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10 CapitalPress.com July 17, 2015 Idaho Subscribe to our weekly Idaho email newsletter at Ca0italPress.com/newsletters Two new candidates for ag college dean announced By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press MOSCOW, Idaho — Two additional candidates are in the running to be the next dean of University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life SciM ences. An advisory commitM tee conducting a nationwide search for a new CALS dean had narrowed the list to three candidates in April. But UI Provost John Wiencek anM nounced June 25 the univerM sity had identified “additional well-qualified candidates....” The two additional canM didates are Jack Elliot, who heads Texas A&M UniversiM ty’s Department of AgriculturM al Leadership, Education and Communication, and Michael Parrella, who chairs UniverM sity of CaliforniaMDavis’ DeM partment of Entomology and Nematology. They bring the list of finalM ists to five. UI officials had initially told members of Idaho’s farm industry they hoped to have the new dean in place by July 1, but state ag leaders said they aren’t concerned with the search being continued. “We’re going with the flow,” said Food Producers of Idaho President Travis Jones, who is also executive director of Idaho Grain Producers AsM sociation. “We’re willing to do our part to help the univerM sity get this important search wrapped up.” The 14Mmember commitM tee, which began its search in January, had narrowed the pool of candidates from 25 to four people, who were interM viewed in Moscow in May. One of those candidates later withdrew his name from conM sideration. Idaho Dairymen’s AssociM ation Executive Director Bob Naerebout, who is a memM ber of the search committee, said he was “pleased with the Online More information about the University of Idaho agricul- ture dean candidates and the meeting dates and times can be viewed at www.uidaho. edu/0rovost/deansearches/ cals-dean-search/candi- date-information strong pool of candidates that have surfaced from the beginM ning of this process.” He said the committee’s focus “is on making sure we have the right person in this position.” Ag leaders and other stakeM holders will have a chance to meet the two new candidates and ask them questions during open sessions in Room 62 of the Agricultural Science BuildM ing on UI’s Moscow campus. The meeting with Elliot will take place July 20 from 1-2 p.m. Pacific Time and the open forum with Parrella will occur July 21 from 2M3 p.m. Those sessions will be reM corded and posted online. Select farm industry leadM ers will have an opportunity to meet with them in Boise. Parrella has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in entomology from Virginia Tech University. According to his bio, “his research is foM cused on developing integrated pest management programs for greenhouse and nursery crops, with an emphasis on biological control.” Elliot received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural educaM tion and master’s degree in ag economics from Washington State University. He earned his Ph.D. in ag education from Ohio State University. According to his bio, he presides over 1,300 undergradM uates, almost 200 graduate stuM dents and 80 faculty and staff at Texas A&M’s ALEC, the largest university ag departM ment in the nation. New Idaho law protects info of farmers, ranchers in conservation agreements By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press BOISE — A new Idaho law will protect the private informaM tion of farmers, ranchers and othM er landowners who enter into volM untary conservation agreements with soil conservation districts to protect sage grouse. The law, which went into effect July 1, exempts the land management plans of these volM untary stewardship agreements from disclosure under Idaho’s public records act. House Bill 291 didn’t garner much attention during the 2015 Idaho legislative session but Sen. Bert Brackett, a Republican rancher from Rogerson, believes it was one of the most important pieces of legislation to be passed. “We don’t want anything to put a damper on landowners’ willingness to enter into conM servation agreements,” he said. “People should not be punished for doing the right thing.” Rep. Steven Miller, a RepubliM can farmer and rancher from FairM field and the bill’s sponsor, said the law should give landowners more confidence when they’re considering entering into volunM tary conservation agreements. Miller is the superintendent of the Camas Soil Conservation District and past president of the Idaho Association of Soil ConserM vation Districts. “Farmers and ranchers are not that crazy about having evM eryone look at their business information,” he said. “This should give them a little more inM centive, or less of a disincentive, to work with conservation disM tricts in these types of efforts.” Without this type of exempM tion, landowners are cautious about entering into voluntary conservation agreements, said Steve Thompson, the district conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Thompson oversees the agency’s work with the Gooding and Camas county soil conserM vation districts, which led the effort to craft House Bill 291. “They are less likely to deM velop a voluntary plan if their personal and private business information isn’t protected,” he said. But with the exemption, “they will be more willing to step up and do