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June 16, 2017 CapitalPress.com 7 Oregon Ranchers on lookout for ticks this summer By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press Nobody’s out there count- ing them, but anecdotally this summer is shaping up as a bad one for ticks. That could mean addi- tional expense for cattle pro- ducers, who fi ght the blood suckers with insecticide-load- ed ear tags, sprays, powders and dips. It should make rec- reationists and dog owners wary as well, because they could return from walks car- rying unwelcome hitchhikers. Emilio DeBess, public health Dairyman objects to delay on permit He says it would cripple operation By GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group BOARDMAN, Ore. — The owner of a controversial new mega-dairy in Morrow County says his farming prac- tices go above and beyond what’s required to protect the environment, and efforts to halt his operation would cause “tragic” injuries to the cows already on site. Greg te Velde, a California dairyman with more than 40 years of experience, recently opened Lost Valley Farm on a portion of the former Board- man Tree Farm following an extensive permitting process. Lost Valley Farm was approved in March by the Oregon Department of Ag- riculture and Department of Environmental Quality, which jointly administer the state’s confi ned animal feeding op- eration, or CAFO, program. Offi cials described the permit as the most restrictive of any CAFO to date, ensuring the dairy would properly handle waste from up to 30,000 cows. Opponents, however, are urging regulators to change their minds. A coalition of groups has fi led a petition for reconsideration, arguing the dairy does not go far enough to protect water quality. The petition also asks for a stay of Lost Valley’s CAFO permit. Members of the coalition include the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Center for Bi- ological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Columbia River- keeper, Food & Water Watch, Friends of Family Farmers, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Humane Ore- gon and Oregon Rural Action. In response, te Velde said the permit “refl ects the tough- est and most stringent envi- ronmental safety standards applicable to a dairy in Ore- gon.” Lost Valley is required to install 11 groundwater monitoring wells, which is seven more than usual, and will be subject to a minimum of three annual inspections, versus one every 10 months. Beyond state and federal regulations, te Velde said the dairy feeds its cows “a unique blend of food that includes high-quality starch and addi- tives” to lower emissions, and has built a state-of-the-art la- goon system that rotates water and reduces emissions. “I believe that a well-run dairy not only provides for contented cows and produces quality milk, but also proac- tively implements environ- mental emissions,” te Velde wrote in a declaration fi led June 4 with ODA and DEQ. For the past 15 years, te Velde has operated his dairy in Oregon on land leased from Threemile Canyon Farms. He decided to relocate in order to expand and increase the amount of milk he sells to Til- lamook Cheese, which runs a cheesemaking plant at the Port of Morrow. Lost Valley currently has 17,500 animals, including 8,500 milking cows. veterinarian with the Oregon Health Authority, said ticks engage in what entomologists call “questing behavior” when it’s time to feed. They climb to the top of a blade of grass or hang from a branch, extend their front legs and wait for a human or animal to pass by. They grab on, climb up, stick their needle-like mouth organ into your skin and start suck- ing blood. The biting and sucking doesn’t do much damage, but ticks can carry diseases. In humans, lyme disease is a leading tick-borne illness, and the number of reported cases in Oregon has steadily in- creased over the past decade. Rancher Jon Elliott, of Eagle Point, Ore., in Jackson County, said he lives in “tick heaven.” He treats his dogs with Frontline insecticide ev- ery month; if he didn’t, they’d quickly have a dozen or more ticks on them. For his cattle, he uses in- secticide-loaded ear tags that repel or kill insects. “The conventional wisdom is you change the chemical every few years so they don’t get re- sistance,” he said. He also uses fabric tubes coated with insecticide and a carrying agent. He places them in a way that cattle have to brush against them to get to feed. He’s tried dust bags in the past as well. In addition to carrying dis- eases that make people sick, ticks can weaken cattle and in some areas of the country pass along diseases that kill livestock. Elliott, who has been ranching 50 years, is chair of the beef improvement com- mittee for the Oregon Cattle- men’s Association. Lyme disease cases in Oregon * *As of Sept. 22, 2016 51 48 44 44 45 41 43 35 34 28 27 28 14 2000 16 15 18 Down 18.6% from 2014; Up 150% from 2000 ’03 Source: Oregon Health Authority ’06 ’09 ’12 2015 Alan Kenaga/Capital Press Judge: Federal laws don’t shield Oregon Timber lawsuit can proceed, he says By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Federal