FROM PAGE ONE
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
THE OBSERVER — A7
OVERTIME
their increased costs, as they
have to accept whatever the
market offers.
“Oregon’s already a high-
labor state. That’s another thing
that puts an Oregon producer
at a disadvantage,” he said. “I
have to take whatever price they
offer.”
Butterfield said lawmakers
just don’t seem to understand
rural life.
“The problem with farming
is it’s so seasonal. If they could,
we could average the time out,
but there are times they have
to work more than 40 hours a
week,” he said. “It’s too bad
they don’t understand that when
they pass these laws.”
Melville and the other pro-
ducers agreed they don’t want to
see their workers put at a disad-
vantage because of the new law.
“You want to make sure your
workers are well paid,” Melville
said. “I think it’s going to work
out a little differently than most
people expect.”
Russ Eoff , one of Corner-
stone’s few year-round, full-time
employees, agreed with his boss.
“It’s not right,” he said,
adding that it hurts both the
farmers and their employees.
Continued from Page A1
“We will not be paying overtime.”
Cornerstone, which largely
grows wheat and hay but also
has other crops, has six to eight
employees during the peak
season. They have only a few full-
time employees year around.
But there are times Corner-
stone has people working long
hours, such as during the peak
planting and harvest seasons.
“It hurts,” Melville said of HB
4002. “There are times we’ve had
people working over 60 hours a
week. By the time we get down
to 40 hours in a couple years, it’s
going to hurt.”
How to get around it?
He said he and brother Kurt
have been discussing how to get
around the regulations. One way
is to become more mechanized,
chiefl y by installing more auto-
mated center pivots for irrigation
to eliminate the need for the hand-
moving of wheel lines.
Another way would be to give
up valuable farmland, which
he said was virtually out of the
question.
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Russ Eoff , an employee of Cornerstone Farms Joint Venture,
works on a tractor at the Melville family-owned operation
just outside of Enterprise on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Eoff
is one who will be negatively aff ected by the passage of HB
4002, which will limit the number of hours he can work.
Dan Butterfi eld, of Butterfi eld
Farms, which raises mostly hay
and wheat east of Joseph, agreed.
“We will be mechanizing
more. We’ll put more pivots in,”
he said. “The equipment will get
bigger so less hired help is needed
for that, but that’s been going on
the last 50 years or so.”
He employs four to fi ve
workers during the peak summer
season, but has worked things
around to avoid overtime.
“We try keep it down,” he said.
“But it will defi nitely harm some
people.”
He and others interviewed said
the producers in Oregon the law
will most likely hurt are dairies,
which require 24/7 care of cows,
and row-crop producers, which
are labor intensive.
Coppin said another option
would be to change the way workers
are paid, such as putting them on
salary rather than an hourly wage.
“That’s one way everybody’s
talking. There are other ways
ADVENTURE
Continued from Page A1
or the Tri-Cities in Wash-
ington. Sizer noted that
the business shifted from
focusing on day-trip vis-
itors coming through
Eastern Oregon toward
interested individuals from
out of town looking for an
extended visit.
Sizer and his team of
four focus on guiding the
trips throughout treasured
spots in Eastern Oregon.
The crew helps the cli-
ents have the most ideal
outdoor experience, by
providing services such
as transporting equip-
ment, teaching fi shing les-
sons and serving high-end
campfi re meals.
The business often helps
beginners or inexperi-
Go Wild: American Adventures/Contributed Photo
Go Wild: American Adventures owner Dan Sizer, right, gives a fi shing
lesson during the summer of 2021. Sizer started the business to
showcase the outdoor spectacles of Eastern Oregon, while focusing
on environmental education and community partnerships.
enced campers submerge
themselves in a full-on
backpacking experience
that otherwise might be
out of their comfort zone.
Sizer noted that many car
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Dakota Bly, an independent mechanic, left, helps Kurt Mel-
ville replace wiring on a tractor Thursday, March 10, 2022, at
the Melville family-owned Cornerstone Farms Joint Venture
near Enterprise.
campers look to Go Wild:
American Adventures for
a more immersive camping
and hiking experience.
“My thinking is that if
I can provide a really fun,
around it,” he said. “It’s just a reg-
ulation that’s been thought up by
bunch of city people who are not
business people.”
Or, Butterfi eld said, split the
work between more workers.
“We’ll have to hire two people
to do one person’s job,” he said. “I
don’t know as the employees will
be happy about that.”
Can’t pass along costs
Melville said agricultural
producers can’t just pass along
comfortable experience for
folks if it’s their fi rst time
sleeping in the wilderness,
then those people have a
greater understanding and
appreciation for the out-
doors,” Sizer said. “Ulti-
mately, I think they become
better caretakers of nature.”
Environmental educa-
tion is an important aspect
of Go Wild, showing cli-
ents how to make the most
out of an outdoor experi-
ence while appreciating the
land.
