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2 CapitalPress.com July 7, 2017 People & Places Specialist tracks hazelnut industry Mike McDaniel uses aerial imagery, field visits to gauge growth Capital Press Tracking growth With each passing year that McDaniel collects data about hazelnut orchards, the in- dustry will develop a deeper, more refined understanding of the state of affairs, Owen said. “As we move along, it will help more and more,” she said. When McDaniel began his Western Innovator Mike McDaniel Occupation: Geographic information system specialist Hometown: McMinnville, Ore. Education: Bachelor’s degree in geography from Portland State University in 2000, master’s degree in geography from Syracuse University in 2003 Age: 39 Matuesz Perkowski/Capital Press Geographic information system specialist Mike McDaniel stands near a hazelnut orchard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. McDaniel uses aerial imagery to track the industry’s surging growth. venture in 2012, he expected to see large blocks of old or- chards suffering from eastern filbert blight to be replaced with new EFB-resistant cul- tivars. So far, though, that isn’t happening on a large scale. Instead, growers are plant- ing new orchards in fields traditionally devoted to grass seed and field crops while maintaining their old trees with pruning and fungicides. “They’ve been doing ev- erything they can to drag them along as long as prices are high,” McDaniel said. To supplement the aeri- al images, he also takes field trips to inspect on-the-ground conditions. These visits are necessary to learn facts that aren’t readily visible from the air, such as how badly older trees are infected with blight. “You can’t expect the same volume from them year after year if they’re struggling,” he said. Farmers are often opting to plant new orchards in phases over several years, which Mc- Daniel attributes to a limited number of seedling trees and a desire to preserve capital. “They’ll go in small chunks to slowly plant a new area,” he said. Rather than invest all at once in a large orchard, many prefer to plant this year’s trees with last year’s profits. That’s not to say there ar- en’t any huge plantings going in, McDaniel said. “Every year, you see something really impressive.” Fighting for space Growers are also eager to fit hazelnut trees wherev- er they have suitable ground available, even odd locations like the corners of a field irri- gated by a center pivot. “People are finding all kinds of nooks and crannies to cram a few trees in,” he said. The northern part of the Willamette Valley has the greatest proportion of high-quality soils suitable for hazelnut orchards, but other uses compete for that acreage. “You’re fighting for space with urban growth,” he said. “Each year there is less good land available.” The southern valley, on the other hand, has poorer growing conditions but more room to grow. Experienced hazelnut farmers are seizing on these fields and improving them with soil amendments and drainage improvements. “They have a lot more space to devote to new or- chards,” McDaniel said. New blight-resistant trees developed by Oregon State University, such as the pop- ular Jefferson cultivar, are more compact than other va- rieties, allowing growers to pack more of them into an acre. Little is known about how the novel trees will perform upon reaching full maturity, which is why it’s important to observe yields as they grow. “They basically want to know what they will be faced with in the next few years,” McDaniel said. “The key is to fill in the blanks on how those varieties are going to behave.” More experiments With the industry undergo- ing a revitalization, McDaniel has also noticed farmers are more willing to experiment with different tree spacings and orchard geometry. Previous work experience: Mapping infrastructure for the Portland Bureau of Transportation, analyzing satellite imagery of forest fires for the Sanborn Map Co., conducting a nationwide land use survey for USDA’s Natural Resources Conser- vation Service The traditional rules for planting stalwart cultivars, such as Barcelona, aren’t seen as set in stone, he said. “All of that is really going out the window.” McDaniel’s introduction to the hazelnut industry came when he was a youngster, helping out on his aunt and uncle’s orchard. Later, while attending college, he became fascinated with geography. “It tracks so many differ- ent parts of life, everything from economics to politics,” McDaniel said. “People fight wars over boundaries. Lines on a map have mattered since early human history.” While his current work fortunately isn’t likely to in- spire violent conflict, McDan- iel is gratified by the potential to help the hazelnut industry shape its future. “There’s a lot of planning to be done,” he said. New Washington state dairy ambassadors selected ARLINGTON, Wash. — Anna Teachman, representing King and Pierce counties, is the 2017-2018 Washington state dairy ambassador. She is the daughter of Mi- chael and