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DEMAND HIGH FOR RECORD BLUEBERRY CROP Page 7 Capital Press The West s Weekly FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2015 VOLUME 88, NUMBER 26 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 State Department resumes issuing guestworker visas By DAN WHEAT Capital Press After a nine-day delay, the U.S. State Department is again issuing visas to Mexican farmworkers stranded at the U.S.-Mexican border wanting to head north for jobs. But not without complica- tions. A computer hardware fail- ure earlier this month prevent- ed embassies and consulates worldwide from processing visa and passport applications. That left thousands of work- ers waiting in Mexico to get their H-2A visas. Visas were issued June 17 for a majority of some 200 people headed to Washington state to work in cherry harvest and other tree fruit work, Dan Fazio, director of the Washing- ton Farm Labor Association in Olympia, said. On June 22, three more workers for WAFLA were de- layed despite the organization being willing to pay $591 ex- tra per worker for their waiver, Fazio said. Customs and Border Pro- tection of the Department of Homeland Security said the workers needed a travel letter from the consulate, Fazio said. “The consulate was unable to provide travel letters for these three workers but could not tell us why,” he said. “The most logical theory we heard was that CBP had requested the consul- ate limit the number of travel letters each day so the border would not be overwhelmed.” Steve Scaroni, owner of Sca- roni Family of Companies, El Centro, Calif., said Tuesday that Turn to VISAS, Page 12 IDAHO NEGOTIATIONS SEEK TO STAVE WATER CALLS Averting curtailments critical in maintaining ag, industry Idaho irrigators seek long-term water deal By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press 95 and affi liated companies and organizations have agreed to pay $25 million to settle allegations it violated antitrust law by acting as a cartel to raise prices. Potato growers reach $25 million antitrust settlement By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI AND JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press A potato growers’ coopera- tive has agreed to pay $25 mil- lion to settle allegations that it violated antitrust law by acting as a cartel to raise prices. Under the deal, which was granted preliminary approval by a federal judge on June 17, the United Potato Growers of America and affi liated com- panies and organizations must pay $19.5 million to grocers and $5.5 million to consum- ers. Apparently, however, the agreement won’t put the legal issue to rest. One of the ma- jor plaintiffs, Kansas-based Associated Whole Grocers, issued a press release June 23 indicating it will not partici- pate in the settlement. “AWG’s individual action alleges that the defendants en- gaged in various supply-con- trol and price-fi xing practices designed to raise the price of fresh and processed potatoes in violation of the Kansas Re- straint of Trade Act and the Sherman Act,” the statement reads. “AWG’s case contin- ues pretrial proceedings in the District of Idaho before being returned to federal court in Kansas for trial.” UPGA President and CEO Jerry Wright said the court is now establishing provisions under which other plaintiffs may opt out of the settlement. Under the settlement, the defendants have also agreed to cease any attempt to man- age potato acreage prior to planting for seven years. In 2010, the cooperative and numerous growers were the target of a lawsuit by the Jamestown, N.Y., potato buyer Brigiotta’s Farmland Produce and Garden Center for allegedly constraining potato production to artifi cial- ly infl ate prices. Associated Wholesale Grocers fi led a similar suit in 2013. Turn to SPUDS, Page 12 Rive r S Lewiston S na ke John O’Connell/Capital Press Seed potatoes are loaded into a planter April 13 at a Wada Farms fi eld in Eastern Idaho. The United Potato Growers of America BOISE — underlying causes behind tate leaders say the unsustainable ground- Idaho’s econom- water outlook, thereby ic future hangs averting future water calls. in the balance They agree failure to as surface wa- act would leave Idaho on ter and a path toward a de- groundwater users pleted aquifer and seek to hammer out well curtailments terms of a tenuous that would devastate agreement resolving farms and industries a decade-old water from Magic Valley to call. Ashton. State politi- Bedke Irrigators with the cal leaders, including Surface Water Coa- Gov. Butch Otter and lition fi led the call against House Speaker Scott Bed- junior well users on the ke, have taken a lead role in Eastern Snake Plain Aqui- facilitating negotiations. fer in response to the role of “I am optimistic we’ll their pumping on declining have a valid, defensible spring fl ows into the Snake proposal that each of these River from Blackfoot to entities can take back to Milner Dam. their boards and put on the Rather than pursuing a table,” said Bedke, an Oak- solution to eek through a ley farmer and rancher who single season, as in the past, is acting as mediator in the the sides have proposed a Turn to WATER, Page 12 monumental plan to address 95 A monumental water agreement being negotiated by Idaho Ground Water Appropriators, Inc., and the Surface Water Coalition would Snake River address underlying causes watershed of aquifer depletion and aim East Snake Plain to avert future water calls. Aquifer Model 2.1 12 Surface Water Coalition 10% trim line 93 20 IDAHO 84 15 Ashton Boise 26 20 Mountain Home Sn a k e R i v er N 26 93 American Falls Res. 93 Source: Idaho Dept. of Water Resources Pocatello 15 Twin Falls 25 miles Idaho Falls Blackfoot 84 Alan Kenaga/Capital Press TOP PHOTO: Canal water fl ows out of the Lowline/Rock Creek inverted steel syphon that dates back to 1904 at 1,300 cubic feet per second in Twin Falls County on June 18. A corn fi eld is irrigated in 2013 near Twin Falls, Idaho. Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press File photo THIS WEEK IN THE CAPITAL PRESS HIGH COURT: Raisin program is unconstitutional Page 3 NW cherry growers report lighter crop Page 4