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August 5, 2016 CapitalPress.com 3 Bi-partisan reform group cites immigrants’ contribution to economy By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Farmer Kevin Hobbs realized that inducing con- sumers to drive out to his property near Turner, Ore., just to buy eggs would be a tough sell. Agritourism operations usually offer numerous oth- er products and attractions, so Hobbs decided to find a retail establishment to buy his eggs. To do so, however, he needed an egg handler’s li- cense from the Oregon De- partment of Agriculture. Obtaining the license in- volves fees and regulations, but Hobbs said the process paid off when he found a re- tail buyer in Portland. “They’re taking every- thing we produce,” Hobbs said. “We can’t produce enough pastured eggs.” Other egg producers across Oregon are tak- ing a similar approach as Hobbs. Between 2005 and 2015, the number of licensed egg handlers in Oregon more than doubled, from 81 to 189, according to ODA re- cords. Though growers don’t need a license to sell eggs directly from a farm stand or at a farmers’ market, many want to be able to supply grocery stores and restaurants, said Carl Buch- holz, who raises eggs near Mount Angel. “You see a lot of restau- rants where a selling point for them is they buy local,” he said. Buchholz said he ob- tained his license to sell to the Bon Appetit Manage- ment Company, which pro- vides food service to cor- porations and institutions, as well as a food retailer in Portland. The license also allows him to sell eggs on behalf of a neighbor who also raises chickens on pasture. Several other producers wanted to supply Buchholz with eggs, but he was con- cerned with maintaining consistency and quality control. “When you’re selling at a higher price point, people are picky, and rightly so,” he said. For example, eggs must be free of dirt, cracks and similar defects, and they must be held up to a can- dling light to inspect the air cell — which indicates freshness — and to ensure they contain no internal blood spots or signs of bac- terial infection, she said. Packages must also be labeled with the handler’s permit number to allow for traceability, Schwab said. Large producers are in- spected by ODA quarterly, while smaller ones are in- spected every other year, she said. The agency also inspects eggs at the retail level to check that handlers are complying with regula- tions. In some cases, farmers’ markets are requiring that egg producers obtain li- censes, even though it’s not mandated by law, she said. “They want to ensure someone is overseeing their process,” Schwab said. Demand for local eggs among grocery stores and restaurants is strong de- spite competition among the growing number of egg handlers, particularly for eggs raised on pasture, said Buchholz. Apart from the mar- keting angle, Buchholz said he’s been able to save money on feed by allow- ing his chickens to forage freely. Though he’s now tak- en a full-time job and sells eggs directly to the pub- lic, Buchholz has elected not to let his handler’s li- cense lapse, in part because ODA’s $25 annual fee and other requirements are reasonable. “I was really impressed,” he said of working with the agency. Licensed handlers can sell eggs produced by oth- er farmers as long as the product undergoes the same grading, sanitation and packaging procedures, said Sarah Schwab, operations and automations special- ist with ODA’s food safety program. Hobbs, who started rais- ing chickens last year, plans to increase his flock from 250 to 1,000 birds and in- vest in mechanized equip- ment for washing and grad- ing. Maintaining the egg handler’s license involves additional steps for his op- eration, but the expanded marketing opportunities it offers are valuable, he said. “It’s worth it.” local taxes and $104 million in federal taxes. The report’s authors ac- knowledged that immigration issues cut both ways. “Of course, there are many compelling reasons that hav- ing a large undocumented population is a problem for a society,” the report said. “It undermines law and order, permits a shadow economy that is far harder to regulate, and is simply unfair to the millions of people who have come here legally.” But the problem of un- documented immigration has “gone largely unaddressed” for 30 years, they added, while undocumented workers have come to ill an integral role in many industries. Other speakers in Port- land included state Rep. John Davis, a Republican from Wilsonville; and Andrea Wil- liams, executive director of CAUSA. Jeff Stone, execu- tive director of the Oregon Association of Nurseries, served as moderator. Yantis’ neighbor: Death investigation outcome disappointing By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press BOISE — A friend and neighbor of Jack Yantis, the Council rancher shot and killed by two Adams County deputies Nov. 1, said he was disappointed but not surprised by an- nouncements July 29 by federal and state officials that no charges will be filed against the officers. “It’s very disappoint- ing. We wanted justice for Jack,” Adams County rancher Ken Downey said. “But I’ve known for six months he’s not going to get justice.” The U.S. attorney for Idaho and the state attorney general both announced July 29 that there is insuf- ficient evidence to charge Adams County sheriff’s deputies Cody Roland and Brian Wood for the death of Yantis, who was 62. The