Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2017)
August 11, 2017 CapitalPress.com Extended heat wave slowing crop growth Water is plentiful, but unrelenting heat makes it hard for farmers to keep their crops wet By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press NAMPA, Idaho — Farm- ers in the Treasure Valley of Idaho and Oregon are strug- gling to keep their plants wa- tered and wet during a lengthy heat wave that could threaten a 142-year-old record. “Trying to keep enough water on everything is defi- nitely a battle,” said Meridian farmer Richard Durrant. This July was the second hottest on record in Boise in southwestern Idaho and across the border in Ontario, Ore., it was even hotter. The average high temperature for the month was 99 degrees. For this region, “That is just scorching hot,” said Jay Breidenbach, a National Weather Service meteorolo- gist. The high temperature ex- ceeded 100 degrees in Ontario 11 times in July and 10 times in Boise and August hasn’t brought any relief so far. The high temperature for the first five days of August is expect- ed to exceed 100 degrees in Ontario. Thankfully, there’s plenty of water for irrigators in the region this year but the un- Sean Ellis/Capital Press A hay field is irrigated in Nampa, Idaho, Aug. 3. Farmers in the Treasure Valley of Idaho and Oregon are struggling to keep their crops wet during a lengthy hot spell that is threatening a 142-year-old record. relenting heat is making it a struggle for farmers to keep their crops wet, said Meridian farmer Drew Eggers. “It’s not like we don’t have enough water but you wish you could go faster across the field,” he said. “We’re trying to keep wa- ter on them the best we can but when you have this kind of heat for this period of time, it stresses the plants and hurts yields,” Eggers said. WSDA fines Davenport seed company for pesticide release Maximum fine imposed after 11 men hospitalized By DON JENKINS Capital Press An Eastern Washington seed company and an em- ployee have received maxi- mum penalties from the state Department of Agriculture for tossing fumigant tablets into the garbage, exposing 11 men to poisonous gas. Rainier Seeds Inc. of Dav- enport has agreed to a $7,500 fine, while warehouse man- ager Eric Orvis agreed to a $1,100 fine, according to WSDA records. Rainier Seeds President Mike Ingham said in an email Thursday that the company accepts WSDA’s findings and that company officials have implemented changes to pre- vent the incident from hap- pening again. The fines are due to be paid Aug. 12. The 11 men — including a garbage truck driver, a Lin- coln County sheriff’s deputy and seven firefighters — were kept in hospitals for 24 to 48 hours for observation. At least one man had breathing prob- lems that lasted into the fol- lowing week, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. According to WSDA, Or- vis and another employee put out 20 to 30 cloth bags, each containing 20 to 30 Fumitoxin tablets to fumigate two build- ings on May 26, 2016. Orvis opened the buildings May 31, collected the bags and put them into a trash bin, which was emptied by the garbage truck driver June 3, according to WSDA. A cou- ple of hours later, the driver called 911 to report smoke coming from the truck. While waiting for firefight- ers, the driver climbed on top of the truck, looked inside and breathed in smoke. Later in the day, he re- ported having a headache and coughing up greenish phlegm, according to WSDA. Escorted by firefighters and the sheriff’s deputy, the driver continued on to a trans- fer station and dumped the smoking load. The cloth bags were glowing red and when sprayed with water popped and sent up more smoke, ac- cording to WSDA. The tablets’ active ingredi- ent, aluminum phosphide, re- acts to moisture by releasing potentially lethal phosphine gas, according to WSDA. Orvis did not have an ap- plicator’s license and was un- aware he needed one to apply the fumigant, according to WSDA. Rainier Seeds grows and processes seeds. For first-time civil penal- ties, WSDA can levy fines of up to $1,100 per violation. For the company, WSDA multiplied the penalty for each person exposed until hitting a cap of $7,500 set by state law. Washington AG says state must dump straight piece-rate pay for farmworkers Supreme Court to hear case in September By DON JENKINS Capital Press Washington Attorney Gen- eral Bob Ferguson has urged the state Supreme