October 16, 2015
CapitalPress.com
17
Groups urge extension of looming rail safety deadline
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
Northwest agricultural or-
ganizations and lawmakers
fear major shipping disrup-
tions will result if Congress
fails to extend a deadline for
railroads to implement new
safety technology before the
end of October.
The Rail Safety Improve-
ment Act of 2008 required
railroads to have GPS-based
systems, called Positive Train
Control, in place by the end of
2015 to automatically prevent
train collisions and derailments
in the event of operator error.
The Association of Ameri-
can Railroads, however, has a
counter on its website ticking
off the seconds until the end of
October. That’s when the rail-
roads say they’ll have to start
moving forward with contin-
gencies for shutting down many
of their systems, and economic
John O’Connell/Capital Press
Union Pacific rail cars are lined up at the Pocatello rail yard. Idaho
commodity groups and agricultural organizations are asking
Congress to extend a deadline for railroads to make certain safety
upgrades in order to avoid disruptions to moving freight.
harm would start to occur in the
absence of an extension.
“Railroads just can’t flip a
switch at the end of December
to suspend operations,” said
AAR spokesman Ed Green-
berg.
The mandate applies to
Judge: EPA can scrap
livestock database proposal
Court ruling holds
that agency
lawfully withdrew
proposed rule
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency didn’t vi-
olate the law by scrapping a
proposed national database
of concentrated animal feed-
ing operations, according to a
federal judge.
In 2011, the EPA proposed
requiring all CAFOs to sub-
mit information to a national
database about their location,
operator name, number of an-
imals, acreage and other fea-
tures.
The proposed “informa-
tion rule” came as the result
of a legal settlement with en-
vironmentalists over disputed
Clean Water Act regulations,
but EPA dropped the idea in
2012 because it decided to
rely on existing data collected
by states.
Livestock groups opposed
the national database because
they believed the EPA was
exceeding its authority by
requiring CAFOs to disclose
information even if they don’t
discharge pollutants into wa-
terways.
Critics also feared the data
would be exploited by animal
rights activists, who have re-
lied on such information to
sabotage livestock operations.
After the agency withdrew
the information rule, several
environmental groups filed
a new lawsuit claiming the
EPA lacked a clear reason for
ditching the proposed regula-
tion in violation of adminis-
trative law.
U.S. District Judge Ran-
dolph Moss in Washington,
D.C., has now rejected those
arguments, finding that EPA
wasn’t legally required to
make the regulation final.
It’s reasonable for the EPA
to instead work with state
Clean Water Act administra-
tors, even if the all the infor-
mation it seeks isn’t uniform-
ly available, Moss said.
“Although not perfect,
existing sources may yield
‘much’ of the information
that the agency needs. Oth-
er approaches, including the
proposed information rule,
are also not perfect, and may
divert agency resources,” he
said. “So, at least for now, the
EPA believes that it is sensible
further to explore, to develop,
and to assess existing sources,
while maintaining the option
of adopting a mandatory re-
porting requirement or other
approach based on what the
agency learns from its current
efforts.”
The environmental groups
claimed that a national system
was preferable to the infor-
mation maintained by states
because it would include data
about CAFOs that don’t oper-
ate under a Clean Water Act
permit.
The judge discounted this
argument because such oper-
ators are likely to be unaware
of the reporting requirement
or that it applies to them.
60,000 miles of U.S. rail
routes either serving com-
muter trains or on which cer-
tain hazardous materials are
hauled. But the major rail-
roads have threatened to shut
down their entire systems if
no extension is granted, irking
some extension opponents.
None of the railroads are
ready to fully implement PTC,
and an American Chemistry
Council report estimates in the
first quarter of 2016, the U.S.
economy would lose $30 bil-
lion, plus 700,000 lost jobs,
after just a month without an
extension.
There are hurdles to a time-
ly resolution, including oppo-
sition to an extension by the
White House and key senators,
including Sen. Barbara Boxer,
D-Calif., who believe the rail-
roads have dragged their feet
and should be held accountable.
Greenberg emphasized the
technology didn’t exist when
the bill was first passed, and
railroads have already invested
$6 billion toward the effort.
“We’re moving as quickly
as we can,” Greenberg said.
Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., in-
troduced H.R. 3651 on Sept. 30
— seeking a three-year exten-
sion. Bill cosponsors include
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho;
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.;
Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore.;
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici,
D-Ore.; and seven California
lawmakers, among others.
Terry Whiteside, a transpor-
tation analyst who represents
Idaho grain organizations, said
the House plans to suspend
rules on the bill, allowing no
amendments and approval by
a two-thirds majority, to expe-
dite its passage. The bill would
then go to the Senate, where
Whiteside fears there may be
too little time for bill approv-
al and conference prior to the
October recess.
Whiteside anticipates an
extension will ultimately be ap-
proved, but he fears Congress
will “play games right to the
end,” and uncertainty about
deliveries could lead to mar-
ket chaos.
