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10 CapitalPress.com April 14, 2017 Oregon Japanese beetle eradication in a Portland suburb begins April 17 By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press A state ag department cam- paign to kill destructive Japa- nese beetles begins April 17 when contractors will apply a granular insecticide to lawns on 2,500 private properties in the Cedar Mill area of Wash- ington County, just west of Portland. The Oregon Department of Agriculture says the action, which could extend to annual treatments for up to five years, is crucial to knock out an in- festation of the beetles that was confirmed last summer. The project could become an uncomfortable legal prob- lem for the ag department, however. The effort’s success hinges on the cooperation of all property owners, and a handful — 16 of the 2,500 as of April 6 — have said they won’t allow insecticide applied on their lawns. Sev- eral hundred others have not responded despite five direct mailings, 46 community pre- sentations, social media post- ings and 500 hours of door-to- door canvassing. If necessary, the depart- ment is prepared to ask a judge for an order allowing it to go on private property and complete the treatment, said Bruce Pokarney, the ODA spokesman. The department believes it has legal authority to take the action, he said. “If we don’t have to do that, it would be great,” Po- karney said. If it goes that far, the issue could involve balancing pri- vate property rights against the potential economic harm to businesses and property owners outside the area. Ag officials say Japanese beetles are capable of caus- ing heavy damage to com- mercial nurseries, vineyards, orchards, and crops ranging from cannabis to cane ber- ries. A department analysis estimated that an infestation could cost Oregon agriculture an estimated $43 million a year in damaged plants, lost Japanese beetle Imperial Stock Ranch gains animal welfare, land management certification By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org Binomial name: Popillia japonica Appearance: Iridescent copper-colored elytra, green thorax and head Diet: Roots of grasses during larval stage; foliage and fruits of many common trees, vines and crops during adult stage Life cycle: Typically one year; extended in cooler climates Origin: Japan First observed in U.S.: 1916 14-16 mm near Riverton, (Actual size) New Jersey Control methods: Chemical and biological; mechanical traps Source: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Capital Press graphic crop value, export restrictions and increased spraying and other production costs. Clint Burfitt, the ag depart- ment’s insect pest program manager, said the property owners who have said they won’t allow insecticide ap- plications are scattered across the 1,000-acre treatment area. “We’re trying to com- municate with them about what their concerns are,” he said. “Some are concerned about pesticides in general. It doesn’t matter what pesticide it is, it’s a word that sparks fear. Others don’t want the government on their proper- ty.” He said nurseries would be hardest hit initially, followed by small farms, berry crops, orchard fruit and nut crops and “definitely grape produc- tion.” In the Great Lakes re- gion, some vineyards have to spray three times a summer to control adult Japanese bee- tles, he said. Imperial Stock Ranch, a small Oregon wool producer that has carved out a niche in high-profile markets, is the first U.S. farm to gain the Tex- tile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard certification. The certification is over- seen by the Michigan-based NSF International, which describes itself as a global public health organization. Certification means the ranch “practices the highest levels of animal welfare and land man- agement, and that the wool is fully traceable throughout its supply chain.” According to NSF Inter- national, the Responsible Capital Press File Jeanne Carver of the Imperial Stock Ranch in Shaniko, Ore. The ranch is the first in the U.S. to gain the Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard certification. Wool Standard means sheep are treated under a “Five Freedoms” concept. That in- cludes freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from dis- comfort; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and dis- tress. The standard also requires farms or ranches to follow land management practices that protect soil health, bio- diversity and native species. The certification process re- quired audits throughout the supply chain, from the ranch to the manufacturers. On her ranch blog, Impe- rial co-owner Jeanne Carv- er said meeting certification standards is not new to the business, but the latest may be the most comprehensive. Au- ditors were at the ranch over the course of three months, checking the operation, she said. “It