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4 CapitalPress.com October 2, 2015 Aerial cloud seeding planned in Upper Snake Farm Service Agency offers wildfire relief programs Idaho Department of Water Resources has agreed to share costs with Idaho Power By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Department of Water Resources and Idaho Power are pooling funds to test aerially based cloud seeding in the Upper Snake River Basin. IDWR recently approved $200,000 and Idaho Power will cov- er the remaining $300,000 to contract for an airplane and pilot with Fargo, N.D.,-based Weather Modification, Inc. Officials say it’s a pilot project that will become permanent if all goes as hoped. The aircraft will be stored in either Pocatello or Idaho Falls. Cloud seeding seeks to draw addi- tional moisture from storm clouds by dispersing silver iodide particles into the atmosphere, which bond with moisture to form more snowflakes. Idaho Power is committed to the sci- ence, having submitted a request for $2.9 million toward cloud seeding in the 2016 budget year. Idaho Power estimates its 2014 cloud seeding efforts — utilizing 19 remotely operated, ground-based generators that vaporize silver iodide — added the equivalent of 190,000 acre feet of water to the Upper Snake Basin snowpack. By comparison, Is- land Park Reservoir stores 135,000 acre feet. In the Payette Basin, where Idaho Power has operated seven ground- based generators and a plane since 2003, the aircraft has contributed half of the additional 14 percent in snow- pack moisture attributed to cloud seeding, said Shaun Parkinson, Idaho Power’s senior water management Courtesy of Idaho Power Flares used in aerial cloud seeding are mounted on a plane. Idaho Power and the Idaho Department of Water Resources are pooling their resources to contact for a plane to conduct aerial cloud seeding in the Upper Snake River Basin. engineer. On average, cloud seeding has bolstered the Payette water sup- ply by 283,000 acre feet per year, Parkinson said. Idaho Power has also conducted cloud seeding for the past two years in Wood River Basin, utilizing four ground-based generators and an air- craft. Parkinson explained winter cloud seeding is most effective when temperatures range from 5 degrees to 23 degrees. Planes offer an advantage when colder temperatures occur only at higher elevations, Parkinson said. If favorable conditions for aerially seeding align in only one region, Par- kinson said all three aircraft may be dispatched to a storm. “I wouldn’t rule a fourth plane out, but we’ll see how the three inter- act together,” Parkinson said. He said Idaho Power also plans to add a dozen new ground-based gen- erators throughout its cloud seeding territory this season. In the Upper Snake the company hopes to even- tually have 40 remotely operated generators, which he expects would average 500,000 acre feet of supple- mental water when combined with the plane. Boise and Wood River irrigators currently share a portion of the cost of their Idaho Power cloud seeding programs. IDWR Planning Bureau Chief Brian Patton said the depart- ment envisions Upper Snake irriga- tors will share a portion of the depart- ment’s match in the future. “I think it’s a pretty decent return on investment,” Patton said, “but it’s one of those things we need to test and see.” Lyle Swank, watermaster over the Upper Snake district, said his entity already contributes up to $35,000 per year to a separate cloud seeding pro- gram run by Eastern Idaho counties and High Country Resources Con- servation and Development, utilizing manually operated generators. Lynn Tominaga, executive director of Ida- ho Ground Water Appropriators, said nine of his member districts also con- tribute toward that program, which collaborates with Idaho Power. Tominaga believes the Upper Snake airplane will go a long way toward boosting the water supply and avert- ing water calls. Farmers and ranchers who lost livestock, buildings, pasture and crops to wildfires this summer can seek help from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Agency Director Val Dolcini said emergency loan and other disaster as- sistance programs are available. Pro- ducers should gather their records, including photos of damage, and contact the nearest FSA office, he said. “The important Val Dolcini thing for farmers and ranchers to do is make sure fires get put out, then contact us,” Dolcini said in a telephone interview with the Capital Press. “It’s a horrific thing, a tremendous personal trauma, to see cattle die in a fire or a structure that maybe you built by hand burn to ground,” he said. The FSA’s disaster assistance pro- grams are intended to aid producers hit by fires, flood, drought, tornadoes, freezing temperatures, pest infestation and other problems. The programs cover losses to livestock, grazing land, fences and eligible trees, bushes and vines, according to FSA’s website. Aid programs also are available for damage to honeybees and farm-raised fish. Funding and technical assistance is available to help farmers and ranchers rehabilitate land damaged by natural disasters, and for implementing water conservation measures during drought. Producers who bought coverage for otherwise non-insurable crops can get compensation for damage that prevents planting or causes lower yields or crop losses, according to FSA. Wildfires in Eastern Oregon and Washington this summer have burned more than 1.4 million acres and de- stroyed hundreds of homes and out- buildings. Idaho and Northern Cali- fornia have been hard hit as well; fires in California’s Lake County alone de- stroyed nearly 600 structures. How a pink tractor can support awareness for breast cancer October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, a cause that is important to us at Northwest Farm Credit Services. More than ten years ago, our Chief Financial Officer Michal Armstrong lost his battle with breast cancer. Since then, several other employees and customers have battled the disease. The Northwest FCS/AgDirect Pink Tractor has been busy the last two years attending community events, customer appreciation days, agriculture shows and cancer races. That’s nearly 50 events throughout our territory in two years, raising nearly $100,000 that we donate to breast cancer research organizations. Thousands of people have seen the tractor at an event, taken a picture with it or have commented on our stewardship mission. Media Relations Coordinator Jennifer Rohrer says the best moments are when people call and thank Northwest FCS for excited to see something that showcased agriculture and their new mission in life - beating cancer. Come to find out, the nurse had purchased her t-shirt at one of our outreach events in Spokane.” Rohrer goes on to say, “It’s amazing how many people have Northwest FCS employees in Twin Falls reached out to us about the Pink participated in the “Tough Enough to Wear Tractor. I received the best e- Pink” event at the local rodeo. The Pink Tractor traveled to more than 50 industry, cancer mail from a woman in the awareness and community events this year in United Kingdom. She had Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. completed an internet search for their mission. “I got a call from a ‘breast cancer awareness t-shirt’ farmer in Lewiston who asked and our shirt popped up. She me about the Pink Tractor,” wanted shirts for her entire Rohrer said. “He later explained family to wear at a UK breast his wife had been diagnosed cancer awareness run.” with breast cancer and they had just arrived in Spokane to begin These stories and many more make us so proud to bring her treatment.” awareness, support, fundraising “They were dealing with all of dollars, and a little fun to the the emotions of this new communities in which we live journey and out walked their and work. nurse, in a Pink Tractor t-shirt,” she said. Jennifer Rohrer is the Media Relations Coordinator at “They didn’t know anything Northwest FCS about our tractor, but were Call Classifieds for Sponsorship Information: 800-882-6789 40-1/#13