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10 CapitalPress.com March 6, 2015 Washington By DON JENKINS Capital Press For the first time since early January, Washington state has no bird flu quar- antines, though the highly pathogenic virus could re- surface, according to the state Department of Agri- culture. WSDA on Wednesday lifted the final two quaran- tines in Okanogan County. Quarantines had pre- viously been removed in Benton, Franklin and Clal- lam counties. The quaran- tines restricted the move- ment of eggs, poultry and poultry products within about 6 miles of infected premises. A quarantine in De- schutes County near Tum- alo in Oregon remains in place. Bird flu there struck a 90-bird non-commerical flock that included chick- ens, ducks and turkeys in mid-February. No flocks have been in- fected in Washington since early February, when bird flu was found in a 100-bird non-commercial flock in Or- oville in Okanogan County near the Canadian border. A few days earlier, a 5,000- game bird farm was infected in Riverside, about 40 miles away. Both flocks were eutha- nized, and the virus appar- ently did not spread beyond the two flocks, according to WSDA. U.S. Department of Ag- riculture and WSDA veter- inarians visited numerous locations in the quarantine areas and tested samples from several birds. All sam- ples tested negative for avi- an influenza. Until Wednesday, there had been restrictions on the movement of poultry or poultry products some- where in Washington since Jan. 7 because of an unprec- edented outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu in the West. The virus has appeared in six Western states and British Columbia, Canada, since the beginning of De- cember. The virus has surfaced in various combinations of Eurasian and Northern American strains, but no human illnesses have been reported. Bird flu has hit two commercial poultry farms in California and 11 com- mercial operations in British Columbia. The virus also has been found in six backyards flocks, the game bird farm and in more than three dozen hawks, eagles, falcons and wild ducks, according to a USDA count. New cases continue to be reported in Asia and Eu- rope, with the virus poten- tially crossing over to other species. Chinese authorities reported Wednesday that two Bengal tigers in a zoo died of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu. Oroville Palmer Lake OKANOGAN NAT’L FOREST 97 97 r Approximate site of bird flu outbreak in 100-bird non- commercial flock 20 Riverside OKANOGAN Omak 20 N Okanogan In brief Apple maggots threaten Spokane yard waste recycling SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A new rule to protect Washington apple orchards from a pest could derail the yard waste recycling pro- gram in Spokane. The Spokesman-Review reports Spokane offi cials were surprised to fi nd they are affected by the rule intended for western Washington. The state Department of Agriculture last month said that counties under an apple maggot quarantine cannot ship compost to counties deemed free of the pest. Spokane County is the only county in eastern Washington under the quarantine. Its composting facility is in Lincoln County. Details of a possible mitigation process are still under discussion. R i v e WSDA urges bird owners to keep their guard up British Columbia Wash. O k a no n ga Washington free of bird fl u quarantines Area in detail 3 Skagit Valley fl owers blooming early 155 Approximate site of bird flu outbreak in 5,000-bird game flock 5 miles Alan Kenaga/Capital Press Because migratory wa- terfowl can carry avian in- fluenza, WSDA continues to urge bird owners to protect their domestic birds from contact with wild birds. Avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe to eat, according to WSDA. Deaths or illness among domestic birds should be re- ported to the WSDA Avian Health Program at 1-800- 606-3056. For wild birds, contact the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-606- 8768. LA CONNER, Wash. (AP) — After a mild winter, fi elds of yel- low daffodils near La Conner are blooming already and Skagit Val- ley tulips could fl ower early too. Tulip bulb growers tell the Skagit Valley Herald their fi elds will likely be full of color before the end of the month — in advance of the month-long tulip Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April. Organizers expect there should be plenty for visitors to see and do during the festival in the Mount Vernon area. This year, the La Con- ner Chamber of Commerce organized a Daffodil Festival in March to lead into the 32-year-old tulip festival. Zillah woman killed in collision with farm tractor ZILLAH, Wash. (AP) — The Washington State Patrol says a Zillah woman was killed in a collision with a farm tractor on the Yakima Valley Highway. The patrol says 