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14 CapitalPress.com May 1, 2015 Subscribe to our weekly dairy or livestock email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters Dairy/Livestock Rendering plant planned for S. Idaho By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press A 15,000-square-foot ren- dering plant could process about 200 cattle a day if Je- rome County commissioners approve rezoning of the pro- posed site and planning and zoning commissioners ap- prove a special use permit. The first step is to rezone the site from agricultural to heavy industrial, said Art Brown, Jerome County plan- ning and zoning administrator. Applications for the re- zoning and special use permit were submitted on Feb. 26. The project is proposed for just over 38 acres at 750 N. and U.S. Highway 30 on the north side of Jerome, he said. The engineering consultant on the project, Matt Thomp- son, owner of AgTech, said the plant is proposed by Brandon Stokes and his two brothers, who have dairy and feedlot ex- perience, in partnership with a businessman who owns a kill plant in Texas. The operation is planned in two phases. The first would be rendering animals to serve dairy and feedlot needs, with a capacity of 50 to 100 tons per day. The second would be recycling used oils, such as restaurant oils and grease, he said. “We’d like to break ground this year,” he said. Land for the site is under a purchase agreement contin- gent on the county permitting process and permitting from the Idaho Department of Envi- ronmental Quality, he said. The biggest concern is peo- ple thinking it’s going to “stink up the neighborhood,” but the plant will be built with the “lat- est and greatest new technolo- gy,” he said. “All gases are going to be contained and treated to make sure we’re good neighbors,” he said. The rendering process es- sentially involves a big pres- sure cooker, using pressure and heat to stabilize the ma- terial. Moisture is removed as vapors. In the past, rendering plants just vented those vapors into the air, he said. With modern practices, the vapors are enclosed, captured and treated to remove odors, he said. A hearing to consider the special use permit is sched- uled for May 18. A special use permit can be approved con- tingent on rezoning the site. A meeting to consider the rezon- ing is scheduled for May 19, Brown said. In a separate issue, an effort by Dale T. Smith & Sons Meat Packing Co. of Draper, Utah, to build a processing plant in Jerome, announced in Febru- ary of 2014, is on hold. Thompson, engineering consultant on that project as well, said it’s been hard to find affordable land for the plant. In addition, the Smith company is considering the impact of Simplot’s intention to partner on a new meatpack- ing plant in Kuna and a new slaughter plant planned by Allen Ward 7 Brothers Meats near Burley, he said. Judge tosses out ranchers’ lawsuit against BLM Dispute centered on grazing, water rights By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press A lawsuit over grazing and water rights filed by Eastern Oregon ranchers against the U.S. Bureau of Land Manage- ment has been thrown out by a federal judge. Last year, Jesse and Pame- la White and the Eason Land Co. filed a complaint accusing the agency of violating a pre- vious deal that provided them with increased grazing access in Malheur County in return for curtailed use of their water rights. Reservoirs built by BLM in the 1960s impaired the plain- tiffs’ water rights, so the agen- cy allowed them to release additional cattle onto grazing allotments in exchange. The ranchers exercised their water rights in 2006, which BLM interpreted as ending the deal. The agency then reduced the plaintiffs’ grazing levels and dismantled or retrofitted the BLM reservoirs to restore their water rights, but the law- suit argued the changes were insufficient. The complaint demanded that BLM either return graz- ing to previous levels or fin- ish the reservoir alterations, but a federal judge has found that the agency was capable of satisfying the plaintiffs’ water rights and dismissed the case. U.S. District Judge Anna Brown in Pendleton dis- missed the lawsuit, affirming the earlier findings of U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Sul- livan. Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Kyrah Turner of Pullman, Wash., waits in line to weigh a steer in at the Junior Livestock Show of Spokane in May 2014. Youth around the Eastern Washington region hope to sell animals they raise at the show. State funding that helps students receive a premium for their animals is in question for next year, says manager Lynn Cotter. U.S. cheese prices State funding in question for remain strong Spokane Junior Livestock Show By LEE MIELKE For the Capital Press D Dairy Markets airy traders had to weigh last week’s March Milk Pro- duction and March Cold Storage reports in view of current demand. The cash Cheddar blocks ended the week at $1.61 per pound, the highest level since Dec. 22, 2014, up 3 1/2-cents on the week, ending two weeks of small declines, but still 60 cents below a year ago when they dropped 7 cents to $2.21. They were un- changed both Monday and Tuesday. The barrels closed Friday at $1.62, down a half-cent on the week after reaching the highest level they’ve seen since Dec. 1, 2014, ending four weeks of gain, and 56 cents below a year ago. The barrels were also unchanged Monday but inched down a quarter-cent Tuesday, to $1.6175. The spread is still at an inverted three-quarter cents, a spread that normally runs 3-5 cents Lee Mielke below the blocks. Seven cars of block traded hands last week at the CME and only one of barrel. Butter had a good week, finishing at $1.83 per pound, up 2 1/4-cents on the week but still 8 cents below a year ago. Nothing sold all week in the spot market. The spot jumped 2 cents Monday and gained another penny Tuesday, hit- ting $1.86 per pound, high- est spot price since Dec. 12, 2014. Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk even saw a little strength last week, closing at 93 cents per pound, up a half-cent on the week but a whopping 92 3/4-cents be- low a year ago and the low- est spot level since August, 2009. Seven cars traded hands last week at the CME. The powder was unchanged Monday and Tuesday. in Capital Press’ 31 st Annual June 5 th , 2015 Our annual Dairy Special Section spotlights dairy operations and operators in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It features an in depth look at the situations and successes - needs and concerns of this dynamic industry. To reach our print and online readers, contact your sales representative or call 1-800-882-6789. Loss would mean more fundraising, lower premiums By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press State funding may not be available next year to pay premiums to youth for the animals they raise to sell at the Junior Livestock Show of Spokane, says show manager Lynn Cotter. The show is May 5-9 at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. Cotter expects roughly 500 exhibitors, con- sistent with last year’s num- bers, and 600 animals, up from 500 last year. The show helps youth learn to raise and market their animals. Last year, the show re- ceived about $60,000 from state fair funds. This year, funds are down by about 3 percent, or roughly $1,800. Legislators have indicated that there would be no fair funding next year in the state budget, Cotter said. About two months ago, there was enough criticism that the leg- islators are considering leav- ing it in, but “funding is very in question,” Cotter said. The show runs with a $500,000 budget. The state funding pays for facilities and premiums to students over the prices they receive for the animals they raise Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Caleb Singer and Max Greenwalt of Odessa, Wash., wait to weigh their at the Junior Livestock Show of Spokane in May 2014. and sell at the show. The state mandates that at least half of the funding it pro- vides the show must go back in premiums to the youth. The show pays about $35,000 in premiums to youth, Cotter said. “Without that funding, we’d have to scrape deep to provide any type of premium and just keep scraping,” Cot- ter said. “We’d be looking at more fundraising than we even do now.” Prices have remained high this year, so the youth should be able to get a good return on their investment in raising their animal. Cotter said. The National Dairy Producers Organization, Inc. Producer s Voice WANT A PROFITABLE PRICE? Dairy farms will receive a profitable price for their milk IF they balance the supply of milk with profitable demand. Dairy farmer-owned processing co-ops claim to control 80% of this nation’ s milk supply. What are you waiting for dairy farmer? Manage your price by managing your milk by managing your co-ops. How? U.S. made milk will be balanced with profitable demand if all co-ops are directed to implement a production reduction plan, at times, when class III futures dip below $20/CWT, and marshall the plan with a milk check assessment for overproduction that is determined to be the cause of a milk price drop. Ad space reservation is Friday, May 8 th . It is time for dairy farmer owners to take control of their processing co-ops and demand that co-ops management implement a business plan that pays a profitable price for their milk. What are you waiting for dairy farmer? Manage your price by managing your milk by managing your co-ops. PO Box 2048 • Salem, OR 97308 To learn more go to: www.NationalDairyProducersOrganization.com or call (949) 375-4450 (503) 364-4798 (800) 882-6789 Fax: (503) 364-2692 or (503) 370-4383 www.capitalpress.com ROP-15-4-1/#13 Tuesday National Calls 8PM East – 5PM West Live Calls: (712) 775-7035 Recorded Calls: (712) 775-7039 Pin: 330090# Online http: //juniorshow.org/ livestock show recommends pre-selling, in which youth contact prospective buyers beforehand, such as friends, relatives, grandparents or par- ents’ co-workers. There will be more region- al fifth-grade students in at- tendance for the two-day ed- ucational farm fair. Last year, there were roughly 750 stu- dents, and more than a thou- sand are scheduled to partici- pate this year, Cotter said. The show is also moving from a two-day livestock sale to a one-day sale May 9 due to reduced animal numbers in recent years. Cotter hopes for rough- ly 1,200 attendees and en- courages patrons to buy the youths’ livestock. “They’re our future farm- ers and producers of our meats and grains,” Cotter said. “We need to support these kids and keep them going in something they’re passionate about.”