would contribute to a better balance between shipper and carrier interests in rail policy deliberations at the Surface Transportation Board (STB), and make the agency more accountable, transparent and effective.”

A second letter, also with a dozen signatures, urged inclusion of the Realize America’s Maritime Promise (RAMP) Act, or H.R. 104. This bill would ensure that monies collected in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund are actually used for operations and maintenance of U.S. ports, waterways and harbors. It was included in the House-passed surface transportation measure.

Both letters sent this week are available in full online at www.wheatworld.org/transportation under “Statements and Testimony.”

Export figures indicate a recovering grass seed industry resurrected

Oregon’s grass seed industry suffered greatly with the US economic downturn that began in 2008. But there are increasing signs of recovery that include export numbers generated by the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s inspection and certification of grass seed bound for other countries. It appears the high quality of Oregon grass seed is very much in demand in other parts of the world. Having that export market is helping growers and dealers make a strong comeback.

“Specifically for nursery and grass seed- the sectors probably hit the hardest by the economic downturn because of their ties to the construction industry- we are seeing some upward trends in the market,” says ODA Director Katy Coba. “With grass seed, we are starting to see the inventories that had built up now being reduced and almost eliminated in some cases. Hopefully, even for these sectors that have really been hit hard, we will continue to see an upturn in 2012.”

ODA inspectors examine a variety of field crops, including grass seed, before issuing phytosanitary certificates that assure the commodity is clean of pests and diseases. Without the piece of paper containing ODA’s stamp of approval, there is no guarantee the commodity meets the export country’s standards. Therefore, the product can’t be shipped without the phytosanitary certificate.

Since 2008, the number of certificates for grass seed exports issued by ODA has increased from 1,225 to 2,379 in 2011. The total number of pounds of grass seed okayed for export under those certificates has more than doubled from 61 million pounds in 2008 to 136 million pounds last year. Much of that increase is attributed to new pest and disease requirements imposed by the European Union which have prompted Oregon growers and dealers to need ODA’s inspection and certification services to a greater degree. Those services include ODA’s two full time seed samplers and a handful of part time employees pulling samples that are then run through the ODA seed laboratory.

“We have a highly qualified staff and a very good lab to evaluate those seeds so when the product arrives in the export country, customers and government officials are very happy,” says Jim Cramer, administrator of ODA’s Commodity Inspection Division. “It’s important to know there is a low incidence of rejection of these seeds. We have been able to help assure the high quality reputation that Oregon grass seed enjoys. But the increased inspection and writing of the phytosanitary certificates has kept our people very busy. Our two full time seed samplers rack up about 3000 miles a month running up and down the Willamette Valley and into different warehouses to pull samples.”

A look at the export destination of ODA-certified grass seed shows that Asia remains the top market. More than 45 million pounds of seed to China was okayed last year by ODA. Export figures for China have stayed fairly constant since 2008, the year Beijing hosted the Olympic Games.

“China is still a huge market for us,” says Cramer, noting the long history of the industry, ODA, and Oregon State University establishing a strong, pioneering relationship decades ago in China.

Cramer and industry representatives just returned from South Korea, which last year imported about 10 million pounds of ODA-tested and certified grass seed from Oregon- double the amount imported in 2008.

“South Korea plans to reduce the need for importing hay to feed their cattle,” says Cramer. “That means they will increase their own forage production. We learned on this trip that the high quality forage seeds Oregon produces will be more in demand in South Korea. That’s a positive indicator for the industry’s future.”

Other export destinations of note this past year include Australia- which has had drought issues affecting its own grass seed production- and South America, which actually recorded a decrease in ODA-certified grass seed exports last year. With its new requirements, the European Union in 2011 imported 42 million pounds, doubling the amount of the previous year.

All in all, ODA’s increased seed sampling, inspection, and certification efforts are just another indicator that Oregon’s grass seed industry appears to be turning a corner.

“Exports are more important now than ever for Oregon grass seed,” says Roger Beyer, executive director of the Oregon Seed Council. “The domestic market declined in 2008, has not yet rebounded to its previous level, and might not ever. Exports have picked up part of that slack and, in 2011, were about 35 percent of the total market for Oregon grown seed. Historically, exports have been about 10 to 15 percent of the market.”

Beyer says the industry spent the last three years looking for any market opportunities. The declining value of the dollar and the low price of seed combined to make Oregon seed a very attractive item on the world market. Seed prices are increasing again and the dollar is gaining strength, which could pose a challenge in keeping those export markets. But Beyer says Oregon has an ace in the hole.

