FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

VOLUME 90, NUMBER 25
WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM
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Photos by John O’Connell/Capital Press
R. Kim Wolfl ey, a Blackfoot, Idaho, dairyman who converted four years
ago to Glanbia’s pasture-based milk program and heads the Snake
River Dairyman’s Association, walks among cattle grazing in his pasture
on June 14. Wolfl ey said 36 of the 39 member dairies in the association
have converted to pasture-based production.
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
LACKFOOT, Idaho — Dairyman R. Kim Wolfl ey believes his
cows have gotten stronger and healthier since 2000, when he
converted his marginal farmland to pasture and let them spend
more time grazing.
Wolfl ey, who heads the Snake River Dairyman’s Associ-
ation, didn’t have to change much about his operation when he accepted
an invitation from Glanbia Nutritionals for his members to participate in a
unique niche market, supplying “pasture-based” milk.
The
pasture-based
niche is Glanbia’s ani-
The program mandates that farmers allow cows
mal-welfare standard de-
unfettered access to pasture for grazing.
veloped to meet the needs
of its customer, Chipotle
“This is not an organic program. Dairies can still
Mexican Grill.
The niche is one of treat cows with conventional methods.”
many that have prolifer-
— Russ De Kruyf, Glanbia’s director of milk procurement
ated in recent years. Ag-
ricultural producers can
supplement their incomes by fi lling a wide variety of niches, ranging from
GMO-free, which does not have genetically modifi ed ingredients, to or-
ganic, which is certifi ed under USDA standards.
Since Glanbia pitched the idea to Wolfl ey’s association in 2013, all but
three of the 39 member dairies have converted to pasture-based production
and become certifi ed.
The pasture-based premium can be as much as 10 percent above
B
Russ De Kruyf, left, director of milk procurement at Glanbia Nutri-
tionals, and David Bunnell, manager of the Blackfoot, Idaho, Glanbia
cheese plant, show off some of their cheese products at the plant.
Turn to PASTURE, Page 12
By any name, these insects are a pest
Parts of northcentral Oregon overrun by cannibalistic creatures
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
An infestation of vora-
cious Mormon crickets in the
Arlington area of northcentral
Oregon has residents scram-
bling to protect farm fi elds
and home gardens.
Ione resident Alison Og-
den said people in Arlington
have spent thousands of dol-
lars battling the bugs on their
own over the past couple of
weeks. “Some people don’t
have air conditioning and
can’t even open their win-
dows for fear the bugs will
enter homes,” she said in an
email to the Capital Press.
Ogden said she farms a
few miles east of town and
anxiously checks the crickets’
presence every day. She said the
pests could do signifi cant dam-
age to their crops. “And because
we have millions of leaf cutter
bees working in the alfalfa seed
fi elds, spraying insecticide is not
an option,” she wrote.
Townspeople met with
state agriculture and Oregon
1426 Front St.
Fort Benton, MT 59442
406-622-3803
www.fbrealty.com
Biologists watch for fi rst
W. Washington wolfpack
Male wolf fi tted
with GPS collar
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
E.J. Harris/EO Media Group
The City of Arlington, Ore., has
been inundated by a Mor-
mon cricket outbreak leaving
residents with few options as to
how to deal with the insects.
State University Extension
representatives June 16, and
OSU Extension Agent Jordan
Maley set up a Facebook page
on which people can share in-
formation and tips for counter-
ing the insects: https://www.
facebook.com/gilliamext.ag.9
Turn to CRICKETS, Page 12
State and federal biolo-
gists may learn in the next
few weeks whether Western
Washington has its fi rst pack
since wolves began recol-
onizing the state a decade
ago, a state Department of
Fish Wildlife offi cial said
Monday.
WDFW and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service
trapped a male wolf June 8
in Eastern Skagit County.
The wolf, the fi rst captured
west of the Cascades in de-
cades, was fi tted with a GPS
collar and released.
If he stays in the area,
MONTANA FARM 7,200 ACRES:
located in northcentral MT, SW of
Havre. Includes 7,100 acres of dry
cropland, two homes & two sets of
farm buildings. Local cropping
practices include Winter & Spring
Wheat, Barley and Pulse Crops.
There’s Deer, Antelope & bird
Hunting & fishing in this area.
Farm is priced at $1,450 per acre.
Call Mark Pyrak, Broker 406-788-9280
or go to http://www.fbrealty.com
it will suggest he’s found a
mate, WDFW wolf policy
coordinator Donny Mar-
torello said.
“These next two weeks
will tell us what we’re deal-
ing with,” he said.
A Western Washington
wolfpack would be a sig-
nifi cant advancement in the
state’s goal to have wolves
settle throughout Washing-
ton. Currently, all 20 packs
are east of the Cascades,
with 15 concentrated in four
northeast Washington coun-
ties.
Ranchers and public of-
fi cials in those counties say
they already are overrun
by wolves, but the animals
will remain a state-protect-
ed species until wolves have
Turn to WOLF, Page 12
Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
A wolf stands in a fi eld in this
photo taken by a northwest
Washington resident. Wolf
biologists captured and fi tted
the animal with a GPS collar
June 8. Biologists hope to learn
whether the wolf has a traveling
companion and has formed
the fi rst wolfpack west of the
Cascades.
MONTANA FARM 9,200 ACRES:
located in central MT, N of Lewistown.
Includes 7,150 acres of dry cropland, two
homes & two sets of farm buildings with
feedlot set-up. Local cropping practices
include Winter & Spring Wheat, Barley and
Pulse Crops. Irrigation rights & development
are possible. There’s Elk, Deer, Antelope &
bird Hunting & fishing in this area.
Farm is priced at $1,825 per acre.
Call Mark Pyrak, Broker 406-788-9280
or go to www.fbrealty.com
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