Lorilyn Teachman of SeaTac, Wash., and was one of three finalists at the 62nd Annual Washington State Dairy Ambassador Corona- tion on June 24 at the Byrnes Performing Arts Center in Ar- lington. The new 2017-2018 Wash- ington state alternate dairy ambassadors are Juliana Le- Clair, representing Skagit County, the daughter of Joe and Annette LeClair of Mount Vernon, Wash., and Claire Calendar Leininger, representing What- com County, the daughter of Erik and Paula Leininger of Everson, Wash. “I am so excited to be rep- resenting the hard-working dairy farmers of Washington for this year,” Teachman said in a press release. “Thank you, dairy farmers, for this oppor- tunity!” As representatives of the Dairy Farmers of Washington, the state dairy ambassador and alternates will visit schools, attend local and state fairs, ap- pear at Washington Interscho- lastic Activities Association events and many more activ- ities including addressing the Washington State Legislature Sponsored by: To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Sub- mit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 or emailed to newsroom@ capitalpress.com. Friday-Saturday July 7-8 2nd Annual Prineville Truck and Tractor Pull. 7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday. Crook County Fair- grounds, 1280 Main St., Prineville, Ore. Website: www.crookcounty- fairgrounds.com Idaho State Ram Sale. Twin Falls County Fair Grounds, 215 Fair Ave., Filer, Idaho. The “Suffolk Show of the West” begins at 6 p.m. Friday and continues at 10:30 a.m. Satur- day. For more information, call 208- 344-2271 or email idahowool@ gmail.com Website: idahowool.org Saturday, July 8 Great White Wine Festival. Noon-7:30 p.m. Left Coast Cellars, 4225 N. Pacific Highway W, Rick- reall, Ore. Join us for the first Great White Wine Festival. Top Willamette wineries will showcase some of the valley’s most interesting white wines. Unique tasting stations will be spread across the grounds. Spe- Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Mike Omeg Corporate Officer Heidi Wright Chief Operating Officer By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI As hazelnut orchards pro- liferate across Western Ore- gon, geographic information system expert Mike McDaniel uses a bird’s-eye view to mon- itor their progress. McDaniel is constantly scouring aerial photographs taken by USDA and commer- cial image providers to detect where new trees are being planted and where old ones are being removed. Over the past several years, he’s documented a surge in hazelnut acreage — up roughly 60 percent, to nearly 60,700 acres, between 2012 and 2016. “I don’t think it can main- tain that pace forever, but there’s plenty of room to grow if the market can support it,” said McDaniel. Pacific Agricultural Sur- vey, McDaniel’s company, is contracted by the Oregon Hazelnut Marketing Board to track the industry’s growth and anticipate future crop supplies. “The industry infrastruc- ture has to be ready to han- dle new product as it comes online,” said Polly Owen, the board’s manager. Fueled by strong prices, healthy Chinese demand and disease-resistant varieties, the hazelnut industry is rushing to take advantage of the fortu- itous circumstances. Capital Press cially crafted food stations will serve menu items created to pair with the featured wines. Yard games and carnival games will be accompa- nied by a variety of live music. $25 general admission includes 7 drink tickets, 3 game tickets and a sou- venir GoVino glass. $15 admission for club members of all participating wineries. Children 10 and under are free. People aged 11-20, desig- nated drivers and non-drinkers are admitted for $10. Website: http:// leftcoastcellars.com/ Wednesday, July 12 promoting the health and nutri- tion benefits of dairy products. The new ambassador and her alternates take over from 2016-2017 Washington State Dairy Ambassador Alicia Smaciarz, the daughter of Terry and Lana Smaciarz of Raymond, and Alternate State Dairy Ambassadors Jana Pla- german, the daughter of Le- roy and Rhonda Plagerman of Lynden, and Tiana Peterson, daughter of Tom and Bianca Peterson of Graham. They traveled around the state educating students, par- ents and others on the positive impact and value of Washing- ton’s dairy industry and the importance of dairy products. Brown-Borba. Proceeds will benefit the Ag One Ross Borba Sr. Family Endowment established in 1990, which supports deserving Fresno State students pursuing Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology degrees. Website: http://bit.ly/2qLfdLD Friday, July 14- Sunday, July 30 California State Fair. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Cal Expo Center, 1600 Exposi- tion Blvd., Sacramento, Calif. Web- site: www.castatefair.org/ Blueberry Field Day. 1-5 p.m. North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15210 NE Miley Road. Aurora, Ore. Find out about the latest research in blueber- ries. http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ NWREC/ Saturday, July 15 Manure and Compost Applica- tion Workshop. 