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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017 VOLUME 90, NUMBER 7 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 Photo illustration/Thinkstock ORGANIC FARMING AT A CROSSROADS Some organic purists still want to battle the ‘Empire,’ but the market seems to be adjusting to the presence and infl uence of ‘Big Ag.’ By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press A t this point, maybe organic producers and processors should just declare victory. They’ve won, haven’t they? Sales of organic products show dou- ble-digit growth year after year. Consumers increasingly associate organics with safer food and better nutrition, health, soil and plants, not to mention more humane treatment of livestock and better conditions for farmworkers. That little green USDA Organic symbol on a package says this costs more because it’s special. And it’s all delivered by a chemical-free small farm worked by a smiling couple and their beautiful brood of happy children. Right? Well, sure, to a certain extent. But within the organic community, some worry the movement — and that’s how many see it, as a movement — will lose its soul as “Big Ag” takes over organic production and snaps up small organic processors. “If we continue to mainstream, is there anything left of what was organic, or do we just become product manufacturers?” asked Oregon organic pioneer David Lively. Turn to ORGANIC, Page 12 “ If we continue to mainstream, is there anything left of what was organic, or do we just become product manufacturers?” David Lively, Oregon organic pioneer Inslee administration: More people need more public land By DON JENKINS Capital Press OLYMPIA — A Washington Farm Bureau lobbyist told lawmakers they should “draw a line” and halt the growth in state-owned lands, though an adviser to Gov. Jay Inslee said pub- lic recreation areas should expand as the population grows. House Bill 1008, introduced by Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, would require state agencies to sell land at least as fast as they buy it. Recreation groups, such as Trout Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, criticized the legisla- tion during a hearing Feb. 10 in front of the House Capital Budget Commit- tee. State agencies also lined up against the proposal. Jon Snyder, the gover- nor’s policy adviser on outdoor rec- reation and economic development, said the state budget offi ce projects Washington will grow by 1 million people in the next decade. The state probably will need to acquire more property to keep rec- reation areas from becoming over- crowded, he said. Rep. Richard DeBolt, R-Cheha- lis, asked Snyder, “So is your opin- ion, if we grow in population, we have to grow in public lands?” Snyder said that was a “natural assumption.” “If we do grow, the possibility for needing more public lands does increase,” said Snyder, who said he Turn to LAND, Page 12 Leader Lake Campground in the Loup Loup State Forest is among the land in public ownership in Okanogan County in north-central Washington. Courtesy of Washington Department of Natural Resources Bill seeks reversal of Oregon GMO pre-emption Legislation would allow local governments to regulate biotech crops Capital Press Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press Elise Higley of the Our Family Farms Coalition speaks at a recent press con- ference in support of House Bill 2469. Biotech critics are calling on Oregon lawmakers to overturn a prohibition against local government restrictions on genetically engineered crops because statewide regulations haven’t been en- acted. In 2013, the Oregon Legislature passed a law that pre-empted cities and counties from setting their own rules over seeds, which blocked most local ordinances banning genetically modi- fi ed organisms, or GMOs. Groups that opposed the pre-emp- tion bill say state inaction since then has justifi ed the passage of House Bill 2469, which would carve out an exemption al- lowing local GMO regulations. “Oregon farmers can’t wait another four years to protect themselves from this harm,” said Amy van Saun, a legal fellow at the Center for Food Safety nonprofi t group. Van Saun said measures are needed to prevent cross-pollination of conven- tional and organic crops with biotech Turn to GMO, Page 12 7-1/#14 By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
