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2 CapitalPress.com June 23, 2017 People & Places Helping Western landscapes go native Native Roots markets plants that were domesticated by UI researcher Western Innovator Capital Press Location: Twin Falls, Idaho Product development: Steve Love, University of Idaho Extension horticulturist Lead grower and produc- tion manager: Andy West Owner and CEO: Steve Paulson Products: Native plants and seeds Courtesy University of Idaho Steve Love, University of Idaho horticulture specialist, with shrubby penstemon. Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press Andy West, lead grower and production manager at Nature Roots, checks a plot of arrowleaf buckwheat at the company’s production facility south of Twin Falls, Idaho, on June 9. als to back up the principles, he said. That put Love on the path of trying to “create a whole pallet of plants people can landscape with and save wa- ter.” His first efforts to collect native plants were during a camping trip to the Pioneer Mountains in 2005. Since then he’s collected about half of the materials. The other half has come from other col- lectors, and he has seeds and plants from many sources. Domesticating those spe- cies, which are highly vari- able, to produce a consistent and viable commercial prod- uct is a long-term endeavor. It takes years of breeding, se- lection and cultivation. Once he had several species stabi- lized, the Native Roots people stepped up to develop a mar- ket for the plants, he said. “It’s been a really exciting deal. I have a lot of personal investment in the plants,” he said. Six years ago, Native Roots started bringing Love’s plants into their operation to begin seed production. “We’re trying to create a whole new line from wild- flowers. It’s been a fascinating process,” Love said. Native species now flour- ish on 130 Native Roots plots, where plants are grown and harvested for seed. The seed is cleaned and either sold or planted to produce plugs. Both are sold to wholesale nurseries, said Andy West, Native Roots lead grower and production manager. The native species can re- place ornamentals in landscapes to save water and increase polli- nators. Because they are peren- nial, there’s no need to replant every year, he said. ‘Giving back’ “Essentially, it’s giving back to the environment, putting back what’s already there, creating a natural eco- system with native plants,” he said. Operation: 14-acre produc- tion facility, three green- houses Employees: 4 full-time, 4 to 7 part-time Legal contract: Licensing agreement with University of Idaho to bring the products to market Native Roots started mar- keting 31 species in 2014 and adds five species to the offer- ings every year to avoid satu- rating the market. “Most nurseries only have a small section dedicated to native plants. We’re trying to educate the public on options available to them,” he said. Lack of education is the only thing keeping the busi- ness from booming, he said. In addition to its Native Roots branded line for use in ornamental landscapes, the company also produces other genetically diverse plants and seeds that were not developed by Love. They go to resto- ration projects. In that business, the com- pany sells as much as 1-1/2 tons of seed, including a na- tive turf grass mix, and up to 250,000 restoration-grade plants a year. Marion County Farm Bureau to honor NORPAC Foods at concert SALEM, Ore. — The Marion County Farm Bureau will present its 2017 Modern Agriculture Award to NOR- PAC Foods on stage June 30 at the Elsinore Theatre be- fore the start of a concert by country-western artist Ned LeDoux. “Our purpose is to pro- mote, protect and advance farm interests in Marion County. This award is a for- mal expression of thanks for the major investment made in recent years by NORPAC Foods to expand its operations in Salem,” said John Zielins- ki, president of the Marion County Farm Bureau, in a press release. “NORPAC has been committed to our valley Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Native Roots Easy decision “It was not a hard decision to make the move,” Love said, adding that he also enjoyed his work in potatoes. When he made that switch, which mostly involved teach- ing and training, he also wanted to develop a unique research project. Idaho was in the middle of its last signifi- cant drought cycle, and with a static water supply and grow- ing demand it was clear land- scapers were going to have to learn to get by with a little less water, he said. He and then UI turf grass researcher Tom Salaiz started teaching water-saving princi- ples for home landscapes. But they needed the plant materi- Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Mike Omeg Corporate Officer John Perry Chief Operating Officer By CAROL RYAN DUMAS TWIN FALLS, Idaho — A small company is making big strides as a supplier of orna- mental plant species native to the Great Basin. Now in its fourth year of sales, Native Roots will sup- ply wholesale nurseries in the region with 30,000 plant plugs and about 10,000 seeds. The company markets 46 species of ornamental native plants and has more than 500 species in development. The business started with baby steps and the tenacity of a University of Idaho researcher. Steve Love, a