4
CapitalPress.com
April 17, 2015
Yakima Basin irrigation district expects high water prices
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
OLYMPIA — The Roza
Irrigation District in the
drought-stricken Yakima Basin
anticipates water will be far
more expensive than during the
last drought a decade ago.
“We’re saying the cost of
water will be at least double
what it was,” Roza’s policy
director, Ron Van Gundy, said
Monday.
Van Gundy and the district’s
manager, Scott Revell, outlined
for the Legislature’s drought
committee their preparations
for a dry summer.
The 95-mile-long district
particularly concerns state of-
ficials. The district produces
roughly $1 billion annually in
agricultural products, includ-
ing tree fruit, grapes and hops.
The district is made up of junior
right holders, who are forecast
to receive 60 percent of their
normal water supplies.
The district has some 90
percent of the state’s roughly
100 drought emergency wells.
The Washington Department
of Ecology says the wells can’t
be tapped unless water is leased
from somewhere else to offset
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Roza Irrigation District Policy Director Ron Van Gundy, right, ges-
tures while talking with district Manager Scott Revell after meeting
April 13 with the Legislature’s drought committee in Olympia.
the impact on streams.
Faced with a drought in
2005, Roza and the state split
the expense and spent $3.8 mil-
lion on leasing water, primari-
ly from senior right holders in
the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation
District.
This time, Roza has saved up
$3.5 million for drought relief.
Plus, DOE has requested law-
makers spend up to $4 million,
with the goal of providing Ya-
kima Basin growers at least 70
percent of their normal supply.
But the money won’t go as
far as it did in 2005, Van Gundy
and Revell said. The value of
cropland has gone up and with
it the demand and price of wa-
ter, they said.
Roza spent about $300 per
acre to lease water 10 years
ago. For this drought, Van Gun-
dy said he hasn’t heard any esti-
mate below $500 an acre.
Roza will wait until at least
early May and the next U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation forecast
to pursue water from Sunny-
side. The bureau expects senior
right holders will have full wa-
ter supplies.
Revell and Van Gundy said
the district doesn’t want to com-
mit to buying water now, cau-
tious that 2016 could be even
worse if the drought continues.
“We are just as worried
about next year as this year,”
Revell said.
Van Gundy said the next 60
days will determine the severity
of the drought.
Normal rainfall in the wa-
tersheds that feed the Yakima
Basin may minimize the need
to lease water, he said. But if
only 80 percent of average pre-
cipitation falls, summer water
supplies could fall to 50 percent
or below of normal, he said.
“We’re just on the ragged
edge — which way it’s going to
go,” Van Gundy said. “About
every two weeks, we need a
shot of moisture.”
The U.S. Climate Prediction
Center forecast in mid-March
that the region would receive
below average rainfall over the
next three months.
A manager in DOE’s wa-
ter resources program, Dave
Christensen, said the depart-
ment has received five in-
quiries from growers about
drawing from emergency
wells. The DOE is not issu-
ing permits at this time to use
the wells.
Revell said he assumes all
growers with emergency wells
are interested in using them.
Foreign markets loom large in GMO litigation
Lawsuits over biotech trait have industrywide implications, experts say
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
The barrage of farmer law-
suits against a biotech devel-
oper could give foreign buyers
more influence over genetically
modified crops grown in the
U.S., experts say.
Syngenta faces numerous
cases in federal court filed by
growers who claim they lost
money due to China’s rejection
of Viptera corn, which USDA
deregulated in 2010.
The legal dispute is trou-
bling to biotech proponents,
who fear that litigation-averse
companies will become reluc-
tant to introduce new traits even
when they’re approved by fed-
eral regulators.
“It’s ultimately giving Chi-
na a veto on our regulatory
LEGAL
NOTICE OF FINE FESCUE COMMISSION PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING
TO: ALL OREGON FINE FESCUE GROWERS
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held pursuant
to ORS 576.416 (5), on Monday, May 11, 2015, at 7:00 a.m., at
Elmer’s Restaurant, 3950 Market Street NE, Salem, Oregon, upon
a proposed budget for operation of the Fine Fescue Commission
during the fiscal year July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. At this
hearing any producer of Fine Fescue has a right to be heard with
respect to the proposed budget, a copy of which is available for
public inspection, under reasonable circumstances, in the office
of each County Extension Agent in Oregon. For further
information, contact the Fine Fescue Commission business office,
P.O. Box 3366, Salem, Oregon 97302, telephone (503) 364-2944.
The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities.
Please make any requests for an interpreter for the hearing
impaired or for other accommodation for persons with
disabilities at least 48 hours before the meeting by contacting
the Commission office at 503-364-2944.
16-1/#4
process,” said Mary Boote,
CEO of Truth About Trade and
Technology, a nonprofit that
supports genetic engineering.
Critics of federal biotech
oversight, on the other hand,
say the lawsuits simply reflect
market realities — overseas
buyers are often sensitive to
transgenic crops regardless of
their status with USDA.
The court system provides
a means of “backdoor regula-
tion,” said George Kimbrell, at-
torney for the Center for Food
Safety, which is involved in
several lawsuits over biotech-
nology.
