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10 CapitalPress.com July 22, 2016 First potato psyllids arrive in Eastern Idaho By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press KIMBERLY, Idaho — Po- tato growers throughout East- ern Idaho are starting insecti- cidal programs to protect their crops from zebra chip disease following the recent conir- mation of potato psyllids in the region. The tiny, winged insects can harbor the Liberibacter bacterium that causes zebra chip — a crop disease that forms bands in tuber lesh that darken during frying. The University of Idaho has conducted an extensive potato psyllid scouting pro- gram since 2012, which was the season after the disease irst surfaced in the Paciic Northwest. During the week ending July 2, UI Extension entomol- ogist Erik Wenninger, who administers Idaho’s moni- toring program, said psyllids were found in a quarter of the 97 ields where sticky traps have been deployed to capture the pests. The cards contained 48 psyllids, including from a ield in Bingham County and a ield in Power County in Eastern Idaho, where psyllid pressure has been light com- pared with other parts of the state. The monitoring program also detected psyllids in a dozen ields in Canyon Coun- ty, three ields in Payette County, two ields in Owyhee County, two ields in Twin Falls County and one ield each in Elmore County, Ada County and Malheur County, Ore. “I know a lot of growers have been waiting until we re- port psyllids in their area until they start spraying, which in a lot of cases has saved growers a lot of sprays,” Wenninger said. “If a grower is inclined to start spraying when we detect psyllids in their area, I think that’s a reasonable course of action.” Wenninger said infect- ed psyllids were conirmed from Canyon County samples in late May, but all samples tested since then have been negative for Liberibacter. Test results have not been returned from the most recently cap- tured psyllids. It takes about three weeks from infection for zebra chip symptoms to surface — in- cluding aerial tubers, leaf roll- ing, purplish discoloration, yellowing leaves and swollen nodes. “It was a little bit surpris- ing to see (psyllids) show up that early in Eastern Idaho, but not terribly surprising,” Wenninger said. Wenninger said the recent hot, dry weather has favored psyllids. During last season, which was also unseasonably hot, the irst psyllids also ar- rived during the irst week of July. Aberdeen, Idaho, grower Ritchey Toevs applied insecti- cide in-furrow at planting and plans to move up his irst fo- liar insecticide spray by nine days to July 11, due to the recent detection of psyllids in Eastern Idaho. “With my next fungi- cide application I’ll need to add (insecticide),” Toevs said. WSDA: Yakima and Whatcom dairies show progress in reducing nitrates Hundreds attend manure workshops By DON JENKINS Capital Press John O’Connell/Capital Press Jay Byrne, president and CEO of v-Fluence Interactive, a public relations agency that tracks issues in agriculture, speaks about the grow- ing inluence of conservation organizations and others who oppose conventional agriculture during the National Potato Council’s summer meeting in Park City, Utah. Byrne said he believes future attacks on agriculture will center on water and climate issues. Ag opponents plan attacks using water, climate issues By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press PARK CITY, Utah — Future attacks on conven- tional agriculture will focus on water and climate, an analyst who tracks activist groups predicts. Jay Byrne, president and CEO of the intelli- gence-gathering agen- cy v-Fluence Interactive, told the National Potato Council’s summer meet- ing that agriculture’s op- ponents are working to- gether more closely than ever and spending large sums to convey their messages. Byrne said their cam- paigns are beginning to shift from labeling genet- ically modified organisms to water quality concerns — especially algae blooms and “dead zones” in water bodies. “This is the most intense advocacy period we’ve seen in over 20 years of track- ing,” Byrne said. “Today in the U.S. it’s GMO labeling. Very quickly, that’s going to turn around and be issues as- sociated with water, and it’s going to affect every aspect of conventional production.” Byrne said a “trial bal- loon” lawsuit filed in Iowa alleges farming is creating downstream environmental challenges, and opponents are already lining up liti- gants for future cases. Byrne estimates the groups tracked by v-Fluence have increased spending by 50 to 100 percent annually since 2012. In 2011, opponents in North America spent $2.5 billion campaigning against GMOs and conventional ag- riculture, v-Fluence estimat- ed. Globally, advocacy groups targeting agriculture are likely to spend more than $10 billion this year, he said. Charlie Cray, research specialist with Greenpeace USA, agrees water and cli- mate will undoubtedly be key issues heading into the future. He questions Byrne’s financial estimates, howev- er. “I don’t think the entire environmental movement has that much money,” Cray said. “I would love to see him break (his estimates) down.” Supported by “black mar- keters” seeking to increase organic sales by discrediting conventional competitors, Byrne said opponents have relied on a relentless “ghost army” of baseless research claims published in “pay-to- play” journals. Cray agrees the organic sector supports campaigns to point out the benefits of the production system relative to conventional agriculture, but he disagrees that they’re being covert. V-Fluence estimates wa- ter-centric attacks on agri- culture have increased by 110 percent during the past year, Byrne said He believes opponents’ messages resonate with con- sumers because they craft stories with regulators as the heroes, consumers as the victims and big agriculture as the villain. Luther Markwart, exec- utive vice president of the American Sugar Beet Grow- ers Association, believes farmers should respond with their own narrative. “Activists have demon- ized the technology, and