Several agricultural or-
ganizations, including Idaho
Wheat Commission, Idaho
Barley Commission, Idaho
Grain Producers Association,
Oregon Wheat Commission,
Washington Association of
Wheat Growers, Washington
State Potato Commission and
American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration, signed a letter urging
Congress to quickly act on an
extension.
“About a third of our
wheat gos to market by rail,
and the impact would be sig-
nificant,” said Idaho Wheat
Commission Executive Di-
rector Blaine Jacobsen.
Matt Harris, with the
Washington State Potato
Commission, worries about
disruptions to fertilizer deliv-
eries, noting 16,000 rail cars
haul 80 tons each of anhy-
drous ammonia for farm use
each year.
“For us, it’s a no-brainer,”
Harris said.
Idaho ranks No. 2 in West in net farm income
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — Idaho ranked
No. 2 among the 11 Western
states for net farm income
in 2014, despite trailing the
No. 3 state, Washington, sig-
nificantly in total farm gate
receipts.
California ranked No. 1
in both categories, with $54
billion in total farm cash re-
ceipts and $15.6 billion in net
farm income during 2014,
according to USDA Econom-
ic Research Service data that
recently became available for
2014.
Washington was second
with $10 billion in total farm
receipts but Idaho ranked No.
2 in net farm income in 2014,
despite trailing Washington
by $1.3 billion in farm gate
receipts.
Idaho farmers and ranch-
ers brought in a total of $8.7
billion in farm cash receipts
in 2014 and had $1.95 billion
in net farm income. Wash-
ington agriculture recorded
$1.88 billion in net farm in-
come in 2014.
Washington has more
high-value crops than Idaho,
but Idaho farmers’ margins
are better, at least in 2014,
said University of Idaho ag-
ricultural economist Garth
Taylor.
“They produce some very
high-value crops and they
have a lot more revenue but
their margins aren’t there
when compared with what
Idaho produces,” he said.
UI ag economist Ben Eb-
orn, who compiled the data,
said Idaho’s large hay pro-
duction is another factor. Hay
is actually the state’s No. 1
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
Corn is harvested in a field near Homedale, Idaho, Oct. 6. Idaho ranked No. 2 among the 11 Western
states in 2014 for net farm income.
crop by value but only half
of it gets sold, which means
it doesn’t get counted in cash
receipts but is reflected in net
farm income.
According to the data,
Idaho producers spent $2.54
billion on farm-origin inputs
in 2014, while Washington
farmers spent $1.5 billion.
Washington
producers
spent $1.8 billion on manu-
factured inputs, while Ida-
ho’s total was $1.3 billion,
and Washington farmers
spent $1.8 billion on hired
labor while Idaho farmers
spent $761 million.
Washington
producers
spent $2.2 billion on “oth-
er” expenses, while Idaho
producers spent $1.34 bil-
lion. Those include insurance
premiums, machine hire and
custom work, marketing,
storage and transportation
and repairs and maintenance.
When ranking states per
capita for farm gate receipts,
Idaho stood alone at $5,300,
ahead of Montana ($4,431)
and Wyoming ($3,127) and
far ahead of Washington
($1,418), California ($1,391)
and Oregon ($1,311).
“It really puts into per-
spective how large Idaho is
in terms of agriculture,” Tay-
lor said. “It makes you real-
ize how big of a powerhouse
agriculture is in Idaho com-
pared to the states surround-
ing us.”
Looking at all of this data,
“It should be obvious to ev-
erybody that Idaho is the
leader in the Western states
when it comes to agriculture,
not including California,”
Eborn said. “It’s good for
people to understand that.”
In terms of cash receipts,
Colorado ranked fourth in
the West with $7.5 billion in
2014 and was followed by
Oregon ($5.2 billion), Mon-
tana ($4.54 billion) Arizona
($4.4 billion), New Mexico
($3.67 billion), Utah ($2.38
billion), Wyoming ($1.83
billion) and Nevada ($870
million).
In net farm income, New
Mexico was fourth with
$1.18 billion and was fol-
lowed by Colorado ($1.13
billion), Arizona ($810 mil-
lion), Oregon ($780 million),
Montana ($720 million), Utah
($550 million), Wyoming
($320 million) and Nevada
($180 million).
Rice growers midway through drought-diminished harvest WSU presidential
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
WILLIAMS, Calif. —
Rice growers in California are
midway through a harvest that
will be shorter than usual for
the many who fallowed por-
tions of their acreage because
of the drought.
Growers report decent
yields and quality from the
rice that’s in the ground —
plantings they say total rough-
ly 370,000 acres statewide, a
steep drop from the 431,000
acres of rice harvested last
year.
Among those already
winding down their harvests
is Leo LaGrande, a Williams
area farmer who left one-quar-
ter of his land bare.
“It’s probably going to be
a short season for everyone,”
LaGrande said. “A lot of acre-
age was left out because of
water cutbacks.”
