BUSINESS & AG LIFE
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2022
Oregon is among the most farm-reliant states
State economy
more closely tied to
agriculture than
many other states
By MIKE ROGOWAY
The Oregonian
SALEM — Farm employ-
ment has remained pretty steady in
Oregon for decades, and the state’s
economy is far more closely tied to
agriculture than elsewhere.
“It’s roughly speaking twice
as important to Oregon as it is to
the typical state in the nation,”
according to Josh Lehner with the
Oregon Offi ce of Economic Anal-
ysis. He compiled a fresh look at
the state’s agricultural economy
this month as part of his agency’s
quarterly report to the Legislature.
As a share of all Oregon jobs,
farming’s relative importance has
been in steady decline for 50 years.
Agriculture accounted for about 1
in 18 Oregon jobs in 1970; it’s just
1 in 40 jobs now.
The falloff has been much
steeper elsewhere in the country,
however, and the new analysis fi nds
Oregon farms generate twice as
much personal income overall than
in the average state. Some counties
generate farm income at several
times the national rate, small com-
munities where Lehner said agri-
culture “is a key driver of all eco-
nomic trends.”
The report serves as a baseline
to monitor the eff ects of a new law
that makes farmworkers eligible for
overtime pay. The law, approved
by lawmakers last winter, phases in
overtime pay over the next several
years and gives farmers tax credits
to help off set the higher costs.
The overtime mandate was
intensely controversial, with
farmers warning that the higher
labor costs would put fami-
ly-owned operations out of busi-
ness. So the bill directed state econ-
omists to track the impacts from
the overtime mandate.
While it’s too soon to see the
eff ects of the overtime rules, it’s
clear that agriculture is an eco-
nomic force in Oregon, producing
farm products with an annual
market value of around $5 billion.
Oregon has about 60,000 farm
jobs, according to federal esti-
mates, roughly in line with past
years. Farm earnings represent
0.8% of personal income in the
state, twice the national level.
Much of that income is concen-
trated in a small number of coun-
OSHA/Contributed Photo, File
As a share of all Oregon jobs, farming’s relative importance has been in steady decline for 50 years. Agriculture accounted for
about 1 in 18 Oregon jobs in 1970; it’s just 1 in 40 jobs now.
ties, where relatively small popula-
tions magnify the relative impact.
For example, Morrow County in
northeastern Oregon – with a pop-
ulation of just 12,000 – has farm
earnings 62 times the national
average, according to the state
economists’ report.
Farm incomes are also elevated
in southeastern Oregon, the Willa-
mette Valley and parts of the coast.
In the state’s urban centers, among
them Multnomah, Washington
and Deschutes counties, farming
income is far overshadowed by
other occupations.
Taken as a whole, though,
Lehner said agriculture has been a
consistently durable part of the state
economy, which ranks 15th nation-
ally in its reliance on farm jobs.
“It matters overall to the state of
Oregon,” Lehner said. “It is a larger
economic sector.”
AVGAS
BEANS
Continued from Page B1
Continued from Page B1
determine whether this
pollution endangers human
health and welfare.”
The agency fi nally
appears ready to do some-
thing about leaded aviation
fuel, or “avgas.”
Questions remain. What
does a realistic solution
look like? And when will
it come?
semi-retirement and begin
operating Joe Beans again.
Guentert said he is
grateful for the opportu-
nity the MacLeods provided
him.
“It has been an expe-
rience I will treasure,” he
said.
The new Joe Beans will
have striking similarities to
the old one.
“It will be Joe Beans
2.0,” Colleen MacLeod said.
She said it will off er the
same Joe Beans coff ee,
made from beans roasted
daily by Al MacLeod, and
the menu will include all the
items that were on it before.
“We will have the same
food, the same coff ee and
the same drinks,” she said.
