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