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CapitalPress.com
December 9, 2016
Idaho
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Wheat growers oppose dam breaching
New lawmaker hopes
to improve technology
infrastructure in rural Idaho
By SEAN ELLIS
Chelan
Seattle
90
12
10
By SEAN ELLIS
Coulee Dam
11
WASHINGTON
Wenatchee
90
Olympia
6
5
r
Snake R i ve
Yakima
Astoria
82
Longview
Vancouver
Portland
101
5
Richland
5
Kennewick
lumbia Riv e r
Co
The
1
Dalles 2
3
84
Umatilla
7
Pasco
4
8
IDAHO
9
Lewiston
Walla Walla
Pendleton
.
Pacific
Ocean
Capital Press
Spokane
OREGON
84
Dams included in the recent court ruling
N
20 miles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Bonneville
The Dalles
John Day
McNary
Ice Harbor
6. Lower Monumental
7. Little Goose
8. Lower Granite
9. Dworshak
10. Albeni Falls
11. Grand Coulee
12. Chief Joseph
13. Libby (Mont.)*
14. Hungry Horse (Mont.)*
*Not shown
Sources: U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers
breaching the dams to im-
prove salmon runs. They chal-
lenged the biological opinion
for operating the system and
the judge required the agen-
cies to update the environ-
mental impact statement on
how the system is operated.
The agencies are holding
scoping meetings around the
Pacifi c Northwest to gather
public comment and a draft
environmental impact state-
ment on the system’s oper-
ation is expected to be pub-
lished for public comment in
2020.
Breaching those dams
would make the rivers unnav-
igable for barges that move
wheat and other products to
port for export.
According to the Port of
Alan Kenaga/Capital Press
Lewiston and Northwest Riv-
er Partners, about 10 percent
of all U.S. wheat exports
move through the lower Snake
River dams and more than 50
percent of Idaho’s wheat is
exported through the Colum-
bia-Snake River system.
In addition, more than 42
million tons of commercial
cargo valued at more than
$20 billion moves through the
system each year and 60 per-
cent of the energy produced in
Idaho, Oregon, Montana and
Washington is generated by
the rivers’ dams.
Jacobson said it’s almost
inconceivable that the dams
would be removed but a vocal
minority that supports that is
making their voices heard and
it’s important the agricultural
industry also weigh in on the
issue.
“I think the facts are on the
side of keeping the (system)
the way it is,” he said. “But
if the silent majority doesn’t
turn out and lets the vocal mi-
nority rule the day, then it will
be bad for the entire PNW.”
North Idaho farmer Eric
Hasselstrom said that without
the ability to use the river sys-
tem to transport wheat to port,
his transportation costs would
likely double.
“If we lost the dams, I
don’t think we’d be com-
petitive and in business any
more,” he said. “We have to
have our voices heard be-
cause there are going to be a
lot of comments against (the
dams).”
BOISE — New Idaho
lawmaker Megan Blanksma
hopes to shine a spotlight on
the lack of technology infra-
structure in rural Idaho, which
she says places farmers and
ranchers at a competitive disad-
vantage.
“I want to try to see what we
can do to push out this techno-
logical infrastructure into rural
areas and improve it,” said
Blanksma, a Hammett farmer.
“We have to have good, solid
internet for us to compete.”
Blanksma is one of four new
farmers or ranchers that will
serve in the Idaho Legislature
when it convenes in January.
She said improving internet
access and other technology
infrastructure in rural parts of
the state will be her top prior-
ity. Farmers and ranchers rely
on reliable internet access to do
things like run irrigation pivots
and soil moisture sensors and
fi le reports required by USDA
and industry, she said.
Blanksma currently uses
a mobile hot spot shared by
other users, which she says is
“decent” but not reliable.
Fast, reliable internet ac-
cess is a basic service in other
areas, which puts many rural
producers at a disadvantage,
she said.
“All sorts of things (on the
farm) are tied to technological
infrastructure,” she said. “There
are a lot of competitive barriers
out here just due to a lack of
technological infrastructure.”
