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CapitalPress.com
January 22, 2016
People & Places
Precision ag by way of boot straps
Barry Peterson
helps bring a game
changer to the
marketplace
Western
Innovator
Capital Press
Barry Peterson
Position: Integrated
Solutions manager, Papé
Machinery.
Courtesy of HoneyComb Corp.
The AgDrone, shown in flight, is manufactured by HoneyComb Corp. of Wilsonville, Ore. It uses dual
cameras to collect field data and map crop problems.
He worked for an electrical
sign company before joining
Papé 24 years ago.
He is primarily self-taught
on computers. Recognizing
he needed to get up to speed in
an equipment industry trans-
formed by “tele-matics,” he
sought out information tech-
nology specialists for insight.
It became clear agriculture
and technology were merging.
“Early on, one of the
things that kept coming to the
surface is the population is
growing, and they’re build-
ing where farms used to be,”
he said. “We’ve got to figure
out a way to feed billions of
people with less land. One of
the best avenues to do that is
through precision agricul-
ture.”
He’s immersed himself in
remote diagnostics, automat-
ed controls and the production
and operational data gathered
by modern farm machinery,
“Connectivity is really the
key,” he said.
In preparation for sell-
ing the AgDrone, Peterson
learned how to do mission
planning — programming the
Age: 52 in February.
Family: Wife, Valerie, mar-
ried 30 years; has two sons
and a grandson.
Background: Born in Eu-
gene, Ore., bounced around
to other Oregon towns,
graduated from McNary High
School in Keizer in 1982.
Began work for Papé 24
years ago and was named
Integrated Solutions manag-
er in January 2013.
Notable: Not an electri-
cal engineer or software
developer. Realized early on
he needed to be tech savvy
and plunged into the world
of computers. The job puts
him at the convergence of
agriculture and technology.
Outlook: “When I was
approached to take on the
position, I didn’t know where
it was going to go but I knew
we had to start placing our
focus on this.”
Courtesy of Papé Machinery
Barry Peterson rose through the ranks and as integrated solutions
manager is taking Papé Machinery into the drone age.
drone’s flight over fields. Papé
sales reps will train buyers
how to use the drone system.
The potential uses ap-
pear endless, Peterson said.
High-resolution
imagery,
mapping and the ability to
geo-tag problem areas in
fields are available to produc-
ers.
Growers will have an ad-
ditional layer of data to mon-
itor crop health, he said, and
precise GPS data can be used
The takeaway: “I love it. It’s
been one of most challeng-
ing, one of most rewarding
jobs I’ve ever had.”
to pinpoint visual inspection,
guide machinery and provide
variable rate treatment.
“This next step is definite-
ly a game changer,” Peterson
said.
New Mexico is first to issue plans to sue EPA over mine spill
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS
and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
— New Mexico plans to sue
the federal government and
the owners of two Colorado
mines that were the source of
a massive spill last year that
contaminated rivers in three
Western states, officials said
Thursday.
The New Mexico Environ-
ment Department said it filed
a notice of its intention to sue
the U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency over the spill,
becoming the first to do so.
The lawsuit also would target
the state of Colorado and the
owners of the Gold King and
Sunnyside Mines.
An EPA cleanup crew ac-
cidentally unleashed millions
of gallons of contaminated
wastewater in August at the
inactive Gold King Mine near
Silverton, Colorado. It fouled
rivers in Colorado, Utah and
New Mexico with contami-
nants including arsenic and
Calendar
Jerry McBride/The Durango Herald via AP
People kayak in the Animas River near Durango, Colo., on Aug. 6
in water colored from a mine waste spill.
lead, temporarily shutting
down drinking-water supplies
and raising concerns about
long-term effects on agricul-
ture.
The spill sent a yellow
plume through the Animas
Valley and into New Mexico
and the San Juan River, forc-
ing farmers and municipalities
to shut off their taps. Farmers
and ranchers on the Navajo
Nation were left without a key
water source for their crops
and livestock for weeks.
The New Mexico regula-
tors said they will sue if the
Washington-Oregon
Potato
Conference, Three Rivers Conven-
tion Center, Kennewick, Wash.
Saturday, Jan. 23
Northwest Agricultural Show, 9
a.m.-3 p.m., Portland Expo Center,
2060 N. Marine Drive, Portland,
Ore., www.nwagshow.com
Cattle Industry Convention and
NCBA Trade Show, Convention
Center, San Diego.