some conservaM tion planning.” If someone submits a FreeM dom of Information Act request with NRCS about a voluntary conservation agreement, the agency would redact any perM sonal and sensitive information on behalf of the landowner and would only release information about how the resource will be benefited and the conservaM tion practices that will be used, Thompson said. Because of the new Idaho law, landowners who enter into voluntary stewardship agreeM ments to protect sage grouse with local soil conservation disM tricts will now enjoy that same type of protection. Courtesy of Idaho Conservation League Legislation creating a Boulder-White Clouds wilderness in Central Idaho has passed the U.S. House Resources Committee. Idaho wilderness bill advances in House By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Legislation creating a wilderM ness area within Central Idaho’s BoulderMWhite Cloud Range unanimously passed the U.S. House Resources Committee on July 9 as its companion bill in the Senate awaits action. The bill, HR 1138, was inM troduced by Rep. Mike SimpM son, RMIdaho. Sen. Jim Risch, also RMIdaho, sponsored S. 538 as a companion bill, which awaits final mark-up in the SenM ate Resources Committee. Simpson has emphasized that he drafted his Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness AddiM tions Act with input and supM port from a broad group of stakeholders, including enviM ronmental interests and ranchM ing industry representatives. “To say I am pleased about the BoulderMWhite Cloud bill moving forward would be an understatement,” Simpson said in a press release. “For more than a decade, Idahoans of all walks of life have worked tireM lessly on this legislation.” Simpson spokeswoman Nikki Wallace said the wilderM ness legislation would be a far better alternative to efforts to establish a national monument through presidential decree, which would be created with far less local input. Wallace said the Obama administration has granted Simpson time to pursue an “Idaho solution,” but “the threat is very real of it beM coming a national monument. “There are still many orgaM nizations that would like to see a national monument and still work is being done to advance national monument status,” Wallace said. Many ranchers who utilize the public land worry a monuM ment would be more restrictive on grazing. According to the Idaho Cattle Association, the proposed wilderness area inM cludes about 7,000 animal unit months of grazing land, but a monument would be much more expansive. Thresher pilots ‘act of God’ clause for wheat By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press 29-2/#4x BLACKFOOT, Idaho — A major Eastern Idaho wheat buyM er is experimenting with an “act of God” clause in its 2015 conM tracting, hoping to make wheat more competitive with other crops. Thresher Artisan Wheat has offered the clause on a pilot baM sis for a limited acreage to a seM lect number of growers. Thresher Chief OperatM ing Officer Don Wille said the clause specifies that growers needn’t deliver wheat if they don’t yield the contracted volM ume. Wille said the program is aimed at helping growers mitiM gate damage, such as the wideM spread sprout damage to grain crops following heavy rainfall last August. Contracts for other crops, such as barley, have long offered growers an act of God clause. “We had to do something to see if we could make wheat a little more competitive with barM ley,” Wille said. Blaine Jacobson, executive director of the Idaho Wheat Commission, considers the pilot program to be significant and hopes it will set a precedent that Thresher and other grain buyers will follow. Jacobson said when weather reduces yields, wheat growers are sometimes forced to purchase other wheat to fulfill their contracts, or to convince their elevators to allow them to deliver the following year. John O’Connell/Capital Press Wheat grows in Rockland, Idaho. Thresher Artisan Wheat has experimented with an “act of God” clause, allowing growers the option not to fill their contracts if weather conditions prevent them from producing the necessary amount. “It’s something that has kept wheat at a disadvantage when spring planting decisions are being made,” Jacobson said. “If Thresher can make it work for them, it would be a huge step forward.” Idaho Falls grower Matt Gellings forward contracted about half of his 2015 crop to Thresher, with delivery in DeM cember. The act of God clause was no longer available for his sale, but he hopes to have the opportunity to take advantage of it in the future. “I don’t dare sell more than half unless I’ve got it in the bin, especially after last year,” GellM ings said. “Nobody knew that (sprout damage) was coming, and it hurt a lot of people.” Where History Comes Alive! The Great Oregon Steam-Up July 25-26 and August 1-2 his s for t Join u tional Educa event! UN and F A COMPLEX OF HERITAGE MUSEUMS OPEN WED.-SUN. 9AM TO 5PM SPONSORED IN PART BY AMTRAK AND COVANTA *Photos by Ron Coop er Photog raphy • ACTION! Trains, Tractors, Threshing Machines, Steam-Powered Engines • KID FUN! Prizes, Kid Tractor Pulls, Tractor Parade • HISTORY COMES ALIVE! Quilts, Heritage Museum, www.antiquepowerland.rom Exit 263 off I-5 between Woodburn and Salem • SHOPPING! Swap Meet, Flea Market, Souvenirs • FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT! Including Ice Cream made with Steam Power ROP-29-2-1/#7 29-4/#14 Steam Engines, Cars, Trucks, Farm Equipment