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CapitalPress.com
December 9, 2016
People & Places
‘A rancher fixing ranchers’ problems’
Chris Banks helps
other landowners
with conservation
issues in Idaho
Capital Press
Established 1928
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Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
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Chief operating officer
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press Managers
Capital Press
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
CHESTERFIELD, Idaho
— When it comes to dealing
with government on water
and soil conservation issues,
southeast Idaho ranchers can
turn to one of their own for
help.
Chesterfield rancher Chris
Banks worked for the Idaho
Association of Soil Conserva-
tion Districts for eight years
before starting his consulting
business, Conservation Ba-
sics, in 2014.
During his time at the
commission, he learned how
to address federal Clean Wa-
ter Act requirements and ap-
ply for conservation grants
and he wrote total maximum
daily load implementation
plans and rapid water shed as-
sessments for the USDA Nat-
ural Resources Conservation
Service.
When it comes to dealing
with water quality and soil
erosion issues, Banks, 34, has
seen both sides of the prover-
bial fence, as a rancher and
government employee.
He still works part-time
for the association and spends
the rest of his time running his
cattle operation and his con-
sulting business.
Banks was raised on the
family’s ranch in Chesterfield,
Idaho, east of Pocatello.
His first experience deal-
ing with government on water
quality issues started when
his family was approached
by Idaho State Department
of Agriculture officials about
a water quality issue dealing
with a creek that ran across
cattle trails.
Calendar
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
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 offices.
Courtesy of Idaho Farm Bureau Federation
Rancher Chris Banks flies a drone on his ranch in Chesterfield, Idaho, in September as his wife, Autumn, and sons, Cort and Ridge,
watch. Besides running his ranch, Banks helps fellow ranchers and landowners deal with water and soil conservation issues.
To Reach Us
Western Innovator
Chris Banks
Title: Rancher and owner of Conser-
vation Basics, a consulting business
Focus: Helping fellow landowners
deal with water and soil conservation
issues
Family: Wife, Autumn, and sons Cort, 3, and Ridge, 1
Home: Chesterfield, Idaho
ISDA officials worked
with the ranch to get the trails
moved away from the stream
and install a gravity-fed
trough system. The ranch also
relocated is corrals.
“It was a good experi-
ence for me because they did
it in a manner that was not
heavy-handed at all,” Banks
Monday, Dec. 12
Internal Auditor Workshop. 8
a.m.-5 p.m. Idaho Water Center,
322 E. Front St., Boise. We will
teach you how to conduct internal
audits in your facility against one
of the Global Food Safety Initiative
(GFSI) Audit Schemes, which are
becoming a standard for the food
industry as a tool for assuring food
safety and regulatory compliance
and has become a customer re-
quirement for many processors.
http://bit.ly/2etdxP6
Oregon Fine Fescue Commis-
sion meeting. 7-9 a.m. Salem Con-
vention Center, 200 Commercial
St. SE, Salem, Ore. www.oregon-
finefescue.org
Tuesday, Dec. 13
Family Offices 101: An Intro-
duction and Best Practices. 7:30
to 9 a.m. Hayden’s Lakefront Grill,
8187 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Road,
Tualatin, Ore. Family offices are a
professionally managed financial
organization formed by a single
or multiple families. Presented by:
Carol Wachter and Eric Johnson,
Deloitte Tax LLP. Sponsored by the
Austin Family Business Program,
Oregon State University. $40 per
person. http://bit.ly/2gQX6M4
Through Wednesday
Dec. 14
Meridian FFA Holiday Produce
Sale, Meridian Professional Techni-
cal Center, 1900 W. Pine St., Merid-
ian, Idaho. The sale is 8 a.m.-noon
Saturday, closed Sunday and 8
a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Wednesday.
www.meridianffa.theaet.com
Monday-Tuesday
Dec. 12-13
Oregon Seed Growers League
Annual Convention. Salem Con-
ference Center, 200 Commercial
St. SE, Salem, Ore. The agenda
includes industry speakers, edu-
cational sessions, displays, trade
show and an industry reception.
seedleague.org
Monday-Wednesday
Dec. 12-14
Far West Agribusiness Associ-
ation 57th Annual meeting. Three
Rivers Convention Center, 7016
Grand Ridge Blvd., Kennewick,
Wash. Featured speakers are
Chuck Conner, president and CEO
www.oxarc.com
of the National Council of Farm-
er Cooperatives and Chris Jahn,
president of The Fertilizer Institute.
www.fwaa.org
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 4-6
Potato Expo 2017. Moscone
Center West, 800 Howard St.
