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CapitalPress.com
April 1, 2016
People & Places
Falconer keeps pest birds at bay
Brad Felger turns
his passion into
a full-time job
protecting tree fruit
crops, vineyards
Capital Press
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
Western
Innovator
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Capital Press
Brad Felger
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
BOISE — Brad Felger’s
life-long love of falconry has
turned into a full-time job that
also benefits farmers whose
fruit crops can be devastated by
pest birds such as starlings and
sparrows.
Felger, 56, began testing the
effectiveness of using raptors
— hawks or falcons — to scare
away pest birds from vineyards
and fruit orchards during the
1980s and 1990s.
While continuing his job as
a farrier, he flirted with the idea
of turning his falconry passion
into a full-time job. While tak-
ing on part-time bird-abatement
jobs for several years, he put
the money away and used it to
grow his falconry business.
In 2002, he left the horse-
shoeing business and founded
Airstrike Bird Control, which
focuses on agriculture but also
offers its services to landfills
and resorts.
The company provides
bird-abatement services for a
variety of fruit crops, particu-
larly blueberries, grapes and
cherries.
That he can now make a
Founder: Airstrike Bird
Control
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Occupation: Master falcon-
er, provides bird-abatement
services for agriculture
Age: 56
Born: Los Angeles
Home: Mount Vernon,
Wash.
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
Master falconer Brad Felger poses with a hybrid falcon Feb. 25 in Boise during the Idaho Wine Com-
mission’s annual meeting. Felger uses raptors to scare pest birds such as starlings away from grapes
and other fruit crops.
living doing something he has
loved since age 10 is a plus,
said Felger, who lives near
Mount Vernon, Wash.
“Falconry is not just a liv-
ing. It’s a passion and it’s been
a driving force in my life for
46 years,” Felger said while
visiting Idaho in late February
during the Idaho Wine Com-
mission’s annual meeting.
While he was already ex-
perimenting with using rap-
tors to scare birds away from
vineyards, Felger got a break
while he was performing a
bird demonstration during a
sustainable agriculture con-
ference in Central California
in the late 1990s.
When a huge hidden flock
of pest birds promptly rose
up and left a vineyard, people
took notice, and calls for work
followed from vineyard man-
agers.
The company has custom-
ers in Washington, Oregon
and California and is exploring
Idaho.
Idaho winemaker and vine-
yard owner Ron Bitner said
the economics of using raptors
to control pest birds in Idaho
could make sense for some
vineyards, depending on how
big their bird problem is.
“It’s a real problem,” he
said of starlings and other pest
birds. “They can be terrible. I
know some vineyards around
here that have been wiped out
by them in the past. I would
think they would want to look
into that.”
While starlings and other
pest birds might adapt to the
sound of noisemakers, visual
deterrents or shotgun blasts,
they are terrified of raptors
and never lose that fear, Felger
said.
“There’s a predator-prey re-
lationship in nature that is ex-
Wife: Sue
tremely deep-rooted,” he said.
“We’re using nature against
nature for a positive thing.”
“Anybody in the agricul-
ture industry ... who has used a
falcon to manage a bird prob-
lem will tell you it is by far the
most effective and efficient
solution,” said falconer Kort
Clayton, an independent con-
tractor who works in partner-
ship with Felger.
Felger said the economics
of using a falconer to protect
crops starts to make sense in
the 100- to 150-acre range,
but some smaller acreag-
es can pencil out if smaller,
neighboring vineyards split
the cost.
Science sides with beef, expert says
By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
WINSTON, Ore. — For
nearly an hour, Gary Sides
defended red meat as a meal
choice and explained that the
science of the past that said oth-
erwise was flawed.
Sides, who works for Zoe-
tis, a 60-year-old international
animal health care company
that offers medicines, vaccines,
diagnostic products, genetic
tests and other services for live-
stock, was the keynote speaker
at the recent Douglas County
Livestock Association’s 2016
Spring Livestock Conference.
He spoke to about 100 people,
most of them Douglas County
livestock producers.
“For the last 50 years we’ve
been told by federal studies to
eat a diet low in fat, high in
carbs and to avoid red meat,”
Sides said. “But the results
show that obesity has tripled in
those years, diabetes has gone
from 1 percent to 11 percent
and 15 percent of children ages
6 to 19 are overweight.”
He said diet presentations
by the government have been
pretty one-sided. His goal is
to present a different scientific
Calendar
understanding of diet, and spe-
cifically of red meat.
