2
CapitalPress.com
December 30, 2016
People & Places
Phosphorus recycler on tour
Joe Harrison
develops mobile
device that makes
fertilizer from cattle
manure
Western
Innovator
Capital Press
Calendar
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 4-6
Potato Expo 2017. Moscone
Center West, 800 Howard St.
San Francisco, Calif. potato-expo.
com
Friday, Jan. 6
Beef Herd Economics Work-
shop. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Grant County
Fairgrounds, Moses Lake, Wash.
Sponsored by Washington State
University Extension. Cost: Free.
http://bit.ly/2hIH4X3
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. Caldwell
Elks Lodge, Caldwell, Idaho. Con-
tact: benjamin@amgidaho.org
Thursday, Jan. 12
Irrigation Equipment Show
and Conference. 8 a.m.-4:30
p.m. Burley Inn and Conven-
tion Center, 800 Overland Ave.,
Burley, Idaho. Classes on irriga-
tion-related topics will be offered
along with a trade show. Spon-
sored by the Idaho Irrigation
Equipment Association. http://bit.
ly/2hWuOTw
Inside the Family, Outside the
Business. 7:30 to 9 a.m., Bridge-
Port BrewPub, 1313 NW Mar-
shall St., Portland. This session
will explore how family members
involved in the business can
best communicate and collabo-
rate with non-active members.
We will share first-hand insights
from a panel of non-active fam-
ily members on how they have
faced the challenges of being
inside the family, but outside the
business. Presented by the Aus-
tin Family Business Program,
Oregon State University. $40
per person. 800-859-7609 http://
bit.ly/2gQX6M4
Thursday-Friday
Jan. 12-13
Joe Harrison
Age: 60
Position: Washington State
University animal science
professor at the Puyallup
Research Center
Education: Bachelor’s, mas-
ter’s and doctorate degrees
from Ohio State University
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Joe Harrison, a scientist at the Washington State University Puyallup research center since 1984, has
developed a mobile device that extracts phosphorus from cow manure to make a fertilizer called struvite.
washes into rivers and lakes
and can cause harmful algal
blooms.
Nitrates and fecal coliform
get the attention, but “we
know eventually phosphorous
will be an issue,” said Ginny
Prest, manager of the Wash-
ington State Department of
Agriculture’s dairy nutrient
management program. “It’s
on our radar.”
Harrison’s research project
seeks to redistribute phos-
phorous from farms with too
much to farms with too little.
The plan is to extract phos-
phorous from manure to make
struvite, a fertilizer named for
a German geologist, Hein-
rich Christian Gottfried von
Struve. He identified the
substance clogging Hamburg
sewer lines in 1845 as a mix-
ture of phosphorous, magne-
sium and ammonia.
Oregon Mint Growers Annual
Meeting. Salishan Lodge & Golf
Resort, 7760 Hwy 101 North,
Gleneden Beach, Ore. oregon-
mint.org
www.oxarc.com
Monday, Jan. 16
Oregon Blueberry Confer-
ence. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Salem Con-
vention Center, 200 Commercial
St. SE, Salem. Presented by the
Oregon Blueberry Commission
and the North Willamette Re-
search and Extension Center.
503-589-1700 or oregonblueberry.
com.
Tuesday, Jan. 17
Succession Planning Work-
shop orientation. 9 a.m.-noon.
This is the first of two workshops
on succession planning. Cost in-
cludes planning workbook and
food. Presenters from: OSU’s Ties
to the Land, Green Belt Land Trust,
Farm Credit Services and attor-
neys specializing in conservation
and farm and ranch estate plan-
ning. Western Oregon University
Werner University Center, Pacific
Room, Monmouth, Ore. Cost: $50
per family. http://www.polkswcd.
com/success.html
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 17-19
38th Annual
Ag Expo. Idaho
Holt Arena, 921
Pocatello, Idaho.
ductions.com
Harrison recently received
a $460,000 grant from the
Natural Resources Conser-
vation Service and $150,000
from the Washington Dairy
Products Commission to build
a portable struvite-maker.