“One advantage Oregon has is the high quality seed we produce and the reputation for that quality,” says Beyer. “Those factors are attracting new overseas customers today, even without low prices and a weak dollar.”

From the grass seed dealers perspective, it also appears the industry sector’s fortunes are turning around.

“The grass seed business is certainly healthier today than a few years ago,” says John Thyssen of Barenbrug USA and president of the Oregon Seed Trade Association. “A primary reason is a better balance between supply and demand, the best medicine for any market. The supply, in terms of acreage of grass seed, has been reduced since seed prices were low. Domestic business, however, is still weak and may not return to pre-2008 levels. The real estate bubble has a lasting effect on the domestic grass seed markets. Exports in 2011 made the deciding difference this past year, but we should not take it for granted. Many European countries are in recession again, so we don’t expect to see the same seed movement this year.”

Despite its troubles, Oregon grass seed remains a top ten agricultural commodity and an important part of the Willamette Valley farm economy. Healthy exports ultimately help those counties that produce grass seed.

For more information, contact Jim Cramer at (503) 986-4631 or Bruce Pokarney at (503) 986-4559.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman at a hearing on Capitol Hill reemphasized his organizations’ support of a single commodity option and a strong crop insurance program in the 2012 farm bill. Speaking before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, Stallman said he was confident AFBF’s approach could easily provide a safety net that meets regional and commodity differences, while also staying within the budget.

“Continuation of a multi-legged stool remains the best approach for providing a fair and effective safety net, which should consist of a strong crop insurance program, continuation of the current marketing loan provisions and a catastrophic revenue loss program,” said Stallman. The purpose of the hearing was to review commodity programs and crop insurance options for 2012 farm bill.

Stallman’s testimony was based on the premise that the House Agriculture Committee will draft farm legislation that reduces spending by $23 billion over the next 10 years, with proportional cuts of $15 billion in commodity program reductions, $4 billion in conservation program reductions and $4 billion in nutrition program reductions.

In its farm bill proposal, AFBF has prioritized: (1) protecting and strengthening federal crop insurance funding and not reducing funding for that program; (2) developing a commodity title that encourages producers to follow market signals rather than making planting decisions in anticipation of government payments; and (3) refraining from basing any program on cost of production.

“As a general farm organization, we place high priority on ensuring the bill benefits all American agricultural commodity sectors in a balanced, coordinated manner,” said Stallman. “Conceptually, our proposal can cover all specialty crops that have crop insurance available, but we thought it best to walk before we run.”

AFBF’s proposal covers apples, tomatoes, grapes, potatoes and sweet corn.

“The new farm bill must ensure that producers continue to take production signals from the marketplace rather than enticing them to chase federal program benefits,” continued Stallman. “Approaches that allow producers to pick and choose between various program options would impose severe challenges and drive production decisions.”

Stallman also said that AFBF continues to oppose payment limits and means testing of farm program benefits in general.

Removing 4 Lower Snake River Dams Just a Bad Idea

There are dams that should come down and those that shouldn’t.

Demolishing the two dams on the Elwha River west of Port Angeles is a good thing and, hopefully the salmon and steelhead will return in record numbers. The dams were built in the early 1900s to bring electricity to the Olympic Peninsula at a time when salmon and steelhead were plentiful in other Pacific Northwest rivers.

On the Elwha River, the issue was clear: Two barriers were blocking salmon from moving upstream. The care with which the demolition was planned, studied and implemented is a credit to all involved, and now fish can swim up to the high mountain tributaries in the Olympics to spawn and start the life cycle over again. But breaching the four lower Snake River dams is an entirely different matter. For one thing, the billions of dollars paid by Bonneville Power ratepayers to improve fish passage and spawning habitat throughout the Columbia and Snake River system is now paying off — salmon are moving up the Columbia and Snake rivers in great numbers.

Last year, the Idaho Fish and Game Department reported that 1,070 sockeye returned to Redfish, and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission counted more than 27,000 adult fall chinook above the Lower Granite dam, the uppermost dam on the river.

Replacing the electricity generated by the Snake River dams would take two nuclear plants, three coal-fired generators and six gas-fired power plants. Hydropower is the most efficient way to generate electricity, capable of converting 90 percent of the available energy into clean electricity.

Wind turbines, on the other hand, are only about 30 percent efficient at best.

