8
CapitalPress.com
March 11, 2016
Idaho
Subscribe to our weekly Idaho email
newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters
Bill solves dispute
between Idaho trader
lots, auction yards
BOISE — A bill that would
end a disagreement between
auction yards and trader lots
over livestock testing require-
ments is gliding through the
Idaho Legislature.
Idaho lawmakers last year
rejected a proposed rule by
the Idaho State Department of
Agriculture that would have
placed stricter livestock re-
moval testing requirements on
trader lots.
While they both sell cattle,
trader lots are open six days a
week and have less overhead
than auction yards because
they skip the public auction
process and sell directly to
customers. Trader lots handle
mostly cull cows from dairies.
The state’s livestock auc-
tion industry petitioned the
ISDA for last year’s proposed
rule change as a way to pro-
tect the health of Idaho’s cattle
herds by ensuring trader lots
play by the same rules when
it comes to animal removal re-
quirements.
Auction yard representa-
tives said Idaho’s animal re-
moval requirements don’t ap-
ply equally to trader lots.
But lawmakers said the
rule would have actually
placed greater restrictions on
trader lots than those auction
yards face and they rejected it.
A bill introduced this year
by Sen. Bert Brackett, a Re-
publican rancher from Roger-
son, would solve the dispute. It
passed the Senate 32-0 and the
House ag committee has sent
LWWRWKHÀRRUZLWKD³GRSDVV´
recommendation.
Brackett told fellow law-
makers his legislation would
address the concern auction
yards have over testing re-
quirements for trader lots
without unfairly burdening
trader lots.
He said it closes a loophole
in Idaho code that allows bulls
eligible to be tested for tricho-
moniasis to be removed from
a trader lot and returned to the
country for breeding purposes
without being tested for the
venereal disease, which caus-
es abortions and infertility in
cattle.
“This bill is about animal
health, disease prevention and
assuring traceability ... as live-
stock move through the mar-
keting channel,” he said. “I
believe this bill strikes a good
balance between protecting
animal health and not interfer-
ing with commerce.”
The legislation requires
brucellosis test-eligible cattle
WR UHFHLYH D KHDOWK FHUWL¿FDWH
prior to being released from a
trader lot for breeding or graz-
ing purposes.
Brackett’s bill was support-
ed by trader lot co-owner Joel
Van Lith, who opposed the
proposed rule change last year.
University of Idaho Extension
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
&RUQLVKDUYHVWHGIURPD¿HOGQHDU:LOGHU,GDKRLQ2FWREHU$ELOOPDNLQJLWVZD\WKURXJKWKH,GDKR
/HJLVODWXUHZRXOGPDNHLWDIHORQ\WRNQRZLQJO\LQWURGXFHDFURSRUOLYHVWRFNGLVHDVHRUSRLVRQRQWRD
IDUPUDQFKRUDJIDFLOLW\
Bill imposes criminal penalties
for breaches in biosecurity
By SEAN ELLIS
against crimes intended to in-
fect crops or livestock products
at agricultural operations with
BOISE — A bill that seeks diseases or poison.”
to prevent biosecurity breaches
The bill, authored by the
on Idaho farms and agricultur- Idaho Farm Bureau Federation,
al facilities is making its way also makes it a crime to attempt
through the Idaho Legislature.
to introduce crop or livestock
During the bill’s initial pub- diseases or poison, or to aid,
lic hearing March 3, farm and abet or conspire with another
food processing groups testi- person to do that.
¿HG LQ VXSSRUW RI WKH OHJLVOD-
The crime is punishable
tion, which makes it a felony to by up to 20 years in prison if
knowingly introduce a conta- it causes more than $1,000 in
gious crop, or livestock disease damage.
or poison on a farm, ranch or
The bill’s supporters walked
agricultural facility.
D ¿QH OLQH LQ H[SODLQLQJ WR
The legislation also covers House Agricultural Affairs
food processing facilities.
Committee members why it
It is “of the utmost impor- is necessary without provid-
tance that Idaho continues to LQJ VSHFL¿F H[DPSOHV RI KRZ
protect our food supply and someone can harm an ag facili-
economic stability in agricul- ty in such a way.
ture,” said Benjamin Kelly,
“We just don’t want to pro-
executive assistant of Food vide a how-to check list ... on
Producers of Idaho, which rep- how to go on to any type of ag
resents 40 ag groups.
facility and create some signif-
He said FPI “member- icant issues,” said IFBF Assis-
ship agrees that their facilities tant Director of Governmental
VKRXOG EH ¿UPO\ SURWHFWHG Affairs Dennis Tanikuni. How-
Capital Press
ever, he added, “any of us are
more than happy to talk about
those things privately.”
