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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/
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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
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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.
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