Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2016)
April 1, 2016 CapitalPress.com 3 ODA opposes deregulation of biotech bentgrass By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press CORVALLIS, Ore. — Or- egon farm regulators are ob- jecting to USDA’s proposed deregulation of a genetically engineered grass variety that escaped field trials more than a decade ago. Last year, USDA reached an agreement with Scotts Miracle-Gro, which devel- oped the glyphosate-resistant biotech creeping bentgrass, to lift federal regulations on the crop as long as it’s not com- mercialized. Scotts would also conduct a 10-year management plan to control the grass, but some farmers have complained that the proposal will allow the company to eventually wash its hands of the prob- lem while leaving them with spray costs and potential ex- port barriers. The Oregon Department of Agriculture has come out against the proposal, arguing it’s inappropriate to deregu- late the bentgrass while it’s still infesting areas of Central and Eastern Oregon. “We think it needs to be eradicated before deregu- lation,” said Lisa Hanson, ODA’s deputy director, during the March 29 meeting of the Oregon Board of Agriculture. The ODA claims the bio- tech bentgrass doesn’t meet the federal requirements for deregulation because it “clear- ly falls into the category of a plant pest and noxious weed,” according to a letter sent to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “It is invading irrigation canals and displacing native species in riparian areas in the affected Oregon counties,” the ODA letter said, noting that the crop should remain regulated until “a means to eradicate this pest becomes available.” ODA also recommends that USDA convene a task force to evaluate the impacts of deregulation. Biotech bentgrass is of particular concern near wa- terways because they can allow the crop to spread to new areas and potentially get out of control, said Helmuth Rogg, ODA’s plant program director. There are also limited chemical methods for treat- ing the bentgrass, he said. Not only is it resistant to glypho- sate, but other herbicides of- ten can’t be used in irrigation canals without potentially harming crops. Canals can be treated with herbicides before they’re used to convey summer irrigation water, but that time window poses another challenge, Rogg said. “The problem in early spring is it’s not easy to iden- tify,” Rogg said. At that point, the variety looks much like any other grass, he said. The crop is more distinctive in late sum- mer. Scotts developed the bent- grass for golf courses and began testing it with USDA’s consent in a “control area” in Central Oregon designated by ODA, but the cultivar escaped field trials in 2003 and contin- ues to be found in Jefferson and Malheur counties. California farmers sue feds over tardy decisions on foreign workers Growers: Our fruit may rot Two adult wolves from the Walla Walla Pack were caught on a remote trail camera Jan. 16 in northern Umatilla County, Ore. Oregon AG: Wolf delisting bill likely makes case moot Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. — Two weeks after the signing of new legislation that upholds in state law the delisting of the gray wolf as endangered, Oregon’s top attorney has now launched an effort to end wolf advocates’ lawsuit once and for all. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed a notice with the state appellate court on Monday, using an attached copy of the new law, House Bill 4040, as justification for why wolf advocates’ com- plaint against the state is like- ly no longer relevant. This is what conservative lawmakers hoped to accom- plish with HB 4040 and what environmentalists had feared. In December environmental- ists sued state wildlife offi- cials over their decision to re- move the gray wolf from the state’s Endangered Species Act list, saying the decision was premature. Nothing is settled yet and the judge will have the final say. But parties on both sides agree the situation is gloomy for the wolf advocates’ case. “We don’t have a next step yet,” said Arran Robertson, a spokesman for Oregon Wild, adding they’ll be discussing a game-plan this week with the other environmentalists that are part of the suit. The issue dates back to November, when the Ore- gon Fish and Wildlife Com- mission determined the gray wolf’s population was robust enough to remove the species from the state’s endangered list. Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands and the Center for Biological Diversity followed with their lawsuit, arguing the commission used flawed sci- entific evidence and the delis- ting decision should therefore be independently re-exam- ined. That’s where HB 4040 — backed by the Oregon Cattle- man’s Association and others concerned with wolves’ at- tacks on livestock — comes into play. HB 4040 essentially says the commission did every- thing it was supposed to do by law in reaching its final decision to delist. That’s the very thing wolf advocates want re-examined, but with the Legislature’s seal of ap- proval now established in state law, their “challenge is likely moot,” Rosenblum wrote in Monday’s court filing. Rosenblum’s filing — sub- mitted about a week after the wildlife commission began revising its wolf management plan — stands in contrast to the way HB 4040 was initially portrayed at the Legislature in early February. In hearings, GOP law- makers in the Oregon House repeatedly denied claims that the intent was to end the law- suit. Capital Press Three Southern California strawberry farms and a labor contractor are asking a federal judge to intervene and speed up the processing of their ap- plications to import foreign workers. The lawsuit filed March 21 in U.S. District Court for Cen- tral California, Western Divi- sion alleges federal agencies are failing to meet statutory deadlines to approve or deny requests to admit farmwork- ers on H-2A visas. In a response filed March 28, the U.S. Justice Depart- ment said that although the visa program includes time frames to process applica- tions, the law doesn’t provide for any consequences if the deadlines aren’t met. Also, the deadlines are less important than ensuring for- eign labor doesn’t undermine the domestic workforce, ac- cording to the Justice Depart- ment. The department asked that any hearing on the plaintiffs’ request for immediate relief be delayed until at least April 1. The lawsuit reflects wide- spread concern among U.S. growers about