Courtesy of MeganBlanksma.com
Megan Blanksma is one of
four farmers and ranchers that
will join the Idaho Legislature
during the upcoming session.
Sen. Steve Bair, a retired
farmer from Blackfoot and
chairman of the Senate Re-
sources and Environment Com-
mittee, said he’s not sure if the
issue is a legislative one or best
addressed by the free market.
But lack of technological
infrastructure is defi nitely a
hurdle in rural parts of the state,
said Bair, who now manages an
agribusiness company.
“Out in the country, you’re
on your own,” he said. “There’s
a problem, no doubt about it.”
Other new farmers who
won seats in the legislature in-
clude Carl Crabtree, a rancher;
Christy Zito, a Hammett farm-
er; and Karey Hanks, an East
Idaho farmer. Crabtree will be
in the Senate, and the others
will be in the House.
Crabtree, from Grangeville,
is a former president of the
Idaho Cattle Association and
served on a National Cat-
tlemen’s Beef Association
committee that evaluated the
outcomes of money spent by
NCBA.
Farm Bureau leaders: Election
results show power of rural America
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — The results of
the recent national election
demonstrated the power of
rural America when it fl exes
its collective muscle, Idaho
Farm Bureau Federation lead-
ers told members during the
group’s annual meeting.
They pointed to both the
presidential and state election
results to make their point and
motivate IFBF members to
get involved and have their
voices heard.
IFBF CEO Rick Keller
said it was rural Americans
who carried President-elect
Donald Trump to victory. He
used a national map showing
how counties voted to make
his point.
With few exceptions, rural
counties voted red (Republi-
can) while coastal cities and
main population centers voted
blue (Democrat).
“It was rural America ...
that made him win,” Keller
said. “When rural America
gets together, we can do it
right. They forgot rural Amer-
ica. We must always make
sure our voices are heard.”
On the state level, farmers
and ranchers ensured passage
of a constitutional amendment
that guarantees the Idaho Leg-
islature’s ability to reject rules
proposed by state agencies,
said IFBF President Bryan
Searle.
That same amendment was
narrowly defeated two years
ago but IFBF pushed hard for
its passage this year and Farm
Bureau members were direct-
ly responsible, said Searle, a
Shelley farmer.
“It’s because of your ef-
forts ... that it passed,” he said.
More than 13,000 farm-
ers and ranchers in Idaho are
members of IFBF and sever-
al hundred of them attended
IFBF’s annual meeting Nov.
29-Dec. 1.
Searle encouraged mem-
bers to become familiar with
the group’s policy manual and
be willing to speak up on is-
sues important to agriculture
and rural Idaho and rally their
neighbors.
“Are you willing to go to
the statehouse and testify?”
he said. “Because we need
real people to go to our state
legislature and talk about real
issues.”
During the 2016 legislative
session, IFBF took a position
for or against 77 bills or res-
olutions and was on the win-
ning side of 68 of them, which
is a 88 percent success rate,
Searle said.
Farm Bureau’s political ac-
tion committee gave money to
83 candidates who ran in the
recent election and 95 percent
of them won.
“All of that happens be-
cause of what you do and your
efforts,” Searle said. “It takes
a team. We have to work to-
gether.”
Keller said Trump was
promising regulatory re-
form and farmers, ranchers
and other rural Americans
tired of being over-regulat-
ed decided the presidential
election.
Courtesy of Idaho Potato Commission
The Great Big Idaho Potato Truck accompanied an 80-foot
Engelmann spruce, bound to be displayed at the U.S. Capitol as
the People’s Tree, on its trek from Idaho’s Payette National Forest,
where it was cut.
Thanksgiving shipments
of fresh potatoes up
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
IDAHO FALLS — The
state’s fresh potato packers
shipped substantially more vol-
ume prior to the recent Thanks-
giving holiday compared to the
same period of 2015, according
to a USDA report.