55-year-old Vickie A. Goodno was speeding Sunday evening when her car collided with the John Deere tractor and overturned. The Yakima Herald-Republic reports she was not wearing a seat- belt and died at the scene near Zillah. The tractor driver was not hurt. WSDA manure bill slips away Farm groups seek funding for classes on applying nutrients 10-2/#4 stumbled, tripped up by a lack of support. In the place of new rules, however, farm groups ad- vocate tucking more than $500,000 in the state budget to show farmers how to keep manure runoff from polluting streams or groundwater. The new approach — edu- cation over regulation — has emerged as a way lawmakers can address concerns over manure runoff contaminating shellfi sh beds in Whatcom and Skagit counties, and ground- water in Yakima County. WSDA last fall proposed a new licensing program to oversee manure applications on 20 acres or more in those three counties. Gov. Jay Ins- lee’s budget proposal includ- ed $680,000 to fund the pro- gram. Much-anticipated legis- lation was never introduced, however. WSDA spokesman Hector Castro said it became apparent a bill couldn’t win approval. “I think clearly we need to have more conversations with our partners in the ag- riculture industry and other interested parties out there,” Castro said. Agricultural groups had complained that WSDA de- veloped the outlines of a ma- nure bill without consulting them. They said the proposal un- fairly singled-out farmers for watershed pollution and that WSDA hadn’t shown regu- lating manure would improve water quality. Another con- cern was that the bill would discourage farmers from fer- tilizing with manure. “I think it didn’t have sup- port because it had a lot of problems,” Washington State Dairy Federation’s director of governmental relations, Jay Gordon, said. Don Jenkins/Capital Press Logan James inspects bottles of Spire Mountain Cider on Feb. 24 at the Fish Brewing Company in Olympia. Cider makers propose breaking away from the Washington Wine Committee to lead their own marketing campaign. Wash. cider producers seek split from wineries Legislation would exempt cider makers from wine assessments By DON JENKINS Capital Press OLYMPIA — Hard cider makers are lobbying to break away from winemakers and form their own marketing asso- ciation. Washington’s 30 or so ci- der producers currently pay a mandatory 8 cents per gallon assessment to the Washington State Wine Commission. That amounted to $25,230 in the last fi scal year. It was a fraction of the $4.33 million the commission col- lected from wineries and grape growers, but cider makers say their fl edgling industry can’t waste money fi nancing a com- peting beverage. The message is going down smoothly with lawmakers. At a Senate hearing, Spokane Re- publican Michael Baumgartner jokingly referred to the issue as “trendy beers vs. bow ties.” “I can assure you, we’re fi nding you very persuasive,” Baumgartner told cider makers. If legislators exempt them from wine assessments, Wash- ington cider makers say they will voluntarily unite to champi- on their beverage. The industry, though growing, is too small to support a full-blown commis- sion with mandatory assess- ments, cider makers say. The wine commission nei- ther opposes nor supports cider makers breaking away, commis- sion spokeswoman Michaela Baltasar said. Cider makers were lumped in with wineries when there were only a few. “No one really cared,” said Seattle cider mak- er Colin Schilling, co-owner of Schilling Cider. But the number of Washington cider producers has roughly tripled in the past fi ve years, according to those in the industry. The emerging cider indus- try has enjoyed support from Eastern Washington lawmakers from apple- and pear-growing areas and Western Washington lawmakers from where much of the cider is made and sold. Schilling said roughly 10 pounds of apples go into a gal- lon of cider. He estimated 1 million gallons of cider will be made in Washington this year and predicted rapid growth. “As we grow, we’ll be in- creasing the demand for those apples,” he said. Cider makers buy all kinds of apples, Schilling said. “We use what we have.” With an alcoholic content of up to 7 percent, cider is compet- ing for a place with the state’s craft beer and wine industries. Cider makers resist being lumped in with beer, and they say they have even less in com- mon with wine. Cider is served in pints at pubs and drinkers don’t connect it with wine, said Max DeJar- natt, marketing manager for Spire Mountain Ciders in Olym- pia. “It’s fun. It’s boisterous.” Northwest Bison Association Spring Meeting Saturday, March 14 th • Enumclaw, WA Park Center Hotel 10-2/#14 OLYMPIA — A Washing- ton State Department of Ag- riculture proposal to regulate manure like pesticides has 10-2/#7 Capital Press 10-2/#4 By DON JENKINS