Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2016)
4 CapitalPress.com August 5, 2016 USDA plans impact statement on deregulation of GE bentgrass By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press ONTARIO, Ore. — USDA will prepare an environmental impact statement that evalu- ates a petition to deregulate a genetically engineered creep- ing bentgrass plant that es- caped ield trials in 2003 and has taken root in two Oregon counties. A notice of intent to pre- pare the EIS was published in the Federal Register Aug. 3, and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will accept public comments through Sept. 2. The bentgrass, which is resistant to applications of the glyphosate herbicide, was de- veloped by Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. and Monsanto Corp. for use mainly on golf courses. It escaped ield trials in 2003 and has spread through- out parts of Malheur and Jef- ferson counties. Farmers and water manag- ers in those areas worry that because the bentgrass is resis- tant to glyphosate and is hard to kill, it could clog irrigation ditches and affect shipments of crops to other nations that don’t accept traces of geneti- cally modiied organisms. Some farmers in the af- fected counties have criticized a 10-year agreement USDA reached with Scotts in October that lays out the company’s responsibilities to help control the bentgrass. They believe it essentially allows Scotts to walk away from its responsibility to con- trol the grass after two years, a claim the company and USDA oficials deny. Malheur County farm- er Jerry Erstrom, one of the most vocal opponents of the agreement, said it’s critical that growers comment on the petition because the bentgrass could have a major impact on them. “It’s very important to com- ment because the people from APHIS have no concept of the impact it could potentially have on Malheur County and other counties downstream,” he said. “We’re looking at the possibility of a major econom- ic and ecological impact. ...” By law, USDA is re- quired to conduct either an environmental impact state- ment or a less rigorous envi- ronmental assessment of the petition. Because of the degree of controversy involved, “We thought it was in the best in- terest of everybody to do an environmental impact state- ment,” Sid Abel, assistant deputy director of APHIS’ Biotechnology Regulatory Services, told Capital Press. The agreement USDA reached with Scotts last fall is “distinct and separate from the request for deregulation” and will not be impacted by it, Abel said. However, he added, the information included in the agreement will have an impact on the EIS and will be the basis for how it’s written. Federal law requires USDA to determine whether the creep- ing bentgrass is a plant pest and the agency will look at whether it poses a risk to other plants, agricultural production systems and biological resources. According to the Federal Register, the petition for dereg- ulation by Scotts and Monsanto states the plant is “unlikely to pose a plant pest risk and, there- fore, should not be (regulated).” A preliminary review has determined the bentgrass likely isn’t a plant pest, Abel said. In its review, USDA will also be looking at the agro- nomic consequences of the bentgrass out-crossing to weedy species, including the possible impact on crop rota- tion practices, herbicide use and tillage. It will also examine the possible impact on farm exports. UI seeks partnership with Peru potato center By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press MOSCOW, Idaho — The University of Idaho is nego- tiating a partnership with the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru, involving the sharing of scientiic exper- tise and providing UI’s pota- to program better access to a vast gene bank. In addition to employing top potato scientists, the Cen- ter houses a gene bank with more than 4,000 selections of potato varieties, wild potato relatives and ancient potatoes cultivated thousands of years ago in the Andes, dating back to the Incas. The ongoing discussions stem from May 2015, when UI plant science professor Mike Thornton and Bob Hag- gerty, international programs director with UI’s College of Agricultural and Life Sci- ences, visited Peru as part of a trade mission facilitated by Idaho Gov. Butch Otter. Thornton believes partnering with the center, located in the region where potatoes orig- inated, would be a boon for UI’s potato breeding efforts. “If you’re looking for new sources of genes to solve po- tato problems — like late blight, or potato cyst nema- tode, you name it — that is the most likely place you’re going to ind those resources,” Thornton said. Thornton joined UI Exten- sion potato storage specialist Nora Olsen and Joe Kuhl, an associate professor special- izing in biotechnology, this Don Jenkins/Capital Press Excavators breach a dike Aug. 1 in Skagit County, Wash., to expose 131 acres of former farmland to Puget Sound salt water to create ish habitat. Washington breaches dike to convert farmland to ish habitat Courtesy of Mike Thornton Barbara Wells, director of the International Potato Center, joins Peruvian farmers, showing off tissue culture plantlets of native potato landraces they are working to preserve. University of Idaho is seeking to partner with the center. spring on a six-day return trip to the center and nearby po- tato farms. The UI oficials were scheduled to meet again with center personnel Aug. 2 during the Potato Association of America meeting in Mich- igan. The center works close- ly with native growers, who conduct variety trials on their small farms to evaluate mate- rial. Kuhl