January 2, 2015
CapitalPress.com
13
Farm Market Report
California Egg Reports
Compiled by USDA Market News Service • Des Moines
Shell egg marketers benchmark price for negotiated egg sales of USDA Grade AA and Grade AA in
cartons, cents per dozen. This price does not reflect discounts or other contract terms.
DAILY CALIFORNIA SHELL EGGS
(USDA Market News)
Des Moines, Iowa
Dec. 24
Benchmark prices are steady. Asking prices for next week are 16 cents lower for Jumbo, 29 cents lower
for Extra Large, 30 cents lower for Large and 17 cents lower for Medium and Small. Trade sentiment is
steady to lower. Offerings are usually heavy. Retail demand is fairly good to instances good with ware-
house buying interest in a full range of light to fairly good. Supplies are moderate to instances heavy.
Market activity is moderate. Small benchmark price $1.57.
Size
Range
Size
Range
Jumbo
230
Extra large
270
Large
267
Medium
177
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Prices to retailers, sales to volume buyers, USDA Grade AA and Grade AA, white eggs in cartons,
delivered store door.
Size
Range
Size
Range
Jumbo
222-234
Extra large
251-263
Large
252-263
Medium
157-166
Grain Market Reports
Compiled by USDA Market News Service • Portland
Gosia Wozniacka/Associated Press
Farmworkers near Fresno, Calif., pick paper trays of dried raisins off the ground in 2013 and heap them onto a trailer in the final step of
raisin harvest. Thousands of farmworkers in California, the nation’s leading grower of fruits, vegetables and nuts, may soon be able to
leave the uncertainty of their seasonal jobs for steady, year-around work building homes, cooking in restaurants and cleaning hotel rooms
under the executive action President Barack Obama announced in November.
Farmers brace for labor
shortage under new policy
By SCOTT SMITH
Associated Press
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) —
Farmers already scrambling
to find workers in California
— the nation’s leading grower
of fruits, vegetables and nuts
— fear an even greater la-
bor shortage under President
Barack Obama’s executive
action to block some 5 million
people from deportation.
Thousands of the state’s
farmworkers, who make up
a significant portion of those
who will benefit, may choose
to leave the uncertainty of
their seasonal jobs for steady,
year-around work building
homes, cooking in restaurants
and cleaning hotel rooms.
“This action isn’t going to
bring new workers to agricul-
ture,” said Jason Resnick, vice
president and general counsel
of the powerful trade associ-
ation Western Growers. “It’s
possible that because of this
action, agriculture will lose
workers without any mech-
anism to bring in new work-
ers.”
Although details of the
president’s immigration poli-
cy have yet to be worked out,
Resnick said the agricultural
workforce has been declining
for a decade. Today, the as-
sociation estimates there is a
15 to 20 percent shortage of
farmworkers, which is driv-
ing the industry to call for
substantial immigration re-
form from Congress, such as a
sound guest worker program.
“Hopefully there will be
the opportunity for compre-
hensive immigration reform,”
said Karen Ross, secretary of
the California Department of
Food and Agriculture. “That’s
the right thing to do for this
country.”
California’s 330,000 farm-
workers account for the larg-
est share of the 2.1 million
nationwide, according to the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics. Texas comes in a distant
second with less than half of
California’s farmworkers.
Once Obama’s executive
action starts going into effect
next year, it will protect the
parents of legal U.S. residents
from deportation and expand
a 2012 program that shields
from deportation people
brought into the U.S. illegally
as children.
Manuel Cunha, president
of the Fresno-based Nisei
Farmers League, estimates
that 85 percent of California’s
agricultural workers are us-
ing false documents to obtain
work.
Cunha, who has advised
the Obama administration
on immigration policy, fig-
ures that 50,000 of the state’s
farmworkers who may benefit
from the president’s executive
action could leave the fields
and packing houses in Cali-
fornia’s $46.4 billion agricul-
tural industry.
“How do I replace that?”
he said. “I think we’re going
to have a problem.”
Many farmworkers are
paid above minimum wage,
earning more hourly than they
will in other industries, but he
said that workers that leave
will gain year-around jobs and
regular paychecks, rather than
seasonal employment.
