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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2015)
SPECIAL SECTION: ORCHARDS, NUTS AND VINES Inside TS U N S, INES D R CHA & V Capital Press The West s Weekly ss Pre al g pit A Ca kly Wee The OR 15 , 20 l 17 Apri t’s Wes FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015 eeps li v in g đ VOLUME 88, NUMBER 16 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM đ $2.00 GMO critics, proponents agree on mediation system đ By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press LITTLE PEST, BIG PROBLEM Potato growers say they need relief from regulations aimed at eradicating pale cyst nematodes By SEAN ELLIS Pale cyst nematode explained Capital Press S HELLEY, Idaho — Potato growers in a small federally regulated quarantine area in Eastern Idaho say they’ve been asked to bite the bullet for the entire Idaho potato industry for too long. They have turned to state legislators for help. “We’re tired of carrying the load,” Bryan Searle recently told members of the House Agricultural Affairs Committee. “If we’re go- ing to carry one for the team, we need help to continue.” Searle and a handful of other potato farmers told legislators that federal and state regulations designed to eradicate pale cyst nem- atode from the quarantine area are burdensome, might be unnecessary in some cas- es and have cost growers millions of dollars. John O’Connell/Capital Press Federal and state offi - ABOVE: A worker at Mickelsen Farms in Firth, cials say the regulations Idaho, fi lls a front end loader with potatoes to designed to eradicate PCN, load into a spud planter on April 13. which is considered a quar- TOP PHOTO: An Eastern Idaho potato fi eld in- antine pest by more than 80 fested with pale cyst nematodes is prepared for a nations, are necessary to methyl bromide fumigation. Courtesy of USDA APHIS protect the state’s $900 mil- lion potato industry. The PCN — a tiny worm that feeds off potato plant roots — can cause wilting, stunted growth, poor root development and early plant death and signifi cantly reduce yields. Turn to PCN, Page 12 ISDA Director Celia Gould It was “hugely frustrating (to hear) allegations that they had not been listened to or had not had any voice in the process because from day one they had a voice.” PCN are small, worm-like organisms, around one millimeter in length, that feed on the roots of potatoes, tomatoes, other plants of the Solanacease family. A serious infestation can reduce potato yield by as much as 80 percent. Normal potato plant Plant with heavy nematode infestation Sources: USDA APHIS; Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture Biology 1: A fertilized female breaks through the root surface. 7 2: The female’s body swells 4 with more than 400 developing eggs. 2 3, 4, 5: The female dies. 3 Her body hardens into a 5 cyst, which undergoes various color stages. 1 6: In the absence of a host, 6 the cyst can remain dormant in the soil for up to 20 years. Alan Kenaga/ 7: Cross section of a cyst shows Capital Press eggs and hatching larvae, which invade the root tips of a host plant to feed, starting the cycle over again. In temperate regions, typically one generation of PCN occur each year. SALEM — Disputes over genetically modifi ed crops would be mediated by Or- egon farm regulators under legislation that has won sup- port from biotech critics and proponents. Mediators from the Or- egon Department of Agri- culture would help resolve coexistence confl icts among growers of biotech, con- ventional and organic crops as part of House Bill 2509, which is headed for a vote on the House fl oor. A farmer who refuses to participate in such mediation and later loses a lawsuit in the dispute would be required to pay the op- posing party’s costs and attor- ney fees. In confl icts over infring- ing farm prac- Bushue tices — such as unwanted cross-pollination between crops — ODA offi cials would also oversee the collection of samples to establish a “chain of custody.” Barry Bushue, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau, said if passed the legislation will cast a light on the number and type of such disputes, which are currently largely anecdotal. “We feel this is highly pref- erable to any kind of mandates and practices that favor one type of crop over another,” Bushue said during an April 14 hearing before the House Committee on Rural Commu- nities, Land Use and Water. Committee Chairman Bri- an Clem, D-Salem, said the proposal emerged from a work group on genetically modifi ed organisms and has not met with any opposition from par- ticipants. The bill was unanimous- ly referred for a vote on the House fl oor with a “do-pass” recommendation during the April 14 work session. “It creates an incentive for people to mediate coexistence Turn to GMO, Page 12 ICE: Don’t help workers with immigration programs No safe harbor for employers who fi nd workers are illegal By DAN WHEAT Capital Press OLYMPIA — U.S. Im- migration and Customs En- forcement rejected a request from a farm labor associ- ation for safe harbor for em- ployers help- ing employees apply for tem- Fazio porary legal work status even though a sister agency granted safe harbor for em- ployees. On Feb. 27, Dan Fazio, director of the Washington Farm Labor Federation, sent a letter to Sarah Saldana, INSIDE • Immigration action back in limelight Page 12 AP File photo Farmworkers pick paper trays of dried raisins off the ground and heap them onto a trailer in the fi nal step of raisin harvest in 2013 near Fresno, Calif. director of ICE, requesting safe harbor for employers. Through executive action, the Obama administration has created two programs to grant certain illegal immigrants temporary work permits and deferral from deportation. In preparing to apply for two immigration programs — Deferred Action for Par- ents of Americans (DAPA) or an expanded version of Deferred Action for Child- hood Arrivals (DACA 2.0) — employees might seek employment records from employers, Fazio said. If they admit they are in the country illegally, or say they need the records to apply for DAPA or DACA 2.0, the employer has to fire them or be liable for audit and prosecution for hiring ineligible workers, Fazio said. Workers apply for DAPA or DACA 2.0 with U.S. Cit- izenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) which has said it will not disclose ap- plicants to ICE or Customs and Border Protection for immigration enforcement, Fazio said. In a March 30 reply to Fazio, Traci Lembke, ICE assistant director, wrote that employees must be autho- rized to work at the time of hire. There is no special consider- ation for unauthorized workers who may be eligible for DAPA or DACA 2.0, she wrote. Turn to ICE, Page 12