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CapitalPress.com
Editorials are written by or
approved by members of the
Capital Press Editorial Board.
October 21, 2016
All other commentary pieces are
the opinions of the authors but
not necessarily this newspaper.
Opinion
Editorial Board
Publisher
Editor
Managing Editor
Mike O’Brien
Joe Beach
Carl Sampson
opinions@capitalpress.com Online: www.capitalpress.com/opinion
O UR V IEW
TPP crucial to well-being of U.S. agriculture
T
he U.S. Department of
Agriculture is trying to
boost sagging dairy prices
by offering to buy $20 million
worth of cheese.
It’s the second round. USDA
bought $20 million worth of
cheese in August, too. But, no
one really expects the effort
to have much of a long-term
impact, least of all Ag Secretary
Tom Vilsack.
Real growth in the dairy
industry and producer prices are
dependent on increased access
to foreign markets. Last week
Vilsack touted the fi ndings of a
recent USDA report that proves
the point.
It points out that the domestic
market is mature, and unlikely
to grow signifi cantly.
But the export
market has grown
fi vefold since 2000,
reaching $7.1 billion
in 2014. Exports
account for 15
percent of U.S.
milk production.
Dairy exports are good
for the greater economy. For
every dollar in dairy exports,
another $3 in economic activity
are created. Every $1 billion
in exports
supports 20,000 jobs.
Vilsack said it’s important
that Congress pass the Trans-
Pacifi c Partnership, the pending
trade deal between the U.S.
and Canada, Mexico, Japan,
Australia, Malaysia,
Peru, Vietnam, Chile,
Brunei, Singapore and
New Zealand.
USDA estimates the
TPP would boost U.S. dairy
exports by $150 million to
$300 million per year. But dairy
farmers wouldn’t be the only
benefi ciaries.
Passage of the TPP is
important to all of agriculture.
U.S. agriculture is trade-
dependent, especially in the
West. Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and California export
about $30 billion a year in
agricultural goods overseas,
mainly to Pacifi c Rim nations.
As we’ve said before, TPP
isn’t perfect. But, U.S. farmers
and ranchers can’t afford to
cede free access to their most
important trading partners.
Why Oregonians
should vote yes on 98
O UR V IEW
Guest
comment
By KRISTIN KOSTMAN
For the Capital Press
O
This screen capture from the
“Mr. Seed” video shows the
main character criticizing
conventional agriculture.
The underbelly of
agricultural discussion
A
n old political adage
summarizes much about
today’s world: “You can’t
sling mud without getting some on
yourself.”
That’s true in agriculture, too.
A pro-organic nonprofi t recently
released a video that attacks
conventional agriculture. It’s low,
and it’s crude. It’s inaccurate, and it’s
nonsensical.
Called “Mr. Seed,” it’s a cartoon in
every sense. It uses four-letter words,
inappropriate metaphors and is based
primarily on ignorance.
“Mr. Seed” is to agriculture what
“Beavis and Butt-Head” are to
intelligent discussion.
At several points, the main
character is “bleeped” to cover his
foul language. In another instance,
he peeks into the pants of another
seed to see — you get the idea. It is
as gross and silly as it is lame.
“Mr. Seed” makes the originators
look like a bunch of 13-year-
old boys. (At least the boys will
outgrow that tittering snarkiness.
“Mr. Seed” will not.)
That the Clif Bar Family
Foundation, through its Seed
Matters initiative, agreed to have
its name attached to the video is
a surprise. We assumed they were
above that sort of thing. We also
hope they rethink their support for
the low road.
As an agricultural newspaper
and website, we cover all types
of agriculture on our news pages
and support all types of agriculture
in our editorials. We view the
production of food as an issue of
overarching importance today and
in the future. There is no more
important industry in the world.
We don’t see the point of
cartoonish, ignorant attacks on any
farmer or rancher. The folks at Clif
Bar and the family foundation they
support are better than “Mr. Seed.”
By all lights, they refl ect high
values in their business practices
and products and we wish them all
of the best.
We also wish they would use
this occasion to engage with others
in agriculture to gain a better
understanding of all facets of the
industry.
The Food Producers of Idaho —
an organization that includes most
of the state’s agriculture-related
groups — recently wrote a letter to
the Clif foundation.
“Our diverse agricultural
practices — conventional, organic,
biotech — are all vitally important
to our food supply,” the letter stated.
“The demonizing of conventional
agricultural practices through this
video discounts its essential role in
meeting the country’s food needs,
sustainability efforts, and economic
development.”
Well said.
There’s another adage that has
been overused during the current
political season: “If you don’t have
anything good to say about yourself,
attack the other guy.”
We’d like to see that practice
confi ned to the lower bowels of
the presidential election campaign
and not seep into the legitimate
and thoughtful discussion of
agriculture.
regon has nearly the
worst graduation rate
in the country. Measure
98 is our chance to fi x it. Mea-
sure 98 will establish and ex-
pand vocational and career tech-
nical education classes in high
schools throughout the state,
including agriculture education
at rural schools.
Measure 98 would make Ca-
reer Technical Education class-
es, or CTE, available to every
high school student in Oregon.
As an agricultural science and
technology teacher at Crater
High School in Central Point,
I’ve seen fi rsthand how such
classes can transform students’
lives.
