February 5, 2016
CapitalPress.com
13
Ex-Obama administration oficial to advise ports
Study to come
up with policy
proposals; Canada
‘getting things done’
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
OLYMPIA — A former
Obama administration offi-
cial will study Washington’s
ports and make recommen-
dations to state lawmakers
on how to compete with
ports in other states and
Canada.
David Matsuda, who was
U.S. maritime administrator
from 2009 to 2013, will look
at how ports are governed
and fund projects, and the
steps companies must take
to win approval to locate in
ports.
Due out in the spring,
the study has been commis-
sioned by the Washington
Maritime Association, an
association of businesses,
ports and unions.
Washington ports, which
became embroiled in a labor
dispute last year that slowed
the movement of goods, face
competition from British
Columbia and the uncertain
impact of a wider Panama
Canal.
Meanwhile, several pro-
posed projects involving the
export of coal face scrutiny
from the state Department of
Ecology over their effect on
global carbon emissions.
Some $16.5 billion worth
of agricultural products,
about half originating in
Washington, were exported
through Washington ports in
2014, according to the state
Department of Agriculture.
At a luncheon hosted by
the Maritime Association,
Matsuda told port officials
to watch British Colum-
bia ports in Vancouver and
Prince Rupert.
“They want the big inter-
national cargo ships to go to
British Columbia, not Seat-
tle or Tacoma,” he said.
Matsuda said in an inter-
view that as maritime ad-
ministrator he attended con-
ferences around the world
and was impressed by the
Canadians.
“It was a real shock to see
the coordination between
their ports, government and
private sector,” he said.
“Canada is getting things
done.”
Matsuda wasn’t the only
one praising Washington’s
northern neighbor. During a
panel discussion that preced-
ed Matsuda’s talk, rail union
leader Herb Krohn said Ca-
nadians are better at permit-
ting and building job-boost-
ing port projects.
“It doesn’t go on and on,”
he said. “Everyone’s on the
same page.”
‘Living snow fence’ shows promise for E. Washington
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Online
Capital Press
A snow fence made from
live trees is an unusual sight
in Eastern Washington, but
researchers hope it will be-
come more common.
Researchers planted dou-
ble rows of juniper trees,
880 feet long and about 6 1/2
feet apart, 10 years ago.
The benefits of the “liv-
ing snow fence” include
keeping roads clear of snow
to improve safety and reduce
the expense of plowing,
helping homes and barns
stay warmer and saving on
heating costs, according to a
WSU press release.
They also shelter barns,
pastures and livestock pens
and reduce soil erosion
caused by wind and require
less maintenance than wood
or metal fences.
The project was intended
to dispel the false notion that
the trees would not grow in
Eastern Washington.
Snow fences are uncom-
mon in Eastern Washington
but are a fixture on farms in
the Great Plains.
“There’s a lot of people
that ask the question, ‘If I
plant the tree today, how
long is it going to take be-
https://research.wsulibs.
wsu.edu/xmlui/bitstream/
handle/2376/5676/TB06.
pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Courtesy of Gary Kuhn
Washington State University Extension forester emeritus Donald
Hanley inspects the living snow fence planted 10 years ago north
of Davenport, Wash. The trees are pictured at roughly two years
old, and now stand more than 6 feet tall, Hanley says. Hanley and
retired USDA forester Gary Kuhn say the project shows living snow
fences, which are common in the Great Plains, will also work in
Eastern Washington.
fore it starts providing ben-
efit to me?’” said Donald
Hanley, WSU Extension for-
ester emeritus. Many of the
juniper trees are more than 6
feet tall after 10 years, Han-
ley said.
“They’re there to do a
job for the landowner whose
job is producing agricultural
products or livestock,” said
Gary Kuhn, retired USDA
Natural Resources Conser-
vation Service forester. “The
key is their location and to
be an asset, producing ben-
efits on the farm.”
The researchers took the
best windbreak designs from
the Great Plains, Hanley said.
“We knew the technolo-
gy would work because the
physics of capturing snow
were
well-demonstrated
with this design elsewhere,”
Hanley said. “We wanted
to get people to understand
these trees could grow very
well in Eastern Washington
without irrigation if done
properly.”
The trees are Rocky
Mountain juniper, a native to
the region, not to be confused
with Western juniper, which
have caused problems in Or-
egon to the point where farm-
ers are removing them to im-
prove water availability for
their crops. Hanley said there
should be no danger planting
Rocky Mountain juniper ad-
jacent to wheat ields.
A farmer can make a
snow fence using several
federal cost-share programs,
including the NRCS Envi-
ronmental Quality Incentive
Program, Kuhn said.
“After 10 years, we still
have 100 percent survival,”
Hanley said. “We have data
on how long it took for the
tree canopy to close, how tall
they get in 10 years and we
know it’s functioning.”
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Author David Sax delivers the keynote address during the Wash-
ington-Oregon Potato Conference Jan. 27 in Kennewick, Wash.
He described how bacon, once a seen as only a breakfast food,
became a popular food trend.
Author talks about how
bacon became a superstar
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
KENNEWICK, Wash. —
Bacon had lowly beginnings as
just another breakfast food, but
over the past decade it has been
transformed into a culinary su-
perstar.
David Sax, business and
food writer and author of the
book “The Tastemakers,” said
the U.S. pork industry struggled
to ind a market for pork bellies
in the late 1970s and 1980s,
when low-fat diets were pop-
ular. Along with the lack of at-
tention came low prices. Bacon
prices sagged to 19 cents per
pound, down from the typical
60 to 70 cents, he said.
Based on restaurant feed-
back, the pork industry worked
with food processors and uni-
versities to develop a better,
pre-cooked bacon, and fast-food
chains started offering bacon as
an option on hamburgers and
sandwiches.
At the same time, food me-
dia expanded. Celebrity chefs,
24-hour food channels on televi-
sion and food blogs proliferated.
Bacon its all tastes, Sax said,
to the point where bacon-la-
vored mayonnaise and other
specialty items have become
popular.
Sax delivered the keynote
address during the Washing-
ton-Oregon Potato Conference
in Kennewick, Wash.
He deined a food trend as a
change in collective eating be-
havior.
“It fuels the ire — it takes
a food and turns it into a food
trend by making that trend more
about the culture around it, more
about the idea of it than the
taste,” he said.
A food trend has to make
sense, taste good and be easy to
make, he said, noting bacon is
relatively affordable and works
in many different recipes.
Sax said possible future
food trends include Indian food,
which includes potatoes, and the
broadening of local and organic
trends into interests in wellness
and sustainability.
Sax advised farmers not to
get too bogged down in the dai-
ly routine of their operations,
but to take an interest in food,
subscribe to food magazines,
read cookbooks and try new
restaurants as a way to see what
is popular, he said.
“You may not think of your-
selves as foodies or culinary
people, but you are,” he said.
“You’re the most central people
to the entire thing. Without you,
none of those trends happen.
If you realize you’re as much
a part of that culinary world as
everyone else, you’re going to
understand it.”
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