“We think federal oversight
of genetically engineered crops
is woefully inadequate,” Kim-
brell said. “Litigation is unfor-
tunately even more necessary
in such circumstances.”
Syngenta’s insect-resistant
trait was sold to U.S. farm-
ers before China cleared it for
importation, resulting in nu-
merous corn shipments getting
turned away in 2013 and 2014.
Farmers who are suing the
company claim that reduced
exports also depressed corn
prices. They’re demanding
compensation from Syngenta
on several legal grounds, ar-
guing the biotech firm released
the trait despite knowing of the
potential for market disruption.
The cases were consolidated
before a federal judge in Kan-
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
Corn is unloaded from a truck
in this file photo. A class-action
lawsuit resulting from China’s re-
jection of a genetically modified
variety of corn is likely to demon-
strate the sway foreign buyers
have over domestic policy.
sas who is now sorting out pro-
cedural matters in the litigation.
While the plaintiffs face an
“uphill battle” in proving their
claims, the “chilling effect”
for biotech developers will in-
crease as the case progresses,
said Kristine Tidgren, staff at-
torney for the Center for Ag-
ricultural Law and Taxation at
Iowa State University.
“I don’t see that agriculture
wins in this lawsuit, no matter
how it turns out,” she said.
Even if Syngenta ultimately
prevails, the case will encour-
age copycat lawsuits if the
plaintiffs’ legal arguments are
able to survive one or more
“motions to dismiss,” she
said.
Nurseries given tips
on preventing spread
of citrus psyllid
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
SACRAMENTO — A state
agency is urging residential and
commercial nurseries to take
steps to prevent the spread of
a disease-carrying pest whose
presence could decimate Cali-
fornia’s citrus industry.
The state’s Citrus Pest and
Disease Prevention Program
is working with trade organi-
zations in distributing tips to
nurseries touting best practices
such as arranging citrus trees
to encourage the sale of older
plants first.
The effort, which is funded
by an 8-cents-per-carton assess-
ment on growers, also focuses
on what nursery employees
should tell homeowners about
the Asian citrus psyllid and
how to treat for it. The psyllid
can spread huanglongbing, or
citrus greening disease, which
has already infected 75 percent
of the Florida citrus industry.
Nurseries serve as “the front
line” in educating homeowners
about the threat the psyllid pos-
es to California’s citrus indus-
try, said Victoria Hornbaker,
citrus program manager for the
state Department of Food and
Agriculture.
Hornbaker said she thinks
the education efforts will curb
the spread of the pest, which
has been discovered in many
parts of California despite
CDFA quarantines of plants
and fruit.
“The reason I’m optimistic
is that the people we’re work-
ing with in the industry are re-
ally engaged and dedicated,”
Hornbaker said. “This is their
livelihood. If they can’t figure
out a way to stop the Asian
citrus psyllid and spread of the
disease .. they’re the ones who
are going to lose their liveli-
hood. Then the citizens of Cali-
fornia will lose the opportunity
to have fresh citrus on their ta-
ble.”
The best-practices materials
for nurseries were developed
by the University of California
Cooperative Extension and the
Department of Entomology at
UC-Riverside, which are also
offering an online course for
nursery employees in dealing
with the psyllid.
Huanglongbing causes dis-
coloration of fruit and leaves
and eventually kills the tree.
The University of Florida has
estimated that the disease has
caused more than 6,500 lost
jobs, $1.3 billion in lost reve-
nue to growers and $3.6 billion
in lost economic activity in a
swath of the South from Geor-
Photo courtesy of USDA ARS
An adult Asian citrus psyllid is
shown on a young citrus leaf.
The California Department
of Food and Agriculture has
expanded the citrus psyllid
quarantine area in Tulare
County.
gia to Texas, where the disease
is present.
Only one known case of
huanglongbing has been dis-
covered in California, occur-
ring in 2012 in a back yard in
the Los Angeles area. Recently
the CDFA added a 79-square-
mile section of Madera County
to its growing quarantine area,
which includes all or parts of 15
counties in central and southern
California.
Under the quarantine, all
citrus fruit must be cleaned of
leaves and stems before being
sent out of the area and citrus
and curry tree nursery stock
are prohibited from leaving the
area. An exception can be made
for nursery stock and budwood
grown in USDA-approved
structures that are designed to
keep the psyllid out.
For plants sold to local res-
idential customers, nurseries
can take such steps as avoid-
ing removing new flush, which
results in regrowth that can at-
tract the psyllid, and properly
disposing of citrus green waste,
Hornbaker said. The state’s ef-
fort comes as the USDA has an-
nounced that an additional $23
million is available for research
and extension projects for
growers fighting huanglong-
bing. The grants are part of the
federal Citrus Disease Research
and Extension Program, which
is funded through the 2014
Farm Bill.
The National Institute of
Food and Agriculture will take
grant applications this summer
and will give priority to projects
that are multi-state, multi-insti-
tutional and can show clear re-
sults to producers, according to
a news release.
In February, the USDA
handed out $23 million for
university research as well as
projects that support such near-
term tools as thermotherapy,
best-management-practices
training, early detection and
pest control efforts.
