July 17, 2015
CapitalPress.com
9
Washington
NAWG leader urges progress in TPP talks
Wheat growers to
press importance of
new free trade deal
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
The U.S. wheat industry
will continue to impress
upon Congress the impor-
tance of a new free trade
agreement currently under
negotiation, the president of
the National Association of
Wheat Growers says.
Trade promotion author-
ity — popularly called fast-
track authority — recent-
ly approved by Congress
gave the Obama adminis-
tration “the strongest hand
possible” to negotiate the
Trans Pacific Partnership
treaty, said Brett Blanken-
ship, NAWG president and
a Washtucna, Wash., wheat
farmer.
He expects the 11 other
nations involved in the TPP
negotiations to now step
forward. The high-stakes
agreement would meld the
nations’ trade policies. In-
cluded are Australia, Can-
ada, Chile, Japan, Malay-
sia, Mexico, New Zealand,
Peru, Singapore, Brunei
Darussalam and Vietnam.
National Association
of Wheat Growers
President Brett Blan-
kenship, a farmer in
Washtucna, Wash.,
addresses the
Washington Grain
Commission in this
¿OHSKRWR
Matthew Weaver
Capital Press
Another round of talks is
slated for the end of July in
Hawaii. Blankenship hopes
for a conclusion to TPP ne-
gotiations within the next
several months, with con-
gressional review beginning
before the end of the year.
“Any trade vote in Con-
gress will be spirited dis-
cussion and a close vote,”
he said.
NAWG will ask its mem-
ber state organizations to
tell their congressional del-
egations the importance of
trade to the wheat industry,
Blankenship said.
NAWG’s role is to edu-
cate members of Congress
and their constituents that
votes in favor of TPP are
best for the nation, the econ-
omy and the wheat industry,
Blankenship said.
He praised the region’s
congressional delegation,
particularly Oregon Sen.
Ron Wyden and Washington
Sens. Patty Murray and Ma-
ria Cantwell, all Democrats,
for their efforts to get fast
track legislation through the
Senate.
TPP would put 40 percent
of the world’s gross domes-
tic product in a free trade
zone, Blankenship said.
It would mean “enormous
growth potential” for U.S.
wheat exports and the U.S.
economy in general, he said.
“Now we just continue to
urge the president to work
towards lowering trade bar-
riers for wheat in the TPP
and remove any significant
barriers to imports,” he said.
EPA chief calls for conservation partnerships
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
SPOKANE — The Envi-
ronmental Protection Agen-
cy can be a partner for soil
conservation organizations
and farmers instead of an
adversary, the agency’s Pa-
cific Northwest chief says.
EPA Region 10 Admin-
istrator Dennis McLerran
spoke during a panel dis-
cussion at the National As-
sociation of Conservation
Districts summer board
meeting in Spokane.
“We sometimes take a
bad rap at EPA — some-
times we deserve that, of-
tentimes it’s a lot of rhet-
Courtesy of Far West Agribusiness Association oric,” he said. “Sometimes
$GHOHJDWLRQWKDWLQFOXGHG:DVKLQJWRQ'HSDUWPHQWRI(FRORJ\0DLD%HOORQYLVLWVWKH:LQ¿HOG6ROXWLRQV we use the hammer to bring
ZDUHKRXVHRQ6HSWLQ3DVFR
people to the table, but we
can use a ‘velvet hammer’
in some instances.”
EPA has to regulate with
the idea that it wants the
agricultural sector to be
successful, McLerran said.
He said the EPA works
By DON JENKINS
state
inventories
put
farmers
at
with
other agencies on the
up,”
he
said.
Capital Press
risk of waiting several days for
Jones said the company is state and federal levels,
OLYMPIA — A tax has pesticides to arrive from anoth- considering building a new including the Washington
been eliminated that warehouse er state.
warehouse in Idaho. The tax Conservation Commission
managers said discouraged
“The difference between a cut will cause the company to and the USDA Natural Re-
chemical makers from stor- good farmer and bad farmer is take another look at building in
ing pesticides in Washington, two days,” said Matt Ewers, a Washington, he said.
delaying deliveries to farmers principal in the family owned
Ewers said chemical makers
battling unexpected pests or Inland Empire Distribution have cited the tax as “the rea-
diseases.