While farmers may face
a setback, Obama’s order is
good for workers, who sup-
port families and fear that any
day they may be pulled over
driving to work and deported,
said Armando Elenes, nation-
al vice president of the United
Farm Workers.
With proper documenta-
tion, workers will feel em-
powered and be more valu-
able, Elenes said. Confronted
with abuse at work — such as
being paid less than minimum
wage or denied overtime —
workers will be able to chal-
lenge their employer or leave,
he said.
In addition, their new-
found mobility will create
competition for farmworkers
and potentially increase wag-
es, Elenes said, adding, “It’s
going to open up a whole
new world for workers. A lot
of times, if you’re undocu-
mented, you feel like you’re
stuck.”
Ed Kissam, an immigra-
tion researcher at the immi-
grant advocacy group, WKF
Giving Fund, said he doubts
a significant number of farm-
workers will leave the indus-
try. Farmworkers often lack
the language, education and
technical skills to move up the
employment ladder, he said.
“Surely some will,” Kissam
said. “It’s not going to be a
mass exodus.”
Edward Taylor, a research-
er at the University of Califor-
nia-Davis, said a shortage of
farmworkers could be exac-
erbated by a dwindling flow
of workers from Mexico, the
largest supplier of labor to the
United States. Taylor said the
lower birthrates, more indus-
trial jobs and better schools in
rural Mexico are cutting into
the supply of farmworkers.
“U.S. and Mexican farm-
ers have to compete for that
diminishing supply of farm
labor,” he said. “Once this
change hits, there’s no going
back.”
Central Valley farmer Har-
old McClarty of HMC Farms,
who hires a thousand workers
at harvest time, said there is
no replacing the human hand
for picking the 50 varieties of
peaches he grows. His work-
ers pick a single tree five or
more times, making sure the
fruit they take is ripe.
“We haven’t found any
machines that can do anything
like that,” he said. “You can’t
just pick the whole tree.”
ConAgra lifts Magnida fertilizer plant appeal
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
AMERICAN FALLS, Ida-
ho — ConAgra Foods has re-
scinded its appeal of a clean air
permit approved for a proposed
Power County nitrogen fertiliz-
er plant, removing a major bar-
rier for the project.
However, the estimated cost
of building the facility has in-
flated from $2.1 billion to about
$3 billion, due largely to a rise
in U.S. construction costs fu-
eled by strengthening demand,
said Ric Sorbo, project manag-
er with Texas-based Magnida.
Magnida had hoped to close
on all of the necessary financ-
ing for the project by the end of
2014. Sorbo remains optimistic
that Magnida will still reach fi-
nancial close by the end of the
first quarter of 2015 and break
ground next summer.
ConAgra’s American Falls
potato processing plant manag-
er raised concerns during a pub-
lic meeting last summer about
the proximity of the proposed
fertilizer plant to his compa-
ny’s facility. Specifically, he
mentioned groundwater issues,
emergency preparedness and
odors. ConAgra protested the
Idaho Department of Environ-
mental Quality’s approval of
Magnida’s clean air permit last
May, which threatened to delay
the company’s timeline, Sorbo
said.
“We’ve had conversations
John O’Connell/Capital Press
Ric Sorbo, project manager over the Magnida fertilizer plant
proposed in Power County, addresses the public during a June
meeting in American Falls. The estimated construction cost of the
project has inflated to about $3 billion.
with ConAgra starting in late
May to see if we could not re-
solve this without going through
the litigation process,” Sorbo
said. “We’ve learned an awful
lot about them and their oper-
ation, and they’ve learned an
awful lot about us and our op-
eration, and we’ve come to the
conclusion that we can be good
neighbors with each other.”
Sorbo said the major issue
addressed by the agreement be-
tween the companies pertained
to ConAgra’s concerns regard-
ing how the Magnida plant
would affect a limited ground-
water supply in the area.
“Both parties wanted to
make sure we both would have
the water we needed to have. It
was a supply issue, not a qual-
ity issue,” Sorbo said, adding
the agreement would address
ConAgra’s concerns, should
they arise.
