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November 27, 2015 CapitalPress.com 13 Wheat WAWG president looks to preserve tax exemptions Klein wants to stop hits on farmers’ bottom line By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Preserving tax exemptions for Washington farmers is the top priority for the new Washing- ton Association of Wheat Growers president. Edwall, Wash., dryland wheat farmer Kev- in Klein recently took over the reins of the or- ganization during the Tri-State Grain Growers Conference in Spokane. The presidency is a one-year term. Officers typically move through different leadership positions. Klein replac- es Colfax, Wash., farmer Larry Cochran, who moves into the past president position. Online http://www.wawg.org/ Washington sales tax exemptions for farmers expire in the next year. “We want to keep what we’ve had,” Klein said. “A sales tax on fuel and parts for a small farmer, it’s more taxes that you pay. It’s going to hit our bottom line as we are already going in to low wheat prices.” WAWG is concerned about the possibility of a carbon tax or increased regulations or stricter fuel standards on air quality. “Washington is already cleaner than a lot of other states,” Klein said. Klein said WAWG also wants to make sure that state fuel tax increases are being used for rail or river traffic improvements. “We want to make sure the money gets put back into rail for transporting our wheat down to Portland or Vancouver, getting our wheat to market,” he said. Other priorities include discussions about the next farm bill and keeping crop insurance at its present level, Klein said. “Not taking a big hit in the Farm Bill again,” he said. Klein hopes to keep the tax exemptions in place and not have additional regulations on wa- ter or pesticides. Klein said he welcomes feedback from his fellow farmers. “A phone call or heads up if they see any is- sue that might be of concern coming up that we can get prepared for,” he said. Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Edwall, Wash., dryland wheat farmer Kevin Klein, pictured Nov. 12 at the Tri-State Grain Growers Convention in Spokane, is the new president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. Dry wheat conditions raise winterkill worries More moisture needed, commission members say By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press SPOKANE — Wheat fields are so dry in Eastern Washing- ton that sudden colder tempera- tures could kill the crop, Wash- ington Grain Commission board members say. Several members painted worried picture during county reports at the commission board meeting Nov. 18 in Spokane. The commission met without electricity due to high wind storms through Eastern Wash- ington the day before. The wheat plants might look good from the road, said board member Dana Herron, co-own- er of Tri-State Seed in Connell, Wash., and representing Benton, Franklin, Kittias, Klickitat and Yakima counties on the com- mission board. But “drought-in- duced mortality” would be “tre- mendous,” Herron said. “It’s dry and cold at the Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Washington Grain Commission CEO Glen Squires and chairman Steve Classsen listen as board member Mike Miller makes a point Nov. 18 during the commission board meeting, held without electricity due to high wind storms the day before. Commission members are concerned that expected cold temperatures will cause winterkill in winter wheat fields already stressed by dry conditions. same time,” he said. “If plants have adequate hydration, it’ll take a lot of cold weather. If it’s a little bit dry, it won’t. We could have more winterkill with less cold weather this way than normal.” Eddie Johnson, a Wilbur, Wash., area farmer represent- ing barley farmers on the com- mission, said the wheat doesn’t have any reserve moisture. If weather forecasts about sin- gle-digit temperatures prove true, it could affect the wheat’s ability to survive. The wheat hasn’t had an opportunity to adjust to colder nights. Johnson said there have only been a few nights with temperatures around 20 de- grees, which serve to help the plant gradually enter dormancy to survive colder weather. “If the weather turns to sin- gle digits overnight, the wheat can’t stand that sudden blast of arctic cold,” he said. Weather extremes are the biggest concern, said Mike Miller, a Ritzville, Wash., farm- er representing Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties. One of his neighbors reported peak winds of 97 mph, he said. “It’s not just windy, it’s hurri- cane-force winds,” he said. Mike Eagle, an Almira, Wash., area, farmer representing Spokane, Lincoln, Ferry, Ste- vens and Pend Orielle counties, said the wheat plant is already stressed, and more cold would add even more. “That plant’s pretty small, and then to get hit with the cold, I think it’s going to be pretty hard on it,” Eagle told the com- mission. “There was just no moisture for it to come out of the ground.” Washington wheat industry explores fall-planted spring wheat Research raises concerns about potential harm to market By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press The Washington wheat in- dustry wants to see if spring wheat can be planted earlier to give farmers