He hopes that by March he
will be able to haul it on a 24-
foot trailer to dairies around
Washington state.
Liquid manure will be
pumped into the base of an up-
right cone, where manure and
chemicals will swirl, forming
struvite at the bottom. The
liquid will run out the top and
back into the lagoon.
“Joe Harrison’s idea of
taking a mobile struvite unit
around really does hold a lot
of promise to manage what
could be this potential phos-
phorous loading in the soil,”
Prest said.
A thousand gallons of liq-
uid manure yields 2.6 pounds
of struvite, a fertilizer for for-
age crops and nursery plants
that’s light enough to eco-
nomically transport. Harrison
estimated 1,000 cows could
produce 100 pounds of stru-
vite a day.
“At the end of day,” Harri-
son said, “it would be nice if
it were an income stream for
dairies.”
Harrison has been work-
ing on the idea for about a
dozen years, forming a long-
time partnership with Keith
Bowers, an engineer who in-
vented technology to recover
phosphorous in livestock and
human waste and founded a
Seattle company, Multiform
Harvest.
Multiform’s customers in-
clude sewer plants in Yakima,
Boise and Green Bay, Wis.
“It’s not something that’s
being tinkered around with,”
Bowers said. “I would hope
people would become aware
of the struvite technology and
recognize that it is a solution
that’s available now.”
Bowers, who grew up
on a hog farm, said the stru-
vite-maker can remove up
to about 80 percent of the
phosphorous in manure. “You
don’t necessarily want to take
it all,” he said.
Several previous applica-
tions for funding a portable
struvite-maker were rejected.
“I’m excited we finally got
the money to get the wheels
on the road,” Harrison said.
“We both have a lot of passion
for this one.”
He said he’s looking for
dairies to try the system — at
no cost to the farmer, except
for the electricity to power the
struvite-maker.
Harrison is also looking
for farmers to take the result-
ing product.
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 “Sub-
mit an Event.” Calendar items can
also be mailed to Capital Press,
1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR
97301.
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester ..........................President
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Sid Freeman .................. Outside director
Mike Omeg .................... Outside director
Corporate officer
John Perry
Chief operating officer
By DON JENKINS
PUYALLUP, Wash. — Re-
search scientist Joe Harrison
began his career as a livestock
nutritionist.
As time went on, environ-
mental issues became more
prominent. That caused Harri-
son to shift his attention rear-
ward.
“What I tell people is I
work on both ends of the cow.
And that seems to be the best
way for them to understand,”
he said.
Harrison, 60, has been
stationed at Washington
State University’s Puyallup
research center since 1984.
He’s currently engaged in a
project to recycle phospho-
rous, a mineral that goes in
one end of the cow and out
the other.
Animals and plants can’t
live without it. Without
phosphorous, we’d be tooth-
less and boneless.
For growing food, there
is no substitute. About 95
percent of the phosphorous
mined from phosphate rock
is used for commercial fer-
tilizer, according to the
Sustainable
Phosphorous
Alliance at Arizona State
University,
Yet, too much phospho-
rous causes problems. It can
build up in the soil. It’s not
a threat to groundwater, but
Capital Press
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
S. Eighth 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
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 18-20
Idaho Horticulture Expo. Boise
Centre on the Grove, 850 W. Front
St., Boise, Idaho. Sponsored by
the Idaho Nursery and Landscape
Association, this annual event of-
fers seminars and workshops on
topics important to the nursery
industry. inlagrow.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/
Friday, Jan. 20
Family Foresters Workshop,
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Coeur d’Alene
Inn, 506 W. Appleway Ave., Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho. The program will
feature presentations on up and
coming forest products, changes
in Inland Northwest family forest-
ry, managing forests in the face of
droughts, effectiveness of prescribed
burns in preventing fire; research up-
dates on forest biofuels, managing
family forest habitats for moose and
the annual family forest economics/
policy update. Register by Jan. 13.