Sorbo said other concerns
were resolved simply through
better communication. Both
parties agreed to keep details of
the agreement confidential.
In a press release, ConAgra
President
Greg
Schlafer
thanked Idaho Gov. Butch
Otter for becoming personal-
ly involved in the matter and
helping the companies work
out some of the “difficult de-
tails” toward finding common
ground.
“Our agreement fully ad-
dresses each of our prior con-
cerns related to employee safe-
ty, emergency preparedness
and air emissions,” Schlafer
said in the press release. “With
the agreement now in place,
we’re confident both facilities
can safely and successfully co-
exist as major employers and
contributors to the American
Falls community.”
Sorbo said Magnida is re-
viewing its engineering and
construction bids.
The plant would use nat-
ural gas as a feedstock and
produce more than a million
combined tons per year of
ammonia, urea, UAN and
diesel exhaust fluid. It would
employ about 175 workers —
in addition to the 1,500-2,000
construction workers who
would be needed to build the
facility — and could be oper-
ational by 2017.
Grains are stated in dollars per bushel or hundredweight 5cwt.) except feed grains traded in dollars per
ton. National grain report bids are for rail delivery unless truck indicated.
PORTLAND GRAIN
(USDA Market News)
Portland
Dec .24
PACIFIC NORTHWEST MARKET SUMMARY
Cash wheat bids for December delivery ended the reporting week on Wednesday, Dec. 24, not avail-
able as most exporters were not issuing bids for nearby delivery.
March wheat futures ended the reporting week on Wednesday, Dec. 24, lower as follows compared
to Dec. 18 closes: Chicago May futures 41.25 cents lower at $6.1525, Kansas City 39.75 cents lower at
$6.44 and Minneapolis wheat futures trended 29.50 cents lower at $6.3250. Chicago March corn futures
trended 3.25 cents lower at $4.0775 while January soybean futures closed $6.25 cents lower at 10.2875.
Bids for U.S. 1 Soft White Wheat delivered to Portland in unit trains or barges during December for
ordinary protein were not available as several exporters were not issuing bids for December delivery.
There were no White Club Wheat premiums for ordinary protein this week. Bids for Dec. 18 for December
delivery were not available.
One year ago bids for U.S. 1 Soft White Wheat any protein for December delivery by unit trains and
barges to Portland were $6.6225-6.9125, mostly $6.7875 and bids for White Club Wheat were $6.6225-
7.4125, mostly $7.0325.
Nearby bids for U.S. 1 Soft White wheat ordinary protein were not available for ordinary protein soft
white wheat as most exporters removed their bids for nearby delivery. Forward month bids for soft white
wheat ordinary protein were as follows: January $6.85-6.8950, February $6.8950-6.90, March $6.8950-
75, and August New Crop $6.59-7.
One year ago, forward month bids for soft white wheat for any protein were as follows: January
$6.8625-6.9625, February $6.9125-7.0125, March $6.9125-7.13, and April $7.0350-7.15.
Bids for U.S. 1 Soft White Wheat guaranteed 10.5 percent protein during December were $7.8650.
Guaranteed 10.5 percent protein bids last week for December delivery were not available. The white club
wheat premiums for guaranteed 10.5 percent protein this week were 2 to 2.50 mostly 2.25, while last
week’s premiums were not available.
Nearby bids for U.S. 1 Soft White Wheat guaranteed 10.5 percent protein began the week on Dec.
19 at mostly 8.1025 then moved lower on Dec. 22 to mostly 8.0375, moved higher on Dec. 23 to mostly
8.1050, and on Dec. 24 moved lower to the weekly low of mostly $7.8650. Forward month bids for soft
white wheat guaranteed 10.5 percent protein were as follows: January $7.6150-8, February $7.6150-
8.05, March $7.6150-8.10, and August New Crop $6.59-7.04.
Bids for 11.5 percent protein U.S. 1 Hard Red Winter Wheat for December delivery were not available
as most exporters were not issuing bids for nearby delivery. On Dec. 24, forward month bids were as
follows: January $7.29-7.39, February $7.29-7.44, March $7.19-7.44, and August New Crop $7.4325.