San Francisco, Calif. potato-expo.
com
Friday-Wednesday
Jan. 6-11
2017 American Farm Bureau
Federation Annual Convention &
IDEAg Trade Show. Phoenix Con-
vention Center, 100 N Third St.,
Phoenix, Ariz. http://annualcon-
vention.fb.org
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Idaho-Eastern Oregon Alfalfa
and Clover Seed School. Cald-
well Elks Lodge, Caldwell, Idaho.
Contact:
benjamin@amgidaho.
org
Thursday, Jan. 12
Inside the Family, Outside the
Business. 7:30 to 9 a.m., Bridge-
Port BrewPub, 1313 NW Marshall
St., Portland. This session will
explore how family members in-
volved in the business can best
communicate and collaborate
with non-active members. We will
share first-hand insights from a
panel of non-active family mem-
bers on how they have faced the
challenges of being inside the
family, but outside the business.
Presented by the Austin Family
Business Program, Oregon State
University. $40 per person. 800-
859-7609 http://bit.ly/2gQX6M4
Thursday-Friday
Jan. 12-13
Oregon Mint Growers Annual
Meeting. Salishan Lodge & Golf
Resort, 7760 Hwy 101 North,
Gleneden Beach, Ore. oregon-
mint.org
Monday, Jan. 16
Oregon Blueberry Conference.
8 a.m.-6 p.m. Salem Convention
Center, 200 Commercial St. SE,
Salem. Presented by the Oregon
Blueberry Commission and the
North Willamette Research and
Extension Center. 503-589-1700
or oregonblueberry.com.
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 17-19
38th Annual
Ag Expo. Idaho
Holt Arena, 921
Pocatello, Idaho.
ductions.com
said. “Because of that experi-
ence, it kind of shaped what I
wanted to do for a living.”
In 2006 he went to work
for the IASCD, which sup-
ports the state’s 50 conserva-
tion districts.
He started his consulting
business in 2014 and now
helps fellow ranchers and oth-
er landowners with their con-
servation challenges.
Banks helped engineer
a major project for Inkom,
Idaho, rancher Jim Guthrie
Sr. that involved protecting
a stream bank on his proper-
ty, including fencing off 1.5
miles of the Portneuf River
and installing water troughs.
“He’s a great person to
have at that position and he’s
helped a lot of people clear
through the valley,” Guthrie
said. “He’s a really good ad-
vocate for farmers and ranch-
ers because ... he runs cattle
himself. Chris really under-
stands because he’s a rancher
fixing ranchers’ problems.”
Banks wishes more ranch-
ers would take a more coop-
erative approach with gov-
ernment agencies, especially
local ones, when it comes to
addressing conservation is-
sues.
“There are government
agencies like your soil and
water conservation districts
... that are ag-minded, that
are producer-driven and they
want you to succeed,” he said.
“We have to get over the idea
that it’s ‘Us versus Them.’”
Banks has turned to drones
recently to help him in his
conservation efforts, using
them to take before, during
and after photos of projects
and to fly over stream chan-
nels to identify potential prob-
lem areas.
“I think the possibilities
with drones are limitless,” he
said.
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
Sponsored by:
To submit an event go to the
Community Events calendar on
the home page of our website at
www.capitalpress.com and click
on “Submit an Event.” Calendar
items can also be mailed to Capital
Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Sa-
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POSTMASTER: send address changes to
Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR
97308-2048.
Eastern Idaho
State University
South 8th Ave.,
www.spectrapro-
Wednesday-Thursday
Jan. 18-19
49th Annual Idaho Potato Con-
ference. Idaho State University’s
Pond Student Union Building, 921
South 8th Ave., Pocatello, Idaho.
Speakers include Idaho Potato
Commission President and CEO
Frank Muir, Potatoes USA Pres-
ident and CEO Blair Richardson
and National Potato Council Exec-
utive Vice President John Keeling.
http://bit.ly/2fayqPE
Idaho Noxious Weed Con-
ference. Riverside Hotel, 2900
Chinden Blvd., Boise, Idaho. www.
idahoweedcontrol.org
Thursday, Jan. 19
Oregon Tall Fescue Commis-
sion meeting. 6-8 p.m. Cascade
Grill restaurant, 110 Opal St. NE,
Albany, Ore. www.oregontallfes-
cue.org/
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 24-26
Northwest Agricultural Show.