Court to mandate that piece-rate farm- workers be paid separately for non-picking tasks. The state’s minimum wage law should apply to time spent on non-picking tasks such as moving ladders, traveling between fields or attending meetings, according to Fer- guson. “Farmworkers do back-breaking work, and they deserve to be compensated for all of the time they spend working,” Ferguson said in a written statement. Ferguson’s office filed a brief this week supporting farmworkers in a lawsuit against the Dovex Fruit Co. of Wenatchee. The suit seeks to expand a 2015 decision in which the Supreme Court ruled piece-rate farmworkers must be paid separately for 10-minute rest breaks. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argu- ments in Carranza v. Dovex on Sept. 14 in Olympia. Dovex’s attorneys argue piece-rates benefit skilled and industrious workers, but would be impractical if the court decides the pay struc- ture violates Washington’s minimum wage law. The attorney general’s brief, written by Assistant At- torney General Julian Beattie, argues that “non-picking time is a distinct category of hourly work during which the piece- worker is not earning money.” The attorney general’s office said it filed the brief because of significant public interest in the case. Ferguson also filed a brief two years ago supporting separate rest-break pay for farmworkers. Dovex says it ensures piece-rate workers are paid at least minimum wage by track- ing all hours an employee spends on the job in a week. If piece-rate earnings fall short of minimum wage, the work- er’s pay is increased, accord- ing to court records. The farmworkers’ attor- ney, Marc Cote, argues that the practice, known as “work- week averaging,” allows the company to use piece-rate pay to finance work for which the employee makes no money. The attorney general of- fice agrees that end-of-the week calculations aren’t good enough and that the court should require growers to compensate workers hour by hour. The company defends work-week averaging as a way to ensure non-hourly farmworkers are paid at least minimum wage. Without a way to reward skilled pickers, harvests will be less efficient and harmful to the economy, according to the company’s brief. The company also argues that workers return year after year to its orchards, drawn by the chance to earn far more than the minimum wage. Breidenbach said the high temperature in Boise had reached at least 90 degrees for 35 straight days as of Aug. 3, the fourth-longest stretch in recorded history for the re- gion. 12 month waiver The longest such streak is 50 days, recorded in 1875, and there is a chance that record could fall this year, Breidenbach said. The modern day record of 44 straight days above 90, set 3 years at 1.9% 7 in 1994, is certainly within reach, Breidenbach said. The heat has affected size and yields for some crops in the region such as onions, said Stuart Reitz, an Oregon State University Extension cropping systems agent in Ontario. “When it stays this hot for so long, plants like onions shut down,” he said. “It’s not doing a lot of the crops any good.” Nyssa, Ore., onion farmer Paul Skeen some onion tops in the region are starting to lie down. “That means they are start- ing their final process and they aren’t very big,” he said. The biggest bulb onions grown in this region, colos- sals and super colossals, fetch a premium price but the heat wave could result in a short- age of those sizes this year, Skeen said. “As of right now, it appears that we could be down a little in our biggest sizes because of this heat,” he said. Durrant, who also purchas- es wheat from other growers, said the heat is affecting wheat yields but so far, test weights haven’t been down as much as he had feared. The heat has been hard on fruit crops in the area such as apples and peaches, said Wil- liamson Orchards manager Michael Williamson. “The heat really slows fruit growth down,” Williamson said. “It almost puts fruit matu- rity on pause.” 5 years at 2.9% All financing on approved credit. See dealer for list of qualifying units for financing specials. TRACTORS TRACTORS TRACTORS JD 7230, 2011, 4827 hours, premium cab, IVY, MFWD, mid valve for loader, 2 remotes, 480-42 singles........$74,000 Donald 27614 JD 7230R, 2010, 3022 hours, premium cab, PS trans., TLS axle, front 3pt and PTO, 4 remotes, 710-38 singles.................................. .........................