Rep. Gayle Batt, R-Wilder,
the House sponsor of the bill,
said it addresses “the exploita-
tion of agriculture’s vulnerabil-
ity to breaches of biosecurity.”
The legislation doesn’t af-
fect normal farming practices
such as spraying.
Tanikuni said a key point of
the bill is that it also addresses
the attempt to commit such ac-
tions and it’s needed because
of the inherent vulnerability of
farming operations and facili-
ties.
“In certain operations, dev-
astating results can be achieved
with cheap, easily obtainable
chemicals,” he said.
Tanikuni said the bill’s craft-
ers ran its provisions by the
Idaho State Department of Ag-
riculture, farm groups and a lot
of other possible stakeholders.
“In preparing for this bill,
we talked to everybody,” he
said.
ROP-10-4-2/#24
Farmers, ranchers tell lawmakers
depredation program isn’t working
By SEAN ELLIS
Producers Association) mem-
bers have real concerns with
the depredation problem,” said
BOISE — Idaho lawmakers Caribou County farmer Sid Cel-
have been told the state’s big lan, past president of the IGPA.
game depredation prevention “We have to be on top of it be-
and compensation program fore we lose a lot of agricultural
isn’t working and needs to be money.”
¿[HG
Producers expect to feed a
Farmers and ranchers from certain amount of wildlife but
around the state told Senate the presence of increasingly
Resources and Environment large ungulate herds has made
Committee members last week the situation unmanageable in
the depredation problem has many parts of the state, said Ida-
reached near-crisis levels this ho Cattle Association Executive
winter.
Vice President Wyatt Prescott.
In addition to eating crops
“It’s a very widespread,
LQ WKH ¿HOG ODUJH SRSXODWLRQV statewide issue,” he said. “The
of deer and elk are consum- true management cost is an ex-
ing even tarped hay stacks and treme challenge.”
breaking down fences, they
Lemhi County Farm Bureau
said.
President James Whittaker il-
“Many of the (Idaho Grain lustrated the scope of the prob-
lem by presenting his group’s
estimate of the total depredation
damage caused to 15 landown-
ers in that area in the past year.
It showed $118,800 in dam-
DJHFDXVHGE\HONE\
deer, and $30,000 in fencing
costs.
In submitted written testi-
mony, Chad Larsen Farms own-
er Chad Larsen said his opera-
WLRQ KDV ORVW EHWZHHQ
DQG IURP HON GDPDJH
to hay stacks since 2004.
Capital Press
&DWWOHJUD]HLQWKHXQGHU-
story of a stand of larch
that has been thinned and
VHHGHGZLWKJUDVVQRUWKRI
Blanchard, Idaho. Univer-
sity of Idaho Extension is
RIIHULQJDZRUNVKRSRQ
IRUHVWODQGJUD]LQJ$SULOLQ
Bonners Ferry.
Workshop to
help forest
owners with
grazing
Course covers mutual
benefits of raising
animals, growing trees
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Forest owners will learn
better ways to manage live-
stock grazing on their land
during a workshop offered
by the University of Idaho
Extension.
The session will begin at
1 p.m. April 9 at the UI Ex-
tension Boundary County
2I¿FH .RRWHQDL 6W
in Bonners Ferry.
“There’s a lot of folks
that like to turn cattle out
in the woods and in certain
stages of forest develop-
ment. That’s something
that’s entirely compati-
ble with growing trees on
those properties,” said Chris
Schnepf, UI Extension for-
estry educator in Coeur
d’Alene.
For some landowners,
WKHUH¶VPRUHWRWDOEHQH¿WLQ
raising cattle and growing
trees, Schnepf said.
Standard forestland graz-
ing is releasing cattle and
focusing on areas with un-
derstory plants. Silvopasto-
ral systems integrate forests
with livestock and forage
production. For example, a
company in Missouri pas-
tures livestock on soybeans
planted among walnut trees,
Schnepf said.
Most landowners are in-
terested in raising cattle in
traditional conifer environ-
ments, Schnepf said.
“For the most part, cat-
tle don’t munch on trees,”
Schnepf said.
The concern is whether
livestock will cause tram-
pling damage, but this can
be solved using salt licks
and fencing and by herding,
Schnepf said.
Landowners with young
conifers should keep cattle
RXW IRU WKH ¿UVW ¿YH \HDUV
he said.
“Once the trees are
shoulder height to a steer,
it’s not really much of an is-
sue,” he said.
Most concerns about for-
estland grazing can be ad-
dressed with more attention
to management, Schnepf
said.
9-7/#4x
Capital Press
11-1/#4x
By SEAN ELLIS
11-4/#4N