August 7, 2015
CapitalPress.com
3
Farm groups upset as Ag Security Act struck down
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company whose employees
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Ag groups are disappointed
In a 29-page ruling, Winmill
with a ruling that has struck repeatedly rejected the state’s
down Idaho’s “ag gag” law.
arguments defending the law,
Chief U.S. District Judge concluding the law’s “primary
Lynn Winmill late Monday purpose is to protect agricultur-
ruled Idaho’s Agricultural Secu- DOIDFLOLW\RZQHUVE\LQHIIHFW
rity Act — meant to protect ag suppressing speech critical of
operations from animal activists animal-agriculture practices.”
— violates the First Amend-
He further stated over-
ment right to free speech and whelming evidence indicates
the Equal Protection Clause of the law was “intended to si-
the U.S. Constitution.
lence animal welfare activists,
In so doing, he granted a RU RWKHU ZKLVWOHEORZHUV ZKR
motion for summary judgment VHHN WR SXEOLVK VSHHFK FULWLFDO
¿OHGE\$QLPDO/HJDO'HIHQVH of the agricultural production
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industry.”
Under the law, which Idaho
The state argued the law
enacted in 2014, it’s a crime to is not designed to suppress
make undercover recordings or speech critical of certain agri-
gain employment under false FXOWXUDORSHUDWLRQVEXWLQVWHDG
pretenses at a farm. Lawmakers intended to protect private
passed the statute in response to property and the privacy of ag
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
facility owners.
Dairymen are disappointed
with the ruling and disagree
with Winmill’s analysis, said
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men’s Association executive
director.
“We will encourage the state
to go forward and appeal the
ruling,” he said.
A lot of effort went into
making sure the legislation was
constitutional and written in a
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The fact that the judge didn’t
recognize any of that is some-
what of a surprise, he said.
His ruling narrows it down
to the First Amendment vs. pri-
vate property rights, he said.
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ously, Judge Winmill took the
other way,” he said.
“We primarily took the tack
this is a private property right,”
said Russ Hendricks, Idaho
Farm Bureau’s director of gov-
ernment affairs.
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ness owner, dairy, farm, Hew-
lett Packard or Micron, you
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trol who or who doesn’t come
on your property and whether
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low photos or video. “Why
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ent?” he asked.
He rejected the argument
that the First Amendment gives
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property, you need permission,
he said.
Winmill’s ruling would im-
ply you can now “walk into a
women’s locker room at the
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not appropriate,” he said.
It’s not only a private prop-
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taking them out of context or
not understanding the practice,
he said.
The Ag Security law was
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tors and the agricultural com-
munity, said Sen. Jim Patrick,
R-Twin Falls, who introduced
the legislation in the Senate.
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prised,” he said.
The Attorney General’s Of-
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sure the law was constitutional,
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opinions, he said.
“We are cautious what we
say; some of these (activist)
groups are pretty vindictive,”
he said.
But, he said, the judge’s
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doesn’t just address illegal ac-
tions aimed at alleging animal
cruelty, it pertains to all of agri-
culture, he said.
Ag operators face more risk
from employees (activists gain-
ing employment through mis-
representation) than trespassers
in general. It’s pretty easy to
get audio or video recording of
something that isn’t a normal
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light, he said.
“We have to do something;
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ture,” he said.
Winmill’s decision is the
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First Amendment argument in
this type of case, said Wyatt
Prescott, executive director of
Idaho Cattlemen’s Association.
Monsanto execs discuss opportunities, challenges
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
ST. LOUIS – Population
increase, world food demand,
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and data science mean agri-
culture is “much more at cen-
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Monsanto’s chairman and
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farmers as if they were sepa-
rate from society,” Hugh Grant
said. “The reality is, they are at
the heart of society.”
In wide-ranging talks with
journalists touring Monsanto’s
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Facility outside St. Louis,
Grant and other Monsanto
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ranging from GMO controver-
sies to the company’s attempt
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acknowledged the company
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the vitriolic reaction to Mon-
santo’s work. Some said the
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its role in agriculture.
“What we need to do a
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plaining where food comes
from, how food is produced
and who’s producing it,” said
Grant, a native of Scotland
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CEO in 2012.
Turning to trends, Grant
said the westernization of Chi-
nese diets, with more red meat
consumption, drives the in-
creased demand for corn as an-
imal feed. Of interest to North-
west growers, he said wheat has
not kept pace with yield gains
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facility can duplicate any climate on earth.
Monsanto was one of
four sponsors of the
National Press Founda-
tion’s “Food, From Farm
to Table” fellowship in
St. Louis. The Capital
Press was among 20
journalists attending.