California rice growers are
expected to produce 34.1 mil-
lion hundredweight, down 8
percent from last year, the Na-
tional Agricultural Statistics
Service predicts. The yield
forecast was 6,300 pounds
per acre, down 3 percent from
2014.
Rice was one of several
field crops in California show-
ing sharp acreage declines
because of the drought, ac-
cording to NASS. Harvested
acreage of corn in the Golden
State is estimated at 65,000,
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
Worker Virgilio Chavez harvests rice in a field just east of Willows,
Calif., on Oct. 12. California’s rice acreage is diminished this year
because of the drought, but growers say they’re seeing decent
yields and quality from the rice that was planted.
down 32 percent from a year
ago, NASS reported.
Early this spring, farm-
ers told the agency they’d be
seeding rice on 408,000 acres,
but an updated field crop re-
port in July estimated that rice
acreage in California would
top out at 385,000.
Water availability for
growers has varied widely.
Some irrigation districts will
have water available until
Nov. 1, while others have
had their diversions curtailed,
leaving some water users to
rely more heavily on ground-
water where it is available, the
California Farm Bureau Fed-
eration reported.
Marysville area grower
Charley Mathews had enough
water this year to plant all his
fields, and he said his yields
have been good.
“I’m about halfway”
through
harvest,
said
Mathews, a member of the
USA Rice Federation’s exec-
utive committee. “There’s a
few (growers) finishing, but
there’s still quite a bit out
there.”
Willows, Calif., grower
Larry Maben also managed to
get all of his fields planted, he
said..
“Most of the people around
here had to leave some out,”
Maben said. “A lot of people
have already finished with
harvest, and a lot are close
to being finished. I’m a little
over halfway. … We’re pro-
gressing.
“Most of the people are
saying they’ve got a really
good crop,” he said. “To me it
looks like it’s a little bit off.
It’s just the variability.”
Water shortages will likely
diminish migratory bird hab-
itat this winter, as ducks and
other species typically rest
on water that’s been put on
fields for crop decomposition,
the state Farm Bureau notes.
While California farmers typ-
ically create about 300,000
acres of managed wetlands,
last year they created only
about 100,000 acres and
this year it could be as low
as 50,000, according to the
CFBF.
Last year, favorable yields
and more widespread sales of
rice straw for animal feed and
erosion control helped offset
losses of acres for growers,
but many are hoping that
prices for rice improve in the
coming months so they can
continue to make ends meet.
“It’s going to be an inter-
esting year to see how the
market responds,” LaGrande
said. “If the market responds
to less acres, the price would
hedge to the north, but there
are driving factors keeping it
down. There’s competition
from the South and world sup-
plies are up. It’s going to be a
challenge.
“If the price can’t move
… what you’re going to see
from the banks next year is
a request of more skin in the
game from everyone,” he
said. “The margins to start
with aren’t big. It’s going to
get tougher, there’s no doubt
about it.”
search chairman tries
to assuage ag concerns
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Agricultural groups have
expressed concerns that their
voice has been minimized in
the search for a new Wash-
ington State University pres-
ident, but the chairman of the
search committee says the in-
dustry will remain a primary
consideration.
Representatives of the
Washington Grain Com-
mission, Washington Apple
Commission,
Washington
Potato Commission, Wash-
ington State Tree Fruit As-
sociation and other organiza-
tions have expressed concern
that only one person on the
25-member advisory com-
mittee has a direct tie to ag-
riculture.
Entomology
professor
Richard Zack represents
WSU’s College of Agricul-
tural, Human and Natural Re-
source Sciences on the com-
mittee.
Michael Worthy, chairman
of the presidential search ad-
visory committee and a WSU
regent, said members were se-
lected to give a balanced view
of candidates, not to advocate
for their particular area.
Worthy said agriculture is
well-represented by various
members of the board of re-
gents, including Harold Co-
chrane, a Walla Walla, Wash.,
wheat farmer, and Theodore
Baseler, president and CEO
of Ste. Michelle Wine Es-
tates. Interim WSU president
Dan Bernardo and interim
provost Ron Mittelhammer,
former dean and interim dean
of CAHNRS, will consult
directly with the search con-
sultant.
“There’s no doubt in our
mind that CAHNRS will be
prominently represented in
the discussions around how
to frame the job,” Worthy
said. “In all of the conversa-
tions we’ve had about nec-
essary characteristics of the
next president of WSU, an
understanding of our land-
grant mission and responsi-
bility is at the top of the list.”
A letter sent by the pres-
idents of the apple commis-
sion, tree fruit association,
Washington State Fruit Com-
mission and Northwest Hor-
ticultural Council urges WSU
to make an understanding of
agriculture a requirement for
the new president.
The letter highlights the
economic impact of their in-
dustry and highlights a total
of $32 million donated to
WSU by apple, pear, cherry
and stone fruit growers in
2011 and 2013.