10 CapitalPress.com
June 23, 2017
Washington
Irrigator fined for Washington on alert for Japanese
harming orchard beetles after outbreak in Oregon
Herbicide applied
too close to pears
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
A Central Washington ir-
rigation district and an em-
ployee have been fined for
misapplying an herbicide
that blew into a pear orchard
and caused an estimated
$220,000 to $300,000 in
damage, according to the
state Department of Agri-
culture.
The Cascade Irrigation
District was fined $1,100,
the maximum penalty for
a first-time offense, while
the employee, Kelton Mont-
gomery, was fined $450 and
will have his applicator’s
license suspended for seven
days in mid-July, according
to orders issued June 1 by
WSDA.
The
Ellensburg-based
district irrigates some
12,500 acres in Kittitas
County by drawing from the
Yakima River.
According to a WSDA
investigative report, Mont-
gomery applied the her-
bicide on weeds April 1,
2016, along a district main-
tenance road about 35 feet
from a 22-acre orchard
that is 6 miles southeast of
Ellensburg.
Weather conditions were
good for spraying, but soil
blowing from the road
carried the herbicide into
the orchard, according to
WSDA.
The orchard’s own-
er, Ben Kern, serves on
the irrigation district’s
board of directors. He
said June 8 that he and the
district are in settlement
talks.
“We’re in the process
of trying to get this nego-
tiated and make a settle-
ment,” he said. “It was hu-
man error and that’s all it
was.”
The label on the chem-
ical, Payload Herbicide,
instructs applicators to not
spray within 300 feet of
fruit trees.
Montgomery and the
district’s manager, Richard
Lee, told a WSDA inves-
tigator that they were not
aware of the label restric-
tion until after the incident,
according to WSDA.
Kern reported that on
May 3 he noticed black
spots on the pears and
leaves. Two days later, the
district blocked the road
and sprayed mulch to keep
down the dust.
Two crop consultants
told Kern that the dam-
age to the orchard was
consistent with symptoms
caused by the active ingre-
dient in the herbicide. An-
other consultant assessed
the damage, according to
WSDA.
WSDA tests showed
residue of the herbicide on
foliage. The trees nearest
the road were almost com-
pletely defoliated and much
of the fruit had dropped off,
according to the investiga-
tion.
Efforts to reach district
officials June 8 were unsuc-
cessful.
Oregon spreads
insecticide
Japanese beetle
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
VANCOUVER, Wash. —
The Washington State De-
partment of Agriculture will
put out more traps in south-
west Washington this summer
to detect Japanese beetles, a
strong-flying and leaf-eating
pest found in abundance last
summer across the Columbia
River in Oregon.
Unlike other Western
states, Washington has never
had an outbreak of the inva-
sive insect. Last year, WSDA
trapped just three Japanese
beetles — all at airports in
King County.
But the Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture detected
a record 369 Japanese beetles
in Cedar Mill, a suburb of
Portland. ODA has just fin-
ished spreading a granular in-
secticide, Acelepryn, at more
than 2,400 residences to kill
larvae. ODA obtained a court
order to ensure it could get on
every property.
Washington has never had
to conduct an eradication
campaign for Japanese bee-
tles, though it has experience
in spraying for gypsy moths,
another invasive species that,
like the Japanese beetle, is
widespread in the East but has
so far been fended off in the
West.
“I’m not sure which would
be worse, but I know the Jap-
anese beetle would be bad be-
cause we’re such an agricul-
tural state,” said Rian Wojahn,
WSDA’s eradication coordi-
Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Washington State Department of Agriculture insect trapper Mark
Paulson records the location of a Japanese beetle trap he set
out June 15 in Vancouver. An outbreak of the plant-eating insects
across the Columbia River in Oregon has caused WSDA to intensi-
fy its search for Japanese beetles.
nator. “It’s a turf pest, and it’s
a plant pest. That’s why it’s
such a bad pest.”
The USDA has estimat-
ed that nationwide Japanese
beetles cause $460 million in
damage annually.
As grubs, the insect feeds
on grass roots. The insects
emerge above ground as fly-
ing beetles for two months in
the summer and attack flow-
ers, fruits and ornamental
plants. Japanese beetles are so
attracted to roses that traps are
baited with the scent of roses.
ODA estimated that a Jap-
anese beetle infestation would
cause $43 million in damage
annually.
Although the judge’s order
applied to about 200 proper-
ties, ODA spokesman Bruce
Pokarney said that only two
landowners could be de-
scribed as “real holdouts.”
In the end, they attested to
their sensitivity to chemicals,
and ODA agreed to use an
insecticide similar to the or-
ganic pesticide that it sprays
from the air over residenc-
es to eradicate gypsy moths.
Pokarney said the alternative
insecticide is less effective
and more expensive than the
chemical used elsewhere.
The operation ended June
7 and went well, he said. “It’s
been amazing how this com-
munity has recognized the
threat of Japanese beetles.”
The insecticide won’t kill
the generation of Japanese
beetles about to emerge, but is
expected to begin thinning the
population. Eradication may
take four more years, accord-
ing to ODA.
ODA opted not to spray
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
foliage to kill the insects as
beetles. “It would be very in-
trusive to landowners, and we
think we can (eradicate the
insects) this way,” Pokarney
said.