what has be- come annual delays in secur- ing approval to hire foreign workers to offset a shortage of domestic workers. Washington’s nine U.S. House members in March sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh John- son urging improvements. “With a new harvest quick- ly approaching, we know that you want to anticipate and address this problem before it becomes another major difficulty, costing farming businesses millions of dollars and causing harm to the con- Don Jenkins/Capital Press Farmworkers pick cucumbers in Washington state. Growers say federal delays in processing visa applications are jeopardizing crops. California berry farmers and a labor contractor are suing, alleging federal authorities are breaking deadlines to approve or reject the applications for H-2A workers. sumers they serve and the jobs they support,” the congress- men wrote. The State Department re- sponded in a March 23 letter, assuring the lawmakers that the department has taken steps to avoid further malfunctions with a computer database that delayed processing visa appli- cations in 2014 and 2015. The U.S. Department of Labor announced in January it again expected delays because of technical problems with an- other computer system. The California lawsuit names the Labor Department, Department of Homeland Security and several sub- agencies that have a role in processing applications. The Labor Department declined to comment on the lawsuit or whether visa applications are being delayed. The lawsuit was filed by berry farms Ito Bros. of Ven- tura, Reiter Brothers of Ox- nard and Harvest Breeze Ag Management of Oxnard, and farm labor contractor Fresh Harvest of Heber. In court filings, the grow- ers said a shortage of domes- tic workers in the past two or three years has forced them to look outside the U.S. for 20 percent of their workforce during peak harvest times. According to the growers, strawberries are ripening, and if the berries aren’t picked soon for fresh fruit, they will become berries for juice, NEW ITEMS! OSU names new director of Southern Oregon ag research station By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press Richard Roseberg, a soil scientist with 26 years experi- ence at Oregon State Univer- sity, has been named director of OSU’s Southern Oregon Research and Extension Cen- ter in Central Point. The center, one of 12 OSU ag experiment stations state- wide, is situated in one of the state’s more diverse agricul- tural regions, and Roseberg brings his own unusual re- search projects to the position as well. The Rogue Valley region grows tree fruit, especially pears, plus multiple types of vegetables, melons, livestock, dairy, forage and other crops. The area’s vineyards have emerged as strong producers over the past decade, and the station has developed a busy small farms program to meet the needs of alternative and beginning producers. The center, known as SOREC, has 34 faculty and staff and an annual budget of nearly $2 million. Roseberg worked at the station for the first 14 years of his OSU ca- reer, then spent 12 years at the ag station in Klamath Falls, 85 miles away but with a much higher elevation, colder winters and a shorter growing season. Roseberg said one of his first tasks is to hire a vi- ticulturist to work with the region’s wine grape growers. SOREC also Roseberg has a position open for a plant pathologist to work on diseas- es in orchards, vineyards and post-harvest crops, he said. The area’s wine industry has grown dramatically, Rose- berg said. He was at SOREC in the late 1990s when the first vineyards were coming on. With the valley’s long, warm growing season, wine grapes seemed to hold potential if the demand kept pace, he said. That’s come to pass, and wine has proven to be a good fit be- cause it provides high-value on the valley’s small acreages. “The Rogue Valley is not large,” Roseberg said. “There will never be 100,000 acres of anything in the Rogue Valley. So what can you fit?” In addition to his admin- istrative role, Roseberg said he hopes to work with station staff on soil-related aspects of their research. He also plans to keep his hand in on a cou- ple projects of his own. Roseberg and other re- searchers have been working the past 10 years on Russian dandelion, which produces rubber in its roots. Natural rubber is a strategic materi- al of interest to the military, Roseberg said, because syn- thetic rubber doesn’t hold up in modern aircraft tires. Out- side Brazil, only five South- east Asian countries, includ- ing China, produce natural rubber. “We don’t want to get into a situation where the sup- ply is cut off,” Roseberg said. Russian dandelion grows fairly well in the Klamath Falls area, he said, and re- searchers are working through the usual agronomic questions lowering their value and the piece-rates farmworkers re- ceive for picking them. If the fruit rots and is left to rats and insects, consumer prices may rise and vines will suffer long-term damage, ac- cording to the growers. Fresh Harvest said in a court filing that only one of a dozen applications for H-2A workers for clients in Cali- fornia and Arizona had been timely certified. According to the Justice Department’s filing Mon- day, most of the plaintiffs’ H-2A applications have now been processed, undermining claims they will be irreparably harmed if the court doesn’t in- tervene. of how to fine tune produc- tion. Roseberg is working on the project in cooperation with counterparts at Ohio State University and in Can- ada. “It’s promising, but like any new crop it takes time,” he said. 1 1 ⁄ 2 QT. BASKETS and (3) PINT TRAYS 503-588-8313 2561 Pringle Rd. SE Salem, OR Call for Pricing. Subject to stock on hand. Delivery Available H-B SYSTEM 2000 HORIZONTAL BALE CUTTING SAW The heavy duty, hydraulically powered horizontal Bale Reclaim system, with “Vertical cut positioning” SALVAGE D BALES CONTAMINATE COST- QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY • The HB System 2000 comes complete with hydraulic cylinder and controls for powered cut depth adjustment through the cut. • Automatic bar oiler system is a standard feature on this unit. • This saw splits bales using an L-M DE-68 inch saw bar running .404 pitch chain designed for parallel cutting through any type of hay or straw. P.O. Box 82111, Portland, OR 97282 Phone (503) 235-3146 - Fax (503) 235-3916 1-800-228-0793 ROP-14-2-4/#T1D Leasing available • Call for video 14-2/#8 By KRISTENA HANSEN By DON JENKINS 14-2/#7 Courtesy of ODFW
