CapitalPress.com July 8, 2016 FAA releases new rules for commercial drones Dairies reducing nitrogen, EPA says By DAN WHEAT Source: PrecisionHawk Capital Press Alan Kenaga/ Capital Press SUNNYSIDE, Wash. — Three Lower Yakima Valley dairies have made progress in controlling sources of nitro- gen to a drinking water aqui- fer in the three years since reaching a legal agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agen- cy says. The dairies have made “important progress” and “will continue this work as re- quired by the consent order,” said Lucy Edmondson, direc- tor of EPA’s Washington state offi ce. The Cow Palace, owned by the Dolsen family, George DeRuyter & Son Dairy, and Henry Bosma Dairy and Lib- erty Dairy, both owned by the Bosma family, have improved fi eld manure application and irrigation practices, the EPA said in a public update. Nitrogen levels have dropped below the excessive level of 45 parts per million at 2 feet deep in 11 out of 20 fi elds and levels in the other nine appear to be declining, said Suzanne Skadowski, EPA spokeswoman in Seattle. Nitrogen levels in 26 groundwater monitor levels have not yet improved but the EPA believes it will, Skad- owski said. “We don’t know how much nitrogen is built up in soils and rocks over the years, so we don’t know how soon it will go down,” she said. “The good news is that better management by an agronomist adjusting the land application is dropping the amount of nitrogen in fi elds and we expect it will improve in the wells,” she said. The dairies have demon- strated in their own monitor- ing that they are the source of at least some nitrate pollution but how much versus histori- cal build up of nitrate in soils is an open question, she said. In 2012, EPA concluded the dairies likely were signif- icant contributors to high ni- trate levels in groundwater. Adam Dolsen, owner of Cow Palace Dairy, said he’s pleased with the nitrate re- duction but didn’t think it was very bad in his fi elds to be- gin with. With the help of the agronomist, hired by the dair- ies and approved by the EPA, Operator Airspace Drone • At least 16 years old • No pilot’s license required • Pass FAA’s aeronautical knowledge tests • Obtain remote pilot certificate • • • • • Weight under 55 pounds • Register drone online • Keep drone within line of sight • Daylight operations only No 333 exemption required Maximum altitude: 400 feet Maximum airspeed: 100 mph No flights near airports/ restricted airspaces New FAA rules for drones could be a ‘game-changer’ for agriculture By SEAN ELLIS and ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press New federal rules for the operation of small drones will lead to more innovation in the agricultural industry and open up their use to the average farmer, industry experts say. “I think it will be a real game-changer for extending the use of unmanned aircraft systems in precision agricul- ture,” said Donna Delparte, who is leading Idaho State University’s research on the use of drones in agriculture. “It’s going to really be a ground-breaking technology for growers.” The Federal Aviation Ad- ministration on June 21 re- leased rules for the use of unmanned aircraft systems weighing less than 55 pounds. They go into effect in mid- to late August. Ryan Jenson, CEO of Hon- eyComb Corp., an Oregon drone manufacturing company, said the rules are a “big deal” because they remove the uncer- tainty that dogged the industry. He said his company has al- ready received increased inter- est from potential buyers and dealers and expects to double capacity in the next year. “Now the U.S. market is really primed to take off,” he said. Matthew Balderree, chief UAS pilot for PrecisionHawk, a North Carolina drone compa- ny, said the FAA’s requirements for drone use were in a gray area before. Sean Ellis/Capital Press A drone operator explains the potential uses of unmanned aircraft systems in agriculture after a demonstration fl ight over a South- western Idaho vineyard in April 2015. Industry experts say the FAA’s new rules for drones will open the door for the average farmer to use the technology. “It clears up the rule aspect of it,” he said about the new regulations. “It puts it out in black and white.” He said one of the highlights of the new rules is that drone operators no longer will be re- quired to have a pilot’s license. People who wanted to fl y drones previously had to obtain an exemption from Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the rules for certifying the airworthiness of aircraft. It was a lengthy pro- cess that required a lot of paper- work, Delparte said. Now they must register their drone with the FAA and pass an aeronautics knowledge test to qualify to fl y a drone. “It is going to be so much easier for farmers” to use drones, Balderree said. “The barrier for entry ... is a fair amount easier.” In an explanation of the SAGE Fact #132 The Columbia River Basin supports the best onion yields of any growing area on earth. The region offers ideal conditions with rich low-bacteria soil, water for irrigation, and long sunny days with cool nights. 28-2/#6 new rules sent to Capital Press, PrecisionHawk Executive Vice President Thomas Haun said, “the new rules allow for a much broader access to drone technology that can be used by a wider audience of people.” With the new rules, “as long as you meet a few pretty min- imal requirements and operate safely, you can legally operate drones in agriculture and other commercial opportunities,” he said. “What I think you’re go- ing to see is a movement from a few very select companies operating drones previously to a broad community of farmers having access to the technolo- gy.” The new rules require small drones to be fl own below 400 feet and within the pilot’s line of sight. Operators can fl y a drone from a moving vehicle if they aren’t the ones driving and if it’s done in a sparsely popu- lated area. The next major step for agri- culture when it comes to drone use would be to allow farmers to operate them beyond line of sight, Haun said. “This