attorney general based his decision on an investigation by the Idaho State Police while the U.S. attorney in Idaho investi- gated the case along with the FBI. After one of his bulls was hit and injured by a car on Highway 95, near his home in Council, Ida- ho, Yantis responded to the scene after being asked to by dispatch. Roland and Wood both had body cameras but in- vestigators determined that Wood’s body camera mem- ory was full, while Roland didn’t activate his. There were four primary eyewitnesses to the event: Roland and Wood; Yantis’ wife, Donna; and Rowdy Paradis, the Yantis’ nephew. According to a letter sent by the attorney general’s office to the Adams Coun- ty prosecuting attorney, the eyewitness “accounts of the interaction between Wood and (Yantis) and the parties’ resulting actions contain sig- nificant discrepancies.” “Their conflicting state- ments create sufficient doubt to prevent a jury from hold- ing anyone criminally re- sponsible for this extremely unfortunate fatality,” the let- ter states. After arriving at the scene, Yantis was handed a rifle by his wife and began Grass Expertise. moving toward the bull. Ac- cording to the letter from the attorney general’s office, “this was expected by the officers so Jack could put down the bull.” Yantis then walked up to the bull and lined up to shoot it. According to the ISP in- vestigation, the officers be- came concerned for the safe- ty of others because of the direction Yantis was aiming his rifle in and intervened. Both deputies stated that Yantis pointed his rifle to- ward Roland and they fired at him in response to that perceived threat. According to the attorney general’s office, the deputies fired at Yantis 20 times and hit him 12 times, including three times in the abdomen, eight times in his upper ex- tremities and one time in the chest. One shot was fired from Yantis’ rifle. An autopsy revealed Yan- tis’ blood alcohol content was .104 percent, above Ida- ho’s legal driving limit of .08 percent. The ISP investigation in- volved more than 50 witness interviews, 5,300 pages of documents, 590 photos and 30 hours of audio and video recordings. NOW SCHEDULING FOR WATER WELL DRILLING & EXPLORATION Specializing in 10” diameter and above water wells. • Deepening • Reaming • Commercial • Irrigation Over 40 Years Experience LET’S TALK! BE CAREFUL OF THE PERCENTAGE OF RYEGRASS THAT YOU BLEND INTO YOUR IRRIGATED PASTURE MIX! GREENWAY SEEDS Caldwell, Idaho • Alan Greenway, Seedsman Cell: 208-250-0159 • MSG: 208-454-8342 www.rjdrillcompany.com 509-981-6675 • ryan@rjdrillcompany.com Alan Greenway, Seedsman Licensed • Insured • Bonded • Odessa, WA 32-1/#17 License provides farmers with marketing options businesses 20 percent, but due to a lack of workers will grow only 2 percent because “we can’t get off our butts and get this done.” Ryan Deckert, president of the Oregon Business As- sociation, called immigration reform a moral and economic “no-brainer.” Among the report’s Ore- gon highlights: • Nearly 390,000 Oregon residents were born outside the U.S., and 14,599 people immigrated to Oregon be- tween 2010 and 2014. • Immigrants make up 10 percent of the state’s popu- lation but 13 percent of the overall workforce and an estimated 56 percent of the workers who hand-harvest crops. About 73 percent of immigrants are working age, between 25 and 64, compared with 51 percent of the na- tive-born population. • In 2014, undocumented immigrants earned an estimat- ed $1.6 billion in wages and paid $61 million in state and 32-4/#14 Oregon egg handler numbers surge 32-1/#17 Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press Egg producer Kevin Hobbs visits with his chickens at his family’s farm near Turner, Ore. More egg producers like Hobbs are obtain- ing egg handler’s licenses to expand their marketing options. PORTLAND — A pan- el of agricultural, business, political and social leaders called for comprehensive im- migration reform Wednesday, saying the current system is broken, hurts families and hampers economic growth in Oregon. The gathering was part of a coordinated national cam- paign, called “Reason for Re- form,” that kicked off in all 50 states and the District of Co- lumbia. The effort is the work of a bi-partisan group called the Partnership for a New American Economy. The group released reports that detail the economic im- pact of foreign-born residents, including data on business- es started by immigrants, the number of people they employ, their tax payments, spending power and the types of jobs they ill in Oregon and elsewhere. Speakers in Portland in- cluded state Rep. Tina Kotek, who is Speaker of the House of Representatives. She said immigrants make “an enor- mous and growing contri- bution to our culture and economy” and the current im- migration system is disjointed and chaotic. State Sen. Michael Dem- brow, D-Portland, said immi- grants and refugees in Oregon are not here to “game the sys- tem.” “They are here to work and work hard,” he said. “Without their labor, agricultural areas all over the U.S would be in serious distress.” Immigrants’ contribution to Oregon agriculture was a highlight of the state report. Leigh Greschwill, whose family owns F&B Farms and Nursery of Woodburn, said a lack of labor is the top issue for agriculture, and the immi- gration problem is weakening Oregon’s economic health. She said some members of the Oregon Association of Nurseries could grow their 32-4/#4N