Systems, which has warehous- son” for reducing in-state in-
The state’s hazardous sub- es in Pasco and Spokane.
ventories over the past several
stance tax, paid by manufactur-
The tax was eliminated in years.
ers, had applied to the whole- a larger revenue bill signed by
He said his family’s compa-
sale value of crop-protection Gov. Jay Inslee July 1. The tax Q\ KDV ¿OOHG ZDUHKRXVH VSDFH
products stored in Washington still applies to farm chemicals vacated by chemical manufac-
but made and eventually used made or used in Washington.
turers with new customers. If
in another state.
The hazardous substance the pesticide inventory returns,
The Far West Agribusiness tax funds the state’s response to the company will build a sec-
Association argued that the tax and prevention of toxic spills. ond Pasco warehouse, he said.
— 7 cents per $10 of product The state Department of Rev-
“I’m in the process of reach-
— when applied to expensive enue estimates eliminating the ing out to my customers and
FKHPLFDOVZDVHQRXJKWRLQÀX- tax will reduce government letting them know (the tax
ence manufacturers’ inventory revenues by $300,000 a year.
elimination) has occurred,”
decisions.
Manufacturers store in Ewers said. “I’m bullish we’re
Far West surveyed ware- Washington only the chemi- going to see an increase in jobs
houses and estimated that the cals they historically sell in the and property taxes due to this.”
tax contributed to a 30 percent state, but don’t stock enough for
Far West and warehouse
reduction in the volume of pes- unexpected outbreaks of pests operators also argued that
ticides kept on hand in Wash- and diseases, said Todd Jones, farmers respond to reduced in-
ington, according to the associ- manager of a Pasco warehouse state inventories by stockpiling
ation’s executive director, Jim RZQHGE\:LQ¿HOG6ROXWLRQVD pesticides in case of an emer-
Fitzgerald.
subsidiary of Land O’Lakes.
gency, keeping the chemicals in
Far West and warehouse
“Product availability in this less-secure locations than ware-
operators said that reduced in- VWDWH LV GH¿QLWHO\ JRLQJ WR JR houses.
Lawmakers drop pesticide tax
Warehouses predict surge in available crop-protection products
sources Conservation Ser-
vice.
“My belief is that EPA
should step back when the
states
have
programs that
are working
and making a
difference,”
McLerran
said. “We all
share a desire
McLerran for the same
outcomes,
which are a healthy and
thriving industry, clean
water, soil conservation
and programs that actually
work on the ground.”
Such efforts are still
works in progress, McLer-
ran said. He cited ground-
water problems related
to Yakima Valley dairies.
Some nearby drinking wa-
ter wells showed higher
nitrate concentrations than
standards allow, McLer-
ran said. McLerran said
he chose to speak with key
area dairies about working
together without the tradi-
tional regulatory approach,
trying to shield them from
lawsuits while finding
solutions.
During a lawsuit brought
by a citizens group, a judge
found some dairies were
not following their own
farm management plans,
McLerran said.
“The key to this is for
people to actually work
with their local NRCS pro-
gram, their local conserva-
tion district and have prac-
tices that don’t get them
to that place in the first
place,” he said.
Partnerships
between
agencies and farmers were
a common theme through-
out the meeting.
In setting the agenda for
the meeting, the Spokane
Conservation District want-
ed to showcase the state’s
agriculture for national
policy leaders, said district
director Vicki Carter. The
event included a day-long
tour of agriculture on the
Palouse region of Washing-
ton and Idaho.
Carter cited a “conten-
tiousness” among some
regulatory agencies. She
hopes the conservation
districts can be a bridge
for those agencies to solve
conflicts.
Bag needs?
Bag solutions!
SMITH PACKAGING
YOUR MAIN SUPPLIER FOR:
• Polyethylene Bags
• Polypropylene Bags
• Paper Bags
• Bulk Bags
• Stretch Films
• Hay Sleeves
• Mesh Produce Bags
• Plastic Pallet Covers
• Bag Closure Products
• General Warehouse
Supplies
Competitive pricing!
Great quality products!
Service you expect and trust!
• Halsey, Oregon: 541-369-2850
• Eastern Washington, Ed Kropf:
509-936-2652 or ed@smith-packaging.com
www.smithpackagingservices.com
29-1/#5
29-1/#4x