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February 3, 2017 CapitalPress.com 7 Harsh winter challenges Idaho dairies By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press A string of winter storms delivering blowing snow and sub-zero temperatures has wreaked havoc on Idaho dairies. “We’re just surviv- ing,” Wendell dairyman Tony VanderHulst said on Monday. “We’re doing what we can to keep cows comfort- able, employees motivated and keep them (cows) warm and fed,” he said. “It’s been a rough one. I’ve been here since 2001, and it’s the first really big, big, big winter I’ve seen.” The first storm rolled in around Thanksgiving, and it’s been going ever since. The snow keeps coming, and everything’s turning to ice, he said. “We’re using a lot of ex- tra straw to keep cows from slipping (and) to keep them comfortable,” he said. The dairy typically uses one bale of straw per cow during the winter, but that’s up to about 1-1/2 bales this winter. He’s also had to add more protein to the feed ra- tion to compensate for cows using more energy to main- Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press Cows at the Bokma Dairy take a sunny break on Jan. 30 after weeks of snow storms and extreme temperatures. Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press Willie Bokma enjoys a little sunshine at his dairy south of Twin Falls, Idaho, on Jan. 30. “It’s really stressful on cows when it is this cold for this long,” he said. tain their body heat. But the harsh conditions are still taking a toll. It’s stressing cows’ immune sys- tems, making them more sus- ceptible to mastitis and pneu- monia, he said. “There’s a lot more cows going to beef because of the weather,” he said. South of Twin Falls, Wil- lie Bokma is dealing with his share of challenges as well. His cull numbers are up about 15 percent from a typi- cal winter, with more mastitis and frozen teats taking a toll. “For sure, we’re losing more than regular. It’s really stressful on cows when it is this cold for this long,” he said. The cold and snow have been steady on his place since late December. Icy conditions have caused cows to slip in alleyways, and he lost quite a few during the slick days. He’s also lost quite a few baby calves to ex- tremely cold nights. “It’s hard to keep an eye on cows calving and get them to warm areas,” he said. Getting around the dairy has also been challenging. He’s had to fight to keep county roads open for em- ployees and milk trucks, working day and night at times, and keep feed bunks clear and corrals as dry as possible. Near Wendell, snow has been blowing over the north/ south roads. Pushing it off is creating snow piles as tall as six feet in some spots. The problem is there are only so many snow plows. Counties are relying on farmers to help keep roads clear, Vander- Hulst said. For now, mud isn’t a prob- lem. But it will be when the snow starts to thaw, he said. Bokma hopes the thaw comes slowly. He has the means to control both run- off from his farm and run-in from higher ground, but it will be challenging if it melts too quickly, he said. Nonetheless, both dairy- men are grateful for the snow. “We need it, we need the water,” VanderHulst said. “We have plenty of mois- ture coming to the mountains east of us; that’s good. You have to keep positive,” Bok- ma said. Gregory Bull/Associated Press The border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico. Observers say work on immigration reform bills likely will start soon in the U.S. House of Representatives. Immigration reform likely to be piecemeal effort By DAN WHEAT Capital Press ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Work on immigration reform bills likely will start soon in the U.S. House of Represen- tatives, as the Senate will be busy considering President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and Cabinet appointments, a labor attor- ney and former Bush admin- istration official says. Leon Sequeira, assis- tant secretary of labor under President George W. Bush, spoke Jan. 26 at the annual Workforce Summit of WAF- LA, formerly the Washington Farm Labor Association, at Central Washington Universi- ty in Ellensburg, “A comprehensive reform approach you can bet on not happening,” Sequeira said, noting comprehensive efforts “failed spectacularly” in the Bush years in 2006 and 2007 and in 2013 during the pres- idency of Barack Obama, “who never lacked for self confidence.” A piecemeal approach of enforcement bills regarding a U.S.-Mexican border wall and security is likely to start soon followed by domestic enforce- ment, including mandatory E-Verify (electronic verifica- tion of employment eligibili- ty), he said. “Once they clear out im- migration and enforcement issues there’s a chance you could see some reforms of visa programs, particularly in agriculture because there is a well-documented shortage of workers,” he said. The shortage is well under- stood by legislators, he said. However, Frank Gasperini Jr., executive vice president of National Council for Agri- cultural Employers, has said labor-intensive agriculture is very concerned that E-Veri- fy will devastate their work- force if not accompanied by guestworker reform and legal status for illegal domestic workers. House Judiciary Commit- tee Chairman Robert Good- latte, R-Va., will be the driv- ing and controlling force, and any H-2A agricultural visa reforms likely will follow his HR 1773 bill of two years ago, Sequeira said. That bill moved adminis- tration of H-2A from the De- partment of Labor to the De- partment of Agriculture and changed the name to H-2C. It broadened the definition of ag- riculture to include processing and activities that are currently on the edge of eligibility. “It contained significant re- forms to housing requirements and made the program more user-friendly so you don’t have to hire a lawyer before you hire a farmworker,” he said. It also provided legal work status for illegal immigrants in the country without giving them citizenship, he said. Allocating visas by state is being talked about and requir- ing electronic processing of ap- plications by agencies, he said. Dan Fazio, WAFLA di- rector, said he doesn’t think immigration reform will pass this year or next because Dem- ocrats want a comprehensive bill and Republicans don’t. That leaves regulatory reform by agencies as the only relief, he said. But Sequeira said Repub- licans have political pressure to act. He said they will pass something in the House and the only question will be whether it can make it past Democratic opposition in the Senate. Trade associations are busy formulating their immigration approaches for the administra- tion and Congress, and a big part of what happens depends on who ends up in sub-cabi- net secretary positions in key departments, Sequeira said. He said he’s not looking for a position, being very busy with current clients. The Trump administration likely will end Obama’s “ex- treme hostility” to H-2A and deficiency notices on non-sub- stantive issues, he said. It’s interesting, he said, that the federal government has programs like H-2A geared to alleviating farm- worker shortages while it has other programs designed to help farmworkers find other employment. 5-7/#4x