Marine Highway Another difference between the Elwha and Snake River dams: Ice Harbor, the westerly most of the lower Snake River dams, irrigates 36,000 acres of farmland, vineyards and orchards.

Consider also the marine highway created by the Columbia and Snake rivers is the most environmentally friendly way to move cargo from Lewiston to Astoria.

Barging keeps 700,000 trucks off Northwest highways every year, and barges are extremely fuel-efficient, moving a ton of goods 576 miles on a gallon of fuel, compared with 413 miles for rail and 155 miles for trucks.

A plan exists to carefully manage the Columbia and Snake rivers for the benefit of both fish and people. A comprehensive management plan which became

known as the Biological Opinion or “Bi-Op”, was supposed to be implemented two years ago, but U.S. District Judge James Redden, who recently retired, blocked it saying that spilling water to allow young salmon to migrate to the ocean wasn’t good enough. He told Idaho Public TV reporter Aaron Kunz that there was no need to go to the expense of demolishing the dams. “You just dig a ditch and let the river go around them.”

All this nonsense about digging a ditch around those four massive structures is just that — nonsense. We should thank our lucky stars the four lower Snake River dams are there and get on with implementing the cooperative management plant that allows both fish and families to thrive.

Last week the Oregon Forest Industries Council (OFIC) announced their new President. According to a statement from Tom Holt, OFIC’s Board Chairman, “McNitt will begin work on June 15, 2012, and there will be a two week overlap with Ray Wilkeson working closely with her until the end of June…With Kristina we believe we have made an excellent choice to lead the organization into the future.”

McNitt grew up east of Salem in a timber family, and has a degree in economics from the University of Oregon. She is married to Stuart Olson, a Salem area farmer (and former OFS Board Member) who grows peaches, cherries, berries, apples, nectarines and holly.

Kristina is very knowledgeable in forestry, agricultural, water, and political issues. OFS has worked with Kristina in many capacities over the years and we look forward to our continued partnership with her and OFIC members and staff.

Ray Wilkeson is retiring after 26 years at OFIC. The Capital Press printed an article about his retirement in last Friday’s paper. If you have not read it, see it here.

Walden leads group of lawmakers urging inclusion of county payments, PILT in final transportation bill
By Congressman Greg Walden

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and 15 House Republicans have sent a letter urging a joint Senate-House panel to include county payments and PILT funding in a final transportation bill.The Senate version of the bill, S. 1813, includes a fully offset one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) and PILT, which represent a lifeline to more than 700 rural federally forested communities and 9 million school children across the nation.

“In 2000, Congress authorized SRS in recognition that layers of environmental regulations had throttled timber production on federal lands, depriving these local communities of timber receipts that helped fund local schools, roads, and emergency services,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, which was led by Rep. Walden. “With the last reauthorization of SRS expiring last September, rural counties across the country are currently determining how many school teachers, sheriffs, and other essential service employees to lay off this summer in order to cope with the budgetary cliff they face as their new fiscal year starts this July without this program in place.”

They also wrote that “the status quo in our national forests doesn’t work and won’t work going forward,” and they are working with the House Natural Resources Committee on a meaningful long-term solution that would make rural communities more reliant on resource-based industries, rather than checks from the federal government.

Last September, the government’s commitment to rural forested counties lapsed with the expiration of SRS. Rural federally forested counties are now beginning to lay off sheriff deputies, teachers, county road crews and emergency-service personnel as county payments funding runs out in June.

This September, funding for PILT expires. PILT offsets the loss of potential tax revenue on federal lands and keep rural county governments functioning where public lands dominate their landscape.

“Retaining this provision in the surface transportation conference bill will provide us the time needed to meet this obligation through legislation that puts Americans back to work on our public lands, improves forest health, and spares communities of the uncertain future of whether the federal government will meets its end of the obligation,” they wrote. “Most importantly, it will provide our federally forested counties the budget certainty they need to avoid layoffs of teachers, first responders and road crews in the coming months.”

The full text of the letter is below:

May 8, 2012

Dear House and Senate Republican Surface Transportation Conferees:

As you negotiate a final conference committee surface transportation bill, we ask that you retain the one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) and Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) included in Title I of Division F of the Senate bill, S. 1813. This one-year extension, which was fully offset and included in S. 1813 by a vote of 82-16, is an urgently needed lifeline for more than 700 rural federally forested communities and 9 million school children across the nation.

