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August 4, 2017 CapitalPress.com Washington kills 2nd Smackout wolf Blumenauer offers alternative to farm bill By DON JENKINS Capital Press By ERIC MORTENSON “The farm bill is the most important health bill. It’s the most important environmental bill. It’s an opportunity to link rural and small town Oregon with population centers. It’s economic development.” Capital Press PORTLAND — Oregon Congressman Earl Blume- nauer isn’t on the House ag committee, but like many in the Portland district he represents, he’s keenly in- terested in food and farming and has some ideas about how it should be supported in the next farm bill. Blumenauer, familiar in Congress for his bow ties and bicycle lapel pins, has spent the past two years ask- ing what the farm bill would look like if it were written for Oregon. That is, provid- ing budget and policy sup- port for small and organic farms, local food systems, conservation programs, sus- tainable ag practices and for growing fruits and veg- etables instead of providing subsidies for “cotton grown in the desert,” as he put it during an Aug. 1 appear- ance in Portland. He believes the farm bill, up for reauthorization in 2018, gives “too much to the wrong people to grow the wrong food in the wrong places.” He said USDA spending for the type of ag- riculture practiced in Ore- gon, with 220 commodities and emerging regional food hubs, amounts to a “round- ing error” in the depart- ment’s $140 billion annual budget. Blumenauer wants to change that. He’s drafted the Food and Farm Act, es- sentially an alternative farm bill, and plans to introduce it this fall. He also released a report https://blumenauer. house.gov/growing-oppor- tunities that summarizes his findings from two years of talking to farmers, ranchers, consumers and other stake- holders. In a presentation at Zenger Farm in East Port- land, Blumenauer said a farm bill revised to reflect Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer Eric Mortenson/Capital Press Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Portland Democrat who represents Ore- gon’s 3rd Congressional District, is preparing legislation to make the next farm bill more supportive of diverse crops, food systems, small and organic farms, sustainable agriculture and conserva- tion programs. He spoke Aug. 1 at a Portland gathering. Oregon’s style of agricul- ture would find favor in many other farming states, including California and Washington. He said the broad range of USDA’s activities mean a revised farm bill would address problems across the country. “The farm bill is the most important health bill,” he said. “It’s the most import- ant environmental bill. It’s an opportunity to link ru- ral and small town Oregon with population centers. It’s economic development. Anyone here eat? Drink water? “The punchline is that nobody understands the farm bill,” Blumenauer con- tinued. “The complexity, I think, in some cases is pur- poseful.” Organics, conservation work, fruit and vegetable “specialty crops” and small farms have been funded piecemeal, thrown financial “crumbs” in previous farm bills, he said. “We want to have a comprehensive farm bill that we offer up to have a point of departure, to change the conversation.” Blumenauer’s Portland audience included Alexis Taylor, the Oregon Depart- ment of Agriculture direc- tor, and representatives from groups such as Oregon Tilth, which certifies or- ganic operations, the Ore- gon Food Bank, the Oregon 3 Winegrowers Association and Grand Central Cafe and Burgerville, local chains that prominently feature re- gionally produced food on their menus. While generally support- ive of Blumenauer’s ideas on the farm bill, some in the audience questioned how the reforms will fare in an embattled Trump adminis- tration. Blumenauer acknowl- edged the administration has “not displayed a lot of legislative dexterity” and said changes will have to be carried through Congress by a broad coalition. “It’s hard with this ad- ministration to know where to start,” he said. Support- ers should concentrate on “What we are for and why we are for it,” he said. “We need to build a co- alition, build the case, and not be distracted by the next Dumpster fire.” A second wolf in a pack attacking cattle in northeast Washington has been killed by state wildlife managers, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said Monday. WDFW said the depart- ment will wait and see if depredations continue before deciding whether to kill more wolves in the Smackout pack in Stevens County. The cattle the wolves have been attack- ing are now in a fenced pas- ture and are being watched by range riders, according to WDFW. The rancher has add- ed lights and ribbons to keep wolves away. WDFW did not release more information, continuing a policy of withholding details about the culling of the pack. The department hopes issuing bare-bones updates will qui- et negative public reaction to shooting wolves, which are not federally protected in the east- ern one-third of Washington. Wildlife managers verified the Smackout pack in Stevens County had attacked at least four cattle over a 10-month period, the threshold for the department to consider lethal removal. WDFW initiated lethal re- moval July 20. The following day the department determined another calf had been injured by the pack. In the spring, the pack had eight members and an un- known number of pups. Be- sides the two wolves killed by WDFW, another pack member was shot and killed by a ranch employee. The wolf was at- tacking cattle, and WDFW determined the shooting was lawful. WDFW also resorted to shooting wolves in 2012, 2014 and 2016 to stop attacks on livestock. Ranchers report heavy losses and having to al- ter operations as an increasing number of wolves concentrate in four northeast Washington counties. WDFW wolf policy coor- dinator Donny Martorello de- clined to provide more details about the culling of the pack. It’s the fourth time WDFW has used lethal removal to stop attacks on livestock since wolves began recolonizing the state a decade ago. Martorello said that releas- ing information in the past while operations were still un- derway has inflamed members of the public, leading to threats against wildlife managers and ranchers. “Nothing is of higher pri- ority than human safety,” he said. In previous years, WDFW has provided more details. “An unfortunate conse- quence for that level of trans- parency is that it can be used for harassment and threats to public safety,” Martorello said. Martorello said WDFW eventually will reveal more details, but not until a report in the fall after the grazing season. The department will provide a weekly report on the number of wolves killed, he said. Cattle Producers of Wash- ington President Scott Niel- sen said he’s concerned that WDFW’s policy will leave the public unaware of the damage wolves are inflicting on live- stock producers. “I would like to see that put out,” he said. Nevertheless, the depart- ment has reason to be con- cerned about the reaction to culling a pack, Nielsen said. “You have some absolute loons who think you should never kill a wolf,” he said. “They (WDFW) need to pro- tect whomever from some of that lunacy.” NEW ITEMS! 1 1 / 2 QT. BASKETS and (3) PINT TRAYS 503-588-8313 2561 Pringle Rd. SE Salem, OR Call for Pricing. Subject to stock on hand. Delivery Available 31-1/#7 The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. 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