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16 CapitalPress.com July 17, 2015 Herbicide studies could lead to restrictions Legal settlement covers four common chemicals By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will study the nationwide impacts that four common herbicides have on endangered species, which could lead to new restrictions. The studies are part of a legal settlement with envi- S. Idaho wins food- processing recognition By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press Southern Idaho has received the prestigious U.S. Department of Commerce designation as a top “Manufacturing Communi- ty.” The designation means the region’s All Things Food Man- ufacturing initiative will receive coordinated support for its eco- nomic-development strategies from federal agencies and share $1 billion in federal assistance with 11 other selected commu- nities. The designation also brings federal recognition to the food-manufacturing sector of south-central Idaho’s Magic Valley as having national sig- nificance, said Carleen Herring, chief operating officer and se- nior vice president of the Region IV Development Association, based in Twin Falls. The region is one of the most diverse food baskets in the na- tion and a powerhouse of food production, processing and re- search, said Eerring, who au- thored the grant application. The designation will help companies attract food-related talent in research and education and bring workforce training opportunities. It includes pref- erential consideration for federal funding and provides liaisons in federal agencies to help eco- nomic development organizers navigate programs, policies and regulations, she said. “We are thrilled. This chang- es the game for south-central Idaho food manufacturing. It’s shining a national spotlight on what we’ve already accom- plished and allows us to accom- plish more,” she said. Numerous partners have been working to implement strategies to boost the region’s growing food-processing in- dustry, including attracting and retaining businesses, creating workforce programs, building public infrastructure and estab- lishing market strategies, she said. “This just gives us access to a whole new set of resources we didn’t have yesterday,” she said. In announcing the top 12 communities selected for the program, U.S. Commerce Sec- retary Penny Pritzker said the designation is an “important signal to potential investors that these communities are a good place to spend their money, and this is smart government at work.” The communities were se- lected based on the strength of their economic develop- ment plans, the potential for impact in their communities and the depths of their part- nerships across the public and private sectors to carry out their plans. “The bottom line is we know how to play well to- gether and capitalize on individ- ual strengths. It’s that working together that makes us so suc- cessful,” Eerring said. That partnership has spurred growth in the region’s food manufacturing sector in recent years, including new invest- ments from Chobani, Monsanto, Clif Bar and Frulact Group and expansions by Glanbia Foods, McCain Foods and WOW Lo- gistics. “This is a defining mo- ment for our small region and validates our All Things Food Manufacturing brand,” said Jan Rogers, executive director of the Southern Idaho Economic De- velopment Organization. ronmentalists under which the agency must conduct “effects determinations” by 2020 for glyphosate, atrazine, propazine and simazine. In exchange, the agency will not have to complete re- gional analyses for 16 chemi- cals it had agreed to scrutinize under an earlier version of the agreement reached in 2010. Those pesticides were cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, dimethoate, esfenvalerate, ethoprop, fenpropathrin, fipronil, fluvalinate, im- idacloprid, oxyfluorfen, phenothrin, propargite, resmethrin, sodium cynide, tetramethrin and zeta-cy- permethrin. Under the 2010 settle- ment, EPA would only have to reach conclusions about the endangered species ef- fects of those chemicals in the San Francisco Bay area. In a statement, the agen- cy said it’s “more efficient” to limit the studies to the four herbicides, noting that it had already finished de- terminations for 59 of the 75 chemicals covered under the previous deal. The Center for Biolog- ical Diversity, which filed suit against EPA over the pesticides eight years ago, said the swap is worth- while because the studies will now be larger in scope even though the number of chemicals will be pared down. “That was a good trade, in that sense,” said Brett Eartl, endangered species policy coordinator for the environmental group. Atrazine and glyphosate are the most heavily applied herbicides