farmers can’t leave it to anybody else to educate the American public,” Markwart said. By contrast, Cray advises farmers to respond to mount- ing criticisms by being more transparent about their water usage and “reduce petro- chemical intensity of their production systems to show they recognize and are ad- dressing any contribution they make to greenhouse gases.” By MITCH LIES HAY PRESS SUPPORT: • Hay Sleeves • Strap • Totes • Printed or Plain • Stretch Film (ALL GAUGES) WAREHOUSE PACKAGING: • Stretch Film • Pallet Sheets • Pallet Covers Don Jenkins/Capital Press A lagoon holds manure at a dairy in Whatcom County, Wash. A new Washington State Department of Agriculture report shows fewer acres at dairies in Whatcom and Skagit counties have nitrate levels that “need attention.” OSU hires new seed laboratory manager WE S P E CIA LIZE IN B U LK B AG S! BAGS: • Seed Bags • Fertilizer Bags • Feed Bags • Potato Bags • Printed Bags • Plain Bags • Bulk Bags • Totes • Woven Polypropylene • Bopp • Polyethylene • Pocket Bags • Roll Stock & More! Nearly 350 people this year have attended state-funded workshops on judiciously ap- plying manure, while the per- centage of acres with elevated levels of nitrates has declined in two dairy-rich counties, ac- cording to a new report by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The report, released July 11, draws no connection be- tween the workshops and reduced levels of nitrates, though a WSDA spokesman said the report suggests dair- ies are improving their man- agement of manure. The Washington State Dairy Federation hailed the report as evidence farmers are embracing training and reduc- ing the risk of groundwater contamination. “This is real environmental protection,” the federation’s policy director, Jay Gordon, said. At the federation’s urging, state lawmakers in 2015 gave WSDA a two-year $575,000 appropriation to offer ma- nure-management workshops with the help of conservation districts and Washington State University. WSDA also hired two more inspectors to advise dairy farms. The federation lobbied for the funding as part of a push to respond to concerns about dairies polluting groundwater. The report updates law- makers on how WSDA has spent the money so far and what the latest soil tests show. Since the beginning of the year, conservation districts in eight counties have hosted 15 training sessions attended by 347 people. Besides dairy farmers, the workshops have been attend- ed by berry growers, ranchers, other farmers, crop consul- tants and manure applicators. Average attendance at each workshop in the winter ex- ceeded 30. Fewer have attend- ed workshops in the spring and early summer. Gordon said he suspects attendance declined as ield work in- creased. “Any extension agent on the planet will tell you that if they get 30 farmers to show up at a meeting, they’d do back lips,” he said. A four-hour workshop in Whatcom County drew 81 people. “I think it shows farmers in this area are trying to be proactive,” said Whatcom County Conservation nutrient management specialist Nichole Embertson. Embertson last year orga- nized manure-management workshops in Whatcom and Yakima counties. The work- shops were well-attended and built momentum for a larger continuing-education program. WSDA also reported that the percentage of acres with elevated levels of nitrates is dropping at dairies in Yakima and Whatcom counties, where concern about manure pollut- ing groundwater has been the highest. In Yakima County, WSDA tested more than 28,000 acres in 2016. The percentage of acres that “needs attention” dropped to 6.6 percent from 11.9 percent in 2014. In What- com County, WSDA tested about 29,000 acres. The per- centage that needs improve- ment dropped to 2.9 percent from 4.4 percent in 2014. Gordon said the test re- sults relect adjustments dairy farmers have made over the past several years when ap- plying manure. “These are wonderful numbers. They’re heading in the right direction,” he said. Statewide, WSDA tested more than 176,000 acres at nearly 400 dairies. The per- centage of acres that needs attention was 3.1 percent, virtually unchanged from 3.2 percent in 2014. WSDA also reported that the percentage of dairies in compliance with their manure management plans was 92 percent as of March 31. The compliance rate on the same date two years ago was 87 percent. For the Capital Press LOCATIONS: Albany, Oregon (MAIN OFFICE) Ellensburg, Washington CONTACT INFORMATION: Phone: 855-928-3856 Fax: 541-497-6262 info@westernpackaging.com ....................................................... CUSTOMER SERVICE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY! www.westernpackaging.com 30-1/#5 Oregon State Universi- ty’s College of Agricultural Sciences has named David Stimpson, who has spent the past 20 years working in seed science and technology for Dow AgroSciences, as its new seed laboratory manag- er. Stimpson will start in his new position July 29. He replaces Adriel Garay, who retired Dec. 31 after 19 years as the lab’s manager. Dan Curry, director of seed services for OSU, said he has known Stimpson for 15 years through their par- ticipation in the Society of Commercial Seed Technolo- gists. Stimpson currently is vice president of the organi- zation and is in line to be its president next year. “He is a good guy,” Curry said. “A lot of people are tell- ing me, ‘You picked the right person.’ We feel pretty good about it.” “Dave has extensive ex- perience in seeds, seed in- dustry development, seed physiology, seed analysis and commercial seed quality and compliance,” said Jay Noller, head of the college’s Crop and Soil Science Department. Curry, who has been serv- ing as interim director of the lab since Garay’s retirement, said he is anxiously awaiting Stimpson’s arrival. “My arms are open for Dave to get here,” Curry said. “We need a full-time manag- er, and we are really happy that Dave has decided to take the job. “He is the right person, and we are anxious for him to get started,” Curry said. Curry said the college conducted an international search to ill the position.