$142,000 Donald AC000101 JD 5085M, 2016, 417 hours, cab, MFWD, 16X16 PR trans., dual mid remotes, 3 rear remotes............................................................ .............$55,800 Fall River Mills #GG400287 JD 8370R, 2015, 1056 hours, premium cab, JD 8270R, 2014, 871 hours, premium cab, ILS, IVT, full auto track, rear 620-46 duals, IVT, MFWD, 5 remotes, A/T ready, 800-38 front 480-34 duals, all new........................... duals, 600-30 frt tires....................................... ...................$295,000 McMinville FD101233 .......................$240,000 McMinnville 91340 JD 9360R, 2013, 596 hours, premium cab, PS JD 5075E, 2016, 183 hours, ROPS, MFWD, trans., 4 remotes, bareback 520-42 dauls, 9x3 trans., 2SCV’s, JD H240 NSL loader, 16.9- front weights . .$211,200 Madras DP008265 28 tires.............$42,500 Hillsboro GG100418 JD 9420, 2003, 5284 hours, premium cab, PS trans., 4 remotes, bareback, 800-38 duals, front weights................................................. .......................$115,000 Tangent 0P011006 Challenger MT595B, 2008, 1900 hours, susp. cab, susp. MFWD, CVT, 4 remotes, 480- 46 singles, 380-34 frt singles........................... ............................$89,000 Madras T079072 JD 8530, 2006, 9856 hours, premium cab, IVS, ILS, 4 remotes, 480-46 rear duals, 380- 34 frt duals....................................................... ..................$88,500 McMinnville 0D001850 Case IH 290, 2011, 2714 hours, deluxe cab, MFWD, PS trans., 5 remotes, 380-54 rear duals, 380-34 frt duals.................................... ................$124,900 Walla Walla BRD02229 Case IH 195, 2009, 5740 hours, deluxe cab, MFWD, PS trans., 3 remotes, 480-42 rear duals, 380-30 frt tires....................................... ..............$69,500 Fall River Mills ABH40541 HAY EQUIPMENT HAY EQUIPMENT HAY EQUIPMENT NH BB960 baler, 2001, 3x4’ bales, double MF 2270XD baler, 2015, 3x4 LSB, single MF 2170 baler, 2008, 3x4’ bales, single tie knotter, single axle .................................... axle, roller chute, auto controls, knotter fan axle, hay boss kit, roller chute......................... ............................$33,000 Madras 74180048 ................$115,000 Harrisburg FHB07229 ............................$67,000 Merrill HT74465 MF 2170 baler, 2012, low bale count, single axle, roller chute$85,000 Madras CHB04296 COMBINES Kuhn FC813R baler, 2013, never used MF 2170 baler, 2009, 3x4’ bales, single tractor mounted triple mower conditioner . . axle, roller chute,double knotter, 50,000 ...............................$89,000 Hillsboro C0038 bales ........$51,000 McMinnville HU74242 COMBINES JD S670, 2014, 464 hours, small grain, A/T MF 8780XP combine, 2000, 2470 hours, ready, Pro Drive, JD 615P belt pickup small grain, Hillco Leveler, rotary, 25’ cutting platform............$290,400 Merrill 765545 platform, chaff spreader, duals....................... .................$55,000 Walla Walla 0MJ87146 COMBINES JD T670, 2009, 1148 hours, small grain, conventional separator, grass seed combine ........................$175,000 Donald 0A084501 JD 9670 combine, 2008, 2046 hours, rotary, small grain, 615P BPU platform, sidehill cleaning shoe................................................... ...............$185,000 McMinnville 0S725903 JD S680, 2012, 664 hours, small grain, 35% Rahco leveler, 635F platform and cart., A/T ready..........$347,600 Walla Walla 747035 Case IH 2188 combine, 4691 hours, rotary, small grain, 1015 BPU platform...................... ......................$55,000 Harrisburg C0193663 JD S680, 2013, 881 hours, small grain, 35% Rahco Leveler, 635F platform and cart, A/T ready........$388,700 Four Lakes 755668 JD S680, 2013, 1002 hours, small grain, 35% Rahco leveler, no platform..................... ...............................$361,400 Colfax 755718 19 Ag & Turf locations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho & Northern California. 541-681-5363 Case IH 2188 combine, 5133 hours, rotary, small grain, 1015 BPU platform...................... ......................$55,000 Harrisburg C0195413 papemachinery.com JD 9670 combine, 2008, 2747 hours, rotary, small grain, 615P BPU platform, sidehill clearning packages.............................. ..........................$153,195 Salem 0S726119 Papé Machinery is a proud partner with A&I products and offer aftermarket parts for all makes and models of agriculture equipment. 32-4/#5