The establishment of the National Forest System more than 100 years ago removed between 65 to 90 percent of the forests in many rural western, southeastern and southern counties from further development. Congress and President Theodore Roosevelt recognized that reducing the potential tax base could seriously hamper local communities’ prosperity and established a revenue sharing commitment that provided these communities with 25 percent of the revenues from nearby federal forests. In 2000, Congress authorized SRS in recognition that layers of environmental regulations had throttled timber production on federal lands, depriving these local communities of timber receipts that helped fund local schools, roads, and emergency services. With the last reauthorization of SRS expiring last September, rural counties across the country are currently determining how many school teachers, sheriffs, and other essential service employees to lay off this summer in order to cope with the budgetary cliff they face as their new fiscal year starts this July without this program in place.

Like most of the federally forested communities we represent, we agree that the status quo in our national forests doesn’t work and won’t work going forward. That is why we continue to work with leaders in the House Natural Resources Committee on a meaningful long-term solution that transitions these counties back to the resource-based economies that provided jobs in our forests and mills, and the self-reliance these communities had before Uncle Sam locked up most of the resources and land around them.

Retaining this provision in the surface transportation conference bill will provide us the time needed to meet this obligation through legislation that puts Americans back to work on our public lands, improves forest health, and spares communities of the uncertain future of whether the federal government will meets its end of the obligation. Most importantly, it will provide our federally forested counties the budget certainty they need to avoid layoffs of teachers, first responders and road crews in the coming months.

We appreciate your help in this important issue for our rural communities and schools.

Best regards,

Greg Walden
Mike Simpson
Steve Pearce
Scott Tipton
Jo Ann Emerson
Dan Lungren
Tom McClintock
Paul Gosar, D.D.S
Glenn Thompson
Jason Chaffetz
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Steve Womack
Mark Amodei
Kristi Noem
Dennis Rehberg
Cynthia Lummis

Beating up on coal, America’s most-used source for electricity, wasn’t enough for the Sierra Club. They now declared war on natural gas. From National Journal:

“The Sierra Club is intensifying its natural-gas reform campaign and renaming it “Beyond Gas,” a spin-off of its decade-old “Beyond Coal” campaign seeking the phaseout of coal-fired power plants.“As we push to retire coal plants, we’re going to work to make sure we’re not simultaneously switching to natural-gas infrastructure,” Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune told National Journal in an interview on Wednesday.”

Brune declared that his organization’s mission is about [emphasis mine] “preventing new gas plants from being built wherever we can.”

This is a classic bait-and-switch. Not long ago, the Sierra Club pushed natural gas as an alternative to coal. It would be a bridge to renewable energy like wind and solar. In 2008, Carl Pope, then executive director, told Oil and Gas Investor Report that the Sierra Club was all for natural gas [emphasis mine]: “Among the fossil fuels, natural gas is at the top.” He went on to say, “There’s a lot of opportunity — people in the natural gas industry tell me — to produce more natural gas domestically by using new technologies, and we’re in favor of that.”

In the last few years, we’ve witnessed a boom in natural gas production. The Marcelleus Shale in the Northeast, Barnett Shale in Texas, and other areas across the country are producing millions of cubic feet of natural gas and creating thousands of jobs. However, the Sierra Club switched course. Now natural gas is a villain.

This is rich. When their friends in EPA drop job-killing rules to make coal power plants extinct, the Sierra Club moves the goalposts and wants to eliminate the replacement. They oppose coal, they oppose oil, and now natural gas is off limits. To them, it’s wind and solar and that’s about it. But if they have their way and we start to get more of our electricity from wind and solar, expect them to move the goalposts again. In fact, maybe they already have. Local Sierra Clubs have been and continue to work to block solar and wind projects in Maryland, Texas, Florida, all over California, and elsewhere.

They’ll say anything to appear to be reasonable, but in the end, their answer is, “No, no, no.” The Sierra Club is simply anti-energy, and has no credibility.

The honest answer to our energy problems lies in using all of America’s energy resources: coal; oil; natural gas; wind; solar; hydro; and nuclear. Not limiting ourselves, but wisely seeing how each energy source fits in the marketplace and the environment, will protect jobs and ensure we have enough affordable energy to keep America moving.

A new survey of U.S. consumer perceptions of agricultural technology shows a strong majority would be willing to purchase foods made with wheat produced using biotechnology if the innovations delivered nutritional or environmental benefits. The survey was sponsored by the International Food Information Council (IFIC), which released the results Thursday.