Industry offi cials say the
exceptional quality of Idaho’s
large spud crop has fueled de-
mand. Nonetheless, fresh pota-
to prices have remained stag-
nant.
Through Nov. 23, the state’s
fresh sheds had shipped 10.116
million hundredweight of
spuds, up nearly 8 percent from
the 9.365 million hundred-
weight shipped through that
date in 2015.
The report listed Russet
Burbank prices out of the Twin
Falls and Burley district at $6
to $7 for the three largest tuber
sizes in 50-pound cartons, and
$6.50 to $8 for cartons of the
four smallest tuber sizes. Con-
sumer bags ranged from $5 to
$7 for fi ve, 10-pound sacks.
“The Thanksgiving rush
was crazy,” said Idaho Potato
Commission member Randy
Hardy, an Oakley grower who
serves as chairman of Sun Val-
ley Potatoes.
Hardy said the report con-
fi rmed his suspicions about a
sizable increase in shipments,
which he attributes to buyer
interest in an ample supply
of high-quality spuds, as well
as IPC early marketing cam-
paigns.
He’s been surprised, how-
ever, by the lack of movement
in fresh prices, especially given
that sheds have worked through
the initial post-harvest glut and
are taking spuds out of storage.
“That’s the frustrating part
about it,” Hardy said. “When
they see we don’t have a burden-
some crop, I would think they
would start moving prices up.”
Potato production estimates
have not been released. How-
ever, Hardy said it’s clear Ida-
ho’s crop will be larger than last
year, with fewer defects. Na-
tionwide yields should be “spot
on with last year,” he said.
50-4/#4x
legal-48-3-2/#4
Attorney:
DAVID B. BECKHAM
319 Sixth Avenue SW
Albany, OR 97321
mb
Colu ia
50-2/#7
LEGAL
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT
OF THE STATE OF OREGON
FOR THE COUNTY
OF MARION
Probate Department
IN THE MATTER OF THE
ESTATE OF
Fran Bledsoe, Deceased
No. 16PB07260
NOTICE TO
INTERESTED PERSONS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
that the undersigned has
been appointed Personal
Representative of the above
estate. All persons having
claims against the estate are
required to present them to
the undersigned Personal
Representative in care of the
undersigned attorney at: 319
Sixth Street SW, Albany, OR
97321 within four months
after the date of the first
publication of this notice, as
stated below, or such claims
may be barred.
All persons whose rights
may be affected by the
proceedings in this estate
may obtain additional infor-
mation from the records of
the Court, the Personal Rep-
resentative, or the attorney
for the Personal Represen-
tative.
DATED and first published
November 25, 2016.
Personal Representative:
KYLE B. DILL
2735 Gilbert St. S.
Salem, OR 97302
97
S na
ke
R
BOISE — Breaching four
dams on the lower Snake Riv-
er would cause signifi cant
harm to the Pacifi c Northwest
agricultural industry, Idaho
wheat industry leaders said
Nov. 29 during a public meet-
ing.
The meeting is one of 15
being held around the region
by federal agencies to get in-
put on the operation of the
hydropower dams on the Co-
lumbia-Snake River system,
a process initiated by a fed-
eral judge handling a lawsuit
brought by dam removal sup-
porters.
It’s critical that agriculture,
especially the wheat industry,
makes its concerns known
during the public comment
period, said Idaho Wheat
Commission Executive Di-
rector Blaine Jacobson.
“The dams are absolute-
ly crucial to the health of the
Idaho wheat industry,” he
said. “Wheat is a global mar-
ket and it’s a very competitive
market and if we have to rail
it to Portland, it would make
a number of the growers un-
competitive on the world mar-
ket.”
The U.S. district court
judge earlier this year ordered
the federal agencies that oper-
ate the Columbia-Snake River
hydropower system to review
all reasonable options for op-
erating it in order to minimize
the impact on endangered
salmon.
That decision came in re-
sponse to a lawsuit by con-
servation groups in favor of
Columbia and
Snake river dams
R i ver
Capital Press