For some kids, sitting down
in a math class or reading a book
in English class is not what they
were cut out to do. CTE cours-
es are different. They provide
these students with challenging,
hands-on classes that help keep
them engaged. Specifi cally,
agriculture education and tech-
nology is an intra-curricular pro-
gram that combines classroom
instruction, supervised agricul-
tural experiences and FFA, the
largest career and technical stu-
dent organization in the state.
CTE classes also make the
rest of school more relevant.
Classes like mine show students
how their learning from other
courses can be applied.
For example, in my classes,
students use math and chemistry
to fi gure out how much fertiliz-
er they would need to apply to
a fi eld. They use reading to de-
cipher complex planting instruc-
tions. They use critical thinking
to evaluate livestock and then
defend their placings through
oral reasons.
My students see why math,
chemistry, reading and critical
thinking matter. As a result,
they’re much more likely to
take their other classes serious-
ly. This is one reason Oregon
students who take CTE courses
have a 15 percent higher gradu-
ation rate than students who do
not take CTE courses.
Furthermore, when they
do graduate, CTE students are
more likely to fi nd high wage
jobs in growing industries.
That’s because when they take
classes like mine, they graduate
with more real world skills and
Kristin Kostman
experiences that prepare them
to make critical decisions about
their future educational goals.
They learn about trade school
options and already have expe-
rience in industries that have a
need for more workers.
These are just some of the
reasons we need CTE classes in
high school. Unfortunately, bud-
get cuts have meant many high
schools have lost these import-
ant training opportunities and
career paths.
Measure 98 will fi x this,
making sure Oregon high
schools expand access to CTE
education that lets students learn
real world skills in a variety of
fi elds, such as engineering and
design, computer coding, robot-
ics, agriculture mechanics/weld-
ing, medical biotechnology, vet-
erinary medicine, plant science
and more.
This way, all students can
get education they need for
good-paying jobs with local
businesses.
In addition, Measure 98
will make sure Oregon’s high
school graduates are well pre-
pared for college. Measure 98
means many more students can
take CTE dual credit and ad-
vanced placement classes that
let them earn early college cred-
it — which gets them ready to
succeed in college. They start
college with coursework under
their belts and a competitive
edge when applying to colleges
across the country.
Once in college, they have
a head start, which saves them
money and increases the chanc-
es that they’ll actually graduate.
Finally, Measure 98 will help
students stay in high school by
providing for additional tutors or
counselors. Students will under-
stand their options, take charge
of them and be more likely to
succeed.
Now is the time to do some-
thing about our depressing high
school graduation rate. Every
year we wait, more than 10,000
students fail to graduate high
school. Please vote yes for Mea-
sure 98. The futures of thou-
sands of students are at stake.
Kristin Kostman is an agri-
cultural science and technology
teacher at Crater High School
in Central Point, Ore.
Readers’ views
Pierce should be
next governor
Bud Pierce is the MOST positive
and needed change that our citizens
could make in this very important
election! Our State of Oregon has
been governed by a philosophy that
has, and continues to believe that
a centralized authority emanating
from Salem is the basis of sound
representative government.
Nothing could be further from
the truth. Please consider the reali-
ty of decline that our rural commu-
nities languish in today. For thir-
ty-plus years this elitism of control,
through these ill-founded policies,
has eroded our economic, as well
as our social base, here east of the
Cascades.
The facts are very plain. Our ru-
ral communities, that are the fabric
of our culture, have been decimated
by the overreach of this controlling
policy, AND the neglect to engage
our knowledge with the wisdom of
managing our valuable natural re-
sources. Most, if not all, of our ru-
ral communities are in decline with
lowering population, schools clos-
ing/consolidating for lack of kids
to educate. Our sons and daughters
having to leave because there is no
sustainable employment to support
families.
I want to make clear that this
devastation to our side of Oregon,
was not the policy makers’ intended
outcome. It is because we, the stew-
ards of our communities were, and
continue to be ignored for our abili-
ty in generating conscientious man-
agement practices that will enhance
not only the environmental aspects,
but also create a sustainable econo-
my to make our rural side of Oregon
thrive again!
Bud Pierce is that much needed
change in direction! He has visited
our eastside and demonstrates his
belief in our abilities that we know
what is best for our neighborhoods
and small towns. Bud understands
and truly believes that the people
that live here have THE most in-
vested in a sustainable prosperity,
along with the utmost concern for
doing what is right in utilizing our
tremendous resource base.
Assuredly, we on the eastside
of the Cascades, can turn this state
around, getting it back on track, and
leaving the old stale, corrupt poli-
cies of the last 30-plus years behind.
If we enthusiastically participate
in the election process, and vote
for Bud Pierce as governor we can
invigorate our communities once
again. I implore you to vote, and for
you to encourage family and friends
to engage. Oregon desperately
needs a positive, bold change for all
of us! Bud Pierce as governor can
be the catalyst for a new beginning!
Curtis W. Martin
North Powder, Ore.
Power company
targets producers
In 1980 I built a water-powered
generator to produce power and sell
to the power company.
I was getting 7 cents a kilo-
watt-hour.
Now, 35 years later, I receive
$.025 per KWH.
The power company in turn
charges $.65 per KWH that I use
from it.
I also get charged for the meter,
Klamath dam removal and helping
low-income customers.
The power company wants
to make all the small people like
me that produce water power
on a small scale quit producing
power.
The power company has been
allowed to keep reducing the price
they pay for the power and in turn
run me out of business.
Loyd F. Fery
Loyd Fery Farms LLC
Aumsville, Ore.