Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2016)
COURT REJECTS LATEST ATTACK ON POULTRY RULES Page 9 FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016 VOLUME 89, NUMBER 1 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 Ranchers, local allies wary of militia Hammonds plan to surrender despite calls to resist By DON JENKINS Capital Press Two Oregon ranchers con- victed of setting fi res on fed- eral lands say they will report to prison Jan. 4, though militia organizations with ties to Ne- vada cattleman Cliven Bundy are rallying supporters to pro- tect them. Dwight Lincoln Ham- mond, 73, and his son, Steven Dwight Hammond, 46, were resentenced Oct. 7 to fi ve years in prison for the fi res on U.S. Bureau of Land Manage- ment property near Diamond, Steven Ore. Hammond Bundy has had ongoing disputes with the BLM in Ne- vada for more than 20 years. In 2012, the federal gov- Dwight ernment fi led a Hammond lawsuit against Bundy, alleging that he al- lowed cattle to graze on BLM property, despite an earlier in- junction barring him from the land. When the BLM tried to re- move Bundy’s cattle, armed militia members surrounded the ranch and began a tense standoff with federal agents. Bundy’s son, Ammon, posted a Facebook video ask- ing Bundy Ranch supporters to come Saturday to Burns, Looking for resolutions in 2016 Tim Hearden/Capital Press Michael Vasey, manager of Lindauer River Ranch in Red Bluff, Calif., talks about the walnut harvest in Los Molinos, Calif., in mid-October. Vasey says rising wages are among the key issues growers will encounter in 2016. Producers look ahead to New Year fi lled with uncertainties By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press T Turn to HAMMOND, Page 12 Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Mike Miller, a Ritzville, Wash., wheat farmer and member of the Washington Grain Com- mission board, listens during a meeting at the commission offi ce Nov. 18 in Spokane. he new year is a symbol of new beginnings in farm country, a time to look ahead to what the future may bring and to engage in that age-old tradition of making resolutions. Eastern Oregon wheat farmer Tyson Raymond has some tongue-in-cheek resolutions for 2016, starting with “Get a little more rain, particularly in April and May.” Raymond, a member of the Oregon Board of Agriculture, also vows to pay closer attention to what successful farmers are doing and “do more of that.” Beyond that, he resolves: “Don’t buy my fuel and fertilizer at their year- ly highs (again)” and “Don’t sell my wheat at yearly lows (again).” In addition, he said he’ll “try not to buy a tractor in August if they sell for $40,000 less in December” and he’s going to “try to grow wheat that weighs 60 pounds (a bushel) and is below 10 percent protein.” “If I can stick to these, I’m sure to have a better year than last,” he said. The staff at Our Table Cooperative, a 58-acre farm near Sherwood, Ore., southwest of Portland, put their heads together and came up with collective resolutions. “Feed more people and fewer deer. Invite more people to share meals with us on the farm. Grow the best tomato crop this region has ever known,” are on their list. Turn to 2016, Page 12 Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Hunters, Wash., rancher Dave Dashiell asks Wash- ington State Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandison a question Oct. 30 during the Cattle Producers of Washington annual meeting in Airway Heights, Wash. Dashiell and CPOW plan to empha- size the need to relieve reg- ulation stresses on livestock producers in 2016. Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Paterson, Wash., wheat farmer Nicole Berg says her family often sticks with its plans for the farm, including cleanup of old equipment. “Feed more people and fewer deer. Invite more people to share meals with us on the farm. Grow the best tomato crop this region has ever known.” Our Table Cooperative staff Heavy snow eases Oregon drought concern, but uncertainties remain By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press TIMBERLINE LODGE, Ore. – Making her way on cross-country skis to take a snowpack reading near this historic lodge on Mount Hood, hydrologist Julie Koeberle stopped to admire the sight of big fi rs bent si- lent with weight. “It’s so awesome to see the snow hanging on the trees,” she said. “We sure didn’t see that last year.” Irrigators, wildlife man- agers, hydro-power opera- tors and others throughout the Pacifi c Northwest and Northern California are ex- pressing similar relief. A se- ries of pounding December storms brought unrelenting torrents of rain to the coasts and valleys and, in the moun- tains, snow at last. While skiers and snow- boarders celebrate abundant snow for its recreational aspects, it is the snowpack’s stored water that will help irrigate crops, cool salmon and spin tur- bines in the summer months to come. “Snowpack is the lifeblood of the West,” said Koeberle, Turn to SNOW, Page 12 Eric Mortenson/Capital Press NRCS hydrologist Julie Koe- berle plunges a measuring tube into the snow near Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. 52-1/#5