10 CapitalPress.com
January 1, 2016
Repeal of COOL saves apple
exports to two largest markets
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
WENATCHEE, Wash. —
The potential loss of tens of
millions of dollars in apple
exports to Canada and Mex-
ico was avoided with resolu-
tion of the country of origin
labeling trade dispute with the
two countries.
The World Trade Organi-
zation had approved Canada
and Mexico imposing $1 bil-
lion in tariffs on U.S. prod-
ucts. That was averted when
Congress repealed COOL in
the omnibus federal spending
bill Dec. 18.
“This is extremely good
news for the U.S. apple in-
dustry and we thank Con-
gress for fixing this critical
trade problem,” said Mike
Wade, U.S. Apple Associ-
ation board chairman and
general manager of Co-
lumbia Fruit Packers in
Wenatchee.
The association said the
omnibus bill also ensures
continuity of federal Mar-
ket Access Program dollars
for the Washington Apple
Commission and Specialty
Crop Research programs and
grants and crop insurance for
the industry.
Under COOL it cost Ca-
nadian beef producers over
$100 more per head to have
cattle slaughtered in the U.S.
because feedlots and slaugh-
ter houses had the added
expenses of tracking cattle
to label beef by country of
origin.
Apples and cherries were
on a preliminary list of Cana-
dian tariffs and while Mexi-
co had not released a list, ap-
ples, pears and cherries may
have been on it, said Kate
Woods, vice president of
the Northwest Horticultural
Council in Yakima.
“We don’t know what the
tariff rate would have been
and how long it would have
lasted, but it would have cost
the industry tens of millions
of dollars,” said Mark Pow-
ers, the council’s executive
vice president.
Mexico and Canada are
the Washington apple indus-
try’s top export markets.
Washington had average
annual exports to Mexico of
$230 million in apples over
the past three years, $70
million in pears and $5 mil-
lion in cherries, Woods said.
Average annual exports
to Canada were $155 mil-
lion in apples and $90 mil-
lion in cherries, she said.
Pears were not on the list in
Canada.
From a record 2014 apple
crop, Washington shipped
16 million boxes of apples
to Mexico and 7.1 million
to Canada, according to the
Washington State Tree Fruit
Association.
With a smaller crop this
year, the volumes will be a
more normal 9 million to
10 million boxes to Mexico
and 4 million to 5 million
boxes to Canada, said Todd
Fryhover, president of the
Washington Apple Commis-
sion in Wenatchee.
Meanwhile,
Mexican
allegations of U.S. apple
dumping in Mexico are still
pending and could result in
tariffs, Powers said.
Courtesy of Oregon State University
2UHJRQ6WDWH8QLYHUVLW\¿VKHULHVUHVHDUFKHU6HOLQD+HSSHOOWDONVDERXW¿VKVXUYH\VZLWKVFLHQFHDQGPDWKWHDFKHUVDWWKH<DTXLQD%D\
<DFKW&OXELQ1HZSRUW2UH6KHLVWKHQHZKHDGRI268¶V'HSDUWPHQWRI)LVKHULHVDQG:LOGOLIH
Biologist appointed head of Oregon
6WDWH¶V¿VKHULHVDQGZLOGOLIHGHSDUWPHQW
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
Selina Heppell, a conser-
vation biologist, is the new
head of the Department of
Fisheries and Wildlife at Or-
egon State University.
Heppell is the first wom-
an to head the department in
1-2/#13
its 80-year history. The de-
partment is the largest with-
in the College of Agricul-
tural Sciences, with nearly
800 students, and among
the largest natural sciences
department on campus.
Heppell replaces Dan
Edge, who earlier in 2015
was appointed the college’s
associate dean. Heppell had
been serving as interim de-
partment head since Edge’s
appointment.
In a prepared statement,
ag college Dean Dan Arp
described Heppell as a dis-
tinguished researcher and
teacher who had provided
“terrific leadership” as in-
terim head of the depart-
ment.
Heppell has been on
the OSU faculty since
2001. She has specialized
in studying slow-growing
species such as sturgeon,
sea turtles, sharks and West
Coast rockfish. Among
other work, she has used
computer models and simu-
lations to study how fish re-
spond to human impacts and
climate change — and how
they may respond to future
climate change.