requires a little more record keeping, and the will- ingness to open our books, records and operation to in- spections, but it is one of the best tools I know to share a true and positive story of agriculture,” Carver wrote. The Oregon wool pro- ducer has sought out new markets among high-fash- ion companies, and in 2014 provided material for the U.S. team’s Winter Olym- pics uniform sweaters. Yarn made from Imperial Stock Ranch wool has also been picked up by companies such as Ralph Lauren and Patagonia. Deadline kills Oregon pesticide lawsuit bill, other legislation Proposal would have eased filing of lawsuits over pesticide damages By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press SALEM — A proposal to make lawsuits over alleged pesticide damages easier to file in Oregon has died along with several other bills that could have impacted agricul- ture. Senate Bill 500 wasn’t scheduled for a work session as of April 7, killing the legis- lation. Under current law, anybody who claims to be harmed by pesticides must submit a report within 60 days to the Oregon Department of Agriculture be- fore taking legal action against the landowner or applicator. Senate Bill 500 would have removed the requirement, which was characterized by proponents as an unfair imped- iment to justice and by critics as a reasonable barrier to friv- AP File A bill aimed at making litigation against farmers who use pesticides easier has died in the Oregon Legislature. olous litigation. Critics of the bill argued the reporting requirement allows ODA to gather facts substanti- ating or repudiating the claims of pesticide loss, thus avoiding litigation based on weak or nonexistent evidence. The 60-day window also ensures that accused farmers have an opportunity to collect evidence, which may not be possible if a lawsuit is filed long after an alleged incident, opponents said. Supporters of SB 500, on the other hand, said the “report of loss” requires submitting specifics that are difficult for people to obtain, such as the type of pesticide applied and who sprayed the chemical. Rural residents who are exposed to pesticides often won’t realize they must submit a report to ODA, according to proponents. If they find out about the 60-day deadline too late, res- idents are then permanently blocked from seeking legal re- course, supporters said. The April 7 deadline, which lawmakers set early in the leg- islative session, also marked the death of other farm-related proposals: • Senate Bill 499 would have changed Oregon’s “right to farm” law to exclude pesti- cide usage. The statute current- ly protects common agricultur- al practices from lawsuits over nuisance and trespass, but SB 499 would have specifically allowed litigation over pesti- cide use. • Senate Bill 198 would have established an Indepen- dent Science Review Board to analyze controversial deci- sions by state agencies, such as wolf management or re- strictions on genetically engi- neered crops. Representatives of natural resources industries objected to SB 198, arguing that such a panel would create another layer of bureaucracy without ensuring objectivity. • Senate Bill 866 would have held cities liable for dis- charging pollutants in storm- water into irrigation canals without permission. Support- ers claimed SB 866 was nec- essary for irrigators to comply with environmental laws, but municipal governments said the bill would unrealistical- ly require them to collect and divert all the rainwater falling within their boundaries. • House Bill 2180 would allow workers with unpaid wage complaints to file liens against the property of their employers. Supporters of HB 2180 said the proposal would prevent employers from trans- ferring assets to another en- tity to avoid paying unpaid wages. Critics countered that such liens could disrupt busi- ness transactions even without proving any wrongdoing by an employer. • House Bill 2181 would have created a “rebuttable presumption” that employers unlawfully retaliated against workers who were fired with- in 90 days of filing an unpaid wage claim. Employers argued that under HB 2181 they’d be considered guilty until proven innocent. • House Bill 2365 would have created a task force to study transferring federal land to state ownership. Such transfers are opposed by en- vironmental groups that say state government wouldn’t be able to afford the upkeep of such lands, forcing their sale to private parties. • House Bill 3016 would prohibit discrimination by county and city governments against any specific type of livestock in zones where live- stock are generally allowed. Critics of HB 3016 worried the bill would prompt local governments to make more zones livestock-free. SAGE Fact #140 Pacific Ethanol’s Boardman plant produces 40 million gallons of ethanol a year which is blended with gasoline to reduce the use of fossil fuels. 15-7/#6 15-2/#14 15-1/#6