“The message I got was that
the public has a perception that
beef is bad for you, and actually
that is not true at all,” said Guy
Kennerly, who has a cattle and
sheep operation in the Dillard,
Ore., area. “Beef is one of the
best things for you. Diabetes
and obesity are up (with some
other types of diets) so maybe
eating beef is not a bad idea.
“Maybe a little more re-
search needs to be done be-
fore assuming something is
Sponsored by:
To submit an event go to the
Community Events calendar on the
home page of our website at www.
capitalpress.com and click on “Sub-
mit an Event.” Calendar items can
also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400
Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301.
Saturday, April 2
26th Annual Dayton FFA Alumni
Auction and Dinner, 5-9:30 p.m. in the
old gym at Dayton High School, 801
Ferry St., Dayton, Ore. The silent auc-
tion starts at 5:30 and an “agrilicious
dinner” will be served at 7 with the oral
auction following at 8. Tickets are $10
per person and may be purchased at
the door or in advance by calling the
Dayton Ag Shop at 503-864-2080.
Spring Farming Days, 9 a.m.-4
p.m., Eastern Washington Agricultur-
al Museum, Pomeroy. www.co.gar-
field.wa.us/museum
Sunday, April 3
Spring Farming Days, 9 a.m.-4
p.m., Eastern Washington Agricultur-
al Museum, Pomeroy. www.co.gar-
field.wa.us/museum
Wednesday, April 6
Idaho FFA State Leadership
Conference, College of Southern
Idaho, Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/
Thursday, April 7
Craig Reed/For the Capital Press
Gary Sides, left, talks with Scott Hendy of Roseburg, Ore., follow-
ing Sides’ presentation on the benefits of red meat at the recent
Douglas County Livestock Association’s 2016 Spring Conference.
Sides says updated science indicates red meat has benefits,
contrary to the science to a few decades ago.
Growing Agripreneurs — A Sea-
son of Farming Training, 6-9 p.m.,
Growing Agripreneurs is a sev-
en-month program, beginning April
7, designed for beginning farmers
interested in gaining theoretical and
practical knowledge through class-
es, field work, marketing, food pres-
ervation, farm tours and one-on-one
mentoring. Pre-registration required.
Southern Oregon Research and Ex-
tension Center, 569 Hanley Road,
Central Point, Ore. Cost: $350 (cou-
ples discount, $600) Partial schol-
arships available. http://extension.
oregonstate.edu/sorec/farms
Idaho FFA State Leadership Con-
ference, College of Southern Idaho,
Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/
Friday, April 8
Idaho FFA State Leadership Con-
ference, College of Southern Idaho,
Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/
Saturday, April 9
96th Annual California Ram
Sale, Viewing starts at 8 a.m. Over
400 range rams from California, Or-
egon, Idaho and Utah. Crossbred,
Hampshire, Suffolk and White-
Faced (Columbia, Rambouillet)
rams will be auctioned off in the sale.
In addition three purebred ewes will
also be sold. Also, ultrasound car-
cass measurements and a range
ram index will be provided on all sale
rams, Porterville Fairgrounds, 2700
W. Teapot Dome Ave., Porterville,
Calif. http://cawoolgrowers.org/sale/
ramsale.html
Idaho FFA State Leadership
Conference, College of Southern
Idaho, Twin Falls. idahoffa.org/
correct,” he added of the beef
information that was released
many years ago, subsequently
giving beef a bad image.
Woody Lane, a livestock
and forage specialist in Rose-
burg, Ore., agreed that Sides’
message emphasized that past
diet recommendations were not
based on good science.
Sides said school lunch
menus emphasize fruits and
vegetables, but not protein.
In his presentation, Sides
showed a couple photos of
skinny, but pot-bellied children
in a Third World country.
“They need fat and protein,”
he said of the kids. “Instead we
shipped them white rice and
white flour.”
Sides said the nutritional
profile of beef shows it has all
20 of the essential amino ac-
ids required in the human diet
in addition to being a natural
source of iron and potassium,
B vitamin and trace minerals.
According to the federal Cen-
ters for Disease Control, animal
proteins are considered to be
complete because of the nutri-
ents they have.
Sides also said a Harvard
University analysis of 21 clin-
ical diet studies to see if there is
an association between saturat-
ed fat intake and heart disease
showed there was none.
Studies have shown high
quality proteins help satisfy ap-
petites longer, eliminating the
urge to snack.
The 2015 Dietary Guide-
lines Advisory Committee re-
leased a 600-page report a year
ago that recommended 12.5
ounces of red meat per week
per person, and Americans are
consuming an average of 11
ounces.
