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December 2, 2016 CapitalPress.com 3 Marijuana testing poses regulatory quandaries By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press WILSONVILLE, Ore. — Marijuana testing is creating several quandaries for Oregon regulators at a time of overall uncertainty for the newly le- galized crop, according to a state official. Testing for pesticides pos- es one challenge, as the nec- essary instrumentation is ex- pensive and complicated, said Jeff Rhoades, senior adviser on marijuana policy for Gov. Kate Brown. While state regulators want to protect public health, testing is a large barrier to entry into the legal recreational marijua- na market, he said during the Oregon Board of Agriculture meeting in Wilsonville, Ore., on Nov. 30. An overly strict testing re- gime would be a disadvantage to small growers while favor- ing large out-of-state compa- nies, Rhoades said. “It’s a very delicate balance with testing here,” he said. One pesticide that’s com- monly used on grapes, for example, breaks down into hydrogen cyanide when set aflame, he said. Meanwhile, marijuana is sold not just as a flower, but also in the form of various tinctures and extracts that re- quire specific testing methods, Rhoades said. “It can’t be just a one-size- fits-all approach,” he said. There are also no federally approved pesticides that are specific to the psychoactive crop, Rhoades said. Currently, Oregon has 18 laboratories accredited to test marijuana, but just four are able to test for pesticides. Other marijuana traits that are tested for include microbi- al contamination, solvents and potency. Potency testing has also encountered problems since it became mandatory on Oct. 1, said Rhoades. Marijuana growers were re- ceiving greatly variable results from different labs, and were flocking to those providing the highest potency ratings, he said. “Lab shopping was hap- pening all over the place,” he said. Regulators are now trying to create a standardized testing protocol for potency so grow- ers can expect uniform results, Rhoades said. Taxes from marijuana sales in Oregon are expected to be a boon to state coffers, but first the Oregon Liquor Control Commission must be repaid for its extensive work in creating a regulatory system for the crop, he said. The Oregon Department of Agriculture has also been heavily involved in regulations involving pesticides, food safe- ty and accurate scale systems, Rhoades said. Exactly how the agency will be repaid for these efforts is currently unclear, though the is- sue is being discussed and will likely surface during the 2017 legislative session, he said. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, which has made banks leery of dealing with marijuana companies — a complication that raises addi- tional issues, Rhoades said. “It’s an all-cash business at this point, which creates public safety concerns and tax collection concerns,” he said. Regulators in Oregon and the seven other states where recreational marijuana is now legal were hoping for clarity from the federal government that would enable more bank- ing involvement, he said. With the recent election and upcoming change in pres- idential administrations, how- ever, there’s great uncertainty about federal marijuana poli- cy, Rhoades said. The Obama administra- tion’s approach — which al- lows recreational marijuana as long as it’s kept out of the black market and away from children, among other mea- sures — can be immediately reversed by the Trump admin- istration, he said. Portland hosts national Women in Sustainable Agriculture conference By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press Beef company recovers from rough patch By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press EUGENE, Ore. — An Or- egon beef processing facility is re-opening after a rough patch that included an oper- ating suspension ordered by the USDA and an expensive equipment upgrade. Bartels Farms, an organ- ic and grass-fed beef com- pany based in Eugene, Ore., planned to restart its slaughter facility in late November af- ter shutting down for several weeks. The interruption in oper- ations has cost the company roughly $8 million to $10 million in lost revenues, as it has been unable to process about 11,000 head of cattle, said Chris Bartels, the firm’s president. The shutdown also cre- ated problems for livestock producers who expected to sell cattle to Bartels Farms, as well as retailers who couldn’t get their orders for meat filled, he said. “The ripple effect is tre- mendous,” he said. Despite some negative at- tention in the local media, re- tail buyers have stuck by the company after the suspension, said his wife, Kandi Bartels. “If we had lost our custom- ers, it would have been a dif- ferent story,” she said. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service began enforcement action against Bartels Farms in Septem- ber after several incidents in which cattle weren’t imme- diately rendered unconscious from a stun with a captive-bolt gun, requiring a repeated stun, according to agency docu- ments. The agency suspended in- spections at the facility — ef- fectively stopping operations — in mid-October, citing “continued failures to main- tain and implement humane handling controls” after find- ing a cow had become trapped in a head restraint. Bartels Farms appealed that decision, arguing the cow simply pulled back against the head restraint, which was not a violation. The USDA ultimately re- scinded its suspension in ear- ly November after finding the “events described did not rise to the level of a non-compli- ance per the regulations,” but the facility remained closed for improvements. Chris Bartels said the sus- pension resulted from an inex- perienced USDA veterinarian misinterpreting regulations, but he nonetheless decided to invest $150,000 for upgrades to the facility to ensure hu- mane handling. The company installed a serpentine “drive alley” lead- ing cattle to the facility that avoids sharp corners and thus reduces stress on the cows, he said. The alley was also covered in panels to prevent contact with humans and distresses to livestock. A new restrainer was installed to prevent cat- tle from moving their heads prior to stunning, rather than simply holding their necks, he said. The system was based on designs from Temple Gran- din, a well-known animal scientist at Colorado State University who specializes in humane handling, and were inspected by a former USDA veterinarian, Bartels said. The improvements to the facility’s “knock box” are aimed at preventing future mis-stuns, he said. Eric Mortenson/Captital Press Oregon State University small farms specialists Melissa Fery, left, and Maud Powell check in people registering for the Women in Sustainable Agriculture conference in Portland. ranch took the spotlight when the Ralph Lauren clothing line found them while looking for American yarn with which to make USA uniforms for the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Rus- sia. Other speakers were to be Diane Green of Greentree Nat- urals, a small acreage and CSA farm near Sandpoint, Idaho; and Joan Thorndike of Le Mera Gardens, a fresh-cut flowers operation in Southern Oregon’s Rogue River Valley. Thirty percent of U.S. farm- ers are women, according to the USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture, but the number has been in flux. The cen- sus counted 969,672 women farmers in 2012, a 2 percent decrease from 2007. The rea- son for that is unclear, but some in ag speculate that the deep recession that hit in 2009 forced some new farmers out of the profession. Women made up 14 per- cent of principal operators in the 2012 census, but they tend to be older than principal op- erators overall. Only 4 percent of women principal operators were under 35, according to census. Grass Expertise. Over 40 Years Experience LET’S TALK! WE MANUFACTURE AND INSTALL INDUSTRIAL POND LINERS. GREENWAY SEEDS Caldwell, Idaho • Alan Greenway, Seedsman Cell: 298-259-9159 • MSG: 298-454-8342 Alan Greenway, Seedsman 49-4/#17 Chris and Kandi Bartels, who own the Bartels Farms beef compa- ny, are re-opening their cattle processing facility after a USDA-or- dered suspension and self-initiated equipment upgrade. PORTLAND — A national conference of Women in Sus- tainable Agriculture wasn’t the place to go looking for tradi- tional farm wives. Try farm operators, owners and ag re- searchers, brokers, marketers and educators instead. The conference, held Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in Portland, attract- ed 400 women from across the country, and two dozen speak- ers and panelists. The event, held this year for the first time on the West Coast, provid- ed extensive networking and education opportunities, said Maud Powell, a small farms specialist with Oregon State University Extension in Jack- son and Josephine counties. “Women are increasingly important in agriculture across the country,” Powell said. Once marginalized as farm wives, she said, women can now be found in every agricul- tural sector. Oregon saw the early for- mation of two women farmers networks, one in Southern Or- egon and one in the Willamette Valley, Powell said. Similar organizations developed in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Vermont and elsewhere, and the nation- al organization of Women in Sustainable Agriculture grew from there. Within the organization, “sustainable” means farm op- erations that support long-term success in economic, environ- mental and social aspects, Pow- ell said. That includes support- ing the local community and local businesses, she said. “For me it’s always fascinat- ing to see how the issues of sus- tainable agriculture are similar, with local flavor,” she said. The conference began with tours of farms in the Columbia River Gorge, Willamette Valley and the Portland area. Other events included a “Trailblazers Panel” in which three women who assumed leading roles in ag early on described their ex- periences. Among the scheduled panel speakers was Jeanne Carver, who with her husband, Dan, operates the historic Imperial Stock Ranch in North Central Oregon. Wool produced by the WE SPECIALIZE IN BULK BAGS! 49-4/#5 Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press 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! 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