Heppell and her husband,
Scott Heppell, teach a con-
servation biology course in
Eastern Europe and have
done fish research in the
Caribbean.
John O’Connell/Capital Press
Turkeys congregate along Green Canyon Road in Inkom, Idaho.
The birds are part of a turkey population that has grown too large
and begun causing problems for Bannock County farmers and
dairies, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
The department, which is also concerned about turkeys in Franklin
County, plans to revise its southeast Idaho turkey hunting regula-
tions to control the turkeys and provide growers relief.
Turkey hunt changes aimed
at helping Idaho producers
sidered turkeys to be a novel-
W\ ZKHQ WKH ÀRFN LQ KLV DUHD
numbered about 20 birds.
“Now we’ve got about 200
POCATELLO, Idaho —
The Idaho Department of of them, and the novelty is
Fish and Game has proposed gone,” Westover said.
During the past couple of
to expand its southeast Idaho
turkey hunt to provide area months, he said, turkeys have
farmers and dairymen relief been “really working” his
from excessive populations winter grain. They also get
of the non-native game bird. into mangers and dump out
The region has thus far feed while they scratch for
offered a fall controlled hunt seeds, and they’ve torn apart
for turkeys in the region, re- straw bales.
“Going to a general hunt,
quiring hunters to win a lot-
tery for tags. Jason Beck, an I think more people will get a
IDFG wildlife biologist, said hunting tag,” Westover said.
Beck said wild turkey
the odds of winning that lot-
tery have ranged from 20 to populations vary widely, de-
SHUFHQWZLWKVLJQL¿FDQWO\ pending on chick survival,
and past counts for the Ban-
higher odds for youths.
The proposed change nock County population have
would establish a regional ranged from 500 to 2,000
general hunt, open to every birds. However, Beck said
interested hunter, spanning the department has set the
from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31. number of tags for turkey
The department hosted a pub- controlled hunts before re-
lic open house on the plan on ceiving any information about
Dec. 21 and will accept pub- FKLFNVXUYLYDO+H¶VFRQ¿GHQW
OLFFRPPHQWDW¿VKDQGJDPH the change will lead to more
hunting pressure when turkey
idaho.gov through Dec. 28.
The hunting change is ÀRFN VL]HV EDOORRQ DV WKH\
welcome news to Preston did during 2015.
“That general season just
farmer Gerald Cole, though
he fears it may not go far DOORZV WKDW JUHDWHU ÀH[LELOLW\
enough to help local produc- for hunters to respond to what
the turkey populations are
ers.
Cole didn’t bother to plant doing,” Beck said. “In those
D DFUH ¿HOG KH¶G VFKHG- lean years, I don’t think peo-
uled for winter wheat this fall ple will put a lot of effort into
when he saw about 150 tur- chasing turkeys, so we’re not
keys milling on the property concerned about wiping out
the population.”
at seeding time.
Beck acknowledges reg-
“They’d dig it up as fast
as I could plant it,” Cole said. ulations for the hunt may
“My neighbor planted, and change from year to year, giv-
they dug all of his up, so he HQWKHGUDPDWLFÀXFWXDWLRQVLQ
turkey populations.
wasted all of his seed.”
Beck said Idaho was on
Cole once fed the birds,
and charged hunters a small the fringe of the historic
fee to access his property to turkey range, and the birds
help cover the feed costs. But have taken hold throughout
he believes the lack of ade- the state since the 1980s,
quate population controls has as they’ve been introduced
resulted in turkeys overrun- both by the department and
ning the area — to the point sportsmen.
Beck said there’s also a
that they’ve been causing traf-
spring turkey hunt, which in-
¿FDFFLGHQWVWKLVZLQWHU
“We’ve got a terrible prob- cludes some general hunts. He
lem up here when I can’t plant said the department offers no
grain,” Cole said. “That’s my funding to producers to com-
pensate for turkey depreda-
livelihood.”
Dean Westover, who runs tion, given that problems for
a small dairy in Clifton, con- producers are relatively new.
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
ROP-1-2-2/#14