Another study Sides dis-
puted was one done in 2006
by the United Nations that de-
termined 18 percent of global
carbon dioxide emissions came
from cattle. He said a more
recent study by the University
of California-Davis found the
cattle emissions were less than
3 percent.
Sides also explained that
updated studies have countered
the earlier World Health Orga-
nization’s report that eating red
meat increases the risk of get-
ting cancer.
“Simple lies are more palat-
able than complicated truths,”
Sides said of more recent
studies that show the benefits
of eating red meat compared
to studies done a few decades
ago.
While Sides was talking to
livestock producers who don’t
need any convincing about
the product they produce, the
speaker did emphasize that
those people need to know
the science of meat so they
can better educate consumers
when they have the opportu-
nity.
When asked about counter
views to his regarding beef,
Sides said science favors
beef.
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
20 Northwest Locations
Tuesday, April 12
Oregon Cranberry Growers Twi-
light Meeting, 4 p.m., Robinson Farm,
Bandon, Ore. www.oregoncranber-
rygrowers.com
Wednesday, April 13
International Fair of Agricultural
Technologies Conference and Exhibi-
tion, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca,
Chile
Thursday, April 14
International Fair of Agricultural
Technologies Conference and Exhibi-
tion, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca,
Chile
Friday, April 15
International Fair of Agricultural
Technologies Conference and Exhibi-
tion, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca,
Chile
Saturday, April 16
and illnesses, nutrition and include
a session on packgoats. Go to the
website, http://edelweissacresobers.
com/, or call.
Holistic Land Planning, 9 a.m.-5
p.m. Create the ideal land plan for
your ranch. What is the ideal layout
of your fences? Where should infra-
structure be located to facilitate ani-
mal handling and movement? Kittitas
Valley Event Center, 901 E. Seventh
Ave., Ellensburg, Wash. Cost: $227
until April 2. www.rootsofresilience.
org
International Fair of Agricultural
Technologies Conference and Exhibi-
tion, FEXPO Agricola Central, Talca,
Chile
Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider
Fest, noon-7 p.m., 3315 Stadelman
Drive, Hood River, Ore. http://hoodriv-
er.org/cider-fest/
Oregon Women for Agriculture
Auction & Dinner, 5-9 p.m. The or-
ganization’s 29th annual fundraiser,
themed “Oregon Agriculture A to
Z,” will take place at the Linn Coun-
ty Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox
Butte Road E in Albany, Ore. Cost:
$40 per person. http://owaonline.org/
owa-auction-2016/
Sunday, April 17
Goat healthcare and nutrition and
packgoat seminar, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Edelweiss Acres, Olympia, Wash.,
360-742-8310. $25 per person; $7.50
for each 4-H member. The goat care
clinic will go over general health care
Tuesday, April 19
Holistic Land Planning, 9 a.m.-5
p.m. This is the continuation of the
workshop that began Saturday. Cre-
ate the ideal land plan for your ranch.
Kittitas Valley Event Center, 901 E.
Seventh Ave., Ellensburg, Wash.
Cost: $227 until April 2. www.rootsof-
resilience.org
Idaho Range Livestock Sym-
posium. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. American
Legion Hall, Marsing, 208-896-4104.
A one-day traveling program and net-
working event packed with information
on industry relevant topics, for produc-
ers and rangeland managers.
Thursday, April 21
Idaho Range Livestock Sympo-
sium. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Challis Com-
munity Events Center, Challis, (208)
879-2344. A one-day traveling pro-
gram and networking event packed
with information on industry relevant
topics, for producers and rangeland
managers.
Saturday, April 23
Oregon Ag Fest, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
We strive to bridge the gap between
urban and rural life, and to share the
wonder and abundance of Oregon’s
bountiful and diverse harvest. Most
importantly, we do this in a family
friendly way, where kids 12 and under
receive free admission, and virtually
all activities are free of charge. Ore-
gon State Fairgrounds, Salem. http://
oragfest.com/
California FFA State Convention,
Selland Arena, Fresno. www.calaged.
org/stateconvention
Sunday, April 24
Oregon Ag Fest, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
We strive to bridge the gap between
urban and rural life, and to share the
wonder and abundance of Oregon’s
bountiful and diverse harvest. Most
importantly, we do this in a family
friendly way, where kids 12 and under
receive free admission, and virtually
all activities are free of charge. Ore-
gon State Fairgrounds, Salem. http://
oragfest.com/
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
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EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
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