Thursday, Jan. 28
Monday, Jan. 25
Washington-Oregon
Potato
Conference, Three Rivers Conven-
tion Center, Kennewick, Wash.
Tuesday, Jan. 26
Cattle Industry Convention and
NCBA Trade Show, Convention
Center, San Diego.
Oregon Blueberry Conference,
Red Lion Hotel, Portland.
Northwest Agricultural Show, 9
a.m.-6 p.m., Portland Expo Center,
2060 N. Marine Drive, Portland,
Ore., www.nwagshow.com
WAFLA Workforce Summit,
Clackamas County Event Center,
Canby, Ore.
Washington Growers League’s
Annual Meeting and Labor Confer-
ence, Yakima Convention Center,
Yakima.
Washington Oregon Potato
Conference, Three Rivers Conven-
tion Center, Kennewick, Wash.
Wednesday, Jan. 27
Northwest Agricultural Show, 9
a.m.-8 p.m., Portland Expo Center,
2060 N. Marine Drive, Portland,
Ore., www.nwagshow.com
EPA does not begin to take
meaningful measures to clean
up the affected areas and
agree to a long-term plan that
will research and monitor the
effects of the spill.
“From the very beginning,
the EPA failed to hold itself
accountable in the same way
that it would a private busi-
ness,” said Ryan Flynn, state
Environment
Department
cabinet secretary.
The federal agency is re-
viewing New Mexico’s plans
to sue, spokeswoman Christie
St. Clair said.
“EPA is working closely
with the states to develop a
long-term monitoring plan
to evaluate potential envi-
ronmental impacts from the
spill and will be meeting with
representatives in early Feb-
ruary,” St. Clair said. “EPA is
also reimbursing state and lo-
cal agencies for response-re-
lated costs associated with the
spill.”
Larry Perino, a reclama-
tion manager for Sunnyside
Mine, said the mine was not
involved in the spill and has
no responsibility.
“We will vigorously de-
fend ourselves from any po-
tential legal action,” he said.
A representative for Gold
King Mine did not immedi-
ately respond to an email re-
quest seeking comment.
Roger Hudson, a spokes-
man for the Colorado attorney
general, said the office has not
yet seen the notice and had no
comment. Hudson did not say
if Colorado also planned to
sue the EPA.
Flynn said Colorado
balked when New Mexico
asked for information about
the spill’s effects on the Ani-
mas River watershed that the
two states share. In fact, Col-
orado asked New Mexico to
pay about $20,000 for a pub-
lic record’s request, he said.
The Navajo Nation has
said it may consider legal ac-
tion against the EPA but noth-
ing formal has been filed.
The spill occurred when
workers for the agency and
its contractor, Environmental
Restoration LLC, started exca-
vation work intended to allow
them to safely drain the mine.
Some criticized the EPA
for failing to take adequate
precautions despite warnings
that a blowout could occur.
But Interior Secretary Sally
Jewell said a review by her
agency showed the spill was
“clearly unintentional.”
People who live near the
idled and leaking Gold King
Mine say local authorities and
mining companies have spent
decades spurning federal help
to clean up the site.
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
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To submit an event go to the
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mit an Event.” Calendar items can
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1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR
97301.
2016 EcoFarm Conference, Asi-
lomar Conference Grounds, Pacific
Grove, Calif.
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester ..........................President
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Sid Freeman .................. Outside director
Mike Omeg .................... Outside director
Corporate officer
John Perry
Chief operating officer
By ERIC MORTENSON
When Pacific Northwest
farmers and ranchers walk
into Papé Machinery deal-
erships later this month,
they’ll be able to peruse John
Deere equipment as usual.
But they’ll also be able to
check out the latest precision
ag offering: A twin-camera,
5-pound drone they can toss
in the back of the pickup and
program to fly their fields.
Papé has reached an agree-
ment to sell the AgDrone,
designed and manufactured
by HoneyComb Corp., of
Wilsonville, Ore. For about
$21,000, the buyer gets a full
package of plane, case, spare
parts, training and, most crit-
ical, data processing.
The arrangement under-
lines Papé’s embrace of ad-
vanced agricultural technol-
ogy. Data from the AgDrone
can be downloaded seamless-
ly into John Deere equipment,
officials with both companies
say, with real-time machine
to machine communication
probably on the horizon.
The man at the center of
Papé’s move isn’t your classic
computer geek with a univer-
sity degree. He’s not an elec-
trical engineer or software
developer.
