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2 CapitalPress.com May 29, 2015 People & Places Small farm grows larger with diversification John and Becky Klimes broaden their offerings to sell more to their customers Western Innovator By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Snake River Poultry Capital Press BUHL, Idaho — Farm- ing was a natural choice for John and Becky Klimes, who both grew up on farms, but they decided to do it differently. After meeting while work- ing at the University of Ida- ho’s Kimberly Research and Extension Center, they mar- ried and in 2005 purchased a few acres in Jerome and committed to using organic practices. The egg business they had started in Kimberly, Snake River Poultry, expanded be- yond poultry to include veg- etables, fruits, pork and beef, which they sold locally. Wanting to expand and become certified organic, the couple purchased 20 acres in Buhl and gained certification in 2014. They also added broilers to their production. They market their products through Idaho’s Bounty, Twin Falls Farmers’ Market and direct to customers off the farm. Their vegetables span Owners: John and Becky Klimes Capital Press Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester ..........................President Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Sid Freeman .................. Outside director Mike Omeg .................... Outside director Corporate officer John Perry Chief operating officer Capital Press Managers Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher Joe Beach ..................................... Editor Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Location: Buhl, Idaho Acres: 20 Status: Certified organic, Animal Welfare Approved Entire contents copyright © 2015 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Products: Organic veg- Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press John and Becky Klimes check cabbage starts on their 20-acre farm in Buhl, Idaho. The couple raises organic vegetables, eggs, broiler chickens and hogs. a wide variety, from leafy greens to tubers. They have 150 laying hens and sell 45 dozen eggs a week this time of year. The farm is home to 600 broiler chickens, five sows and about 80 finished hogs a year. The choice to farm organ- ic is both personal and eco- nomic, they said. Organic is “what food was intended to be and maintains soil health and biodiversity,” he said. “As a concerned mother, I feel it’s better for my body and the kids, too, and better for the earth,” Becky said. It’s also a marketing ad- vantage, John said. “The marketability of product is much higher with organic certification,” he said. While the Klimeses had used organic practices for years, moving to larger acre- age on land that hadn’t been farmed in nearly 40 years came with a learning curve. Longtime organic farmer and neighbor Mike Heath has been a big help. He is well versed in organic standards and regulations and has the connections to source organ- ic seed and feed, John said. Networking is important in organic farming, both in sourcing inputs and market- ing, he said. The diversification of the farm allows the Klimeses to sell more food to fewer peo- ple. Yields are on par with conventional ag, but quality is higher because products are not held up in transit or sitting on store shelves, he said. “I’m trying to capitalize on every customer I have. I’m trying to do more for them,” he said. John said he’s doing what he always wanted and he’s al- ways doing something differ- etables, dry beans, fruit, berries, eggs, broilers, pork and pastured beef Education: John has a master’s degree in plant science and bachelor’s in ag education, University of Idaho; Becky has a bache- lor’s degree in ag science and technology, University of Idaho Family: Three children, Eliz- abeth, 9; Jacob, 7; Kylie, .. Affiliation: John, Idaho’s Bounty board of directors ent because things change on the farm with every season. With their expanded pro- duction, the Klimeses intend to change the company name to Agrarian Harvest, but that will have to wait for the slow season, John said. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-.704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97.01. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97.08-2048. To Reach Us Toll free ............................. 800-882-6789 Main line ........................... 50.-.64-44.1 Fax ................................... 50.-.70-4.8. Advertising Fax ................ 50.-.64-2692 News Staff N. California Tim Hearden .................... 5.0-605-.072 E Idaho John O’Connell ................. 