Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current, February 24, 2017, Image 2

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Newspaper Page Text2 CapitalPress.com February 24, 2017 People & Places Joining the battle against a pest Virginia Bruce informs readers about fight against Japanese beetles Western Innovator By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press CEDAR MILL, Ore. — One of the key figures in Or- egon agriculture right now is a gardener but not a farmer, writes a community news- paper but has no journalism training, and worries about in- secticides but endorses a five- year state plan to kill invasive Japanese beetles. “I’m at Ground Zero,” said Virginia Bruce. “This is a huge threat.” That it is. The Oregon Department of Agriculture proposes to treat about 1,000 acres in Washington County, just west of Portland, with annual granular applications of Acelepryn, which will kill Japanese beetles in the grub stage. But to get after the beetles, department staff will have to treat yards and flow- er beds at about 2,500 private homes. And they might have to come back annually for up to five consecutive years. These days, expecting the public to believe what gov- ernment scientists say isn’t a sure thing. And some people in the treatment area might question the insecticide plan if it were being pushed sole- ly by a business group, such as the plant nurseries whose product is at risk. Finding partners Clint Burfitt, who manag- es the eradication program for the ag department, said there is something akin to an “anti-expert” atmosphere at work, and a grass-roots ef- fort stands a better chance of reaching people. Following that line, he identified Bruce, who has extensive communi- ty connections as editor and Virginia Bruce Occupation: Editor and publisher of the Cedar Mill News. Personal: Age 70, divorced. Her son, James Bruce, is an attorney in Tigard, Ore. Her daughter, Megan Bruce, is deceased. Ag connection: Has become the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s key community connection as it moves to eradicate invasive Japanese beetles in a 1,000-acre residential area of Washington County. Eric Mortenson/Capital Press Community newspaper publisher Virginia Bruce spreads the word about the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s plan to attack a Japanese beetle infestation. publisher of the monthly Ce- dar Mill News, as an import- ant ally. “It’s pretty clever,” Bruce said. “This guy Burfitt is an expert on these beetles and ways to deal with it. He said the only way to have a suc- cessful campaign is to have community partners.” She said Burfitt recently attended a community meet- ing that included members of the Aloha Garden Club, which holds an annual plant sale and gets some of its plants from members who live in what Bruce calls “Ground Zero.” It’s quite possible, Bruce said, that some plant buyers took Japanese Beetle grubs home with them. The agriculture department decided to take action after a record 369 beetles were found in traps last year and numer- ous live beetles were found eating roses and other plants in the area. Japanese beetles are capable of causing heavy damage. They’ll eat nursery plants, wine grapes, cannabis, hazelnuts and cane berries in addition to homeowners’ flowers. High stakes Burfitt said failure to stop the infestation would cost Oregon agriculture an es- timated $43 million a year in lost plant value, export restrictions and increased spraying and other produc- tion costs. The department says Acelepryn, the insecti- cide, won’t harm pets, birds, bees or people. He’s won Bruce over, and she’s using her print edition, website and email news- letter, and her garden club connections, to help spread the word. She’s been writing about it since last August, and the windows of her office display informational fliers and maps of the affected area. “If the problem gets out of control, everybody who grows that kind of stuff will have to spray, and that’s worse,” she said. “The im- portance of this whole thing is just mind-boggling.” In addition to helping Burfitt make community connections, she helped con- vince the ag department to revise its outreach material. The first version urged home- owners to protect the “Rose City,” which is Portland’s nickname. But Cedar Mill and Bethany are proudly and distinctly outside the city in unincorporated Washington County, and residents don’t like to be called “Northwest Portland.” Professional development: Bruce said she fell into pub- lishing the Cedar Mill News. Years before, when her children were young, she’d put together the Portland Family Calendar, a listing of activities and other infor- mation. In Cedar Mill, the local business association was seeking to reach more people and Bruce suggested a similar newsletter. From there, the monthly publica- tion evolved into a commu- nity