“That component I think
is a big part of the narra-
tive,” Sizer said. “We talk
about growing up on this
land and how we use it, how
important it is to use it in a
certain way so that we pro-
tect this resource for gener-
ations to come. In Eastern
Oregon, you’re connected to
the value of the land.”
GOLF
Pat Vaughan joined
Sizer in 2017 with the pri-
mary focus of crafting a
gourmet food experience
for travelers. Vaughan has
since moved on to nursing
school, but the culinary
services he introduced
carry on in the company.
Go Wild: American Adven-
tures partners with local
businesses, such as Gla-
cier 45 Distillery, Terminal
Gravity, Copper Belt Wines
and other local restaurants
and businesses.
“What I think makes
a memorable trip is the
people you meet, the food
you eat and the experiences
that push the boundaries,”
Sizer said. “We’ve tried to
instill really cool things
that you might not do by
yourself.”
Sizer and his crew have
a slate of summer events
already planned, while
custom trips can be sched-
uled on the Go Wild:
American Adventures
website, www.gowildusa.
com. According to Sizer,
the business is planning to
partner with a mule packer
this summer, elevating
the potential for high-end
food experience as well as
helping with accessibility
for those who may not be
able to carry a backpack
well.
On top of showcasing
the natural treasures of
Eastern Oregon, Sizer
noted that Go Wild: Amer-
ican Adventures has helped
create lasting connections
among participants and
crew members.
“I think one of the
coolest things,” Sizer said,
“is the community it fosters
within people.”
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Golf booklets sit in on the wheel of a golf cart on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at Buff alo Peak Golf Course,
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As Buff alo Peak looks to
keep raising the bar, Londin
noted that the improve-
ment extends past the facil-
ities available. Caddies this
summer will play a big role
in greeting golfers, run-
ning the bag drop, getting
the golfers set up and cre-
ating an overall welcoming
environment.
“It’s about the experi-
ence,” he said. “The golf
shop is up and running and
people know they can get
stuff , but now it’s about the
experience.”
GU
try,” Londin said.
The course also will host
its second Thunder at The
Peak Independence Day fi re-
work show, which drew a
crowd last summer.
“It was a huge success
last year — it was awe-
some,” Londin said. “With
me still being new, we’re
just trying to see what we
can actually do here as far as
golf goes and beyond.”
The course is working to
draw in interested golfers
from out of the area, as the
amount of traveling golfers
is beginning to increase.
Local stay-and-play part-
nerships with the nearby
Lodge at Hot Lake Springs
and Grande Hot Springs
RV Resort as well as Baker
City’s Geiser Grand Hotel
promote the golf course to
golfers from outside the area,
benefi ting local businesses
who host the visitors.
“People used to travel
from Boise and their main
stop was Wildhorse,”
Londin said. “We’re defi -
nitely getting some of those
people stopping here now,
for sure.”
’S
anything from high-end to
beginner stuff ,” Londin said.
“Both myself and my assis-
tant are certifi ed fi tters with
every company that we sell
products for, which makes a
big diff erence when you get
fi tted for equipment. That’s
important to me.”
The golf shop has the
potential to supply food to
golfers, an idea that Londin
and the crew have fl irted
with. The shop now includes
new counters and three
sinks, opening the door for
Buff alo Peak to have some
food available for special
events and test the waters
before being fully functional.
The revamped shop is
also drawing in endorsement
opportunities at the course,
with several of the biggest
golf companies planning to
demo their products at Buf-
falo Peak this spring. Buff alo
Peak is set to host six dif-
ferent demo days throughout
May and June, allowing par-
ticipants to try out new golf
equipment from top brands.
“It’s a nice opportunity
to try some product that you
might not normally get to
N
reputation. Several renova-
tions to the facilities at the
course are paving the way
for the 2022 season.
A big part of last year’s
success was hosting the
Oregon Junior Golf Associ-
ation Amateur Champion-
ship this past summer. The
tournament drew more than
100 of the state’s best youth
golfers and provided a major
boost to local business and
tourism.
After positive feedback
from the tournament’s com-
petitors and organizers, Buf-
falo Peak is slated to host the
Oregon Junior Golf Associ-
ation’s fi rst major of the year
for the next fi ve years.
“The exposure that we
got from hosting that major
was amazing,” Londin said.
“The kids loved the golf
course so much that they
pushed forward for them to
come back.”
Tournaments are set to
be a regular occurrence this
season, opening with the
April Fools Scramble on Sat-
urday, April 2. Events are
scheduled throughout the
spring and into October.
A key new component
of the Buff alo Peak Golf
Course this season is the
newly renovated golf shop,
which will help golfers stay
in tune with the top equip-
ment in the game. Commu-
nity members donated the
materials for the renovation,
which included new wood
paneling and revamped
shelves — the store stocks
top golf brands such as Ping,
Callaway, Cleveland, Titleist,
Evnroll Putters, Asics shoes,
Puma, Cobra and more.
“My goal in the golf
shop is to be recognized as
a place where we can supply
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