December 9, 2016
CapitalPress.com
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BLM issues controversial new land-planning rule
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
Courtesy of Public Lands Council
Cattle and greater sage grouse share public land in Idaho. Grazing
advocates are concerned about the ramifications of changes to
the Bureau of Land Management planning process, which were
released in final form Dec. 1.
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
The Bureau of Land Manage-
ment issued a final rule Dec. 1
updating its planning process,
touting the changes as improv-
ing efficiency, public access
and agency responsiveness to
changing conditions on public
lands.
Rural county leaders
throughout the West and pub-
lic lands grazing advocates,
however, say they’ll fight for
the repeal of the final Planning
2.0 rule, which they believe
threatens multiple uses of pub-
lic lands and reduces the influ-
ence of local governments.
The final rule is available at
www.blm.gov/plan2.
BLM, which manages 10
percent of the nation’s land
and 30 percent of its minerals,
is required to develop land-use
plans to balance competing in-
terests for public lands.
“Under the current system,
it takes an average of eight
years for the BLM to develop a
land-use plan,” BLM Director
Neil Kornze said in a press re-
lease. “Too often, by the time
we’ve completed a plan, com-
munity priorities have evolved
and conditions on the ground
have changed, as well.”
Kornze said in the press
release the update should in-
crease collaboration and trans-
parency of planning.
Several Western counties
submitted public comments
on the draft version of the
rule criticizing the removal
of language requiring an as-
sessment of policy impacts on
local economies, and remov-
ing requirements for BLM to
make land-use decisions with
“meaningful
involvement”
from state and local govern-
ments.
Officials with the Public
Lands Council, which rep-
resents ranchers with public
lands grazing permits, oppose
the revisions of BLM’s goals
away from managing for
“multiple use and sustained
yield” in favor of prioritizing
impacts on “resource, environ-
mental, ecological, social and
environmental conditions.”
The council also opposes
shortened public comment
periods included in the final
rule, noting BLM plans take
years to prepare, and the pub-
lic should have more than 45
to 60 days to respond.
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Ida-
ho, believes the rule was hasti-
ly developed.
“Congressman Simpson is
still reviewing the final rule,
specifically how BLM ad-
dressed the concerns pertain-
ing to local input,” said Simp-
son’s spokeswoman, Nikki
Wallace. “However, the con-
cern remains that many West-
erners at state and local levels
were left out of the process on
a rule that has far-reaching im-
plications.”
Far West In farming, sustainability can mean loving it, sticking with it
to address
Trump
optimism
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Fertilizer and ag chemical
representatives will hear what
President-elect Donald Trump
could do for farmers from an
ag leader next week.
Chuck Conner, president
and CEO of the National Coun-
cil of Farmer Cooperatives, is
the keynote speaker at the Far
West Agribusiness Associa-
tion’s annual meeting Dec. 13-
14 in Kennewick, Wash.
Far West executive direc-
tor Jim Fitzgerald said Conner
serves on the agricultural advi-
sory board for Trump and has
held key positions, including
former USDA deputy secretary
and acting secretary during dis-
cussions about the 2008 Farm
Bill.
“I think we’ll get some
terrific insight into what we
might expect,” Fitzgerald said.
Roughly 80 percent of
farmers voted for Trump, Con-
ner told the Capital Press.
“Most of the producers
I have interacted with are
looking forward to the regu-
latory relief they are expect-
ing,” Conner said. “Certainly
for issues like Waters of the
United States, we do antic-
ipate that happening, in the
very early days of the Trump
administration.”
Conner sees reason for op-
timism.
“Farmers across the heart-
land and the people of rural
America are really responsible
for Donald Trump being pres-
ident, because they turned out
for him in very large numbers
in key swing states,” he said.
“We are in a position relative
to regulatory reform and the
farm bill where we have a per-
son in the Oval Office who is
looking to help the very people
who helped put him in office.”
Conner will “be up to
speed,” as the new farm bill
comes into focus, Fitzgerald
said.
“Farmers just want to
make sure we’re working on
this early, so hopefully we
get this new farm bill deliv-
ered on time,” Conner said.
“For most of the commodities
we grow, we have gone from
riches to a very down-turned
farm economy, so this new
farm bill has taken on great
importance.”