The MacLeods have
long been fi xtures in La
Grande’s coff ee shop and
eatery scene, starting in the
1980s when they operated a
catering truck. About 1990
they opened Highway 30
Coff ee Company, a now-de-
funct cafe that once did
roaring business on Wash-
ington Avenue, and in 2001
they opened Joe and Sugars,
a restaurant and coff ee
house they operated for
about fi ve years on Adams
Avenue.
Colleen MacLeod has
lived in Union County since
the early 1970s. Al arrived
in 1969. The couple are
working long hours pre-
paring to reopen Joe Beans.
The fatigue they feel
is negated by a sense of
Small planes loophole
Jurgenhessphotography/Contributed Photo
Lead as a toxic
byproduct of burning gaso-
line in engines isn’t news.
In 1970, the EPA worked
with the U.S. Congress to
pass the Clean Air Act,
which initiated a phaseout
of leaded gasoline for auto-
mobiles that concluded in
1995.
But piston-engine air-
planes, along with some
farm machinery and heavy
equipment, have been
exempt from lead restric-
tions since 1996.
The primary reason is
safety.
Tetraethyl lead is a heavy
metal compound that’s
added to avgas to prevent
premature detonation or
knocking. Aircraft engines
must avoid knocking or risk
sudden, catastrophic failure.
Unlike car drivers, pilots
can’t pull onto the shoulder
and call for help when their
engines fail.
There are about 170,000
piston-engine, general avi-
ation (civilian) aircraft in
the United States. Among
states, Washington and
Oregon rank fourth and
14th, respectively, in the
number of registered gen-
eral aviation aircraft. Most
of these burn 100-octane
low lead gasoline, com-
monly known as 100LL.
In February, the Federal
Aviation Administration
announced its new EAGLE
(Eliminate Aviation Gaso-
line Lead Emissions) initia-
tive, a plan that details the
elimination of leaded avia-
tion fuel by the end of 2030.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been studying the environmental impact of small planes,
like this one taking off in Hood River.
Getting unleaded
avgas to market
Oklahoma-based Gen-
eral Aviation Modifi cations,
Inc. (GAMI) is currently the
only commercially viable
producer of 100-octane
unleaded avgas, which it
plans to distribute under the
name G100UL.
Timothy Roehl, GAMI
president and patent holder
on G100UL, outlined the
diffi culties in bringing
unleaded avgas to the
market by 2030.
The company must fi rst
obtain a “Supplemental
Type Certifi cate” approval
from the FAA. The certifi -
cate grants permission to an
applicant to modify an aero-
nautical product from its
original design.
Roehl hopes general avi-
ation aircraft in the United
States will be certifi ed to
burn G100UL before the
end of 2022.
Cost, however, is another
obstacle.
“GAMI and its licensed
producers’ cost to make
G100LL will be 50 to 60
cents higher per gallon than
100 low lead fuel,” he said.
“But that’s off set by longer
times between engine over-
hauls and also longer inter-
vals between oil changes.”
More time between
engine maintenance is a
byproduct of burning lead-
free avgas.
This sounds promising,
but GAMI has already
experienced lengthy and
unexplained delays in
obtaining government
approvals for its products.
Why?
“Politics. Follow the
money,” said Roehl, refer-
ring to the lobbying power
of major refi ners of leaded
avgas.
He’s not the only
one wary of a political
derailment.
“One of the concerns we
have is how can we fi nalize
(a ban on leaded avgas)
under the Biden adminis-
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tration. What’s to stop a
new administration from
once again postponing and
delaying on these issues?”
says Miki Barnes, founder
and president of Oregon
Aviation Watch. “Even
once it’s fi nalized there are
groups that can delay this,
and that includes the avia-
tion industry organizations
that want to continue using
leaded fuel.
“Big lobbyists pump a lot
of money into the pockets
of political people. Oregon
(Congress members) Peter
DeFazio, Ron Wyden,
Jeff Merkley, Suzanne
Bonamici, Kurt Schrader,
all of these people are recip-
ients of money from general
aviation lobbyist organiza-
tions. All of those members
are on the Congressional
General Aviation Caucus.
Not one has spoken out
about eliminating leaded
aviation fuel.”