more bushels of a market class that trades at a premium to winter wheat. Washington State Uni- versity spring wheat breeder Mike Pumphrey is developing spring wheats with cold toler- ance that could grow as winter wheats. The Washington Grain Commission provided $20,000 to Pumphrey’s pro- gram to research the matter. Commission board member Dana Herron called the work “transformational,” saying it could mean fall-planted dark northern spring wheat could replace some hard red winter and soft white winter acres in some areas, because it would be more valuable to the farm- er. In the marketplace, hard red spring wheats and hard red winter wheats are kept sepa- rate. Hard red spring wheats typically trade at a premium to winter wheats. Many acres in Washing- ton are spring wheats plant- ed in the middle of winter or early spring, Pumphrey said. Such varieties are common in Canada or California, where wheats have a moderate ver- nalization requirement. “As long as it’s managed where protein content is ac- ceptable and the quality of the wheat is good, it’s going to be the same wheat,” he said. “It just gives the grower some flexibility in rotation options.” Dark northern spring wheat coming out of the Pa- cific Northwest has desirable milling and baking quality. “We don’t want to compro- mise that,” Herron said. “We just want to make the growers a little more money.” But the research is raising some concerns in the industry. Oregon State University winter wheat breeder Bob Zemetra said hard red win- ter, hard red spring and dark northern spring wheat classes all come with different quality expectations. “You’d limit or potentially reduce the return to the farm- ers by having people question whether we have a true hard red spring wheat class, and then they’d just buy hard red wheat,” Zemetra said. Zemetra is concerned about potential misrepresenta- tion to customers and reduced return to farmers because the market no longer trusts the classes. He advises breeders to steer towards varieties that stay true to their market class. Herron doesn’t agree with concerns about loss of class- es and markets as long as the wheat performs in mills and bakeries and is graded by the FGIS. Pumphrey said the biggest concern would be if a variety is grown that is of poor quality and damages the market. But if a wheat performs like the better hard red spring wheats, he doesn’t see its planting date being a big deal. “If we have a really good quality wheat, then it’s a good quality wheat, period,” he said. “I think our custom- ers would be very pleased with the product if we have a nice, strong, high-protein, good baking, good milling, facultative spring wheat, true spring wheat or winter wheat, period.” Farmers Ending Hunger... Begins With You! Market concerns harm demand for Sprinter Grain commissioner: Idea still valid By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press It’s not the first time a Washington wheat variety has blurred lines between market classes. In 2014, Washington State University winter wheat breeder Arron Carter released Sprinter, a winter wheat with kernels and quality that acted more like a spring wheat. The variety raised concerns in the industry about poten- tial confusion and whether it would be classified as a win- ter or spring wheat or poten- tial grading as a mixed class, which carries a lower price. Demand for the variety has dropped off. Carter isn’t sur- prised. “It happens,” he said. “Sprinter was a different type of cultivar that had to be treat- ed differently. People take no- tice of that.” The benefits of a variety have to outweigh concerns, Carter said. He also cited con- cerns in the industry over hard white wheat lines, partial waxy wheat lines and durum wheat lines. Carter believes different groups within the classifica- tion system need to communi- cate more with each other. The Washington State Crop Im- provement Association clas- sifies vernalization require- ments, while the Federal Grain Inspection Service grades on kernel morphology. “Two different systems try- ing to make all cultivars fall into line,” Carter said. • Farmers Ending Hunger donated over SIX MILLION POUNDS of food crops to Oregon Food Bank since 2006! • More than 240,000 people per month eat meals from emergency food boxes. Help End Hunger in Oregon...one acre at a time! Farmers Ending Hunger Where your donation goes begins with Oregon farmers and ranchers who raise hundreds of acres of produce, grain and cattle. With a little extra effort, each farmer donates an acre or two to feed the hungry and suddenly our network has thousands of tons of fresh food! Donated produce, grain and cattle is processed into canned (and fresh) vegetables, pancake mix and ground beef and donated to the Oregon Food Bank and their network of 20 regional food banks throughout Oregon and Clark County, WA. Farmers Ending Hunger Needs Fresh Vegetables, Potatoes, Wheat & Cattle Visit www.farmersendinghunger.com to meet our generous farmers and partners, and find out what crops and services they’re donating. farmersendinghunger.com • 33 percent of those who receive emergency food boxes are children. Please Donate Today! Contact John Burt Executive Director, Farmers Ending Hunger burtjgb@aol.com 503-931-9232 Like us on Facebook 48-1/#13