208-421-4.47 Idaho Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-.898 Boise Wal-Mart presses meat suppliers on antibiotics, treatment By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK — Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest food re- tailer, is urging its thousands of U.S. suppliers to curb the use of antibiotics in farm an- imals and improve treatment of them. That means asking meat producers, eggs suppliers and others to use antibiotics only for disease prevention or treatment, not to fatten their animals, a common industry practice. Experts say Wal- Mart is the first major retailer to take a stance to limit the use of the antibiotics. The guidelines also aim to get suppliers to stop us- ing sow gestation crates and other housing that doesn’t give animals enough space. They’re also being asked to avoid painful procedures like de-horning or castration with- out proper pain management. The push is part of an in- dustry trend responding to shoppers who want to know more about where their food comes from and who are AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File Customers walk outside a Wal-Mart store in San Jose, Calif. Wal- Mart, the nation’s largest food retailer, is urging its thousands of U.S. suppliers to curb the use of antibiotics in farm animals and improve treatment of them. choosing foods they see as more healthy or natural. It comes after activists have re- ported animal abuse at farms supplying Wal-Mart and other major companies. Wal-Mart wants its suppli- ers to produce annual reports on antibiotic use and their progress on animal welfare and post the reports on their own websites. It’s also pres- suring suppliers to report an- imal abuse to authorities and take disciplinary action. Kathleen McLaughlin, senior vice president of Wal- Mart’s sustainability division, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday that the retailer is not putting deadlines on suppliers and the steps aren’t mandatory. Still, Wal-Mart’s size gives it outsized influence on its suppliers’ practices, and changes it pushes can affect products at all stores. For ex- ample, when Wal-Mart asked its suppliers to reduce pack- aging about a decade ago, it spurred innovations in the consumer products industry. For example, Procter & Gam- ble introduced tubes of Crest toothpaste that could be fea- tured upright on shelves with- out boxes. “We think what’s needed is a fresh look at how we can look at producing food. This is an industrywide change. It won’t happen overnight,” she said. “It’s about transpar- ency.” For example, she not- ed that with antibiotics, “We don’t know a lot about who was using what for what rea- son.” Wal-Mart’s moves won praise from various groups. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, called it “game-changing progress and signals to agri- business that the era of confin- ing farm animals is ending.” “Battery cages, gestation crates and veal crates—along with other long-standing practices that immobilize an- imals—have a short shelf life in our food system,” he said. Dr. Gail Hansen, a for- mer practicing veterinarian and a senior officer of Pew Charitable Trusts’s antibiotic resistance project, called Wal- Mart’s move to curb the use of antibiotics a “big deal.” She noted the Food and Drug Administration keeps data on how much antibiotics are used in farm animals, but there’s no record of how they are being used. Concerns are growing that misuse can lead to antibiotic resistance in bac- teria, making human and an- imal disease more difficult to treat. “This will help us under- stand how antibiotics are be- ing used in the food produc- tion,” she said. The guidelines, which apply not only to suppliers to Wal-Mart stores but also to Sam’s Club, are part of the company’s pledge to make its food system more eco-friendly and improve food safety. Bird flu crisis slows in Minnesota, focus now on recovery By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Min- nesota notched six straight days without a new case of bird flu, and though state officials aren’t ready to say the outbreak is over, they’re beginning to stand down. The first case of H5N2 in the Midwest was confirmed in ear- ly March at a Minnesota turkey farm, and the virus then spread to 88 farms in the country’s top turkey producing state, affecting nearly 8 million birds, mostly turkeys. But new cases have fallen off sharply and the focus is turning toward getting poultry farms back into production. “I wouldn’t go out on a limb to say that we’re done for the season, but I would say it’s been six days now since we’ve had a presumptive case and we are very optimistic that this trend will continue,” Minnesota Board of Animal Health spokes- woman Bethany Hahn said. To be sure, the disease re- mains a threat. Iowa, the chief egg producer in the U.S., has reported 11 new probable out- breaks last week alone, raising its total cases to 63 and toll to over 25.5 million birds, mostly chickens. But no other Midwest states had reported new cases as of Thursday. Across the Mid- west, the U.S. Department of Agriculture puts the loss at near- ly 39 million birds. Things have settled