in the U.S., while propazine and simazine are chemically similar to the former chemical and thus are logical for inclusion in the study, Eartl said. While glyphosate is “not the most acutely toxic” of pesticides, its usage has ris- en tremendously with the popularity of biotech crops that are resistant to the chemical, he said. “It’s definitely having consequences,” he said. As for atrazine and re- lated chemicals, they’ve been linked to health problems in wildlife and in humans, Eartl said. The Center for Biologi- cal Diversity is expecting the study to result in “tailored conservation measures” to mitigate the negative effects of glyphosate in sensitive habitats, he said. As for atrazine and related pesticides, the group expects they’ll be found to be danger- ous enough to be prohibited, said Eartl. Cranberry growers renew marketing order Oregon farmer pins hopes on increased sales instead of volume controls By DON JENKINS Capital Press U.S. cranberry growers, faced with a huge surplus that’s pushing down prices, have renewed their crop’s federal marketing program, though Canadian competitors and a U.S. Supreme Court rul- ing involving raisins makes volume controls appear un- likely. Some 76 percent of 470 growers in 10 states, includ- ing Washington and Oregon, recently voted to renew the Cranberry Marketing Com- mittee for another four years. The vote total was similar to the 2011 referendum. The committee, estab- lished in 1962, is rooted in the same 1937 New Deal law that was successfully challenged by California raisin farmer Marvin Eorne, who argued that being forced to surrender part of his crop to boost raisin prices was an unconstitution- al taking of private property. The high court ruled 8-1 in June in his favor. The cranberry committee sought a 15 percent reduction in the 2014 harvest after pric- es tumbled the year before. The U.S. Department of Ag- riculture denied the petition, citing possible collusion with Cranberries sit in a bin during the 2014 harvest on the Long Beach Peninsula in southwest Washington. Photos by Don Jenkins/Capital Press Cranberries are harvested in 2014 on the Long Beach Peninsula in southwest Washington. Growers have renewed the industry’s federal marketing order, but volume controls to stabilize prices are not in the offing. Canadian growers to reduce supplies against the public’s interest. The committee decided last spring to not renew the request for 2015, even though the industry expects to begin the fall harvest with 86 per- cent of the 2014 cranberry crop still unused. The cranberry industry boasts some gains in increas- ing demand, but the new sales have been more than erased by higher production. Cranberry supplies have been swelled by rising U.S. yields, especially in Wiscon- sin, plus Canada’s emergence as a large cranberry producer. The cranberry commit- tee’s outgoing director, Scott Soares, wrote in a farewell message in May that the glob- al cranberry industry’s growth made U.S. volume controls less effective. The USDA last authorized cranberry volume controls in 2001. Long Beach, Wash., cranberry grower Malcolm McPhail said losing volume control as a tool to reduce sur- pluses would be unfortunate. “You get rid of the surplus and then you can get living again,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s ever going to happen again.” The surplus caused the price farmers received to drop from an average of $47.90 per 100-pound barrel in 2012 to $31.10 in 2014, according to the USDA’s preliminary re- port on last year’s crop. The USDA is scheduled to issue a final report Friday. Prices varied widely among farmers. In Washington, where most farmers belong to the Ocean Spray cooperative or sell to the fresh fruit market, the average price was $43.50 a barrel. In Oregon, which has more independent growers selling to processors, the average price was $27.50. Bandon, Oregon, farmer Bob Donaldson, who grows for Ocean Spray and inde- pendent markets, said some berries are being sold for less than the cost of production. Ee said a small percentage of acres are not being culti- vated this year. Returning the bogs to production would re- quire expensive restoration of vines, he said. “You hate to see your friends and neighbors give up,” Donaldson said. “I love growing cranberries, so I have to be an optimist and tell my- self I’m going to stick with it, but it’s hard to see it coming back anytime soon.” Donaldson and McPhail said they were happy the cranberry committee was re- authorized. The Massachu- setts-based committee, fund- ed by grower assessments, supports cranberry research and promotions. McMorris Rodgers: Immigration reform movement ‘soon’ Washington rep also talks about wildfire funding, trade By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press