Cost: $85-$90, www.uidaho.edu/
FamilyForesterWorkshop
Tuesday, Jan. 24
Western Idaho Ag Expo. 9 a.m.-
4 p.m. Caldwell Events Center,
2207 Blaine St., Caldwell, Idaho.
http://www.spectraproductions.com
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 Asso-
ciation Convention. Denver Mar-
riott City Center, 1701 California
St., Denver, Colo. www.sheepu-
sa.org/About_Events_Conven-
tion
EcoFarm Conference. Asilo-
mar Conference Grounds, 800
Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove,
Calif. The theme of this year’s
meeting is “Cultivating Diversi-
ty.” https://eco-farm.org/confer-
ence
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
College, Center for Meeting and
Learning, Bldg. 19, 4000 E. 30th
Ave., Eugene, Ore. $85 if registered
by Jan. 23; $95 after. http://exten-
20 Northwest Locations
1-800-765-9055
sion.oregonstae.edu/lane/farms
50th year. www.worldagexpo.com
Alfalfa U. Learn how alfalfa
can contribute to a farm’s profit-
ability. Canyon Crest Dining and
Event Center, 330 Canyon Crest
Drive, Twin Falls, Idaho. alfalfaU.
com
Practical Food Safety & HAC-
CP. The Riverside Hotel, 2900
Chinden Blvd., Boise, Idaho. HAC-
CP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Con-
trol Points, is a preventive system
for the control of health-threatening
food hazards during food process-
ing. The comprehensive three-day
workshop is designed for individ-
uals responsible for implementing
and managing a HACCP system
in a food processing facility. Par-
ticipants who pass a final test will
receive a certificate of completion.
http://bit.ly/2f2iJ9Q
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 In-
land Northwest. https://greater-
spokane.org/ag-expo/
Washington Association of
Wine Grape Growers 2017 Con-
vention. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Three
Rivers Convention Center, 7016
Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick,
Wash. This annual event includes
the second largest industry trade
show in the nation and a welcome
breakfast. wawgg.org
Wednesday-Feb. 8
Oregon Clover Growers Annual
Meeting. Noon-1 p.m. Holiday Inn,
Wilsonville. www.oregonclover.org
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 North-
west Center for Alternatives to
Pesticides.
www.pesticide.org/
events
Friday, Feb. 10
University of Idaho Cropping
School. 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Best West-
ern Plus Caldwell Inn & Suites, 908
Specht Ave., Caldwell, Idaho. This
event will have presentations on
fertilizer and irrigation water man-
agement, crop diseases, falling
numbers, soil health, precision ag,
unmanned aerial systems and a
drone flight demonstration (weather
permitting). CEUs available. The
cost is $20 and includes breakfast
and lunch. owalsh@uidaho.edu,
208-722-6701
Friday-Sunday
Feb. 10-12
2017 Women’s Conference.
Chico Hot Springs, 163 Chico
Road, Pray, Mont. Women’s lead-
ership, communication and other
agriculture-related topics will be
discussed. Sponsored by the Mon-
tana Farmers Union. montanafarm-
ersunion.com
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 14-16
World Ag Expo. Internation-
al Agri-Center, 4500 Laspina St.,
Tulare, Calif. The nation’s largest
agricultural exhibition celebrates its
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
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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.
1 year 4-H, FFA students and teachers ....$30
Wednesday, March 8
Taxes and Succession Plan-
ning. Noon-1 p.m. Join us for a free
online webinar and an introduction
to how planning ahead for estate
and gift taxes can help address
family and business needs and
meet retirement goals for the cur-
rent generation. Presented by: Car-
ol 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
family business owners regarding
next generation succession. Pre-
sented by Steve Bennett, Farleigh
Wada Witt and the Austin Family
Business Program, Oregon State
University. 800-859-7609, http://
bit.ly/2h3k8Ck
9 months 4-H, FFA students & teachers .....$25
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Index
Markets ............................... 10
Opinion .................................. 6
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