environmental laws do not preclude a class action lawsuit against Ore- gon by local governments seeking $1.4 billion for in- suffi cient logging. The lawsuit, on behalf of 14 counties and numerous taxing districts within them, argues that Oregon’s forest management policies have deprived local governments of logging revenues from forests they donated to the state. Attorneys for Oregon claimed that federal environ- mental statutes, including the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, effec- tively prohibited state forest managers from maximizing timber harvests on that land. Linn County Circuit Judge Daniel Murphy has now ruled those defenses are not valid, since the plaintiffs allege Oregon’s forest pro- tections surpassed the re- quirements of federal law. The state government also argued it properly for- mulated the 1998 “greatest permanent value” regula- tions, which the plaintiffs claim impermissibly reduced logging levels. Murphy ruled this defense is invalid because the regula- tions could have resulted in a breach of Oregon’s con- tract with local governments, even though the rules were lawfully enacted “through legitimate process.” The judge disagreed with Oregon’s argument that local government can’t sue over the contract while continuing to benefi t from timber rev- enues, since a lawsuit “for partial damages is allowed.” He struck several other defenses offered by Oregon’s attorneys, such as arguments the lawsuit was time-barred or was outside the court’s ju- risdiction. Capital Press was unable to reach Oregon’s attorneys and the Oregon Department of Forestry to comment on the ruling. The judge’s decision re- moves signifi cant obstacles in bringing the lawsuit to trial, said John DiLorenzo, attorney for the plaintiffs. “I have no doubt this case is going to be tried to a jury,” he said. DiLorenzo said he ex- pects the parties will now focus on gathering evidence in preparation for a trial that would likely take place during the summer of 2018. Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press Fourteen counties and roughly 130 tax districts are involved in a $1.4 billion lawsuit that accuses Oregon’s government of insuffi - ciently logging state forests. A judge has ruled federal environ- mental statutes don’t shield the state from potential damages. George Plaven/EO Media Group From left, Erin Jenner, Grant Woods and Terry and Debby An- derson gathered June 9 when Terry Anderson presented Woods with a check for $5,000. Rancher pays $5,000 for tip on cattle killers Two men convicted after 2016 incident By GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group HERMISTON, Ore. — In all his years ranching, Terry Anderson had never received a phone call like the one he got Jan. 15, 2016. Anderson, who runs An- derson Land & Livestock with his wife, Debby, was tipped off by one of their employees that something was seriously wrong at the winter pasture along Feed- ville Road near Stanfi eld. Not only had one of the cows been killed, but body parts were strewn all over the scene. “The kid was just in complete shock,” Anderson remembers. “It’s more than emotional. Those cattle are family to us.” What happened was two men — Anthony Haigh of Stanfi eld and T.J. Kestler of Hermiston — sneaked onto the property the pre- vious night, shot the heifer and attempted to butcher the animal right there in the fi eld. Though the cow was skinned out, Anderson said most of the meat was left to waste. He suspects the rest of the herd may have spooked Haigh and Kestler before they could fi nish. There were 160 cow-calf pairs in the pasture, which were part of a synchronized breeding program, Ander- son said. His ranch, which is based outside Pilot Rock, is a “seedstock” operation, meaning they breed and sell bulls for other producers to build their herds. Based on the evidence, Anderson said it was clear to him that Haigh and Kes- tler knew exactly what they were doing. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over it,” Anderson said. “I just can’t imagine someone doing something like that.” Haigh and Kestler, then 21 and 20 years old, were arrested just four days later. They each pleaded guilty to fi rst-degree theft earlier this year. Haigh was sentenced to six months in prison, while Kestler received 24 months probation and 100 hours of community service. Both men were also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution. The convictions might not have come without the help of a Hermiston man who alerted authorities. Grant Woods, 21, was in the room when Haigh and Kestler arrived to vis- it a mutual friend the night they killed the cow. The two spoke freely about the crime as they cleaned their gun, according to Woods. The motive was apparently to sell the meat for beer money. After talking on the phone with his fi ancé, Woods decided to call the police. “It was just completely wrong,” Woods said. “This was about doing the right thing.” Though Woods did not know at the time, both An- derson and the Oregon Cat- tlemen’s Association were offering reward money for information leading to a conviction in the case. 24-2/#7