down enough that Minnesota’s Board of Animal Health stopped issu- ing daily updates unless it has new cases or other news. The state’s emergency operations center, which helped mobilize agencies to respond to new cases, is just partially activated now. While an incident manag- er remains on duty, the center is “certainly not as busy as it was,” said Bruce Gordon, spokesman for the state Department of Pub- lic Safety. And federal personnel as- signed to the state’s crisis have fallen. Many came from the Animal and Plant Health In- spection Service, which had 139 responders in Minnesota last month; that was down to 40 by Wednesday, spokeswoman Jo- elle Hayden said. Hahn said the first Minne- sota farm that was affected, in Pope County, could resume production in a few weeks, with others following a few weeks later. The barns must get a thor- ough cleaning and disinfection and if all tests are negative, the barns go into 21 days of down- time as a precaution. Officials will then work with producers to determine when it’s safe to restock, Hayden said. 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Letters to the Editor: Send your comments on agriculture-related public issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital Press. Letters should be limited to .00 words. Deadline: Noon Monday. Capital Press ag media www.capitalpress.com www.FarmSeller.com www.AgDirectoryWest.com www.OnlyAg.com www.facebook.com/capitalpress www.facebook.com/farmseller www.facebook.com/onlyAGdotcom twitter.com/capitalpress www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo Calendar Wednesday, June 3 California Hot Wage & Hour Issues, noon-1 p.m. Sutton Hague Law Corp., Fresno, 559- .25-0500. Useful for employers of all sizes, owners, managers, accountants, attorneys and hu- man resource professionals. The monthly webinars address a va- riety of issues facing employers. Participate from any touchtone phone and submit questions during the program. Frozen Assets: How we can and why we should save the world’s frozen water, 7-9 p.m. Walla Walla Public Library, Walla Walla, Wash. 509-94.- 0705. Mountaineer and climate scientist Steven Ghan takes us on a visual journey along the www.blogriculture.com crest of the North Cascades, showing evidence of glacier retreat and shares solutions to prevent global ice melt and how to preserve our snowpack. Thursday, June 4 Nevada Hot Wage & Hour Issues, noon-1 p.m. Sutton Hague Law Corp., Fresno, 559- .25-0500. Useful for employers of all sizes, owners, managers, accountants, attorneys and human resource professionals. Wednesday, June 10 Oregon State University Exten- sion Sherman Station Field Day, 7: .0 a.m. Sherman County Extension, Moro, 541-565- .2.0. Twelve speakers are scheduled to talk on topics that include wheat diseases and screening for resistance, soil pH and maximizing yields, soil-borne pathogens and Clearfield wheat trials. Friday, June 12 Forestry Shortcourse, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. West Bonner Library, Priest River, 208-446-1680. This 6-ses- sion program will help forest owners understand ecology, silviculture, wildlife and other topics. Register by June 5. Saturday, June 13 Rickreall Gun Show, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Polk County Fair Grounds, Rickreall, Ore. 50.-62.-.048. Sheep in the Foothills, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Boise Foothills Learning Center, Boise. Sunday, June 14 Rickreall Gun Show, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Polk County Fair Grounds, Rickreall, Ore. 50.-62.-.048. Friday, June 19 Forestry Shortcourse, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. West Bonner Library, Priest River, 208-446-1680. This 6-session program will help forest owners understand ecology, silvi- culture, wildlife and other topics. Sunday, June 21 Washington Potato and Onion Association Annual Convention, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Northern Quest Casino, Airway Heights. Monday, June 22 Washington Potato and Onion Association Annual Convention, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Northern Quest Casino, Airway Heights. Index Drought ................................. . Markets ............................... 1. Opinion .................................. 6 Tuesday, June 23 Correction policy Washington Potato and Onion Association Annual Convention, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Northern Quest Casino, Airway Heights. Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. Friday, June 26 Forestry Shortcourse, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. West Bonner Library, Priest River, 208-446-1680. This 6-session program will help forest owners understand ecology, silviculture, wildlife and other topics. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 50.-.64-44.1, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.
