FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017
VOLUME 90, NUMBER 6
WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM
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A VOICE
for the tree
fruit industry
For 36 years Chris Schlect has worked
behind the scenes at home and
abroad to protect the interests of
Northwest fruit growers.
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
AKIMA, Wash. — It was a spring day in 1980. Chris
Schlect, a 29-year-old deputy prosecuting attorney for Ya-
kima County, looked forward to a career in private prac-
tice, maybe eventually becoming a judge.
That day at the local
bar association luncheon he sat next to
Anyone in my
a distinguished, white-haired gentle-
job has to be
man who appeared to be about 70 and
looked every bit like a judge.
diplomatic and
That chance meeting marked a turn-
forceful. Shippers
ing point in Schlect’s career.
The white-haired gentleman was have strong views
Ernest Falk, a former assistant U.S.
that have to be
attorney who in 1947 had become the
fi rst president of the new Northwest
communicated
Horticultural Council, an organization
but in a way
set up with the broad purpose of han-
dling trade, transportation and other
that’s thoughtful
issues confronting the burgeoning tree
and respectful,
fruit industry in Washington, Oregon
and Idaho.
not creating
“He told me he worked on trade and
more problems.”
federal issues, and I thought that was
fairly interesting,” Schlect said.
— Chris Schlect
Falk learned that Schlect grew up on
an orchard west of town, obtained his law degree
from Gonzaga University and was involved in policy issues in his work
for the county. Nearing retirement, Falk was looking for someone to take
his place and asked Schlect to apply.
Y
Courtesy of Schlect family
Chris, Kurt and Neal Schlect with a load of apple bins at their
family orchard west of Yakima, Wash., in about 1985.
TOP PHOTO: Chris Schlect, president of Northwest Horticultural
Council in Yakima, Wash., worked on the agreement that set up
the World Trade Organization in 1995, among the many issues he
faced during his 36 years at the council.
Photo by Dan Wheat/Capital Press
“
Christian E.
Schlect
Age: 65
Birthplace: Yakima, Wash.
Education: Graduated West
Valley H.S., 1969; bachelor’s
in political science, WSU,
1973; law degree, Gonzaga
University, 1977
Family: Wife, Janet, three
children, four grandchildren
Work history: Schlect
74,
Brothers Orchards, 1973-4;
deputy Yakima County
prosecuting attorney, 1977-80;
president, Northwest Horti-
cultural Council, 1980-2017
Memberships: Washington
State Bar; USDA/USTR
Agricultural Policy Advisory
Committee; board of Center
for Produce Safety; board of
Alliance for Food and Farming
Honors: Apple Man of the
Year, International Apple
Institute, 1992; Silver Apple
Award, Washington State
Horticultural Association, 1998
Source: Capital Press research
Capital Press graphic
Turn to SCHLECT, Page 12
Warm, dry spring ahead for PNW, weatherman says
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Douglas said.
March will be “exceptionally
warm” all through the Western U.S.
Conditions will cool off in April and
warm up again in May, he said.
“Every single month in the spring
is warmer than normal,” Douglas
said.
He said warmer and drier condi-
tions will continue into the summer
across the West.
The main heat is likely to come in
June and August, he said.
“A good situation for harvest
comes late June and July, but the
main concern is developing drought
as we go into this new El Nino,” he
said.
El Nino is more likely to raise
drought concerns in late summer and
into next winter, Douglas said.
Douglas said the current weather pat-
terns are most similar to the years 1951,
1961, 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2015.
Turn to WEATHER, Page 12
Market demand leads grower rush to organics
Some wonder if something is lost in industry’s growth
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
PORTLAND — The escalating mar-
ket demand for organic food has result-
ed in “almost a gold rush mentality”
among producers seeking to transition
their acreage and get certifi ed, a speaker
at the Oganicology gathering here said.
“When anything approaches main-
stream, we know what happens,” said
Drew Katz, who coordinates Oregon
Tilth’s work of helping farmers transi-
tion from conventional to organic pro-
duction. “When it becomes really popu-
lar it loses its intrinsic value.”
In workshops and presentations
during the Feb. 2-4 event, other speak-
ers repeated multiple concerns. Perhaps
chief among them: Organic’s rapid
growth might come at a cost as big com-
panies elbow their way into the market.
Katz said some Oregon growers are
concerned that more organic production
means they won’t be able to fi nd sources
of chicken manure, for example, or will
get outbid for it.
More worries? Some U.S. farmers
missed an opportunity tied to the soaring
Turn to DEMAND, Page 12
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Art Douglas
SPOKANE — El Nino will return
to the Pacifi c Northwest, bringing
with it a warm, dry spring, weather-
man Art Douglas says.
Douglas said the El Nino weather
pattern began developing in January
as surface temperatures in the eastern
Pacifi c Ocean began to increase.
A ridge of high pressure off the
West Coast will also develop, block-
ing storms from reaching the Pacifi c
Northwest, Douglas said.
He spoke at the Spokane Ag Expo
on Feb. 7.
“Even though this developing El
Nino’s going to favor ... presumably
warmer temperatures, we’re going to
have to melt the snow fi rst to see that
climb,” he said. “Rather than warm-
ing up in February, we’re going to
have to wait until later in March.”
Temperatures will average 1 to 2
degrees above normal through spring,