Overall, most consumers surveyed indicated favorable or neutral impressions of plant biotechnology, with no one surveyed saying they are avoiding foods with biotech-derived ingredients.

Asked to describe what additional information they would like about food products, less than 1 percent of the survey respondents said they want to see information about biotech-derived ingredients on product labels.

Comparatively, nearly 9 percent of respondents said they’d like to see more about a food’s nutrition and about 6 percent of respondents said they’d like to see more about food safety. The vast majority, 76 percent, said they could not think of anything they’d like to see added to a food’s label.

The recent survey is IFIC’s 15th food technology survey since 1997, the longest running of its kind.

Compared to the last IFIC technology survey in 2010, the results of this survey show little change in attitudes among consumers with regards to their overall impression of using biotechnology in wheat to produce food products like bread, crackers, cereal and pasta.

Consumers indicated they are supportive of biotechnology when considering its potential benefits. For instance, about 70 percent of consumers surveyed this year indicated they would be willing to buy products made from wheat produced using biotechnology if it provided additional nutritional benefits or was grown using less land, water or pesticides. Because wheat is the most widely grown crop in the world and the source of 20 percent of the world’s food calories, these attributes could have tremendous benefits.

Wheat produced using biotechnology is not in commercial production anywhere in the world, and the introduction of biotech wheat is still an estimated seven to 10 years away.

However, scientists at public universities and private companies in the United States and around the world have increased their commitments to wheat improvement in recent years and are working with both conventional and biotech breeding tools to develop new varieties that will improve yield and reduce input needs.

NAWG, which represents U.S. wheat growers domestically, and U.S. Wheat Associates, which represents U.S. wheat growers in overseas markets, are committed to providing wheat farmers with the opportunity to utilize biotechnology to increase productivity while decreasing environmental impacts.

More about the wheat value chain’s work toward wheat biotechnology is at www.wheatworld.org/biotech and www.uswheat.org/whatWeDo/tradePolicy/biotech.

More results from the IFIC technology survey are at http://www.foodinsight.org.

There are now a million more good reasons to go fishing in Oregon this summer. That’s because one of three popular Oregon reservoirs could have a fish that’s worth a million bucks to the lucky angler who lands it.

Crane Prairie Reservoir in Deschutes County and Dexter and Blue River Reservoirs in Lane County have been selected as Oregon’s representatives in the “Wanna Go Fishing for Millions” contest sponsored by Cabela’s, the Outdoor Channel and fish and wildlife agencies from 19 states.

The contest starts May 5 and continues through July 8. Participants must register on-line at www.cabelas.com/fishformillions to be eligible for prizes.

Each of the participating water bodies have been stocked with eight to 15 trout tagged with a small “spaghetti” tag. The lucky anglers who catch these fish can claim their prizes by entering the tag number and other information on the Cabela’s website.

This is the second year Oregon has participated in the Wanna Go Fishing for Millions contest. Last year, tagged fish were placed in Henry Hagg and Detroit lakes and over 7,000 Oregon anglers participated in the contest. Seventeen anglers caught a tagged fish.

For ODFW, the contest is one more way to encourage families to get outside and go fishing, said Rhine Messmer, ODFW Recreational Fisheries Program manager.

This year, prizes include Ranger boats, Costa sunglasses, Rapala fishing tackle, Abu Garcia rods and reels, Cabela’s gift cards and, of course, up to $2 million in cash for one very lucky angler.

In addition to the chance to win prizes, anglers also have a chance to score a great day of fishing.

According to Brett Hodgson, ODFW fish biologist in Bend, fishing on Crane Prairie Reservoir has been on the upswing the last couple of years.

“We’ve made some changes in our stocking program, such as different stocks and bigger fish, that are starting to pay off,” he said. “Last weekend trout fishing was very good.”

Blue River Reservoir is in the McKenzie Recreational area and offers plenty of bank access in a picturesque setting.

And at Dexter Reservoir, about 20 miles east of Eugene, there’s plenty of access to good fishing thanks to a causeway that bisects the lake and a large fishing platform.

“It’s a great place to fish from, and to catch fish,” said Jeff Ziller, fish biologist in Springfield. “Who knows, maybe even a million dollar fish.”

All three locations are regularly stocked by ODFW and should provide great fishing well into the summer.