said partnering with the center would also provide UI access to “individuals with intimate knowledge of the material that goes well be- yond what might be available in a database.” In return, Thornton be- lieves UI provides a diverse set of potato scientists with knowledge in virology, food science, agronomy and other facets of the industry. “I think we’ve got as good of a scientiic group as any- where in the world, so I think we can help them,” Thornton said. Thornton is interested in partnering with a Prosser, Wash., USDA scientist on a nutrition screening of 17 col- orful center varieties. Potato pigments are linked with sev- eral health beneits. The sam- ples would be freeze-dried to kill potential pathogens. Kuhl hopes to get a special permit to bring Peruvian lines to Idaho to screen a popula- tion of potatoes derived from parents known to resist nem- atodes. The information would help Kuhl isolate a genetic marker for pale cyst nema- Joyce Capital, Inc. In agriculture, nothing is certain. Your interest rate should be. We offer competitive interest rates for your agricultural financing needs: • Term agricultural loans (purchases & refinances) • FSA Preferred Lender • Amortizations up to 25 years CONTACT: Kevin Arrien, or Joe Lodge at Joyce Capital, Inc. Agricultural Loan Agents (208) 338-1560 • Boise, ID joe@arrien.biz 32-1/#17 tode resistance, aiding future breeding efforts and provid- ing insight into an area the Pe- ruvian center is not equipped to study. Olsen would like to as- sist the center in its mission to feed the world’s poor by “bridging information, tech- nology, ideas and science from developed countries to developing countries.” She foresees an eventual exchange of scientists and graduate stu- dents between the facilities. Haggerty has set aside funding to continue working toward an agreement, noting the center has locations in other major potato produc- tion regions, and a partner- ship would also help UI build its global network. He said UI discovered it had reached a memorandum of under- standing with the center 25 years ago but did little to act upon it. LEGAL CHERRY AVENUE STORAGE 2680 Cherry Ave. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 399-7454 Sat., August 13th • 10 A.M. • Unit 29 Luis Aguilar • Unit 85 Angela Kinzel • Unit 96 Kimberly Munz • Unit 109 Babette Frutas • Unit 166 Steven Shuck Cherry Avenue Storage reserves the right to refuse any and all bids legal-31-2-1/#4 More land likely to be converted By DON JENKINS Capital Press CONWAY, Wash. — Exca- vators breached a dike Aug. 1 that for more than a century had protected farmland, furthering a state and federal plan to convert thousands of acres of agricul- tural ields into salmon habitat in the Skagit River Delta. Excavators started digging a gap in the 12-foot-high dike in the morning. By late after- noon, Puget Sound’s high tide was spreading saltwater over 131 acres that previously grew crops such as broccoli, red po- tatoes and vegetable seeds. Tiny ish were swimming at the toe of a new dike farther in- land on Fir Island, between the river’s south and north forks, which empty into the sound. The head of a farm group accepted the conversion of cropland into a ish-rearing es- tuary as a regulatory necessity, but he wasn’t rejoicing. “It’s not a celebratory time,” said Brandon Roozen, director of the Western Washington Ag- ricultural Association. “There’s been blood, sweat and tears spent on that land to keep it fertile.” The agricultural associa- tion represents a dozen diking, drainage and irrigation districts that serve farmers over 54,000 acres. The association agreed sev- eral years ago to a plan to con- vert up to 2,700 acres of agri- cultural land to create enough habitat for 1.35 million en- dangered chinook salmon smolts annually. In return, the districts will be able to repair and replace the tide gates that make farm- ing in the delta possible, but are seen by regulatory agen- cies as blocking ish from historical habitat. Roozen said districts had to compromise to have a chance to maintain their sys- tems. “It’s the best we can pos- sibly do, in my opinion,” he said. “We’re caught between a rock and a hard place.” The dike breaching Aug. 1 climaxed a $16.4 million project to create a marsh on land the Washington Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife bought in 1980. The depart- ment purchased the property for a winter refuge for snow geese, but leased the ground to farmers in the summer. The new marsh is expect- ed to create habitat for 65,000 to 320,600 smolts annually. The state has other prop- erty in the delta that it may convert into ish habitat, but eventually it likely will need to buy private farmland to meet the program’s goal. “You add all (the state properties) together and your short maybe 1,000 acres. The challenge will be to close the gap,” said Bob Everitt, WD- FW’s North Puget Sound re- gional director. “The proper- ty has to be in the right place. It’s got to be along the bay front.” The U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service, National Marine Fisheries Service and The Nature Conservancy, a pri- vate group, helped fund the project. The federal govern- ment contributed $2.31 mil- lion, or 15 percent. William Stelle, the West Coast administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said the agency hopes Congress will fund more such projects, which he said will beneit farmers, as well as ish advocates. “We ish heads need farm- ers on the landscape, and we need to ind where the sweet spot is for both communi- ties and get to that place,” he said. 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. 32-1/#4N 32-4/#6