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.

All of us get frustrated with regulations and permitting processes that create extra cost and time for businesses and economic developers without a clear indication of the added environmental and social benefits being gained. There is an advisory committee to the Governor on regulatory streamlining and simplification. The Advisory Committee includes several business leaders and business association representatives. The goal of the group is to create a roadmap for more efficient and streamlined regulatory and permitting processes in Oregon.

As part of the process, the Advisory Committee is actively soliciting submission of specific examples of problems with regulatory and permitting processes in Oregon through an online questionnaire at http://oregon.gov/COO/regulatory.shtml. This questionnaire is critical to move the conversation from general complaints to specific opportunities for action and improvement. The Advisory Committee is inviting representatives from any regulated entity (private or public) to complete the questionnaire with any examples they wish to offer.

Please spread the word to your member companies and encourage them to submit their examples. Without specifics, it will be hard for the Committee to do its work.

Thanks much. Let us know if you have questions or concerns.

Spring prices are holding in studs, and unsold home inventory is the lowest in 5 years. Four-year trends of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are shown below.

Information and interpretation.

The best news this month is the unsold home inventory, dropping below 6 months in Portland, for the first time since 2007, and it dropped to 5 months!

The March Mortgage interest rates are staying impressively low, bouncing near the bottom. Rates have been reported below 4% for the last 5 months in a row. The lowest is 3.89%. And home sales are responding. Realtors say they are busier, and stats indicate more closed sales.

While studs are holding their spring rally, its been since Spring 2010, and then Spring 2006, since we had studs over $300. How about $600 Average Douglas Fir 2 Mill Log prices? Not once since 2007, and we are still waiting. Good news: some mills tell me they are adding production.

While national housing starts dropped, building permits are up nicely, the highest in 4 years. Lets hope the housing starts number is an aberration, when we look back in a couple of months. It’s the only weak spot this month, in the markets we follow.

Data reports used with permission of:
1) Random Lengths. 2”x4”x8’ precision end trimmed hem-fir studs from southern Oregon mills. Price reported is Dollars per Thousand Board Feet for the most recent week. One “board foot” of product measures 12 inches by 12 inches by one inch thick.

2) RISI, Log Lines. Douglas-fir #2 Sawmill Log Average Region 5 price. Current report is for the prior month. Dollars per Thousand Board Feet of logs are reported using standardized log measurements from the “Scribner log table.”

3) Dept. of Commerce, US Census Bureau. New Residential Housing Starts and New Residential Construction Permits, seasonally adjusted, annual rate. Current report is for the prior month. Recent reports are often revised in bold. Also, major revision made each May, reaching 21/2 yrs back.

4) Regional Multiple Listing Service RMLSTM data, courtesy of Janet Johnston, Prudential Real Estate Professionals Broker, Roseburg, OR. Inventory of Unsold Homes (Ratio of Active Listings to Closed Sales) in Portland Oregon, for most recent month available.

5) Freddie Mac. Primary Mortgage Market Survey. 30-year Fixed Rate Mortgages Since 1971, national averages. Updated weekly, current report is for the prior full month.
Issue #5-4. © Copyright Rick Sohn, Umpqua Coquille LLC. For permission to reprint for nominal fee, Email rsohn@umpquacoquille.com

House Bill Introduced to Stop EPA Manipulation of Clean Water Act

U.S. Congressmen John Mica (R-Fla.), Nick Rahall (D-W.V.), Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio)  introduced legislation (H.R. 4965), which is strongly supported by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC). The bill would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) from using their clean water guidance to expand the regulatory regime under the Clean Water Act (CWA). NCBA President J.D. Alexander said the legislation would stop EPA’s intentional avoidance of the rulemaking process and Congress.

“The problem with EPA is accountability. This administration has made clear its preference to use guidance documents as opposed to going through the rulemaking process. This allows the activists turned government officials to avoid public scrutiny and bypass the consideration of legal, economic and unintended consequences,” said Alexander, who is also a Nebraska cattleman. “This is a clear violation of the Administrative Procedures Act.”

