Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2017)
February 17, 2017 CapitalPress.com 3 Oregon, Idaho governors view snow damage in Treasure Valley By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press PAYETTE, Idaho — Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown flew in a Black Hawk helicopter togeth- er Feb. 10 to get a close-up view of the damage caused by this winter’s heavy snowfall. The governors earlier at- tended town hall meetings in their respective states where they heard from people af- fected by this winter’s heavy snowfall, which has resulted in the collapse of at least 50 onion storage buildings and packing sheds, in addition to several hundred other struc- tures in the region. The governors were shocked by the extent of the damage, which is estimated Capital Press/Sean Ellis From left, Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown exit an Ida- ho National Guard Black Hawk helicopter Feb. 10 following a tour of the damage in both states caused by an unusually large amount of snowfall this winter. at about $100 million to the region’s onion industry alone. “We saw a lot of devasta- tion and we heard about a lot of devastation (today),” Otter said during a joint press con- ference. “We’re going to work to recover just as fast as we can.” Brown, who earlier in the day was provided a vehicle tour of some of the dozens of collapsed onion buildings, was stunned by what she saw. “It looks like a tornado di- saster. It’s just awful,” she said during a town hall meeting in Ontario. “Thank you for shar- ing your stories. I think it will help us craft a solution for the community and region.” Brown pledged to do “ev- erything I can to help you all get through this and move into recovery mode.” Both governors said agen- cies from the two states would work together to try to expe- dite recovery as quickly as possible and find assistance for those affected by the damage. They brought with them cabinet members as well as the directors of their respective state agriculture departments, emergency management offi- cials and National Guard lead- ers. During the Ontario town hall event, farmers and other local business owners stressed how important it was to help the local agricultural economy recover. “Without the farmers, ranchers and processors, this community goes fallow,” said John Kerby, who owns a retail business in Ontario. “To say we are in crisis, in peril, is un- derstating what is happening here.” The immediacy of the need for assistance was also stressed. “We have unfolding a di- saster of epic proportions and we need to have a response that matches the challenges we face,” said Oregon Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day. The governors said both states are actively working to obtain federal assistance for the area. Otter, a Republican, and Brown, a Democrat, both promised that help is on the way. Oregon, Idaho looking for ways to dispose of 200 million pounds of onions The onions were ruined when dozens of storage sheds collapsed By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press PAYETTE, Idaho — The Idaho-Oregon onion industry, which was hit hard by the col- lapse of dozens of storage and packing buildings in the Trea- sure Valley area this winter, faces another large challenge. Upward of 200 million pounds of onions that were ruined when the buildings col- lapsed under the weight of snow and ice have to be disposed of in the next two months. But both states have special requirements for the disposal of Sean Ellis/Capital Press An excavator removes hundreds of thousands of pounds of onions that were ruined when a storage facility in Nyssa, Ore., collapsed under the weight of snow and ice. About 200 million pounds of damaged onions in Idaho and Oregon have to be properly dis- posed of by April 15. cull onions to prevent an out- break of onion maggot, which can devastate onion and other vegetable crops. Because of the level of dev- astation caused by the build- ing collapses, both states have moved the deadline for disposal of cull onions from March 15 to April 15. But getting rid of that many onions will be no easy task, said Jack Yarbrough of Idaho Waste Systems, which operates a landfill in Mountain Home, Idaho. “This is a major problem and people need to get mov- ing on it,” he said. “Something needs to be done and it needs to be done quickly.” As much as 200 million pounds of onions may have been destroyed in southwest- ern Idaho and Malheur County, Ore. Because of the environmen- tal requirements involved in the burial of cull onions, many landfills in the region aren’t set up to handle onion disposal, Yarbrough said. IWS is accepting onions but that landfill is 80 miles from Malheur County and can’t han- dle all of the onions. The landfill near Payette is also accepting onions but they have to be separated from de- bris and that landfill is small, Yarbrough said. The Lytle Boulevard landfill in Malheur County is expected to receive a special permit to dig a trench where onions can be buried, Gov. Kate Brown said Feb. 10 during a press con- ference in Payette. But that pit will handle only about 30 million pounds, or an estimated one-third of the ru- ined onions on the Oregon side, she added. “We’re going back to the drawing board to figure out how we can get the people power and the resources to expand that pit so that we can bury everything that we need to in a really rapid manner,” Brown said. Idaho Gov. Butch Otter said state officials are addressing the problem but also want to make sure to avoid an outbreak of onion maggot, which result- ed in an epidemic in the 1960s that devastated onion and other vegetable crops. He said the state needs to “make sure that our disposal is that kind of disposal that can protect our industry but we also know that we’re going to have to be just a little bit flexible with some of the things we do.” Idaho State Department of Agriculture Communications Director Chanel Tewalt said the department, health districts, environmental regulators, county commissioners and emergency management of- ficials have been meeting to address the issue. “There’s been a pretty big group effort to look at what the options are,” she said. 14 th Annual Orchard, Nuts & Vines Special Section Capital Press Agriculture Weekly will publish a Special Section featuring orchard, nut and vine articles and advertising on April 14, 2017 By advertising in this Special Section, you’ll be reaching over 89,000 print and online readers in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington who make the buying decisions for your product or service! 6-2/#4x ROP-40-42-4/#17 Space deadline is March 17 th . ROP-7-4-2/#13 Saturday Feb. 25th • 9-4 Sunday Feb. 26th • 10-4 y l i F m u a n F Adults: $5 CASH ONLY Under 18: FREE FREE PARKING Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center 520 S. Pacific Hwy West Rickreall, OR 97371 Proceeds to Benefit Local 4H & FFA • Farmer’s Bounty Market • Local Ag Seminars • Artisan Vendors • 4-H Petting Zoo • Ag Tech • Free Face Painting Mid-Valley Winter Ag Fest & Farmer’s Bounty Market See seminars at mvwagfest.com. 7-1/#T1D