newspaper. It’s printed on high-speed copiers, with 800 copies distributed free. It also circulates by email and has a website, http://cedar- mill.org/news/index.html Meetings planned “I understand how dev- astating an invasive pest can be,” Bruce said. “I understand how it can affect the economy and enjoyment of the commu- nity. The damage potential of these beetles far outweighs the reservations I have about using chemicals.” The ag department will hold a pair of open house meetings on the project. The first is Saturday, March 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Leedy Grange Hall, 835 N.W. Saltzman Road. The second is Monday, March Office partner: Scout, an active 3 1/2-year-old Jack Russell-Dachsund mix. “Everything’s her business,” Bruce said. “She takes after me.” 6, from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. at the Cedar Mill Library, 12505 N.W. Cornell Road. More information about the project is online: http:// www.japanesebeetlepdx.info/ Capital Press Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Mike Omeg Capital Press Managers John Perry ................................Publisher Joe Beach ..................................... Editor Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2017 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Circulation ......................... 800-882-6789 Email ........ Circulation@capitalpress.com Main line ........................... 503-364-4431 Fax ................................... 503-370-4383 Advertising Fax ................ 503-364-2692 News Staff N. California Tim Hearden .................... 530-605-3072 E Idaho John O’Connell ................. 208-421-4347 Idaho Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-3898 Boise Sean Ellis .......................... 208-914-8264 Central Washington Dan Wheat ........................ 509-699-9099 E Washington Matthew Weaver .............. 509-688-9923 Oregon Eric Mortenson ................ 503-412-8846 Mateusz Perkowski .......... 800-882-6789 Graphic artist Alan Kenaga ..................... 800-882-6789 To Place Classified Ads Ad fax .............................. 503-364-2692 or ...................................... 503-370-4383 Telephone (toll free) .......... 866-435-2965 Online ......www.capitalpress.com/classifieds Subscriptions Mail rates paid in advance Easy Pay U.S. $3.75/month (direct with- Calendar Sponsored by: To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www.capitalpress.com and click on “Submit an Event.” Calen- dar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 or emailed to newsroom@capital- press.com. Saturday, Feb. 25 Basic Farm Equipment Main- tenance and Repair workshop. 1-5 p.m. Dunbar Farms, Medford, Ore. This class offers an introduction to farm equipment maintenance and repair, including an overview of how small gas engines and larger gas and diesel engines run, proper fluid levels and fluid change sched- ules, basic maintenance and tun- ing, identifying and troubleshooting problems and how to tell when you can fix a problem yourself and when you need to call in an expert. Cost: $20 http://extension.oregonstate. edu/sorec/SF-classes Saturday-Sunday Feb. 25-26 Second Annual Mid-Valley Winter Ag Fest. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center, 520 S Pacific High- way W, Rickreall, Ore. This event will promote all aspects of local ag commerce and provide a family friendly event that is fun and ed- ucational for kids. Proceeds will benefit Polk County 4-H and FFA. www.mvwagfest.com Tuesday, Feb. 28 Managing large poultry flocks workshop. 5:30-8:30 p.m. South- ern Oregon Research & Extension Center, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, Ore. Demand for local eggs and poultry meat is hot, but how does one manage larger flocks of birds? James Hermes will present this poultry class with a focus on breed selection, poultry health and disease, feeding and nutrition and economics. http://extension.ore- gonstate.edu/sorec/farms Successional Planning Work- shop. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Chemekata Eola Hills Campus, 215 Doaks Ferry Road NW, Salem, Ore. This is the second part of a workshop on succession planning. If you missed the orientation, you can still attend. Presenters in the morning will be Clarie Fiegener, Green Belt Trust and Ron Marek, attorney. Afternoon presenters will be Carl Sohn, Farm Credit Services and Riley Makin, attorney. Lunch is provided. Spon- sored by the Polk and Marion soil and water conservation districts, the Greenbelt Land Trust and the Luckiamute Watershed Council. $50 per family http://www.polkswcd. com/success.html Thursday, March 2 Pesticide education and re- certification course. 8 a.m.