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October 16, 2015 CapitalPress.com 15 Idaho funds yellow onion marketing push in Mexico Comments sharpen Wash. debate over manure lagoons By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press By DON JENKINS Capital Press PARMA, Idaho — The Idaho-Oregon onion industry will use a $35,000 specialty crop grant to educate consum- ers in Mexico about the yellow bulb onions grown in this re- gion. Farmers in southwestern Idaho and Malheur County in Eastern Oregon grow about 25 percent of the nation’s storage onions and 90 percent of the onions grown here are yel- lows. Mexico is a promising mar- ket for Idaho-Oregon onions but Mexican consumers are more familiar and comfortable with white onions, said Candi Fitch, executive director of the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee, which received the grant from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. “There is a lot of potential in Mexico and we want their consumers to understand how versatile a yellow onion is,” she said. “They’re more famil- iar with the white onion ... and we’re just trying to introduce them to the yellow onion.” The grant will help the committee overcome the lack of knowledge about yel- low onions that exists in the Mexican marketplace, said Standage Produce CEO Joe Standage, a member of the IEOOC’s export committee. “They are not accustomed to the presentation of a yellow onion on a plated dish; it’s just not what they’re (used) to looks-wise,” he said. “It’s just a matter of educating them that the yellow onion is still good.” The IEOOC received a similar grant from the ISDA last year that was used to pro- mote onions at the retail level Sean Ellis/Capital Press Yellow onions grown in the Treasure Valley area of Idaho and Oregon are sorted at the JC Watson Co. packing facility in Parma, Idaho, Sept. 15. The region’s onion industry will use a $35,000 grant to educate consumers in Mexico about the versatility of yellow onions. in Mexico through in-store promotions. This year’s grant will be used to target Mexico’s food-service industry. “Anything we can do to educate consumers in Mexico about the yellow onion versus the white onion is money well spent,” Standage said. “It will definitely help us promote our product down there.” The two-year project will include cooking seminars, menu promotions and receipt development in several cities in Mexico. Some of the money will also be used to help offset the cost of onion industry rep- resentatives going on trade missions, which Fitch said provide opportunities to meet potential new buyers and gath- er in-depth information and insight into the demographics of foreign markets. “We want to build our identity in other markets and continue to create market share for our onions in other countries,” she said. “It’s a global economy so we want to try to find as many markets as possible for our onions.” The IEOOC will evaluate trade missions as they become available to determine which ones will benefit the industry the most, Fitch said. UNION GAP, Wash. — The Washington Department of Ecology has yet to fully digest comments on its proposal to regulate manure lagoons, but a few key issues are emerging. The issues include soil-test- ing mandates, reporting re- quirements and whether DOE rightly assumes unlined lagoons pollute groundwater, Heather Bartlett, the department’s water quality manager, said. Manure lagoons figure prominently as DOE revises water-pollution controls for wherever livestock are gathered to feed at least 45 days in a year. Only 10 operations in the state have permits for concen- trated animal feeding opera- tions. CAFO permits detail what producers must do to pre- vent surface water pollution. DOE plans to extend the protection to groundwater and has tentatively proposed that any producer with an unlined manure lagoon obtain a CAFO permit. The requirement could ap- ply to hundreds of producers. The Washington State Dairy Federation warns that permit requirements would drive some dairies out of business. The Washington Farm Bureau has challenged the assumption that unlined lagoons automatically pollute groundwater. At a meeting at DOE’s Cen- tral Washington regional office Sept. 29, Bartlett outlined for the department’s Agriculture and Water Quality Advisory Committee concerns that DOE has heard so far about the pro- posal. Topping the list is DOE’s stance on unlined lagoons. Only lagoons lined with two synthet- ic layers and with a leak-detec- tion system between the layers Don Jenkins/Capital Press Washington Department of Ecology water quality manager Heather Bartlett speaks to the department’s Agriculture and Water Quality Advisory Com- mittee on Sept. 29 at DOE’s Central Region office in Union Gap. Bartlett outlined major is- sues emerging as DOE moves to regulate manure lagoons. would be exempt from CAFO requirements, according to DOE’s tentative proposal. Bartlett said after the meet- ing that DOE believes pollution seeping from lagoons endan- gers groundwater, but the de- partment remains open to other ways to reduce risks besides lin- ing lagoons. She said she couldn’t say whether DOE will alter its po- sition on unlined lagoons. DOE expects to make a formal pro- posal late this year or early next year and have a final rule in place by summer. “I don’t want to over prom- ise and under deliver,” Bartlett said. “People in the environ- mental community are saying, ‘You’re not going far enough.’ ” DOE released the prelim- inary proposal in August. A comment period ended Oct. 2. Once DOE updates its propos- al, another comment period will follow. Breast Cancer Symptoms: What You Need to Know By Stacy Simon An important way to keep up with your breast health is to be aware of how your breasts normally look and feel, and know what changes to look for. Finding breast cancer as early as possible gives you a better chance of successful treatment. But knowing what to look for is not a substitute for screening mammograms and other tests, which can help find breast cancer in its early stages, even before any symptoms appear. Below are some common breast symptoms and what they might mean. If you have any of them, get checked right away. A lump in your breast A lump or mass in the breast is the most common symptom of breast cancer. Such lumps are often hard and painless, though some may be painful. Not all lumps are cancer, though. There are a number of benign breast conditions (like cysts) that can also cause lumps. Still, it’s important to have your doctor check out any new lump or mass right away. If it does turn out to be cancer, the sooner it’s diagnosed the better. Swelling in or around your breast, collarbone, or armpit Breast swelling can be caused by inflammatory breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease. Swelling or lumps around your collarbone or armpits can be caused by breast cancer that has spread to lymph nodes in those areas. The swelling may occur even before you can feel a lump in your breast, so if you have this symptom, be sure to see a doctor. Skin thickening or redness If the skin of your breast starts to feel like an orange peel or gets red, have it checked right away. Often, these are caused by mastitis, a breast infection common among women who are breast feeding. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection. If your symptoms don’t improve after a week, though, get checked again, because these symptoms can also be caused by inflammatory breast cancer. This form of breast cancer can look a lot like a breast infection, and because it grows quickly it’s important to diagnose it as soon as possible. Breast warmth and itching Like skin thickening and redness, breast warmth and itching may be symptoms of mastitis – or inflammatory breast cancer. If antibiotics don’t help, see your doctor again. Nipple changes Breast cancer can sometimes cause changes to how your nipple looks. If your nipple turns inward, or the skin on it thickens or gets red or scaly, get checked by a doctor right away. All of these can be symptoms of breast cancer. Nipple discharge A discharge (other than milk) from the nipple may be alarming, but in most cases it is caused by injury, infection, or a benign tumor (not cancer). Breast cancer is a possibility, though, especially if the fluid is bloody, so your doctor needs to check it out. Pain Although most breast cancers do not cause pain in the breast, some do. More often, women have breast pain or discomfort that is related to their menstrual cycle. This type of pain is most common in the week or so before their periods, and often goes away once menstruation begins. Some other benign breast conditions, such as mastitis, may cause a more sudden pain. In these cases the pain is not related to the menstrual cycle. If you have breast pain that is severe or persists and is not related to the menstrual cycle, you should be checked by your doctor. You could have cancer or a benign condition that needs to be treated. Again, while benign breast conditions are much more common than breast cancer, it is important to let your health care team know about any changes in your breast so they can be checked out right away. Call Classifieds for Sponsorship Information: 800-882-6789 42-2/#13