AFBF Intervenes in Mississippi River Basin Case

The American Farm Bureau Federation Tuesday, along with 14 state Farm Bureau organizations and 16 other national and regional agricultural organizations, filed a motion seeking to intervene in Gulf Restoration Network, et al. v. Jackson, et al., a lawsuit seeking to force the Environmental Protection Agency to establish federal numeric nutrient water quality standards for all states in the Mississippi River Basin. The resolution of the lawsuit could be significant for farmers, municipalities and others throughout the 31-state basin because numeric nutrient standards could lead to more costly and stringent limits on nutrient runoff to waters that ultimately contribute to the Mississippi River.

Under the Clean Water Act, states may use either “narrative” or “numeric” standards as a method for determining water quality. Most states in the Mississippi River Basin use narrative standards, such as “no nutrients at levels that cause a harmful imbalance of aquatic populations.” However, if this lawsuit is successful, EPA would be forced to override existing state standards with federal water quality standards and to express those standards as specific numeric limits on nutrients.

“Setting appropriate numeric nutrient standards is a complex and difficult scientific undertaking and EPA has proven it is not up to the task,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “Farmers have no reason to believe that EPA could establish scientifically defensible standards for any one state, much less for 40 percent of the U.S. land mass.”

According to AFBF, there are limited circumstances under which the Clean Water Act allows EPA to step in the place of a state government to establish federal water quality standards. The organization is seeking to intervene in the lawsuit to clarify those limitations to the federal District Court in Louisiana, where the case is being heard.

“Farmers and their state governments in the Mississippi River Basin have worked successfully for years to minimize nutrient runoff and will continue to do so,” said Stallman. “But we oppose a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach.”

The following state Farm Bureaus intervened in the lawsuit: Arkansas; Illinois; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; Oklahoma; South Dakota; Tennessee; and Wyoming.

Looking to increase jobs and economic development in Oregon, Senator Ron Wyden said that negotiations to open up Asian-Pacific markets and Congress’ consideration of a new Farm Bill offer opportunities to increase the domestic sale and international export of Oregon agricultural products.

“My guiding principle in improving the Oregon economy is that we grow things here, add value to them and ship them somewhere, and nothing says that more than selling more Oregon fruits, vegetables and other high-value products at home and aboard,” Wyden said. “Fortunately, we are at a point – domestically and internationally – where we can do something about both.”

Congress is beginning consideration of a Farm Bill that will guide U.S. agriculture policy for the next five years. At the same time, international free trade negotiations are underway between the U.S. and eight Asia-Pacific nations with the goal of tearing down trade barriers and opening doors to new markets.

Wyden made the comments during a roundtable discussion today with representatives from across the Oregon agricultural spectrum, including wheat, wine, beer, grass, fruit, nuts, berries and vegetables. The roundtable follows a that Wyden chaired to hold the Obama Administration accountable to dismantling trade barriers to Oregon agriculture and food exports. Wyden has publicly expressed frustration about the level of engagement that the administration has had with the public about the trade negotiations, and specifically about an absence of transparency.

Wyden said that the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations offer an opportunity to open markets in developed countries such as New Zealand and Australia, along with emerging markets like Vietnam and Malaysia. There is also a significant chance that Japan, one of the most closed markets to Oregon agriculture, will join the negotiations.

“If these negotiations are successful, iconic Oregon products such as beer, wine, blueberries, hazelnuts, cherries, pears and many more are going to be served at tables across the Asia Pacific,” Wyden said. “That means that fresh Oregon agricultural products won’t just appear in refrigerators in Portland and Eugene but in Kyoto and Kuala Lumpur. It’s going to be important that Oregon stakeholders are involved in the process to be sure that any agreement that is reached represents Oregon’s broad economic interests. I intend to facilitate that.”

Wyden pointed out that last year was a good one for Oregon agriculture exports, but more can be done.

“I believe that expanding exports is an enormous opportunity for Oregon farmers and producers to literally feed the Asia Pacific’s growing appetite for high-value food products,” Wyden said. “To fully tap this growing demand, American producers must look to the federal government to establish a level and sustainable economic playing field in the Asia Pacific region.”

On the domestic front, the draft Farm Bill passed last week by the Senate Agriculture Committee picks up on an idea proposed by Wyden’s Oregon Agriculture Advisory Committee to promote healthy eating and extends the use of electronic benefit transfers to food stands and farmers markets for SNAP recipients. The draft bill also promotes farmers markets and locally grown food, which will lead to greater awareness of local markets, roadside stands, and community-supported agriculture programs as well increasing the sale of local foods to retailers, school, and federal institutions.

