WASHINGTON: COUGAR-PLAGUED RANCHERS ASK LEGISLATORS TO RELEASE THE HOUNDS Page 10 Capital Press The West s Weekly  FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015 Accelerated development may expose crops to frost By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Unseasonably warm winter temperatures have some North- west crops stirring to life earlier than usual, leaving them poten- tially vulnerable to a cold snap, experts say. “We’re way ahead of what we would expect,” said Len Coop, associate director at Ore- gon State University’s Integrat- ed Plant Protection Center. Accumulated heat units — measured as “degree days” — are signifi cantly higher than normal in 2015 across the re- gion, spurring the growth of plants affected by temperature rather than day length, accord- ing to OSU data. In the vicinity of Salem, Ore., for example, the devel- opment of crops is more than two weeks ahead of 2014 and a month ahead of 2013. The danger is the seemingly early arrival of spring will coax buds to break and fl owers to bloom at a time when a sudden drop in temperatures remains likely, experts say. “They can be caught with a late frost and that can be devas- tating,” said Coop. Growers of blueberries and caneberries hope that tempera- tures will be cool enough in March to slow the emergence of fl owers and tender plant tis- sues without damaging them, said Tom Peerbolt, a crop con- sultant. Farmers want to avoid ex- tremes during late winter and early spring, particularly if crops are set to come out from dormancy ahead of schedule, he said. “It’s got people nervous, for sure,” he said. “Being this accel- erated, it increases certain risk factors, but none of those risks at this point have played out.” Fighting freezing tempera- tures is not uncommon for orchardists in areas like Ore- gon’s Rogue Valley but an early bloom threatens to extend the length and expense of the battle. Turn to SPRING, Page 12 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 Livestock practices changing Antibiotic resistance, better vaccines impact herd management By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press CHICO, Calif. — Producers are changing the way they care for their livestock as increas- ing regulation and consumer awareness bring more scrutiny to the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture. New guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have effectively eliminat- ed use of the drugs for livestock growth promo- David Daley, left, interim dean of the California State University-Chico College of Agriculture, discusses herd man- agement with Garrett Wallis, the student herdsman for Chico State’s beef unit. tion or feed effi ciency, and even more restric- tive rules are being considered at the federal and state levels in an attempt to curb the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans. “No one wants to be the last person to play by the rules,” said John Maas, a beef exten- sion veterinarian at the University of Califor- nia-Davis. “There’s always going to be bad Tim Hearden Capital Press Turn to ANTIBIOTICS, Page 14 BACKLOG CLOGS PORTS Tens of thousands of containers will take months to clear as dock worker slowdown ends By DAN WHEAT Capital Press I t will take two to three months to clear a massive backlog of containers at West Coast ports and allow exports and imports to fl ow at normal levels again, a Pacifi c Maritime Association spokesman says. A tentative contract agreement between the PMA and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, reached late Feb. 20, ended a nine-month work slowdown at 30 West Coast ports, from San Diego to Seattle, that cost billions of dollars in lost trade. It will take at least a month for the 73 termi- nal operators and shipping lines that belong to the PMA and 13,600 longshoremen to review and rati- fy the contract, said Steve Getzug, a PMA spokes- man. Meanwhile, longshoremen resumed a normal work pace with the Saturday night shift, Feb. 21, beginning the task of clearing tens of thousands of containers plugging dockyards at the ports, Getzug said. “It’s a complicated choreography,” he said of moving the loaded and empty containers, clearing paths to get to ships. As of Monday, Feb. 23, 22 ships were be- ing worked at dockside at Los Angeles and Long Beach, Getzug said. Thirty-fi ve others were at an- chor in those harbors waiting to get in and two doz- en more were on their way, he said. He didn’t have numbers for other ports but said Los Angeles and Long Beach would have the most ships and containers since they are the largest ports. The only problem was at Oakland, where a dis- agreement over work breaks held up operations until Sunday night, he said. Shipper leaves Portland Wikimedia Commons 300 million tons 200 West Coast tonnage of containerized cargo, 1980-2013 NOTE: Beginning in 1984 revenue tonnage was reported as the number of TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) multiplied by 17 (average revenue tons per TEU). 265.75 million tons: Up 660.2% from 1980 100 34.96 million tons Another issue is the loss of Hanjin Shipping at the Port of Portland as of March 9. Earlier this month, Hanjin announced it would end service at Turn to PORTS, Page 12 Source: Pacific Maritime Association Alan Kenaga/Capital Press 0 1980 1990 2000 2010 2013 THIS WEEK IN THE CAPITAL PRESS Farm labor association extends reach into other states Page 3 Drone ban wins support from hunters Legislation directs the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to write regulations that prohibit drones for hunting. Page 15 9-4/#5 Early spring worries growers VOLUME 88, NUMBER 9