WSDA plans to set out
325 traps in Clark, Cowlitz,
Klickitat, Lewis and Wah-
kiakum counties, more than
triple the usual number for
southwest Washington. “Now
that they’re close, it could be
that some eradication is on
the horizon, so we’re definite-
ly staying vigilant,” Wojahn
said.
With contract signed, Sakuma CEO sees labor strife over
Union declares
historic victory
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
Berry harvesters at Saku-
ma Brothers Farms in north-
west Washington were to be-
gin working Monday under
a two-year union contract
that will guarantee piece-rate
pickers an average of at least
$15 an hour.
Sakuma CEO Danny
Weeden said that he expects
the contract to close a tumul-
tuous period in the 85-year-
old farm’s history. The com-
pany has been the target of
lawsuits, pickets, boycotts
and work stoppages for sev-
eral years.
“This puts an end to all
of that,” he said. “There’s no
need for that other stuff.”
The Skagit County farm
is only the third agricultural
operation with a unionized
workforce in the state, joining
a winery and cattle feedlot.
The company recognized and
entered into negotiations last
year with the union, Familias
por la Justicia.
“We’re very pleased and
excited to have an agreement
after these four years,” said
Jason Holland, the union’s
lead negotiator. Holland, an
organizer for the Washington
Public Employees Associ-
ation, volunteered his ser-
vices.
The farm cultivates 1,000
acres of strawberries, black-
berries and blueberries and
has a heavy demand for hand
harvesting. The seasonal
workforce covered by the
contract swells to between
400 and 500 workers at the
peak of harvest.
Holland and Weeden both
said the piece-rate pay system
will be complicated. Piece
rates will be set by test picks,
but can be adjusted upward
later so that the average pick-
er earns at least $15 an hour.
The minimum wage will be
$12 an hour, $1 above the
state minimum wage. Pickers
must meet performance stan-
dards to keep their jobs.
“We believe overall this is
going to raise the wages for
the members,” Holland said.
“The contract will bring wag-
es up for a significant number
of members and allow people
at the top to continue to do
well.”
Said Weeden: “Overall,
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Sakuma Brothers Farms in
Skagit County, Wash., has
signed a contract with Familias
por la Justicia, making it the
third unionized agricultural
operation in the state.
we’re not expecting our labor
costs to increase on a per-
pound basis.
“We’ve been paying good
wages, and we’ll continue to
pay good wages,” he said.
Holland said he expects
the union contract to draw
workers to Sakuma. The
contract includes provisions
for due process in disciplin-
ing workers and manage-
ment-labor communications.
Disputes over contract provi-
sions will be settled by bind-
ing arbitration.
Weeden said he expects
workers to be attracted,
knowing that work stoppages
have ended. “I think this will
be an opportunity to increase
our supply of labor. We’ll
see,” he said.
“We’re going to see how
it works. We were struggling
with how it was working be-
fore,” Weeden said. “Other
farms weren’t dealing with
what we were dealing with.
“This is just about our
farm,” he said. “We’re trying
to turn this into a very posi-
tive thing for everyone.”
The contract won 85 per-
cent approval from workers,
according to a Facebook
post Friday afternoon by
the union. The Skagit Val-
ley Herald reported that 66
workers voted.
Union President Ramon
Torres said on Facebook that
the contract was a historic
victory for workers.
“They are happy to be
working at Sakuma farms
with a union contract. Every-
body is ready to get to work.
There will soon be union ber-
ries in the marketplace!” he
stated.
Strawberry picking be-
gins Monday. Weeden said
he expects the farm will have
enough workers.
“The crop looks very good
at this point,” he said.
EEOC alleges sexual harassment of Stemilt employee
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
25-1/#18
WENATCHEE, Wash. —
Stemilt Growers LLC and
its orchard operations sub-
sidiary, Stemilt Ag Services,
have been sued by the U.S.
Equal Employment Opportu-
nity Commission for alleged
sexual harassment of a Latina
tractor driver and retaliation
against her when she reported
it.
“There is no tolerance for
discrimination at Stemilt and
never has been,” said Roger
Pepperl, Stemilt marketing di-
rector, while declining further
comment.
Stemilt is one of the state’s
largest tree fruit companies
and is based in Wenatchee.
According to EEOC’s law-
suit, Heidi Corona worked
for Stemilt as a tractor driver
for more than three years in
Quincy before being trans-
ferred to a company orchard
in Wenatchee, where she was
the only woman tractor driver.
On her second day at the
new location, her direct su-
pervisor drove her to a remote
location and made sexually
explicit comments, propo-
sitioned her for sex and at-
tempted to kiss her, the EEOC
alleges.
Trapped in a moving vehi-
cle and at an unfamiliar and
remote location with no cell
phone service, Corona asked
the supervisor to stop and
told him she was only there to
work, the EEOC states.
After the incident, the su-
pervisor assigned Corona to
pick up trash and excluded
her from meetings with oth-
er tractor drivers. When she
reported the harassment to
upper management she was
given a choice of continuing
to work under the same su-
pervisor or becoming a ware-
house fruit sorter for lower
pay, EEOC says. She took the
lower-paying position.
The alleged conduct vi-
olates Title VII of the Civ-
il Rights Act of 1964 under
which employers are required
to prevent and remedy sexual
harassment and are prohibited
from retaliation.
EEOC says it filed the
lawsuit in U.S. District Court
after trying to reach a set-
tlement. EEOC sought lost
wages, compensation for
emotional distress, punitive
damages and injunctive relief,
including training on anti-dis-
crimination laws.