“If successful, instead of dishing out a steady diet of process, paperwork and limited options the federal government will allow schools to buy fresh produce from their neighbors rather than surplus food from a faraway government warehouse,” Wyden said.

Major Environmental and Economic Decision

Governor’s Choice – and Senate’s Action – will Affect Oregon Competitiveness for Decades.   An upcoming appointment by the Governor and subsequent approval by the State Senate will have a huge impact on manufacturing, agriculture, and the economy of the state for decades. The appointment is to a soon to be open seat on the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC). This body has evolved into one of the most powerful in state government. It is made up of five members, all appointed by the Governor, all subject to confirmation by the State Senate.

Nearly all of Oregon’s standards, permitting, and other environmental requirements are set by the EQC. The body also approves or initiates most of the DEQ regulatory expansions. Your ability to expand or build, the standards you must meet (water, storm water, clean-up and air), the time and costs you incur to get a permit, even greenhouse gas regulations, are all determined by the EQC.

EQC rules, promulgated by the five member body are, for all practical purposes, the final word – they have the force of law. The rules do not require approval or even significant review by the legislature.

Unquestionably dedicated to the mission of the agency, the makeup of the commission has increasingly come into question. The body has a huge impact on the state’s industrial base, natural resources, and the ability of Oregon business to create jobs. Yet, the total number of current commissioners who have ever run a company that has had to apply for an extensive Oregon water or air permit, meet the nation’s most stringent water quality standards, or run a highly DEQ-regulated manufacturing operation, is exactly zero.

AOI is urging the Governor’s Office to offer a candidate who has practical, extensive, and applied regulatory experience to bring balance and insight to the EQC.

The Governor’s Office is expected to release a prospective name in May for possible confirmation by the Senate during its June interim meeting. The prospective appointee must receive a “yes” vote from at least 16 of the 30 Senators in order to take a seat on the EQC.

Increasing government scrutiny of farm support programs has prompted the creation of a new research center at Oregon State University.

The Partnership for Agricultural and Resource Policy Research, established through a $910,216 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a collaboration among economists at OSU and University of California, Davis. It will assess the impacts of the Farm Bill on agricultural economies, rural communities, the environment, and consumer access to healthy, affordable food and nutrition.

“There are significant challenges facing agriculture, the environment and rural communities that society must address,” said Susan Capalbo, head of OSU’s department of agricultural and resource economics and one of the principal scientists in the new program. “Our research will assess how revisions to the Farm Bill and other policies will affect a wide range of these issues, from rural poverty to global competition, climate change, and food safety.”

The Farm Bill is omnibus legislation passed by the U.S. Congress every few years and addresses agricultural and food policy.

OSU and UC Davis are national leaders in policy research relating to agricultural and resource economics, according to OSU economist JunJie Wu, director of the Partnership. Two key investigators, John Antle of OSU and Daniel Sumner of UC, have served as senior staff economists on the U.S. president’s Council of Economic Advisers and have testified before Congress.

Other key investigators tap interdisciplinary strengths across OSU, including the Rural Studies Program headed by Bruce Weber and the geospacial climatology group, Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model, headed by Chris Daly.

“The Partnership for Agricultural and Resource Policy Research will be the ‘go to’ place in the western United States for high-quality objective economic analysis of critical policy issues related to agricultural, resource and food systems,” Wu said.

Author: Peg Herring
Source: Susan Capalbo, JunJie Wu

Seattle’s entrepreneurs have a bright new idea: mine asteroids for the valuable rare earth minerals they contain. The project has some heavyweights on board. Founders Eric Anderson and Peter Diamandis came up with the idea of selling space flights for private individuals, and their new venture has Google CEO Larry Page and James Cameron of Avatar and Titanic on board with them.

NASA, meanwhile, is spending over a billion dollars to bring back two ounces of an asteroid to earth. With that kind of money being spent on space mining, some scientists question whether Anderson and Diamandis’ project can possibly be cost-effective, even with platinum and gold at $1600/oz. Such questions don’t worry the two, reports the AP. “Before we started launching people into space as private citizens, people thought that was a pie-in-the-sky idea,” Anderson said. “We’re in this for decades. But it’s not a charity. And we’ll make money from the beginning.”

However, the newest player in the Pacific Northwest’s space industry seems likely to be mainly spending money at first. Now that investors have signed up, the company’s next step is to send out prospecting telescopes, small tubes two or three feet in length. Each one will be self-powered and simply cruise around scanning asteroids to determine whether they contain the valuable materials Diamandis and Anderson are looking for. Each telescope should cost less than ten million dollars.