Bids for non-guaranteed 14.0 percent protein U.S. 1 Dark Northern Spring Wheat for Portland delivery
for December delivery were not available as most exporters were not issuing bids for nearby delivery. On
Dec. 24, bids for non-guaranteed 14 percent protein were as follows: December not available; January
$8.7250-8.8250, February $8.7250-8.9250, March $8.8250-9.0750, and August New Crop $7.9675-
8.1675.
COARSE FEEDING GRAINS
Bids for U.S. 2 Yellow Corn delivered to Portland in single rail cars were not available. Bids for U.S. 2
Yellow Corn truck delivered to the inland feeding areas of Yakima, Wash., and Hermiston, Ore., were also
not available. Bids for U.S. 2 Heavy White Oats for December delivery held steady at $265.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST EXPORT NEWS
There were 17 grain vessels in Columbia River ports on Wednesday, Dec. 24, with six docked com-
pared to 16 Dec. 18 with five docked. There were no new confirmed export sales from the Commodity
Credit Corporation this week.
Oregon Farm Bureau
adds two members
to its Hall of Fame
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
Tracey Liskey, an inno-
vator representing Klam-
ath and Lake counties, and
Ron Bjork, a pro-biotech
stalwart in Jackson Coun-
ty’s GMO debate, are the
newest members of the Or-
egon Farm Bureau’s Hall
of Fame.
The men were inducted
during the Farm Bureau’s
82nd annual convention,
held in mid-December at
Gleneden Beach. Member-
ship in the Hall of Fame
is considered the OFB’s
highest honor, which re-
quires 35 years of involve-
ment and nomination by
the home county organiza-
tion.
They are the 27th and
28th members of the hall;
Farm Bureau President
Barry Bushue and Execu-
tive Vice President Dave
Dillon made the presenta-
tions.
Liskey, of Klamath
Falls, raises hay, grain and
cattle and uses geothermal
heat to grow greenhouse
plants. He has been an
OFB member since 1978
and a board member since
1993. He is stepping down
as first vice president.
He’s also served a term as
chair of the Oregon Board
of Agriculture, which ad-
vises state ag department
Director Katy Coba.
Bushue praised Liskey
for his ideas and energy
and said he possesses a
“solution-oriented
per-
spective that many aspire
to, but few attain.”
Bjork, an OFB member
since 1964, raises beef cat-
tle and hay in Eagle Point.
He’s served as president of
the Jackson County Farm
Bureau three separate
times. Bushue said Bjork
was farming’s “well-spo-
ken and informed” repre-
sentative as Jackson Coun-
ty considered a ban on
biotech crops.
Bjork argued for a ra-
tional, science-based ap-
proach that preserved
options for all types
of
farming,
Bushue
said.
In other news at the
OFB’s annual convention:
Peggy Browne of Bak-
er County Farm Bureau
was elected first vice
president; Angela Bai-
ley of Multnomah County
Farm Bureau was elect-
ed second vice president
and was chosen Outstand-
ing Farm Bureau Wom-
an. Sharon Waterman
of Coos County also was
named Outstanding Farm
Bureau Woman.
Glenn Archambault of
Jackson County and Shaun
Robertson of Grant Coun-
ty received the Top Hand
awards.
Brenda and Matt Fr-
ketich, Molly Pearmine
McCargar and OFB Vice
President of Public Poli-
cy Katie Fast were given
the OFB’s Service to Ag-
riculture Award for their
work in defeating Measure
92, which would have re-
quired GMO labeling on
food.
Marie Schmidt of Yam-
hill County was named
Outstanding Farm Bu-
reau Secretary; the late
Bob Flowers of Klam-
ath County was honored
with the Farm Bureau
Memorial Award; long-
time Oregonians for Food
and Shelter grass roots
Director Paulette Pyle
won the OFB President’s
Award.
Retiring OFB board
members Tracey Liskey,
Regional Director Dale
Buck of Tillamook County
Farm Bureau and Region-
al Director KC VanNatta
of Columbia County Farm
Bureau were honored for
their service.