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2 CapitalPress.com August 26, 2016 People & Places Oficer becomes partner in wine Greg Bergersen finds parallels in winemaking, corrections Western Innovator For the Capital Press Greg bergersen Hometown: Chowchilla, Calif. Occupation: Retired as a cor- rectional lieutenant after 25 years, founder of Solitary Cel- lars Wine Co. Personal mission statement: “Our customers make the ex- perience happen, and the ex- perience is what they will leave with. It is my job to make sure that experience is positive and memorable.” Courtesy of Solitary Cellars Greg Bergerson, co-owner of Solitary Cellars wines in Madera, Calif., is a retired California corrections oficer. The tasting room is decorated in a “jail” motif. a commercial scale and from there Solitary Cellars began.” He buys fruit from Monte- rey, Lake and Amador coun- ties and the Lodi region. “We love our relationships with our growers,” he said. “When we take our custom- ers on the journey of Solitary Cellars wines, the irst stop is in the vineyard.” Bergersen said experience in the prison system helped in his winemaking. “Working in a correctional setting you are keenly aware of small things that look un- usual,” he said. “This atten- tion to detail has helped me immensely; there are no short cuts.” Bergersen’s partner in Solitary is Rick Quesada, who lives in Fresno with his By JANAE SARGENT Capital Press wife and three children. He experiences daily life “behind the wall” as the personnel assignment lieu- tenant at Valley State Prison in Madera County. The men met when they were correc- tions oficers at the facility. “The partnership works well because we both bring different elements to the Sol- itary Cellars experience,” Quesada said. Their tasting room is dec- orated in a “prison motif,” and customers can get their mug shot taken and enjoy the playful atmosphere. “I am a natural people per- son and love to interact with our customers. Greg is more into the technical aspects of our wines and winemaking. Together we offer our cus- tomers a complete experience that is both fun and inviting as well as educational.” The winery produces about 1,400 cases a year. Most wine sales are direct to consumer and through the “Chain Gang” wine club. Several former inmates have visited the North Block Tasting Room. “I am a irm believer in redemption, and my ap- proach has always been to not judge on the past,” Berg- ersen said. “I take the person for who they are at that time without being judgmental. I learned that lesson working at Corcoran.” He said one of the most respected sergeants he ever worked for had a brother do- ing a life sentence. “Sometimes things just happen,” he said. “I remem- ber having a discussion in the tasting room with a guy who did 14 years for attempted murder. He is a business own- er now and is respected within the community.” He said he and Quesada tell their customers that their growers have the dustiest boots in the world because of the time spent in the vine- yards. “That love for farming can be enjoyed in each glass of Solitary Cellars wines,” Berg- ersen said. “We cannot stress enough our admiration and respect for the farmers and ield workers who bring the world’s inest wine grapes to market.” As a part of the agricultur- al exhibits, FFA constructed a new greenhouse for horticul- ture displays with the help of sponsor GK Machinery. In 2015, fair management was shifted from the Oregon State Parks Department to a public corporation. Cox said this gave the fair more lexi- bility and allowed it to operate more eficiently. The restructured manage- ment increased fair atten- dance by 18.9 percent in 2015 and Cox expects that number to grow again in 2016. “As a quasi-public corpo- ration, we are able to func- tion more like a business with more lexibility and nimble- ness,” Cox said. The biggest addition to the fair will be Machine Ma- nia, which offers a variety of motorsport competitions each day. It will feature tuff trucks, a demolition derby, freestyle motorcycles, truck and trac- tor pulls, lat track motorcy- cle racing, outlaw kart racing, professional speedway kart racing and monster trucks. Admission is free with paid admission to the fair. Portland-based Rainier Amusements will provide carnival rides and attractions to the fair. Rainier will bring Bobsled, a full roller coaster, to the carnival. Cox said while the fair is adding alot, it is holding onto all of its popular recurring programs. In 2015 the Oregon State Fair drew 268,000 attendees, not including employees or vendors. The fair will be the irst in the nation to host a cannabis exhibit in 2016. The Oregon Cannabis Business Council Oregon State Fair Admission: $8 for adults, $5 for children and $1 for seniors. Admission is cheaper if bought in advance online. Military veterans, irst responders and immediate families get free admission on Labor Day, Sept. 5. Dates: Aug. 26-Sept. 5 Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Stacks of leafy greens are sprouting inside an old indus- trial building in New Jersey. “What we do is we trick it,” said David Rosenberg, co-founder and chief exec- utive oficer of AeroFarms. “We get it thinking that, if plants could think: ‘All right, this is a good environment, it’s time to grow now.”’ AeroFarms is one of sev- eral companies creating new ways to grow vegetables in- doors year-round to solve problems like the drought out Calendar West, frost in the South or other unfavorable conditions affecting farmers. The company is in the process of building what an industry group says is the world’s largest commercial vertical farm at the site of an old steel mill in New Jersey’s largest city. It will contain 12 layers of growth on 3½ acres, produc- ing 2 million pounds of food per year. Production is set to begin next month. “We want to help allevi- ate food deserts, which is a real problem in the United States and around the world,” Rosenberg said. “So here, Sponsored by: there are areas of Newark that are underprivileged, there is not enough economic devel- opment, aren’t enough super- markets. We put this farm in one of those areas.” The farm will be open to community members who want to buy the produce. It also plans to sell the food at local grocery stores. Critics say the artiicial lighting in vertical farms takes up a signiicant amount of energy that in turn creates carbon emissions. “If we did decide we were going to grow all of our na- tion’s vegetable crop in the vertical farming systems, the Location: 2330 17th St. NE, Salem Website: http://oregonstate- fair.org/ will exhibit nine non-budding plants in a secure greenhouse for attendees 21 and over. www.oxarc.com duction Ceremony, 11 a.m. Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE Salem, Ore. oregonstatefair.org/ p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Western Idaho Fair, 5610 Glen- wood, Boise, 208-287-5650, http:// sharemyfair.com/ Tuesday, Aug. 30 Friday, Aug. 26 Sunday, Aug. 28 Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Western Idaho Fair, 5610 Glen- wood, Boise, 208-287-5650, http:// sharemyfair.com/ Young Farmers and Ranchers FFA Tractor Driving Contest, Ore- gon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, Ore. oregonfb.org Saturday, Aug. 27 Western Idaho Fair, 5610 Glen- wood, Boise, 208-287-5650, http:// sharemyfair.com/ Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Century Farm and Ranch In- Monday, Aug. 29 Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-10 lion acres of farmland need to be made more sustainable. But some growers feel ag- riculture must change to meet the future. “We are at a major cri- sis here for our global food system,” said Marc Oshima, a co-founder and chief mar- keting oficer for AeroFarms. “We have an increasing pop- ulation that by the year 2050 we need to feed 9 billion peo- ple. We have increasing ur- banization.” Rosenberg also pointed out the speeded-up process. “We grow a plant in about 16 days, what otherwise takes 30 days in the ield,” he said. GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Sub- mit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301. Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ amount of space required, by my calculation, would be tens of thousands of Empire State Buildings,” said Stan Cox, the research coordinator at The Land Institute, a nonproit group that advocates sustain- able agriculture. “Instead of using free sun- light as we’ve always done to produce food, vertical farms are using light that has to be generated by a power plant somewhere, which is an un- necessary use of fuel and gen- eration of carbon emissions,” he said. Cox says that instead of moving food production into cities, the country’s 350 mil- Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Wednesday, Aug. 31 Rice Field Day, 7:30 a.m.-noon. Rice Experiment Station, Biggs, Calif. Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Thursday, Sept. 1 Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 20 Northwest Locations 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Friday, Sept. 2 Washington State Fair, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puyal- lup. (253) 845-1771, http://www. thefair.com/ Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Saturday, Sept. 3 Washington State Fair, 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puy- allup. (253) 845-1771, http://www. thefair.com/ Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Eastern Idaho State Fair, 97 Entire contents copyright © 2016 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing ofices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Toll free ............................. 800-882-6789 Main line ........................... 503-364-4431 Fax ................................... 503-370-4383 Advertising Fax ................ 503-364-2692 News Staff N. 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Editor Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Education: Fresno City College Oregon State Fair offers new attractions SALEM — The 151st Or- egon State Fair will feature new attractions, including an FFA greenhouse, a motorsports competition and a new carnival. The fair runs from Aug. 26 through Sept. 5. Fair spokesman Dan Cox said management this year is focusing on increasing atten- dance and drawing new audi- ences to the fair. Fair management has also restructured several programs for eficiency. Managers com- bined the 4-H and FFA horse competitions and several oth- er programs. Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester ..........................President Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Sid Freeman .................. Outside director Mike Omeg .................... Outside director Corporate oficer John Perry Chief operating oficer By JULIA HOLLISTER MADERA, Calif. — Greg Bergersen, co-owner of Sol- itary Cellars and a former corrections oficer at one of California’s most notorious prisons, developed a respect for agriculture at an early age. “I grew up in Fresno and my introduction to ag came from my friends who grew up on farms and ranches,” he said. “Although I was a ‘city slicker,’ like other kids my age we spent some time in the ields picking beans and grapes. It was during that time my respect for farm- workers was developed.” He applied to become a corrections ofice in 1989 and began work at California State Prison-Corcoran later that year. Convicted murder- er Charles Manson is serving time there. “I began making wine at my home in 2008 as a pet project,” he said. “I started with kits and worked my way to fruits and juices.” As he got better, he got the attention of a local winery. “I was a member of a lo- cal winery’s wine club, and they would let me bring my homemade wine in to be test- ed in their lab,” he said. “The winemaker offered me the opportunity to make wine on Capital Press 1-800-765-9055 Park St., Blackfoot. 208-785-2480, https://funatthefair.com/ Sunday, Sept. 4 Washington State Fair, 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puy- allup. (253) 845-1771, http://www. thefair.com/ Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971- 701-6573, http://oregonstatefair. org/ Eastern Idaho State Fair, 97 Park St., Blackfoot. 208-785-2480, https://funatthefair.com/ Monday, Sept. 5 Washington State Fair, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puyal- lup. (253) 845-1771, http://www. thefair.com/ 1 year U.S. ...................................$49.99 2 years U.S. .................................$89.99 1 year Canada .................................$275 1 year other countries ......... call for quote 1 year Internet only .......................$49.99 1 year 4-H, FFA students and teachers ....$30 9 months 4-H, FFA students & teachers .....$25 Visa and Mastercard accepted To get information published Mailing address: Capital Press P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 News: Contact the main ofice or news staff member closest to you, send the in- formation to newsroom@capitalpress.com or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press. Include a contact telephone number. Letters to the Editor: Send your comments on agriculture-related public issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital Press. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday. Capital Press ag media www.capitalpress.com www.FarmSeller.com www.AgDirectoryWest.com marketplace.capitalpress.com www.facebook.com/capitalpress www.facebook.com/farmseller www.facebook.com/onlyAGdotcom twitter.com/capitalpress www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo www.blogriculture.com Index Wheat ..................................... 4 Opinion .................................. 6 Dairy .................................... 10 Livestock ............................. 10 Markets ............................... 13 Correction policy Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.