long-time potato breeder, got the opportunity to shift gears to horticulture and native plants — his first loves — in 2005 when the university wanted to strengthen its hor- ticulture extension work. The university created the position of statewide consumer horti- culture specialist and tapped Love for the job. Capital Press Courtesy NORPAC Foods NORPAC Foods will be honored by the Marion County Farm Bureau at an upcoming concert in Salem. and its growers for over 90 years, and this latest invest- ment strengthens all of agri- business here. Marion County Farm Bureau appreciates the work and the people of NOR- PAC Foods. Please join us for a great evening and concert.” Tickets for the concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 30, can be found at ElsinoreTheatre.com, or by calling the box office at 503-375-3574. Reserved seat prices range from $20 to $30. NORPAC Foods Inc. is a farmer-owned cooperative that grows and processes frozen vegetables and fruit, along with canning vegeta- bles. Headquartered in Salem, NORPAC is Oregon’s largest fruit and vegetable processor. NORPAC was established as Stayton Canning Co. in 1924 and now operates pro- cessing and packaging facili- ties in Stayton, Salem, Brooks and Hermiston, Ore., and in Quincy, Wash. The co-op was among the first processors to use quick-freezing units to pro- duce what are known as In- dividually Quick Frozen, or IQF, products. More than 200 farmers grow on contract with NOR- PAC, raising 27 different crops ranging from strawber- ries, broccoli and cauliflower to zucchini, corn, beans and peas. According to the co-op website, NORPAC is Ore- gon’s largest vegetable and fruit processor and the largest unionized agricultural em- ployer in the state. The co-op has about 1,000 full-time workers and em- ploys up to 3,500 during the peak harvest and processing season. Entire contents copyright © 2017 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Circulation ......................... 800-882-6789 Email ........ Circulation@capitalpress.com Main line ........................... 503-364-4431 Fax ................................... 503-370-4383 Advertising Fax ................ 503-364-2692 News Staff N. California Tim Hearden .................... 530-605-3072 E Idaho John O’Connell ................. 208-421-4347 Idaho Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-3898 Boise Sean Ellis .......................... 208-914-8264 Central Washington Dan Wheat ........................ 509-699-9099 E Washington Matthew Weaver .............. 509-688-9923 Oregon Eric Mortenson ................ 503-412-8846 Mateusz Perkowski .......... 800-882-6789 Graphic artist Alan Kenaga ..................... 800-882-6789 To Place Classified Ads Ad fax .............................. 503-364-2692 or ...................................... 503-370-4383 Telephone (toll free) .......... 866-435-2965 Online ......www.capitalpress.com/classifieds Subscriptions Mail rates paid in advance Easy Pay U.S. $3.75/month (direct with- drawal from bank or credit card account) 1 year U.S. ...................................$49.99 2 years U.S. .................................$89.99 1 year Canada .................................$275 1 year other countries ......... call for quote 1 year Internet only .......................$49.99 1 year 4-H, FFA students and teachers ....$30 9 months 4-H, FFA students & teachers .....$25 Visa and Mastercard accepted To get information published Mailing address: Capital Press P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 News: Contact the main office or news staff member closest to you, send the in- formation to newsroom@capitalpress.com or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press. Include a contact telephone number. Letters to the Editor: Send your comments on agriculture-related public issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital Press. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday. Capital Press ag media Calendar Sponsored by: To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Submit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broad- way St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 or emailed to newsroom@capitalpress. com. Saturday, June 24 Washington State Dairy Am- bassador Coronation. 5-9 p.m. Byrnes Performing Arts Center, 18821 Crown Ridge Blvd., Arlington, Wash. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the program beginning at 5:30. This year dinner will not be provided; instead there will be light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments served during a short intermission. Tickets purchased by June 16 will be adults $20, students $10, and under 6 years free. Tickets purchased after June 16 or at the door will be adults $25, students $15, under 6 still free. For ticket informa- tion, please contact Gloria Edwards by email at gloria.wsdw@hotmail. com or 360-273-7313. Website: http:// wastatedairywomen.org/ambassa- dor-contest.html Sunday, June 25 Sierra Nevada Lavender and Honey Festival. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Downtown Sparks, Nev. In addition to lavender and honey products from local producers, the festival will fea- ture arts and crafts, event-themed food, music, guest speakers and demonstrations, a children’s area with train rides, free yoga sessions and even a signature beer from Great Basin Brewing Co. Website: www.lavenderandhoneyfest.com Tuesday, June 27 Range Field Day. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Northern Great Basin Experi- mental Range, 100 Placidea Butte Road, Riley, Ore. Presentations will include managing wildfires, livestock grazing for fuels manage- ment, safe sites and restoration of sagebrush rangeland. For more information, contact Chad Boyd, office: 541-573-8939, cell: 541- 589-4990, email: chad.boyd@ore- gonstate.edu. To RSVP for lunch, call Petrina White at 541-573-4085. Wednesday, June 28 Caneberry Field Day. 1-5 p.m. North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15210 NE Miley Road, Aurora, Ore. Pesticide regis- tration updates; pollinator protection; weed management; and an introduc- tion to two new OSU faculty mem- bers, Greg O’Neill, IR-4 Field Center Director, NWREC, and Marcelo Moretti, weed management, Depart- ment of Horticulture. Other topics are the spotted wing drosophila, strat- egies for replanting red raspberry, biocontrol of brown marmorated stink GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE www.oxarc.com bug and irrigation practices to enhance fruit quality. Walk through the latest ad- vanced selections and new cultivars in the caneberry breeding plots. Website: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/NWREC/ Wednesday-Saturday June 28-July 1 128th Annual Washington State Grange Convention. Ocean Shores Convention Center, 120 W. Chance a La Mer NW, Ocean Shores, Wash. Thursday-Friday June 29-30 3rd International Conference on Livestock & Nutrition. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Avani Atrium, 880 Phetch- aburi Road, Bangkok, Thailand. The Bangkok Livestock Nutrition Conference welcomes attend- ees, presenters and exhibitors from all over the world. Cost: $699. Website: http://livestock- nutrition.conferenceseries.com/. Friday, June 30 Farm Practices to Support Ben- eficial Insects. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Day 2 of this two-day class will offer a tour of the Wandering Fields farm in the Applegate area. Participants will practice identifying beneficials and observe how a blend of hedgerows, cover crops, flowering seed crops and native plants creates a system of biological pest management. Participation on Day 1 on June 9 20 Northwest Locations is a requirement to attend the tour. Cost: $15 one/$25 two from the same farm. Website: http://bit.ly/ JacksonSmallFarmDream. Bark Beetle Field Day. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. University of Ida- ho Extension Kootenai County office, 1808 N. Third St., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Participants will get first-hand exposure to ma- jor bark beetles’ biology and research into controlling bark beetles. Pre-register by June 23. Cost: $20 ($22 with a credit card at www.uidaho.edu/BarkBeetle) Website: www.uidaho.edu/exten- sion/forestry Friday-Tuesday June 30-July 4 St. Paul Rodeo. Rodeo Are- na, 20045 Fourth St. NE, St. Paul, Ore. The St. Paul Rodeo will continue to bring a slice of the old West to the north Willa- mette Valley. Information: (503) 633-2011, tickets@stpaulrodeo. com, Website: http://www.stpaul- rodeo.com/ Saturday-Tuesday July 1-4 Molalla Buckeroo Rodeo, 815 Shirley St., Molalla, Ore. The Molalla Buckeroo Rodeo has been an Oregon tradition since September 1913. 503-829-8388. 1-800-765-9055 Website: http://www.molalla- buckeroo.com/ Thursday-Sunday July 6-9 Marion County Fair. Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, Ore. Website: http:// www.co.marion.or.us/CS/Fair Friday-Saturday July 7-8 2nd Annual Prineville Truck and Tractor Pull. 7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday. Crook Coun- ty Fairgrounds, 1280 Main St., Prineville, Ore. Website: www. crookcountyfairgrounds.com Idaho State Ram Sale. Twin Falls County Fair Grounds, 215 Fair Ave., Filer, Idaho. The “Suffolk Show of the West” be- gins at 6 p.m. Friday and con- tinues at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. For more information, call 208- 344-2271 or email idahowool@ gmail.com Website: idahowool. org Wednesday, July 12 Blueberry Field Day. 1-5 p.m. North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15210 NE Mi- ley Road. Aurora, Ore. Find out about the latest research in blue- berries. http://oregonstate.edu/ dept/NWREC/ www.capitalpress.com www.FarmSeller.com marketplace.capitalpress.com www.facebook.com/capitalpress www.facebook.com/farmseller twitter.com/capitalpress www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo Index California ................................ 7 Dairy .....................................11 Idaho ...................................... 8 Livestock ..............................11 Markets ............................... 13 Opinion .................................. 6 Oregon .................................. 9 Washington ......................... 10 Correction In a story that ran in the June 16 editions of the Capital Press, the name of April Snell, executive director of the Oregon Water Re- sources Congress, was incorrect. The Capital Press regrets the error. Correction policy Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com.