Photos by Eric Mortenson/Capital Press
Michael Frank, Monsanto’s global corn breeding lead, walked reporters through greenhouses at the
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and “needs some help.”
The company in July
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research facility in Filer, Ida-
ho. Monsanto previously ex-
perimented with GMO wheat
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Northwest growers said their
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did not want it.
On other topics, Grant was
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he said. “The tragedy today is
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nourishment coexistent.”
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winner of the 2013 World
Food Prize along with two
others, said the world’s pop-
ulation is projected to top 10
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The demand for food will
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and triple in Africa and Asia to
keep pace, Fraley said.
“It will take all the tools
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said.
On climate change, a one-
or two-degree temperature
rise won’t turn the Midwest
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the rise of new pests, weeds
and diseases, Fraley said.
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nology and emerging data sci-
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farmers use drones, satellites
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“The average tractor has
more computer power in it than
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the moon,” he said. “Better
seeds and data are driving the
next Green Revolution.”
Fraley said Monsanto is
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genta and has sweetened its
offer to the Swiss ag chemical
company. Fraley said Monsan-
to would acquire Syngenta’s
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ness to assure competition.
Critics say Monsanto is seek-
ing a monopoly.
Other company executives
who spoke during the event
were Brett Begemann, presi-
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cer, and Michael Frank, vice
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cial operations.
The 20 journalists attend-
ing were part of the National
Press Foundation’s “Food,
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ship held July 19-22 in St.
Louis. Monsanto was a spon-
sor of the fellowship, along
with the Organic Trade As-
sociation, the American Farm
Bureau Federation and the
AARP Foundation, which in-
cludes senior nutrition among
its concerns.
Monsanto’s sponsorship
was criticized on social media.
In a widely-shared post, the
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ating with a “highly polarizing
company with an aggressive
PR agenda might not appear
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of action for a journalism non-
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Press Foundation.
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vineyards, displace livestock in some areas
Meanwhile, employees and for displaced animals, Britton
volunteers for Lake County An- said in an email. The county
imal Control worked through Department of Social Services
WILLIAMS, Calif. — A the night Aug. 2 to move live- RI¿FHLQ/RZHU/DNHLVVWDJLQJ
ZLOG¿UH WKDW¶V JURZQ WR PRUH stock to safer ground. Among some animals, he said.
than 101 square miles has the animals pulled out of the
The fast-growing Rocky Fire
threatened vineyards and left SDWKRIÀDPHVZHUHVHYHQSLJV ²ZKLFKKDVEXUQHGWZRGR]HQ
UDQFKHUV VFUDPEOLQJ WR PRYH three alpacas, two donkeys and KRPHV DV ZHOO DV EDUQV VKHGV
their animals to safer ground.
12 goats, county emergency DQG JDUDJHV DQG IRUFHG DERXW
Several wineries were services spokesman Andrew SHRSOH WR ÀHH ² ZDV
among the nearly 5,500 proper- Britton said.
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WLHVIRUFHGWRHYDFXDWHEHFDXVH
Animal Control is work- ing around drought-parched
of the Rocky Fire, which was ing with a local group — Lake California, some of which were
EXUQLQJ PRVWO\ UXJJHG PRXQ- Evacuation and Animal Protec- VSDUNHGE\OLJKWQLQJDFFRUGLQJ
tain terrain in Colusa, Lake and WLRQ²WR¿QGWHPSRUDU\KRPHV to Cal Fire.
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north of San Francisco.
Mandatory evacuation or-
ders from the state Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection
included the Cache Creek Win-
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Highway 20 in Lake County,
according to the Lake County
Winegrape Commission.
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At Tidewater Terminal in Boardman,
of Six Sigma Ranch in Lower
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cranes annually move more than 21,000
from the ranch’s vineyard plant-
containers between barges and trucks.
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evacuated at the request of Cal
Fire, the commission reported.
No damage to any Lake County
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reported.
Since July 29, “winds have
carried smoke mostly away
from the county’s major wine-
growing areas,” commission
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Visit the SAGE Center:
said in a news release. “Winds
Sunday - Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday & Saturday 10am - 6pm
VKLIWHGEULHÀ\RQ)ULGD\FDXV-
ing smoke to linger in the skies
over much of the county for
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out. At this time, smoke-relat-
ed impacts to the area’s wine
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32-2/#6
mal to none.”
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
$ 86 )RUHVW 6HUYLFH ¿UH-
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Modoc National Forest in Cal-
ifornia’s northeastern corner.
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Brown to declare a statewide
emergency last week.
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SAGE Fact #115
32-2/#5