will provide much more effi ciency to farmers and help keep the cost down of the drone operations,” he said. By STEVE TOOL EO Media Group LEGAL NOTICE OF SALE On Friday, July 22, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Papé Kenworth will offer for sale, to the highest bidder, all, but no part of, the following equipment: One (1) 2006 Kenworth Truck, VIN 1XKAD49XX6J104955. The sale will be open to the public and bids will be received orally. Terms of sale are 25% cash payment upon acceptance of the bid with the balance payable within 48 hours. The equipment will be held pending receipt of the full bid price and is sold AS IS - WHERE IS - AND WITH ALL FAULTS condition, with no representations or war- ranties as to fitness for any particular application whatsoever and may be examined at 4300 Hanley Dr., Suite 100, Central Point, OR 97502. Papé Trucks, Inc. dba Papé Kenworth reserves the right to bid on the equipment and the right to reject any one or all of the bids received. PAPÉ TRUCKS, INC. DBA PAPÉ KEN- WORTH 541-772-5211 Legal-28-2-1/#18 Dan Wheat/Capital Press Dan DeRuyter, co-owner of George DeRuyter & Son Dairy, Sunny- side, Wash., and Dan Evans, president of Promus Energy, stand on the dairy’s digester in this 2012 fi le photo. The digester converts methane from manure into electricity, reducing nitrates. Dan Wheat/Capital Press Some of the milk cows at George DeRuyter & Son Dairy, Sunnyside, Wash., are shown in a 2012 fi le photo. The EPA says this dairy and two others are making progress in lowering nitrate levels in fi elds. Cow Palace was able to get 95 percent of its fi elds below 45 ppm within a year, he said. Sensors alert the dairies if effl uent irrigation water reaches 3 feet in depth and the dairy shuts off the water or diverts it to another fi eld. Nitrates getting to the ground- water aquifer are reduced by curtailing water from leaving the root zone. To minimize nitrogen en- tering manure lagoons, Cow Palace and Liberty added centrifuges to solid screening and George DeRuyter & Son added a dissolved air fl otation solids removal system. To minimize lagoon leak- age, the dairies are planning to line 41 lagoons. The lagoons already are lined to USDA Natural Re- source Conservation Service standards and the dairies agreed to higher standards with Community Association for Restoration of the Envi- ronment, Dolsen said. EPA didn’t approve those but “it was frustrating because EPA wouldn’t tell us what it wanted,” Dolsen said. The dairies hired a different en- gineer and decided to install double synthetic liners that were approved by the EPA, he said. Cow Palace plans to install the fi rst one in late summer at a signifi cant cost. “So much higher costs puts us at a competitive disadvan- tage with other dairies around the nation,” Dolsen said. “All of this is costing each of us millions of dollars and we’re falling behind in installing milk meters and upgrading milking barns. We’re dipping into reserves to keep things afl oat.” The dairies are paying for reverse osmosis water treat- ment for drinking water for 110 down gradient well own- ers with elevated nitrate lev- els. The dairies will continue monitoring wells quarterly for fi ve more years and then will submit an eight-year report. If nitrate trends are not down- ward, the dairies will further assess and propose and imple- ment additional controls. Dan DeRuyter, co-own- er of George DeRuyter & Sons, said he’s still working on an effort to convert a ma- nure digester from producing electricity to producing nat- ural gas. That system is not required by EPA but would lessen nitrates. In 2012, DeRuyter said the conversion would cost $13.5 million. Cow Palace planned to be involved at that point but has subsequently dropped out. Dolsen said it doesn’t produce liquid ma- nure needed except for three months of the year. Promus Energy, Seattle, was involved in that project, which was to be the only one of its kind on the West Coast and may be unique in the nation. ODFW confi rms Shamrock pack depredation ENTERPRISE, Ore. — Two suspected wolf depreda- tion investigations by the Or- egon Department of Fish and Wildlife resulted in one possi- ble/other designation and one confi rmed wolf depredation. The ODFW investigated the LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87 Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be sold, for cash to the highest bidder, on 7/11/2016. The sale will be held at 10:00 am by VISION DIESEL 12142 SKY LANE AURORA, OR 2003 Ford Excursion SUV VIN - 1FMSU34P63EB95652 Amount due on lien $3,555.00 Reputed owner(s) Michael and Valarie Howland incidents on June 16 and June 28. The fi rst suspected depre- dation took place in the Beel- er Ridge area east of Joseph. A rancher left behind several tired cows from a cattle drive in the area on June 16. When he returned with a second drive on June 18, he found the remains of one of the cattle. The ODFW investigated the same day and concluded that the cow died on June 17, but labeled its death as a possible/ unknown because of a lack of evidence. The most recent incident occurred in the Kuhn Ridge area northwest of Enterprise. Firewood cutters found the re- mains of a calf about 4 months old on a U.S. Forest Service grazing allotment on Tuesday. The ODFW investigated the same day and determined the calf died the previous night. The investigation con- fi rmed the remains as a dep- redation after measuring bite marks on the carcass and fi nd- ing the presence of numerous wolf tracks nearby. GPS data also indicated the presence of two wolves from the Sham- rock pack in the area on Mon- day. The ODFW previously confi rmed the same pack had killed a llama about 15 miles north of the area on May 9. The ODFW states the June 28 confi rmation as the sev- enth in Wallowa County this year along with one probable depredation. As a whole, the state has 11 confi rmed wolf depredations and two that were determined as probable. 28-1/#4 SIXTEENTH ANNUAL ROP-27-5-2/#24 NOVEMBER 15, 16 and 17, 2016 20,000 Sq. Ft. 28-4/#5 4 28-4/#8