FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017
VOLUME 90, NUMBER 1
WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM
$2.00
State legislatures face tough issues
when they open for business this month
OREGON
IDAHO
CALIFORNIA
WASHINGTON
• Water • Taxes • Regulations
THE BIG 3
Capital Press
C
all them the Big 3. Water, taxes and regu-
lations will dominate Western state legisla-
tures as they convene this month and farm-
ers, ranchers and processors will be watching
closely to determine what the impact will be.
In Oregon, a $1.8 billion budget gap will
force legislators to look for more revenue — taxes and fees
— or cut services. The gap, caused by runaway state em-
ployee health care and retirement costs, will force lawmak-
ers to make hard choices as the administration of Gov. Kate
Brown settles in for the next two years.
In Idaho and Washington, water issues have fl oated to
the top of the legislative agendas. In Idaho, replenishing
the Snake River aquifer that feeds farms and ranches in
the eastern part of the state and protecting water rights will
take center stage.
In Washington, a different water issue has rural land-
owners wondering whether they can afford to drill wells
as legislators seek a way to accommodate a recent court
ruling. The ruling requires landowners to prove new wells
won’t hurt water sources needed to maintain fi sh popula-
tions. At the same time, Gov. Jay Inslee will continue to
his push for a controversial carbon tax as a way to bolster
the state budget.
Though water is always an issue to California, the most
productive agricultural state in the nation, regulations on
overtime for farmworkers and a spate of other issues that
impact farmers will continue to take center stage in the
state Capitol.
By the numbers
By the numbers
By the numbers
By the numbers
Oregon
California
Idaho
Washington
Population: 4.1 million*
Population: 39.3 million*
Population: 1.7 million*
Population: 7.3 million*
Total state funds: $70.9 billion
(2015-17 biennium)
Total state funds:
$170.9 billion (FY2016-17)
Total spent: $7.6 billion (2015)
Total budgeted: $87.2 billion
(2015-17 biennium)
Governor: Kate Brown (D)
Governor: Edmund G. Brown (D)
State Senate: 18 Democrats,
12 Republicans
State Senate: 26 Democrats,
14 Republicans
State House: 35 Democrats,
25 Republicans
State Assembly: 55 Democrats,
25 Republicans
Value of ag: $5.4 billion (2014)
Value of ag: $53.5 billion (2014)
Number of farms: 34,600 (2015)
Number of farms: 77,500 (2015)
*Estimate as of July 1, 2016
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; Census of
Agriculture; www.oregon.gov
*Estimate as of July 1, 2016
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; Census of
Agriculture; www.ca.gov
Capital Press graphic
Governor: C.L. “Butch” Otter (R)
State Senate: 28 Republicans,
7 Democrats
State House: 56 Republicans,
14 Democrats
Governor: Jay Inslee (D)
State Senate: 25 Republicans,
24 Democrats
Value of ag: $8.8 billion (2014)
State House: 50 Democrats,
48 Republicans
Number of farms: 24,400 (2015)
Value of ag: $10.1 billion (2014)
*Estimate as of July 1, 2016
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; Census of
Agriculture; www.idaho.gov
Capital Press graphic
Capital Press graphic
Number of farms: 36,000 (2015)
*Estimate as of July 1, 2016
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; Census of
Agriculture; access.wa.gov
Capital Press graphic
Turn to SESSION, Page 12
Photo at right: Members of Oregon’s House of Representa-
tives during the 2016 legislative session.
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Wheat prices are likely
to remain low in 2017 unless
severe drought or some other
weather catastrophe curtails
a signifi cant portion of this
year’s global crop, market an-
alysts say.
The USDA predicts a to-
tal wheat supply of roughly
992 million metric tons for
the 2016-2017 crop year, up
from 953 million metric tons
last year. That includes 252
Dan Wheat/Capital Press
million tons of carryover.
“There’s going to have to Gary Polson combines wheat on
be some sort of crop failure in hilly terrain of the family farm north
of Waterville, Wash., on Aug. 18.
Turn to WHEAT, Analysts say wheat prices will like-
Page 12 ly remain depressed in 2017.
Rural-urban divide missing
in Idaho, survey fi nds
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — The rural-urban
divide that splits many states
hasn’t reached Idaho yet, a
new survey shows.
The University of Idaho
survey found that residents of
Idaho’s two main urban coun-
ties see eye-to-eye with their
rural counterparts in Owyhee
County on many natural re-
source issues, such as public
lands grazing and logging.
Owyhee County in south-
western Idaho is heavily de-
pendent on agriculture, partic-
ularly raising livestock. Some
80 percent of the county’s
Turn to DIVIDE, Page 12
1-2/#13
Analysts: Wheat prices
will remain low in 2017