Key committee approves canola extension
Work group proposes legislative package on pesticides
Capital Press
A proposal to extend cano-
la production in Oregon’s
Willamette Valley has passed
a key legislative committee
despite the opposition of seed
producers.
House Bill 3382, which
would allow farmers to grow
500 acres of canola in the re-
LEGAL
Skinny Bull Ag
Museum & Stuff
Irrigon, OR • Hwy 730
Come and see the biggest
collection of OLD IRON in
Morrow County!
16-1/#6
16-1/#4X
NOTICE OF TALL FESCUE COMMISSION PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING
TO: ALL OREGON TALL FESCUE SEED GROWERS
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held pur-
suant to ORS 576.416 (5), on Thursday, May 14, 2015, at 6:00
p.m., at the Cascade Grill Restaurant, 110 Opal St. NE, Albany,
Oregon, upon a proposed budget for operation of the Oregon
Tall Fescue Commission during the fiscal year July 1, 2015
through June 30, 2016. At this hearing any producer of Tall
Fescue has a right to be heard with respect to the proposed
budget, a copy of which is available for public inspection, under
reasonable circumstances, in the office of each County Extension
Agent in Oregon. For further information, contact the Tall
Fescue Commission business office, 4093 12th Street Cutoff SE,
P.O. Box 3366, Salem, OR 97302, telephone 503-364-2944. The
meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Please
make any requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or
for other accommodation for persons with disabilities at least 48
hours before the meeting by contacting the Commission office
at 503-364-2944.
16-1/#4
LEGAL
NOTICE OF OREGON RYEGRASS COMMISSION
PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING
TO: ALL OREGON RYEGRASS SEED GROWERS
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held pursuant
to ORS 576.416 (5), on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. at the
Cascade Grill Restaurant, 110 Opal St. NE, Albany, Oregon, upon
a proposed budget for operation of the Ryegrass Growers Seed
Commission during the fiscal year July 1, 2015 through June 30,
2016. At this hearing any producer of Oregon-grown Ryegrass
seed has a right to be heard with respect to the proposed
budget, a copy of which is available for public inspection, under
reasonable circumstances, in the office of each County Extension
Agent in Oregon. For further information, contact the Oregon
Ryegrass Growers Seed Commission business office, 4093 12th
Street Cutoff SE, P.O. Box 3366, Salem, Oregon 97302, telephone
(503) 364-2944. The meeting location is accessible to persons
with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing
impaired or for other accommodations for persons with
disabilities should be made at least (48) hours in advance. 16-1/#4
541-561-2211 | 541-561-2327 | 541-303-3923
Text Your Classified Line Ad NOW
to 503-871-4742
gion for an additional three
years, was unanimously re-
ferred to the House floor with
“do pass” recommendation
by the House Committee on
Agriculture and Natural Re-
sources on April 14.
A six-year moratorium on
canola production in the Wil-
lamette Valley was approved
by lawmakers in 2013, but
500 acres of the crop were al-
lowed to be cultivated as part
of a three-year study by Ore-
gon State University.
Under HB 3382, the crop
would continue to be grown
on 500 acres annually for the
rest of the moratorium.
Specialty seed producers
who fear that canola “volun-
teers” will disrupt their opera-
tions, possibly by causing un-
wanted cross-pollination with
other brassica crops, argued
the bill would increase the
canola “seed bank” by 1,500
acres.
They urged the committee
to reject any extension until
LEGAL
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder,
on 4/28/2015. The sale will be
held at 10:00 am by
CERTIFIED AUTO REPAIR
2880 22ND ST SE, SALEM, OR
2007 Chevrolet 3500 Van
VIN=1GAHG39U071203764
Amount due on lien $1,090.00
Reputed owner(s)
Gregory Garrett
Westlake Financial Svcs
James Schneider
PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 819
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder,
on 4/28/2015. The sale will be
held at 10:00 am by
PRECISION TOWING &
RECOVERY IN
7575 3RD STREET SE, TURNER, OR
2008 GMC Sierra
VIN = 1GTEK29039Z161370
Amount due on lien $4,105.00
Reputed owner(s)
Merle McClure
Merle McClure
Citizens Auto Finance Legal-16-2-2/#4
Legal-16-2-4/#4
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
OSU completed its study.
Carol Mallory-Smith, a
weed scientist at the Univer-
sity, testified that so far cano-
la has not posed a greater
pest or disease risk than other
brassica crops and its volun-
teers could be controlled with
the same methods as for rad-
ishes and turnips.
Committee Chair Brad
Witt, D-Clatskanie, also
recently announced that a
work group on pesticides has
agreed to propose a package
of bills.
The legislation would re-
quire the Oregon Department
of Forestry to conduct an an-
alytical review of no-spray
pesticide buffers and im-
plement standard operating
procedures for the Oregon
Department of Agriculture to
receive and investigate pesti-
cide complaints, he said.
The proposal would also
double penalties for pesti-
cide violations, require ODA
to post an electronic list of
restricted use pesticides and
provide funding for these
programs, Witt said.