-noon. Polk County Fairgrounds, Building B, 520 S Pacific Hwy. W, Rickreall, Ore. Four CORE credits for pesti- cide licensees have been request- ed. Sponsored by the Polk County Farm Bureau. Kathyfree17@aol. com or call 503-559-5901 Thursday-Friday March 2-3 Idaho Hay and Forage Con- ference. Best Western Inn, 800 N. Overland Ave., Burley, Idaho. Speakers will include Dan Under- stander, a University of Wisconsin forage specialist; Steve Orloff, a University of California Extension adviser; and Doug Robison, se- nior vice president of Northwest Farm Credit Services. www.ida- hohay.com Wednesday, March 8 Taxes and Succession Plan- ning. Noon-1 p.m. Join us for a free online webinar and an intro- duction to how planning ahead for estate and gift taxes can help address family and busi- ness needs and meet retirement goals for the current generation. Presented by: Carol Wachter and Heather Tomsick, Deloitte Tax LLP, and the Austin Family Business Program, Oregon State University. 800-859-7609, http:// bit.ly/2gW7Kjq Thursday, March 9 OFRF’s 20th Annual Organic Benefit Luncheon. 10:45 a.m.-2 p.m. City National Grove of Ana- heim, 2200 East Katella Ave., Ana- heim, Calif. The Organic Farming Research Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary. Keynote speaker will be Kathleen Merrigan, executive director of sustainability at George Washington University and former deputy secretary of the USDA. She helped write the law establishing national standards for organic food. Cost: $100. http://bit. ly/2lsre2h Small Farms and Community Food Systems Workshop Series. 6-8:30 p.m. University of Idaho Extension, 2200 Michigan Ave., Orofino, Idaho. This is the first of three Thursday evening workshops. GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE drawal from bank or credit card account) www.oxarc.com 1 year U.S. ...................................$49.99 Topic is growing and marketing tree fruits, berries and table grapes featuring Mike and Joan Mount, Green Things Nursery. Please mail registrations with payment to UI Extension Workshop Fund, 2200 Michigan Ave., Orofino, ID 83544 prior to the workshop. Sign-in will begin at 5:30 each evening. Seating is limited to 25 people. Cost: $5 per workshop or $10 for all three. Thursday-Sunday March 9-12 Natural Products Expo West, Anaheim Convention Center, Marri- ott and Hilton hotels, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim, Calif. www.expow- est.com Saturday, March 11 Northwest Bison Association annual meeting. 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Forest Grove Senior Center, 2037 Douglas St., Forest Grove, Ore. The NWBA annual meeting will focus on small-scale bison ranching and facility setup and lots of sto- ries from ranchers that have seen everything from tires as a fence to our setups and everything in be- tween. Dr. Richard Veeman with Veterinary Services of Oregon will speak on his experience with bison along with Pat Fitzgerald with Fitz- gerald Corrals. A ranch tour of the L Bar T Bison Ranch is included. Pre-registration is preferred but not required. www.nwbisonassoci- ation.com Wednesday, March 15 Agricultural Biodiversity on Farms: Conservation Practices Working for Western Farmers. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. McMenamins Edge- field, 2126 SW Halsey St. Trout- dale, Ore. A first-of-its-kind confer- ence on the benefits of agricultural biodiversity in Western farming systems and the practices that support it. Sponsored by the Oregon State University Inte- grated Plant Protection Center, the Xerces Society and Oregon Tilth. http://bit.ly/2kpWRsK Thursday, March 16 Small Farms and Community Food Systems Workshop Series. 6-8:30 p.m. University of Idaho Extension, 2200 Michigan Ave., Orofino, Idaho. This is the second of three Thursday evening work- shops. Topic is beekeeping, honey production, pollination and bee biol- ogy featuring Pat Ball, Ball Honey Co. Please mail registrations with payment to UI Extension Workshop Fund, 2200 Michigan Ave., Orofino, ID 83544 prior to the workshop. Sign-in will begin at 5:30 each eve- 20 Northwest Locations ning. Seating is limited to 25 peo- ple. Cost: $5 per workshop or $10 for all three. Building Family Business Val- ue from the Inside Out. 7:30 to 9 a.m. BridgePort BrewPub, 1313 NW Marshall St., Portland. Much can be done to build the value of the business from inside the en- terprise, and the earlier the pro- cess begins, the more sustainable the results will be. In addition to building value, most businesses become more efficient and profit- able along the way. Presented by Francis Brown, Key Private Bank and the Austin Family Business Program, Oregon State Univer- sity. 800-859-7609, http://bit. ly/2gR3KC0 Sunday, March 19 Home Orchard Society 42nd Fruit Propagation Fair. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Clackamas County Fairgrounds Main Pavilion, 694 NE Fourth Ave., Canby, Ore. Hundreds of varieties of free scions and cuttings. If you graft this is paradise, or you can choose custom grafting by experts for $5. Free with your admission are hundreds of varieties of apple, pear, cherry, plum and persimmon scions; cuttings of grapes, kiwis, and figs to root; and experts to answer fruit growing questions. Cost: $7 per per- son (family $12) www.homeorchard- society.org/events Thursday, March 23 Small Farms and Community Food Systems Workshop Series. 6-8:30 p.m. University of Idaho Ex- tension, 2200 Michigan Ave., Orofi- no, Idaho. This is the last of three Thursday evening workshops. Top- ic is marketing ag products in North- ern Idaho featuring Iris Mayes, UI Extension. Please mail registra- tions with payment to UI Extension Workshop Fund, 2200 Michigan Ave., Orofino, ID 83544 prior to the workshop. Sign-in will begin at 5:30 each evening. Seating is limited to 25 people. Cost: $5 per workshop or $10 for all three. Friday-Sunday March 24-26 18th Annual Northwest Horse Fair and Expo. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Linn County Fair and Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road, Albany, Ore. Three days of clinics, semi- nars and performances for horse enthusiasts. Cost: Adults $12 a day, children ages 6-12 $6 a day. Parking $4. www.equinepromo- tions.net 1-800-765-9055 Friday-Monday March 24-27 Oregon FFA State Convention. Deschutes Fair & Expo Center, 3800 S.E. Airport Way, Redmond, Ore. www.oregonffa.com Saturday, March 25 Clackamas Tree School. 8:15 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Clackamas Commu- nity College, Clairmont Hall Room 117, 19600 S Molalla Ave., Oregon City, Ore. Tree School attendees can learn about basic forestry from “A to Z” — tree identification, woodland management, pest man- agement, wildlife enhancement, chainsaw operations, safety and maintenance, truffle hunting and cultivation, among many other top- ics. Advanced sessions focus on business management, managing for timber, forest roads, wildlife and biodiversity. Cost is $50 per person in Clackamas County, $65 per per- son outside Clackamas County and $25 for youths 13-18 with an adult. http://bit.ly/1Txt8Lk Monday-Thursday March 27-30 Outlook 2017 Agribusiness Conference. DoubleTree Hotel, 2233 Ventura St., Fresno, Calif. This is California’s premiere agribusiness conference where key agricultural issues are addressed, commodity updates are provided and the highly regarded Trends in Agricultural Land and Lease Values publication is re- leased. Appraisers, farm managers, consultants, lenders, accountants, real estate brokers, government employees, farmers and educators will benefit from the education, net- working and the Trends publication. agprolink.asmfra.org Wednesday-Thursday March 29-30 International Mass Timber Conference. Oregon Conven- tion Center, 777 NE Martin Lu- ther King Jr Blvd., Portland, Ore. Explores the entire supply chain for cross-laminated tim- ber, nail-laminated timber, glu- lam panels, laminated veneer lumber and other mass timber; and the opportunities and ob- stacles for mass timber building in global construction. Benefit from 80 speakers, four focused educational tracks, 60 exhibits in the exhibit hall, multiple net- working receptions, and one of the largest gatherings of CLT and mass timber experts in the world. www.masstimberconference.com 2 years U.S. .................................$89.99 1 year Canada .................................$275 1 year other countries ......... call for quote 1 year Internet only .......................$49.99 1 year 4-H, FFA students and teachers ....$30 9 months 4-H, FFA students & teachers .....$25 Visa and Mastercard accepted To get information published Mailing address: Capital Press P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 News: Contact the main office or news staff member closest to you, send the in- formation to newsroom@capitalpress.com or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press. Include a contact telephone number. Letters to the Editor: Send your comments on agriculture-related public issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital Press. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday. Capital Press ag media www.capitalpress.com www.FarmSeller.com marketplace.capitalpress.com www.facebook.com/capitalpress www.facebook.com/farmseller twitter.com/capitalpress www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo Index California ................................ 8 Idaho .....................................11 Markets ............................... 13 Opinion .................................. 6 Oregon .................................. 9 Washington ......................... 10 Clarification A Feb. 17 story on Page 18 about wine packaging needs to be clarified. TricorBraun WinePak’s facility in Fairfield, Calif., has a 126,000-square-foot automated repacking facility plus warehousing, for a total of 360,000 square feet. Correction policy Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.