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PNW CHERRY HARVEST MOVING WELL FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016 VOLUME 89, NUMBER 27 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM Page 5 $2.00 THE CHANGING FACE OF FARMING Number of Hispanic farm operators continues to grow across the nation By DAN WHEAT Capital Press W ENATCHEE, Wash. — From humble beginnings in Mex- ico, Jesus Limon has spent a lifetime working hard for his slice of the American dream. As a young man, he picked celery and or- anges in California and tree fruit in Washing- ton state. Twenty years ago he became one of the few Hispanic orchard owners in the Wenatchee area. He and his wife of 40 years, Maria Luisa Limon, helped put their four sons through col- lege and today see retirement in their not-too- distant future. They now own 150 acres of apple trees and lease 35 acres of cherry and apple trees. Growing number Limon — pronounced “Lee-moan” — is one of about 100,000 Hispanic farm operators in the United States. Operators are defi ned by the U.S. Census of Agriculture as those man- aging daily operations. They may or may not own a farm. The growth rate of Hispanic farm operators was still accelerating nationally in the last Ag Census in 2012. Those numbers include up to three opera- tors per farm, said Christopher Mertz, North- west regional director of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service in Olympia, Wash. Nationwide there were approximate- ly 67,000 Hispanic-owned farms in 2012 and 99,732 Hispanic farm operators. Photos by Dan Wheat/Capital Press Jesus and Marie Limon sit with one of their sons, Jose, and grandchildren, from left, Christopher, 7, Jose Jr., 9; and Damian, 2, in the Limons’ East Wenatchee, Wash., home on June 27. Not easy being small Depending on the type of farm, breaking into the fi eld can be diffi cult, Limon said. “I’m not sure what the deal is in California, but here in Wenatchee packing houses that are not (grower-owned) co-ops don’t accept you if you don’t produce a certain amount of fruit,” Limon, 58, said. Jesus Limon, 58, is among a growing number of Hispanic farm and orchard operators in the U.S. Turn to FARMS, Page 12 Oregon county’s GMO ban ruling appealed Decision expected to establish statewide precedent By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press A ruling striking down the ban on genetically engineered crops in Josephine County, Ore., is being appealed by supporters of the ordinance. The prohibition was passed by voters in 2014 but over- turned in May by Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Pat Wolke, who held that state law clearly pre-empted local regulation of geneti- cally modifi ed organisms, or GMOs. Oregonians for Safe Farms and Families, a nonprofi t, and Sisikou Seeds, an organic farm, defended the GMO ban in court and have fi led a no- tice informing the judge that they will appeal his decision. Mary Middleton, execu- tive director of OSFF, said the group continues to believe in local control and wants to vin- dicate the will of voters who created the GMO-free zone. “Winning sets a precedent for the rest of the state,” Mid- dleton said. Middleton and other sup- porters of the GMO ban feared that biotech crops will cross-pollinate with organic and conventional ones, ruin- ing their marketability. Farmers Robert and Shel- ley Anne White fi led a lawsuit against the ordinance last year because they wanted to plant ge- Ag’s reaction to Supreme Court’s immigration ruling mixed Lower court’s reversal of Obama order stands By DAN WHEAT Capital Press Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press File The Josephine County, Ore., Courthouse is seen in this photo. Two parties say they will appeal a judge’s ruling against the county’s ban of genetically modifi ed crop. netically engineered sugar beets. Wolke agreed with them that state lawmakers disal- lowed such local restrictions in 2013, rejecting arguments that the pre-emption law was unconstitutional. Turn to GMO, Page 12 The U.S. Supreme Court’s deadlock on President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration doesn’t alter the labor situation for agriculture and drew predictable reac- tions from various quarters. The 4-4 court deadlock announced June 23 lets low- er court rulings stand striking down Obama’s order of No- vember 2014 granting depor- tation deferrals and tempo- rary legal work status to about 5 million illegal immigrants. Twenty-six states, led by Texas, brought suit saying the president’s order is unconsti- tutional. Conservative groups such Dan Wheat/Capital Press Workers train Kanzi apple tree limbs by stringing them to trellis wire in Mountain View Orchard, East Wenatchee, Wash., April 30. Like pruning, thinning and picking, requires a lot of workers. as FreedomWorks heralded the court split as a victory for the Constitution. United Farm Workers President Arturo S. Rodriguez issued a statement calling the ruling a “setback for hardworking immigrant families.” The decision “refl ects the separation of powers princi- ple in our Constitution that Congress writes the laws and the president enforc- es those laws,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., whose Fourth Congressional Turn to RULING, Page 12 NEW SALES • REBIN PROGRAM • TRAILER PARTS • REPAIR & SERVICE • CUSTOM MANUFACTURING Our Rebin Program can turn your old trailer into a new trailer! We will remove all working mechanical parts, and replace the bin with a new Stainless Steel STC Bin on your existing running gear. 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