How bad is the
problem?
General aviation is a
small part of overall avi-
ation, but it’s a signifi -
cant source of local lead
exposure.
A 2011 study reported
that about 16 million Amer-
icans lived within 1 kilo-
meter of a general aviation
airport, and 3 million chil-
dren attended school within
that perimeter.
The closer the residence
to the airport, the higher
the blood lead levels in the
children living there. Air-
port lead levels have been
measured at more than
four times the concentra-
tions found in the general
environment.
Exposure to high levels
of lead may cause anemia,
weakness and kidney and
brain damage. Very high
lead exposure can cause
death. Generally, lead
aff ects children more than
it does adults.
The most signifi cant
sources of airborne lead in
Oregon and Washington
are airports. According to
Oregon Aviation Watch,
Hillsboro Airport is Ore-
gon’s top emitter of air-
borne lead — in 2016 it
released nearly twice the
emissions measured at
Portland International
Airport.
According to Barnes,
the Hillsboro Aero
Academy training program,
which trains pilots from
more than 75 countries, is
a major contributor to air-
borne lead.
In March, the attor-
neys general of 18 states,
including Oregon, sent a
letter to the EPA “Con-
cerning EPA’s Draft
Strategy to Reduce Lead
Exposures and Disparities
in U.S. Communities.”
“The most recent emis-
sions data from EPA show
that these (piston-engine
aircraft) released more than
930,000 pounds of lead into
the atmosphere in 2017, and
emissions from the general
aviation sector are expected
to increase in the coming
years,” read the letter. “The
Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration predicts sector emis-
sions will reach 1.5 million
pounds per year by 2025
— a 66% increase in emis-
sions from 2017.”
Though the EPA seems
committed to action, it
remains unclear what per-
centage of those future
emissions will come from
leaded avgas.
LIZ
Continued from Page B1
Let’s say you’re mar-
ried fi ling jointly and have
$60,000 in taxable income.
The 12% federal tax bracket
ends at $83,550, so you
could convert more than
$23,000 of your retirement
funds without increasing
your marginal federal tax
rate. Conversions can aff ect
other aspects of your taxes
and fi nances, so consult a
tax pro before proceeding.
Another way to poten-
tially lower your tax bill
may be to temporarily sus-
pend your Social Security
payments and take more
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anticipation.
“It is exhausting and
exhilarating at the same
time,” she said.
Al MacLeod, a musi-
cian with the local band The
Wasteland Kings, said of
reopening Joe Beans: “It is
like a gig. We are on stage
every day.”
Al MacLeod said he
and his wife have missed
keeping up on what is going
on in the lives of their cus-
tomers and their families
since the ownership change.
“We are hungry to learn
what’s going on,” he said.
Al MacLeod said when
the opportunity to take back
Joe Beans was presented,
the couple jumped at the
opportunity.
“We said, ‘Great, let’s do
it,’” he said. “There was no
hesitation.”
The MacLeods know
that long days await them as
they run Joe Beans, which
will be open from 8 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
“There’s an old saying,
‘It’s great owning your own
business because you can
work half days, and you
choose whichever 12 hours
you want,’” Al MacLeod
said.
The MacLeods want
Joe Beans to continue to
be a place where people
feel welcome, just as they
said people did when it was
Brother Bear and Joe Beans
before that.
“We want it to feel like
a clubhouse,” Colleen
MacLeod said. “We want
people to think, ‘This is my
place.’”
from your retirement funds.
Because of the peculiar way
that Social Security is taxed,
people often face a sharp
rise and then fall in mar-
ginal tax rates when they
have other income, some-
thing known as the “tax tor-
pedo.” A tax pro should be
able to determine if delaying
or suspending Social Secu-
rity payments could help
you reduce the eff ects.
█
Liz Weston, Certified Financial
Planner, is a personal finance
columnist for NerdWallet.
Questions may be sent to her at
3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238,
Studio City, CA 91604, or by using
the “Contact” form at
asklizweston.com.
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