According to current plans, larger-scale operations will begin within a couple of years, after the telescopes have identified a sufficient number of target asteroids. Those operations will be powered by liquid hydrogen and oxygen obtained by breaking down water that the company hopes to find on asteroids. Perhaps the system could be working by 2020.

One other thing: all the mining will be done by robots. Humans will not be involved except as mission control.

About ten percent of the asteroids are thought to contain valuable materials. But if those little telescopes work, we’ll soon know more.

Kashi, in a move almost certainly based on a desire to drive profits and not a strong-held belief, joined the legions of companies currently making very public, splashy moves toward non-GMO ingredients. Openly disclosing this action seeks to meet the “ever-evolving needs of our consumers,” the company showed its willingness to kowtow to the rantings of food elitists.

Tellingly, the press release issued by Kashi comes quickly on the heels of an agenda-driven campaign to “out” the health food maker’s use of foods produced with biotechnology. The declaration of the cowardly cereal creator’s about-face on biotechnology use fails to site new science, or any damaging information on biotechnology, that would explain the rapid move away from ingredients that have been used by the company since its inception more than two decades ago.

Instead, the nuevo-hippie equivalent of a corporate titan, chose to play the blame game. As a member of the Whole Foods-loving, any “green” embracing set so popular among luxury SUV-driving wannabe earth mothers, Kashi obviously has only used the ingredients because the food system needs to be changed, man. It’s “big ag” growing those bad crops.

So, let’s get this straight.

Ninety-five percent of U.S. farms are family farms. Families, farming together, grow crops used in the foods sold on grocery store shelves, be they at posh luxury grocers or supersaver chains, across the country. So, those big bad families are forcing tiny, little Kashi (owned by the ginormous Kellogg conglomerate, by the way, producer of Froot Loops) to use their GMOs.

The fact that running massive advertising campaigns like Kashi’s, something family farmers could never afford, indicates the size of the food industry giant does not jive with their flow. Face it, “Big Health Food,” buying, including and selling cereal made with GMOs for as long as you have shows one of two things. Either:

A.) You actually do believe that biotechnology is safe, as studies have repeatedly shown, and that their use helps produce an abundant affordable supply of quality food. As you have no data that indicate there is any reason other than pandering to baseless accusations against the technology, you decided to institute a policy against GMO use, that will take effect sometime in the future, because the 99 percent of the global population unable to eat did not have enough cash to be Kashi consumers in the first place.

Or

B.) You have only paid lip service to the idea of providing a quality, healthy product until this point and, rather than admit that, you prefer to just say that you are changing your policy, at least in a few years. Let’s face it, if they really believed biotechnology use was wrong or dangerous, Kashi would immediately cease production of any foods that contain biotech ingredients.

For a “movement” that wraps itself in touchy-feely images painted with broad, washed out brushstrokes, Kashi and its cohorts seem to espouse an approach to business where science and concern for the truth don’t sell, so marketing and public perception reign supreme.

It is time for the American public to take a long, hard look at the truth of the situation. The executives at companies do not sleep well at night because of their clear, blemishless social consciences; they sleep well at night because they sleep on 1,000-thread-count sheets paid for with the money of consumers they seem to confuse and guilt into buying truly tasteless cereal baked in an oven of propaganda and fear-mongering.

A May 2 investigation by ODFW confirmed that four penned sheep (two ewes, two lambs) were killed by a wolf on private land east of Weston, Ore. in northern Umatilla County.

One additional lamb is missing and believed to have been killed by the wolf.

The incident occurred in an area not known to be frequented by one of Oregon’s known wolf packs (Imnaha, Wenaha, Walla Walla, Snake River) but by two wolves discovered last August in the northern Mt Emily wildlife management unit. Based on evidence at the scene, wildlife biologists believe a single wolf was involved in the depredation.

ODFW immediately helped the landowner install electrified fladry, a type of fencing that can deter wolves, around the sheep pens. ODFW is also working to capture and radio-collar the wolf.

This marks the first time ODFW has confirmed a wolf kill of livestock in Umatilla County. The county has an active Wolf Depredation Advisory Committee under the state’s new Oregon Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance County Block Grant Program and the landowner is eligible to seek compensation for the loss.

The five dead sheep bring the total number of livestock animals killed by wolves in Oregon to 57 since 2009. The last confirmed wolf kill of livestock occurred March 8, 2012.