The document that triggered this bipartisan legislation was the CWA jurisdictional guidance. The draft, which was proposed by EPA and the Corps April 26, 2011, is expected to be finalized soon. The guidance essentially attempts to give EPA and the Corps jurisdiction over all types of waters and many features not waters at all. The guidance claims to provide clarity and certainty to landowners. According to PLC President John Falen, if the guidance is finalized, the only thing livestock producers can be clear and certain about is more federal regulation and costly permits.

“This is a direct hit on the private property rights of farmers and ranchers across this country,” said Falen, who is a Nevada rancher. “We will fight hard against this administration’s ongoing efforts to curtail the private property rights of farmers and ranchers by regulating them to the brink of bankruptcy. We commend the representatives for standing up for private property rights and the preservation of American agriculture.”

Alexander said despite three Supreme Court rulings and a letter from 170 members of Congress opposing the guidance, EPA and the Corps have “crowned themselves kings” of every drop of water in the country. He said this bill is the best path forward in preventing the guidance from becoming reality. This legislation is subsequent to the Preserve the Waters of the United States Act, which is almost identical to H.R. 4965, introduced by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.) Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) March 28, 2012.

Denny Jones passes at age 101

(photo) Paulette Pyle and Denny Jones at Jones’ 100th birthday celebration in September of 2010

Former Oregon State Representative, Denny Jones passed away recently. It was our pleasure to have known him and worked with him for many years. In May of last year, Jones was honored for his service to Oregon at a celebration at the Oregon State Capitol. OFS is proud that we were a part of the planning of that memorable day attended by many of Denny’s friends, former colleagues, legislators and lobbyists.

One of the fun stories shared that day was that Senator Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day) had once asked Jones what he did with all of the money he made from ranching. Jones’ response was “I spent most of it on whiskey and women, and the rest I just wasted.”

Jones was a long-time advocate of ranchers, farmers and foresters. He served in the House of Representatives from 1973 until term limits forced him out in 1999.

Rest in peace dear Denny.

Article about Denny’s passing from The Oregonian

Article about Denny’s passing from The Argus Observer

Dan Arp, a longtime microbiology researcher and science educator who has led the University Honors College program at Oregon State University since May of 2008, has been appointed as the Reub Long Dean of Agricultural Sciences and director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station at OSU.

Arp will assume the responsibilities of former dean Sonny Ramaswamy, who last month was named by President Obama to lead the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Arp’s initial appointment is expected to last for two years.

Arp’s studies have focused on agriculturally and environmentally relevant microorganisms, nitrification, the biology of bacteria and bioremediation. He is one of a handful of OSU faculty members to carry the prestigious title “distinguished professor,” and he is an affiliate of the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing on campus.

Before taking on the role of dean in the University Honors College, Arp was named the L.L Stewart Professor of Gene Research in 2002, and two years later became chair of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Arp began his career at the University of Erlangen in West Germany, where he was research director and a NATO postdoctoral fellow. He also has been on the biochemistry faculty at the University of California-Riverside.

“President Ray and I are delighted that Dr. Arp has agreed to lead the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station,” said Sabah Randhawa, OSU provost and executive vice president. “Dan is well-known for his strong leadership, administrative ability and academic credibility. He will approach his new role with a combination of collaboration and innovation, looking to position the college as a transformative agriculture and natural resources enterprise for the future.

“Dan will work with faculty and stakeholders to ensure that the college continues to have a strong and positive impact on scientific research and outreach to agricultural industry in Oregon and beyond,” Randhawa added.

The College of Agricultural Sciences is Oregon’s principal source of knowledge relating to agricultural and food systems, and a major source of knowledge regarding environmental quality, natural resources, life sciences, and rural economies and communities worldwide. Agricultural programs at OSU represent an $85 million enterprise. The college includes 15 academic departments, an Agricultural Experiment Station with 11 branch stations around the state, and more than 1,600 students who pursue bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees.

The college’s research programs create knowledge to solve problems and to build a base for the future. It is a source of information and expertise in integrating and applying knowledge with benefits that are felt in domestic and international settings.

Randhawa noted that OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences has a long and rich history. As the state’s Land Grant university, Oregon State was created to serve the needs of the people. Beginning in 1870 as Corvallis College, agricultural and natural resources programs were offered and have been a vital component ever since.

About the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences: The college contributes in many ways to the economic and environmental sustainability of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The college’s faculty are leaders in agriculture and food systems, natural resources management, life sciences and rural economic development research.