The conference includes
tracks on irrigated and dryland
agronomics and new technolo-
gy, including unmanned trac-
tors and biotechnology.
The conference added a
dairy nutrient management
plan track, as more certified
crop advisers want to expand
in that area, Fitzgerald said.
One presentation is about
bridging the generation gap be-
tween seasoned veteran work-
ers and younger employees.
Fitzgerald doesn’t see
much difference when pulling
a workforce from a rural area,
but urban-area workers are not
used to the long work hours re-
quired in agriculture.
The association represents
the fertilizer and agricultur-
al chemical industry in the
region. Fitzgerald said the
goal is to maintain a favor-
able business environment for
members.
PORTLAND — Begin-
ning farmers attending the
Women in Sustainable Agri-
culture conference here Nov.
30-Dec. 2 got an earful from
a panel of “trailblazers” who
learned the hard way: Collab-
orate, don’t quit, share what
you’ve learned and keep fall-
ing in love with what you do.
Idaho organic produce
grower Diane Green, Ore-
gon wool producer Jeanne
Carver and Southern Oregon
cut flower grower Joan Ewer
Thorndike shared their advice
on the second day of the con-
ference, which was attended
by about 400 women from
across the country.
Green, who has grown
and sold greens and oth-
er vegetables for nearly 30
years, said having a mentor
would have saved her a lot
of time and money. “Sustain-
ability” can mean taking care
of yourself in addition to tak-
ing care of the land, she said.
Early in her career, Green
said she ran around trying
to do everything. She’s since
realized that slow and steady
Eric Mortenson/Capital Press
From left, “trailblazer” panelists Jeanne Carver, Diane Green and
Joan Ewer Thorndike spoke Dec. 1 at the Women in Sustainable
Agriculture conference in Portland.
is a better course.
“As I’ve aged I’ve be-
come one with the turtle,”
Green quipped.
In a separate interview,
Green said she learned by tri-
al and error, and later wrote
a grower’s guide to selling to
restaurants.
Green, who said she turns
65 soon, said she’s cheered
by the sight of so many rela-
tively young women entering
farming.
“I think it’s fantastic,” she
said. “To me it’s the future of
the food system.”
She said small acreage
farms, often established or
revived by women, are pro-
viding food “closer to home.”
“It’s the young wom-
en who are going back and
saving the family farm,” she
said. “It’s really something
to see the face of agriculture
turning to such rosy cheeks.”
Carver, whose rustic
ranch has become the darling
of clothing designers — wool
from her sheep was used by
Ralph Lauren to make the
uniforms U.S. athletes wore
during the opening ceremony
of the 2012 Winter Olympics
in Russia — said producers
should look for partners ev-
erywhere.
Everyone from the lo-
cal yarn store to regulatory
agencies can provide a con-
nection that leads to business
success, Carver said.
“We would not be part-
ners with Ralph Lauren
without USDA,” she said.
“That’s how you do it, you
make everybody a partner.
“My greatest characteris-
tic is that I’m damn stubborn,
I just refuse to quit,” she said.
Thorndike, who began
growing and selling flow-
ers 25 years ago, said she
ignored the doubts of fami-
ly members and others who
didn’t think the business
would succeed. But she said
she fell in love with growing
flowers and enjoys that ro-
mance to this day.
To her, sustainability
means “sticking with it” and
continuing to love what she
does. “For all of you, that’s
what I hope — that you will
stick to it,” she said during
the panel session.
She said her daughter re-
cently decided to work with
her in flowers.
“If you can teach some-
one to do what you love, and
they run with it, that’s also
sustainability,” she said.
The panelists had other
thoughts on the various part-
nerships that are necessary
for success.
Thorndike said mentor-
ship is “tricky.” You learn by
teaching, she said, but peo-
ple seeking out experienced
farmers for advice “shouldn’t
expect them to give away
trade secrets.”
Green said she enjoys
working with Extension re-
searchers, but they often
expect farmers to volunteer
their time. She suggested
grant writers should include
compensation for farmers
who provide land and time
for research projects.
Advice was available
elsewhere at the conference
as well.
Julia Shanks, of Cam-
bridge, Mass., was at a booth
selling her books: “The
Farmers Market Cookbook,”
in which she describes how
to cook fresh produce, and a
business primer titled, “The
Farmer’s Office.”
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