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GOVERNOR’S OFFICE NIXES PROPOSED BAN ON SOYBEAN PRODUCTION IN IDAHO Page 5 FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 Area in detail VOLUME 90, NUMBER 28 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 20 La Pine 58 97 FREMONT- 138 Approximate site of Snake Creek well 140 Klamath 97 N Ore. Calif. Lakeview 139 395 25 miles Capital Press graphic Oregon rancher challenging well shutdown BANKING ON WETLANDS By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press An Oregon rancher is challenging the state govern- ment’s method of determin- ing when groundwater well pumping must be shut down to avoid disrupting surface water rights. Tom Mallams of Klamath County claims the Oregon Water Resources Depart- ment has ordered him to stop pumping from a well near Snake Creek, a tributary of the Sycan River, based on an erroneous mathematical mod- el. The well was drilled into a confi ned aquifer that’s not connected to the creek or the river, so pumping restrictions won’t have any effect on sur- face water fl ows, according to Mallams. Mallams has petitioned Marion County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Hart to over- turn OWRD’s order because it’s “not supported by sub- stantial evidence” as required by Oregon law. The agency has derived its conclusions from “general studies of the Klamath Basin” without collecting any data specifi c to Mallams’ well, according to the petition for review. Mallams claims OWRD should have instead relied on a well driller’s report sub- mitted to the agency, which found the well is hydrauli- cally separate from surface waters. A representative of OWRD said the agency is reviewing the legal challenge with at- torneys from the Oregon De- partment of Justice and can’t comment on the litigation at this time. Cash crop involves offsetting development in fast-growing Western Washington By DON JENKINS R Capital Press IDGEFIELD, Wash. — The Morgan fami- ly’s land, bordered by rivers and nearly sur- rounded by housing and other developments in fast-growing southwestern Washington state, has been a dairy, ranch and tree farm. Someday soon, it will produce a new cash crop: wetlands. The wetlands will supplant pasture, but David Morgan, the farm’s third-generation manager, says his family would rather cultivate 876 acres of fi sh and wildlife habitat than sell to developers. Much of the 1,600-acre property will remain a tree farm. “This way, my kids still get to roam around and be part of a farm,” he said. “It seemed really obvious” as an option. Morgan is putting a portion of the farm into a wetlands mitigation bank, a process overseen by the Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Army Corps of En- gineers. “It takes a ton of work, a ton of science to put it togeth- er,” Morgan said. Once approved, the bank will sell “credits” to devel- opers who fi ll in wetlands elsewhere in the watershed to build housing subdivisions and roads. One acre of wetlands equals roughly one credit — a little more or a little less in some cases, depending on the quality of wetlands. Turn to SHUTDOWN, Page 12 Photos by Don Jenkins/Capital Press David Morgan, third-generation manager of the family farm, points to a feature of the farm. The historic Lancaster House, built circa 1850, is in the background. TOP PHOTO: Cows graze on land along the Coweeman River in Kelso, Wash., that is being converted into wetlands. The wetlands will yield “cred- its” for developers to buy to make up for fi lling in wetlands elsewhere in the watershed. “When the farmer owns the land, it’s not worth anything. If it’s wetlands, it’s worth something.” Bill Zimmerman, Clark County Farm Bureau president Turn to WETLANDS, Page 12 Jump in dark northern spring wheat prices takes soft white wheat with it By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Farmers should take advantage of the surge in wheat prices and sell at least some of their crops, market analysts say. On the Portland market, dark northern spring wheat prices have ranged from $8.55 to $10.15 per bushel, depending on protein per- centages. That’s an increase of more that $2 a bushel from April prices, according to the USDA Market News. The increase is the result of dry weather and extreme heat in the wheat-growing regions of 1426 Front St. Fort Benton, MT 59442 406-622-3803 www.fbrealty.com Eastern Montana and the Dakotas, said By- ron Behne, marketing manager for Northwest Grain Growers in Walla Walla, Wash. The Wall Street Journal recently listed wheat as the top-performing commodity, up about 25 percent year-to-date. “I don’t think we’re going back to $25 (per bushel) DNS like we did in the winter of 2008 ... but $10 isn’t out of the question because it’s a very specifi c high-end wheat with a high-end use,” Behne said. “People are going to pay whatever it takes to get it.” Turn to WHEAT, Page 12 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 www.fbrealty.com 11 Portland wheat prices $10.11 (Portland, Ore. — $ dollars/bushel) Dark northern spring-high bid Dark northern spring-low bid 9 7 Soft white-high bid Soft white-low bid 9.77 6.27 $5.79 6.02 5.22 5 5.52 4.92 Source: USDA ERS 3 July Aug. Sept. Oct. 2016 Alan Kenaga/Capital Press Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March April May June July 2017 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 28-3/#4