Nope. Barry Peterson,
Papé’s Integrated Solutions
manager, came out of the
company’s equipment rental
division and didn’t go to col-
lege.
Capital Press
Organic Farming Conference,
The College of Idaho, Caldwell,
208-850-6504. The conference will
feature reduced tillage systems in
organic production, organic certifi-
cation and record keeping tips, crop
insurance options for organic pro-
ducers, and virtual farm tours.
WAFLA Workforce Summit,
Central Washington University, El-
lensburg.
Friday, Jan. 29
Cattle Industry Convention and
NCBA Trade Show, Convention
Center, San Diego.
Organic Farming Conference
The College of Idaho, Caldwell,
208-850-6504.
Monday, Feb. 1
Native Tree Identification Class,
University of Idaho Extension Office
in Kootenai County, Coeur d’Alene,
208-446-1680.
event at several local retailers and
online at www.klamathbullsale.com.
Pre-sale tickets will be $6 and in-
clude admission to the Event Cen-
ter both Saturday and Sunday.
Spokane Ag Expo & Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum, 9 a.m.-5
p.m., Spokane Convention Center,
Spokane, Wash.
Swine Information Day, Pillar
Rock Grill, Moses Lake, Wash.,
509-754-2011, ext. 4313. Registra-
tion is $25 per person. All-day youth
registration is $15 for 4-H and FFA
members.
Wednesday, Feb. 3
Saturday, Feb. 6
Tuesday, Feb. 2
Spokane Ag Expo & Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum, 9 a.m.-5
p.m., Spokane Convention Center,
Spokane, Wash.
Thursday, Feb. 4
Spokane Ag Expo & Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum, 9 a.m.-3
p.m., Spokane Convention Center,
Spokane, Wash.
Klamath Bull & Select Ranch
Horse Sale, Klamath County Fair-
grounds, Klamath Falls. Admission
tickets for the Event Center will be
available for purchase before the
event at several local retailers and
online at www.klamathbullsale.com.
Pre-sale tickets will be $6 and in-
clude admission to the Event Cen-
ter both Saturday and Sunday.
Friday, Feb. 5
Klamath Bull & Select Ranch
Horse Sale, Klamath County Fair-
grounds, Klamath Falls. Admission
tickets for the Event Center will be
available for purchase before the
Klamath Bull & Select Ranch
Horse Sale, Klamath County Fair-
grounds, Klamath Falls. Admission
tickets for the Event Center will be
available for purchase before the
event at several local retailers and
online at www.klamathbullsale.com.
Sunday, Feb. 7
Klamath Bull & Select Ranch
Horse Sale Klamath County Fair-
grounds, Klamath Falls, Ore. Ad-
mission tickets for the Event Center
will be available for purchase before
the event at several local retailers
and online at www.klamathbullsale.
com
Thursday, Feb. 18
WAFLA Annual Labor Confer-
ence, Central Washington Universi-
ty, Ellensburg.
Wednesday, Feb. 24
Southern Idaho Direct Seed
Workshop, Shiloh Inn Conference
Center, Idaho Falls, (208) 334-2353.
Saturday, Feb. 27
Mid-Valley Winter Ag Fest, Polk
County Fairgrounds Rickreall Ore.,
Rickreall, 503-428-8224. The Polk
County Fairgrounds and Event
Center, Ag First and the Polk Coun-
ty Museum are hosting.
Tuesday, March 1
22nd Fruit Ripening & Ethylene
Management Workshop, Posthar-
vest Technology Center, Davis,
Calif.
Wednesday, March 2
22nd Fruit Ripening & Ethylene
Management Workshop, Posthar-
vest Technology Center, Davis,
Calif.
Friday, March 4
Ag Chemical Collection Event,
Redwood Transfer Station, Grants
Pass, Ore. 541-690-9983. Pre-reg-
istration is required.
Saturday, March 5
Ag Chemical Collection Event,
Rogue Disposal Transfer Station,
White City, Ore. 541-690-9983.
Pre-registration is required.
Friday-Sunday
March 18-20
Northwest Horse Fair & Expo
2016, Linn County Fair and Expo
Center, Albany, Ore. 765-655-2107.
The largest equine expo in the
Northwest will feature horses of var-
ious sizes, breeds, colors and uses.
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Index
California ...............................11
Dairy .................................... 14
Idaho ...................................... 9
Livestock ............................. 14
Markets .......................... 15-16
Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon ................................ 10
Washington ........................... 8
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