1-5 p.m., Swager Farms Dairy, 1749 East 3800 North, Buhl, Idaho. Cost: Free. Farm to Table Dinner and Auc- tion. 5:30-9 p.m. Oregon Garden, 879 W. Main St., Silverton, Ore. Guests to this event will savor the flavors of the season with food do- nated from local farmers picked at the peak of ripeness and prepared by Chef Daryl Gossack at Loustic Catering. Tickets are on sale now at our website or by phone. Through June 17 tickets are $85 per and $95 after June 18. The event is present- ed by Bonaventure Senior Living and all proceeds will feed people in Friday, July 14 Ag One Community Salute. 6-9 p.m. Fresno Convention Center Ex- hibit Hall, 700 M St., Fresno, Calif. The event’s 18th edition is the first to honor a family and will spotlight third-generation member Tina Borba and her sons, Ross Jr. and Mark, as well as Mark’s wife Peggy Washington State Sheep Pro- ducers Ram and Ewe Sale. 1:30-6 p.m. Grant County Fairgrounds, 3953 Airway Drive NE, Moses Lake, Wash. For questions, call 509-200- 2112. Email: wssp@gmx.com Entire contents copyright © 2017 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. 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Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 Courtesy of the Dairy Farmers of Washington Left to right are Juliana LeClair, alternate ambassador; Anna Teachman, Washington state dairy ambassador; and Claire Leininger, alternate ambassador. GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE www.oxarc.com Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager 20 Northwest Locations our community through Marion-Polk Food Share. Website: http://bit. ly/2qth9a1 Tuesday, July 25 Dairy Sheep and Goat Work- shop. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Gooding Coun- ty Fairgrounds, 203 Lucy Lane, Gooding, Idaho. University of Idaho Extension workshop. Lunch includ- ed. The workshop is $30 with pre- registration until July 21 and $40 after that. Friday, July 28 Forest Insect and Disease Field Day. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Benewah County Fairgrounds, 2330-2398 St. Maries Ave., St. Maries, Idaho. The event will give participants first- hand exposure to a wide range of organisms that impair the growth of trees and forests in Northern Idaho including: Douglas-fir beetle and other bark beetles; Armillaria and other root diseases; white pine blis- ter rust; indian paint fungus, pini rot and other stem decays; and dwarf mistletoes. Experts will help partic- ipants identify insect and disease symptoms and discuss practical long- and short-term methods of dealing with them. Those wishing to participate should pre-register at the University of Idaho Extension Office in Benewah County by July 21. A $10 registration fee covers re- source materials and refreshments. 1-800-765-9055 Saturday-Sunday July 29-30 47th Annual Great Oregon Steam-Up. 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Powerland Heritage Park, 3995 Brooklake Road NE, Brooks, Ore. Packed with vintage power, this annual event celebrates the steam power, machines and peo- ple who drove Oregon agriculture, logging, transportation and more from the 1800s through early 1900s. Get upclose to the power farm machinery, vintage trucks, antique cars, logging gear and a working steam sawmill. Kids of all ages will enjoy train and trolley rides, daily parade, huge flea market, traditional tractor pulling, ma- chinery demos, threshing and quilt show. This year the featured makes are Aultman-Taylor and Rumely. Gen- eral admission $12, children under 12 are free. Website: http://www.antique- powerland.com/html/steam-up.html Tuesday-Friday, Aug. 1-4 7th World Congress on Conser- vation Agriculture. Rosario, Argenti- na. A world meeting presented by the American Confederation of Farmers Organizations for a Sustainable Ag- riculture, which began with associa- tions of farmers that promoted the no till system and are currently working to promote sustainable production systems. Website: http://congre- soaapresid.org.ar/. News: Contact the main office or news staff member closest to you, send the in- formation to newsroom@capitalpress.com or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press. Include a contact telephone number. Letters to the Editor: Send your comments on agriculture-related public issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital Press. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday. Capital Press ag media www.capitalpress.com www.FarmSeller.com marketplace.capitalpress.com www.facebook.com/capitalpress www.facebook.com/farmseller twitter.com/capitalpress www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo Index Opinion .................................. 6 Idaho ...................................... 8 Oregon .................................. 9 California .............................. 10 Markets ............................... 13 Dairy/Livestock .................... 14 Correction policy Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.