SPOKANE — Immigra- tion reform is the biggest legislative need for agri- culture today, a Republican U.S. Eouse leader says. “There is a real need for a workforce,” Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rod- gers told the Capital Press following her welcoming remarks at the National As- sociation of Conservation Districts summer board meeting. “In Washington state, we need between 80,000 and 100,000 people to help us pick in a given year. The current guest- worker program will provide maybe 5,000 to 8,000.” McMorris Rodgers said Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers welcomes members of the National Association of Conservation Districts to the summer board meeting July 12 in Spokane. she is talking with col- leagues to determine how to move forward on immigra- tion bills. “The judiciary committee has passed out the border se- curity, the interior enforce- ment and hopefully we can start working on the work- able ag guestworker pro- gram and the visa bill and really start taking some ac- tion,” she said. “I’m hoping we’ll see something soon.” Eow soon is soon? “If not by August, cer- tainly in the fall,” said Mc- Morris Rodgers, who is the Republican Conference chair. In other issues, she said the Eouse recently approved ER 2647, the Resilient Fed- eral Forests Act, to address wildfire funding. “Every year, the For- est Service when they are fighting fires, robs other ac- counts, including their man- agement account, to pay for fires,” McMorris Rodgers said. The bill allows other agencies to put forward money beforehand, she said. “It will create more cer- tainty,” she said. The bill also includes provisions that will help im- prove forest conditions and encourages local collabora- tives. McMorris Rodgers cit- ed bipartisan support in the Eouse when talking about the bill’s chances of surviv- ing in the Senate. “With us facing larg- er, catastrophic fires every year, there’s a recognition that we need to be taking action,” she said. “We’re seeing those fires start even earlier this year because of dry conditions.” The Eouse has been fo- cused on trade bills, Mc- Morris Rodgers said. She called the recent approval of fast-track trade promotion authority a “big win” for agriculture across the board. Forest groups pick SW Washington tree growers for annual honor Greg and Sue Pattillo lauded for productive stewardship Capital Press A Raymond couple has been named the Washington State Tree Farmers of the Year. Greg and Sue Pattillo re- ceived the honor May 1 at the annual meeting of the Wash- ington Farm Forestry Associ- ation in Grand Mound. The WFFA and the Wash- ington Forest Protection As- sociation sponsor the annual award. The other nominees were Coy and Judy Eshom of Pierce County, John and Courtesy of Washington Farm Forestry Association Sue and Greg Pattillo of Raymond have been named Washington Tree Farmers of the Year by the Washington Farm Forestry Asso- ciaton and the Washington Forest Protection Association. Nancy Lawder of Spokane County, and Boyd Wilson of Lewis County. The Pattillos were nomi- nated by tree farm inspector Jim Eillery of Raymond. The Pattillos grow Doug- las fir, red alder, western red cedar, Sitka spruce and western hemlock on 700 acres near the coast in south- west Washington. Some of the trees are more than 80 years old, but most are 5 to 35 years old, according to a news release from the WFFA. They have lived on their tree farm for 27 years and started accumulating land 30 to 40 years ago. They both work full-time on the farm. “Between the two of us, we get a lot done. We’re busy all the time, and there’s al- ways something to do,” they said in a joint statement. “We enjoy the lifestyle and have made a good living.” They say they hoped the land will stay intact as a tree farm. “The intergenerational aspect is a bit of a quandary since we have no children. We had trees instead,” they said. “We’re looking at op- tions. Overall, we think it doesn’t get any better than being self-employed doing what you love.” Greg Pattillo earned a bachelor’s degree in for- estry from Eumboldt State University in 1970. Ee was a forester for Silvaseed Co. in Roy, Wash., for 17 years. Sue Pattillo is the daughter of a logger and grew up in the woods, according to the WFFA. She worked as a li- brarian. Ee is the president of the Pacific County Farm Forestry Association. She is the secre- tary-treasurer. The Pattillos intensively manage their farm and usu- ally harvest annually. Ron Smith, a forestry contractor, has done the precommercial thinning and tree planting as a one-man crew for a doz- en years, according to the WFFA. Greg Pattillo does much of the logging with his own equipment and also has used several logging contrac- tors.