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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2017)
OREGON: SECOND ROUND OF WOLF PLAN REVIEW HAPPENS IN PORTLAND Page 3 FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017 VOLUME 90, NUMBER 20 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM Azure Farms submits tentative weed plan $2.00 Area in detail ORE. Walla Walla Wash. . Milton- Ore Freewater 37 Pendleton 204 Uma till Walla Walla subbasin 84 395 UMATILLA 82 La Grande By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press 84 UNION 10 miles Capital Press graphic THE NEXT DROUGHT California growers, researchers prepare for dry spells to come; drip irrigation goes underground By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press ARLIER, Calif. — The fi ve-year drought that shook California agriculture to its core may be over in most places, but the sense of urgency it created continues to grow. In university laboratories and farm fi elds around the state, growers and researchers are working fe- verishly to fi nd ways for the state’s orchards, vineyards and row crops to get by with as little water as possible — before the next big drought. For Fritz Durst, a grain grower in western Yolo County, Calif., that means taking part in University of California re- search into subsurface drip irrigation, which applies a trick- le of water to the crop at its roots and prevents evaporation. “So far it’s working very well,” said Durst, who grows alfalfa, wheat, asparagus and winegrapes. “It’s nice to be able to apply smaller amounts of water to the crop. Unfor- tunately, you have to go more frequently, but the crop tends to be happier.” While record winter rainfall and full surface water al- locations for irrigation have enabled farms to emerge from survival mode in the short term, scientists and the indus- tries they serve share a goal: to be ready the next time water supplies dry up. “We’re working … right now to try to develop more precision irrigation systems and help growers irrigate on a smaller scale,” said Spencer Cooper, an agronomist who was hired nine months ago for the Almond Board of California’s driest three consecutive water years P “It’s easy to apply the water uniformly to the fi eld. In the past, I’d tend not to get equal distribution. … The drip system is very exact.” Fritz Durst California grain grower Based on statewide precipitation data. By comparison, California receives approximately 70 inches statewide in a three-year period. Years 2012-14 1922-24 1918-20 1924-26 1929-31 1923-25 2007-09 1917-19 1975-77 1931-33 Total precipitation (inches) 44.5 45.1 46.1 46.5 46.7 46.9 48.2 49.6 49.8 50.1 Source: Western Regional Climate Center Capital Press graphic Turn to DROUGHT, Page 8 Turn to WEEDS, Page 8 Stay current For late-breaking updates on this issue go to CapitalPress.com Courtesy of UCANR A drip irrigation system is installed in a fi eld at the University of California’s West Side Research and Extension Center in Parlier, Calif. Many UC trials are underway to test subsurface drip irrigation on different crops. New ag wells prohibited in Oregon’s Walla Walla subbasin By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press SALEM — Oregon’s water regulators have unani- mously voted to stop permit- ting new agricultural wells in Northeast Oregon’s 300,000- acre Walla Walla subbasin due to groundwater depletion concerns. At its May 11 meeting, the Oregon Water Resources Commission also designat- ed the subbasin as a “serious water management problem area,” which means irriga- tors with existing basalt wells must install fl ow meters to measure their water usage and report it to state regula- tors. The restriction on new wells doesn’t apply to ex- empt uses, such as domestic uses and livestock watering. The decision was prompt- ed by requests from senior water right holders in the re- gion who complained of be- ing unable to pump enough water, said Justin Iverson, groundwater section manag- er for the Oregon Water Re- sources Department, which is overseen by the commis- sion. “We do have a pretty wide distribution of water level declines across the full ba- sin,” Iverson said. Groundwater levels have been dropping by up to four feet a year in the deeper ba- salt aquifer and up to one foot a year in the shallower alluvial aquifer, he said. The commission’s ac- tions are intended to prevent the problem from growing worse and to improve OW- RD’s data about water us- age in the region, Iverson said. The next step will be fi nd- ing ways to stabilize ground- water levels in the Walla Walla subbasin, with the de- partment encouraging the lo- cal community to implement a voluntary, long-term water plan, he said. Irrigators will have un- til the end of 2018 to install fl ow meters on their wells, which is a year longer than initially planned, he said. The deadline was extend- ed because local contractors likely wouldn’t have enough time to install the equipment by the end of 2017, since they’d have to wait until the irrigation season ends in au- tumn, Iverson said. Turn to WELLS, Page 8 EVER WONDERED WHAT TO DO WITH THAT OLD, WORN OUT COMMODITY TRAILER? Our Rebin Program can turn your old trailer into a new trailer! We will remove all working mechanical parts, and replace the bin with a new Stainless Steel STC Bin on your existing running gear. All parts deemed reusable are reinstalled on the new bin. All of this at the fraction of the cost of a new trailer! WWW.STCTRAILERS.COM 494 W. Hwy 39 Blackfoot, ID 83321 208-785-1364 20-7/#16 A last-minute weed manage- ment plan fi led by an organic farm may be “workable” if the farm managers follow through, a Sherman County offi cial said. The operators of Azure Farms, a 2,000-acre organic farm on the outskirts of Moro, fi led a weed management plan 24 hours before the Sherman County Court was scheduled to discuss the issue. The coun- ty had warned it would seek a quarantine on the farm if it didn’t get a handle on what it describes as “rampant” nox- ious weeds. County offi cials, respond- ing to complaints from neigh- boring farmers who don’t want their fi elds infested, said they will spray the weeds with her- bicide and bill the farm for the work if necessary. The farm says it will lose valuable organ- ic certifi cation for three years if it uses the chemical herbicides conventional farmers use. In an email, County Com- missioner Tom McCoy said he discussed Azure Farms’ plan with county weed control Su- pervisor Rod Asher. “He is researching some of the measures, but believes the plan may be workable if Azure is really willing to implement it. So far, their follow through has not been good,” McCoy wrote. The Oregon Wheat Grow- ers League urged a “prompt and rigorous review” of Azure’s proposal. “From our members on the ground, it’s become clear that even a casual observation of Azure’s property makes it clear that their noxious weed problem is severe and has been worsening for many years,” league CEO Blake Rowe and growers Bryan Cranston and Chris Moore said in a prepared statement.” “Neighboring farms, in- cluding those at some dis- tance from Azure, are being impacted by the spread of noxious weed seeds from Azure’s property. The ability of surrounding wheat farms to continue to produce certifi ed wheat seed and the reputation of the entire area for produc- ing high quality wheat, with virtually no weed contamina- tion, are at risk.”