Portland Expo Center, 2060 N
Marine Drive, Portland, Ore. The
hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tues-
day, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesday
and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday.
www.nwagshow.com
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 25-27
FSPCA Preventive Controls for
Human Food Course. Idaho De-
partment of Labor, 600 N. Thorn-
ton St., Post Falls, Idaho. The new
Food Safety Modernization Act
regulation requires every process-
ing facility to have a trained re-
source person or “Preventive Con-
trols Qualified Individual” who has
completed a specialized training
course (such as this one) devel-
oped by the Food Safety Preven-
tive Controls Alliance that is recog-
nized by the FDA. This person will
oversee the implementation of the
facility’s food safety plan and other
key tasks. http://bit.ly/2f6cogT
Wednesday-Saturday
Jan. 25-28
American Sheep industry As-
sociation Convention. Denver Mar-
riott City Center, 1701 California
St., Denver, Colo. www.sheepusa.
org/About_Events_Convention
Wednesday, Feb. 1
California Prune Industry Sum-
mit. Orchard Creek Lodge, Lincoln,
Calif. www.californiadriedplums.
org
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Pesticide Short Course-IPM. 8
a.m.-4:10 p.m. Lane Community
20 Northwest Locations
College, Center for Meeting and
Learning, Bldg. 19, 4000 E. 30th
Ave., Eugene, Ore. $85 if regis-
tered by Jan. 23; $95 after. http://
extension.oregonstae.edu/lane/
farms
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 7-9
Spokane Ag Expo and Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum. Spokane
Convention Center, 334 W Spo-
kane Falls Blvd., Spokane, Wash.
Spokane Ag Expo is the largest
farm machinery show in the Inland
Northwest. https://greaterspokane.
org/ag-expo/
Wednesday-Feb. 8
Oregon Clover Growers Annual
Meeting. Noon-1 p.m. Holiday Inn,
Wilsonville, Ore.
Wednesday-Thursday
Feb. 8-9
The 8th Annual Organic Farm-
ing Conference. Canyon Crest
Event Center, 330 Canyon Crest
Drive, Twin Falls, Idaho. The event
is organized by the Northwest
Center for Alternatives to Pesti-
cides. www.pesticide.org/events
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 14-16
Practical Food Safety & HAC-
CP. The Riverside Hotel, 2900
Chinden Blvd., Boise, Idaho.
HACCP or Hazard Analysis Criti-
cal Control Points, is a preventive
system for the control of health
threatening food hazards during
food processing. The comprehen-
sive three-day workshop is de-
signed for individuals responsible
for implementing and managing a
HACCP system in a food process-
ing facility. Participants who pass
a final test will receive a certificate
of completion. http://bit.ly/2f2iJ9Q
Thursday, Feb. 16
Keeping Your Family Business
Communication on Track. 7:30 to
9 a.m. Hayden’s Lakefront Grill,
8187 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Road,
Tualatin, Ore. This session will
provide tools and techniques that
attendees can use right away to cul-
tivate better communication among
family members, employees, and
shareholders. Presented by: Mark
Wickman, Family Business Coun-
sel. $40 per person. 800-859-7609,
http://bit.ly/2fPK987.
Wednesday, March 8
Taxes and Succession Plan-
ning. Noon-1 p.m. Join us for a
free online webinar and an intro-
duction to how planning ahead
for estate and gift taxes can
help address family and busi-
1-800-765-9055
ness needs and meet retirement
goals for the current generation.
Presented by: Carol Wachter
and Heather Tomsick, Deloitte
Tax LLP, and the Austin Family
Business Program, Oregon State
University. 800-859-7609, http://
bit.ly/2gW7Kjq
Thursday, March 16
Building Family Business Value
from the Inside Out. 7:30 to 9 a.m.
BridgePort BrewPub, 1313 NW
Marshall St., Portland. Much can
be done to build the value of the
business from inside the enterprise,
and the earlier the process begins,
the more sustainable the results will
be. In addition to building value,
most businesses become more ef-
ficient and profitable along the way.
Presented by Francis Brown, Key
Private Bank and the Austin Family
Business Program, Oregon State
University. 800-859-7609, http://bit.
ly/2gR3KC0
Tuesday, April 11
Do Your Kids Want the Busi-
ness? Planning for Yes or No.
7:30 to 9 a.m. Hayden’s Lakefront
Grill, 8187 SW Tualatin-Sherwood
Road, Tualatin, Ore. This session
will deliver practical advice for fam-
ily business owners regarding next
generation succession. Presented
by Steve Bennett, Farleigh Wada
Witt and the Austin Family Business
Program, Oregon State University.
800-859-7609, http://bit.ly/2h3k8Ck
Thursday, May 18
Family Business Charters. 7:30
to 9 a.m. BridgePort BrewPub, 1313
NW Marshall St., Portland. A family
business charter sets forth the es-
sential rules, obligations, and re-
sponsibilities relating to ownership
and management of the business,
as well as the family values that will
help sustain the business for future
generations. Presented by A. Jef-
fery Bird, Lane Powell PC and the
Austin Family Business Program,
Oregon State University. $40 per
person. 800-859-7609, http://bit.
ly/2gPuLYY
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Washington ........................... 9