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FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 VOLUME 89, NUMBER 29 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 BRIDGING THE URBAN-RURAL GAP Washington livestock compensation system ‘broken’ The next Portland mayor says he can be an advocate for Oregon agriculture By MATTHEW WEAVER Dear Mr. Mayor ... Questions, observations and advice from rural Oregon By ERIC MORTENSON By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press Capital Press P ORTLAND — Love it or despise it, this quirky city can make or break the fortunes of Oregon’s farmers and ranchers. With 610,000 people living within the city limits, and 1.7 million in the three counties that make up the greater metro area, Portland is the chief consumer, shipper, mar- keter and brander of the state’s agricultural pro- duction. What happens here ripples far beyond the city, which makes Port- land politics import- ant from Pendleton to Prineville and from Pow- ell Butte to Paisley. When current state Treasurer Ted Wheeler Edward “Ted” Wheeler decided to run for Port- • Age: 53 land mayor and won enough votes in the May • Political party: Democrat primary to avoid a runoff • Residence: Southwest in November, rural pro- Portland, Ore. ducers took notice. • Family: Wife, Katrina, and He won’t take offi ce daughter until January, but some • Education: Bachelor’s in in agriculture believe economics, Stanford; MBA, Wheeler’s ascendancy Columbia University; MA in public policy, Harvard University could improve urban-ru- ral relations. • Professional career: Author; Wheeler lives in Port- employee, Bank of America and Copper Mountain Trust; lecturer, land, but he’s a sixth Northeastern University; small generation Oregonian business owner with rural roots. His • Political career: Multnomah family was in the tim- County Commissioner, 2007-10; ber business; the Tilla- Treasurer, State of Oregon, mook County town of 2010-present; Mayor-elect, City Wheeler, on the Oregon of Portland, 2016 Coast, was named after • Volunteer work: Neighborhood his great-grandfather, House, Oregon Sports Authority, who started a mill there. Portland Mountain Rescue, Boy His mother’s side comes Scouts of America from the Fossil area, in Sources: tedwheeler.com; Eastern Oregon. votesmart.org Katy Coba, director Capital Press graphic of the Oregon Depart- ment of Agriculture, said Wheeler has a “very strong affi nity” for Oregon ag because of his background. Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Hunters, Wash., rancher Dave Dashiell discusses his frustrations with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s compen- sation process July 7 during the wolf advisory group meeting in Spokane Valley, Wash. S ome political observers regard Portland Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler as Oregon’s governor-in-waiting. He was a Multnomah County com- missioner before being appointed state treasurer in 2010 upon the death of Ben Westlund, then won election as treasur- er in his own right in 2012. He’s literally written a book on good government. He holds an eco- nomics degree from Stanford, an mas- ter of business administration degree from Columbia and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard. He has experience in private business. He turns 54 at the end of August, is married and has a daughter, and comes across as intelligent, affable and fit — he climbed Mount Everest in 2002 and once did a snowshoe trek to the North Pole. The Capital Press asked a sampling of producers and others involved in ag- riculture for their take on Wheeler: “He likely knows as much about farming/ ranching as I know about running Portland. We should respect each other’s knowledge.” — Todd Nash, Wallowa County rancher, wolf issue chair for the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association “For fun, I’d ask him if he’s interested in touring some farms. I’ve toured Portland, but I’d certainly not give him advice on how to do his job. I just like to visit.” — Molly Pearmine McCargar, Gervais vegetable farmer “What can agriculture do to better connect with city government and thought leaders who seem to have an insularity and sometimes utopian vision of food pro- duction that does not match the marketplace and the demands of a growing world population?” — Dave Dillon, Oregon Farm Bureau executive vice president “The Willamette Valley is one of the most fertile and best growing regions in the world. Maintaining green space and supporting land use planning will be a critical long-term part of our viability.” — Jeff Fairchild, produce buyer for 18 New Seasons grocery stores in the Portland area Capital Press SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Washington ranch- ers say the compensation system for livestock killed by wolves is a “farce,” telling the state’s wolf advisory group that payments are too low and late. Rancher Dave Dashiell, who lost 300 sheep to wolves two years ago, spoke to the group July 7 during a meeting in Spokane Valley. A former member, Dashiell left the advi- sory group in 2015. Dashiell based his loss es- timate on several counts, in- cluding one during shearing. He said the Washington De- partment of Fish and Wildlife offered him roughly $56,000 to $58,000 in compensation. That works out to $186 to $193 per animal, or about $216 apiece when considering the state subtracted 50 head for “normal losses.” The prices he received at market were $300 for yearling ewes, $200 for ewe lambs, $250 for ewes and $200 for fat lambs. “We’re at the point, ‘Should we take the money and run?’ or tell them to ‘Stick it, we don’t care, we don’t want to deal with you?’” Dashiell told the group. Jack Field, executive vice president of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association and a member of the advisory group, also voiced his frustrations. “It is not timely, it does not work, it’s a farce,” he said of the compensation system. Ranchers don’t trust the de- partment when WDFW offers to help pay for livestock loss- es, Field said. The department added steps to the process and uses outside appraisers who don’t understand the industry, he said. Candace Bennett, wild- life confl ict specialist for the department in Spokane, told the group the problem lies in an “extremely cumbersome” Turn to BROKEN, Page 12 Turn to MAYOR, Page 12 Farm machinery inventories grow as demand falls Double-digit sales decline continues in 2016 By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press The continuing downturn in farm machinery sales is leaving sellers with surplus inventories and forcing some to offer equipment at money-losing pric- es, experts say. As farmers have “pulled in their horns” due to lower commodity prices, new large tractors and combines are moving off dealer lots at a slower pace, said Charlie O’Brien, senior vice pres- ident at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “They’re being very selective in what they’re purchasing now,” O’Brien said. Even when farmers want to buy new machinery, dealers can encounter ob- structions to the sales process, he said. Grass seed is harvested in an Oregon fi eld. 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