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August 18, 2017 CapitalPress.com 11 Oregon OWA educates, advocates for Oregon agriculture By ALIYA HALL Capital Press Political dispute costs irrigation district $1.9 million Lawmaker claims project funding vetoed as political retaliation By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press SALEM — A political dis- pute over new taxes on health care in Oregon is being blamed for an irrigation district losing $1.9 million to pipe an open canal. Lawmakers approved mon- ey for the Bradshaw Drop Irri- gation Canal Piping Project in July as part of a broader spend- ing bill, but Gov. Kate Brown has now vetoed funding for that project and several others in Southern Oregon. Rep. Sal Esquivel, R-Med- ford, said he agreed to vote for the health care taxes — giv- ing the proposal the necessary three-fi fths majority to pass the House — in return for the spending projects. Since then, however, Es- quivel has thrown his support behind an effort to refer the health care taxes to voters as part of a ballot initiative. In retaliation, Brown has vetoed several projects that are important to his district, Es- quivel said. “She’s vindictive toward me,” he said. “She’s politiciz- ing good projects just for vin- dictiveness.” A spokesman for the gover- nor did not respond to a request for comment, but in her written announcement of the vetoes, Brown said, “The cornerstone of all negotiations, whether they occur in a public or private arena, is the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.” While it’s disappointing the “political feud” has caused the state funding to fall through, the Rogue River Irrigation District is still expecting to be- gin piping its canal in autumn 2018, said Brian Hampson, the district’s manager. The irrigation district still has $3.4 million available from the U.S. Bureau of Reclama- tion to pipe 1.2 miles of the 3.3-mile canal, he said. This portion of the piping project is more complicated due to environmental studies and logistical complexities, which is why it’s expected to cost more than the remainder of the project, Hampson said. The $1.9 million from the state government would have been dedicated to the more straight-forward task of replac- ing 2.1 miles of canal with pip- ing, he said. It’s unclear how the irriga- tion district will now pay for that segment, but Hampson said he’s hopeful to “quit all the political crap” and fi nd fund- ing for the project on its own merits. Currently, the open canal is leaky, resulting in losses of water that could otherwise be dedicated to irrigation or left in-stream for fi sh habitat. By pressurizing the irri- gation system, farmers will be able to convert from fl ood irrigation to more effi cient sprinklers, saving water while reducing sediment runoff. Eventually, the irrigation district also expects to evaluate using the pressurized water to generate hydroelectric power. Courtesy of Oregon Women for Agriculture The state offi cers for Oregon Women for agriculture are, from left, Dona Coon, past president; Tracy Duerst, treasurer; Debbie Crocker, president; Helle Ruddenklau, vice president; Mary Hood, second vice president; Emily Duerst, secretary; and Jessica Hanna, correspond- ing secretary. OWA is a multi-generational association that educates the public about agriculture. Aliya Hall/Capital Press Signs along major Oregon roads and highways identify crops that are grown. The concept of the idea came in the 1970s from an original Oregon Women for Agriculture member, Pat Roberts. Mallory Phelan, vice pres- ident of operations at Oregon Aglink, said that the associa- tion appreciates their partner- ship with OWA to promote the crops farmers and ranchers are growing. “Thanks to the two orga- nizations, the road crop signs have vast reach all across the state and are appreciated by Oregonians as well as those passing through from other states,” she said. The organization fi rst formed when farm women in the Willamette Valley spoke up against the shutdown of grass seed fi eld burning. Now, the association focus- es on all aspects of agriculture, and its mission is “Working together to communicate the story of today’s agriculture.” “I feel it’s really important that we tell our story. Gener- ally, most people don’t un- derstand it,” Debbie Crocker, OWA president, said. “We educate on our side, so when we do communicate, we’re communicating the facts and the public is understanding agriculture better.” The signs have been a vi- sual way for OWA to do just that. “(We’ve had) really, re- ally good responses online and having people talk to us personally,” Coon said. “One woman was so excited to know what was going on that she sent in a $100 donation to have more signs made.” With the infl ux of visitors to Oregon for the solar eclipse on Aug. 21, farmers have been calling OWA asking for more signs to display. There are eight OWA chap- ters spread across the state with about 300 members. Crocker got involved in OWA 35 years ago. She was inspired to take a leadership position after seeing what “great representatives” the past presidents were, she said. Along with the signs and advocacy, OWA also hosts an annual fundraising auction — last year was its 30th anniver- sary — and has a legislative committee of volunteers to speak on behalf of agriculture at the state Capitol. Tillamook County enacts new wetland process By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Wetland restoration proj- ects on farmland will have to clear a new hurdle in Oregon’s Tillamook County to ensure they don’t disrupt agricultural practices. However, the coun- ty’s newly enacted ordinance isn’t expected to block wetland projects as much as steer them to the least-contentious areas, experts say. “Nobody’s intention was that we never see another wet- land project in Tillamook,” said Mary Anne Nash, public policy counsel for the Oregon Farm Bureau. Landowners throughout most of Oregon are allowed outright to convert properties in “exclusive farm use” zones into wetlands, allowing them to sell credits to offset development on wetlands elsewhere. Wetland restoration projects have been prominent in Til- lamook County, where moist conditions are prevalent, but the conversions have also been controversial. In some cases, opponents criticize such projects for tak- ing farmland out of production. Restoring wetlands by re- moving levees or making oth- er land modifi cations can also reduce drainage and increase groundwater tables on sur- rounding properties, impairing their agricultural value, said Nash. “In our mind, this is like any other non-farm use moving into a farm zone,” she said. In 2016, Oregon lawmakers considered a bill that would in- crease local government scru- tiny of wetland projects across the state. Ultimately, the legis- lation — Senate Bill 1517 — was approved after being pared down to affect only Tillamook County. Tillamook County’s com- missioners have decided to take advantage of that statute by enacting the recent ordinance, under which wetland projects will be subject to a “conditional use” review. Before such permits are ap- proved or denied, the parties in- volved could go through a “col- laborative process” to resolve potential confl icts. Farm and conservation groups will also be helping to create an “inventory” of Til- lamook County’s wetlands and areas where such projects might be suitable. The inventory will be use- ful in guiding wetland proj- ects away from “hot spots” where they’re likely to clash with neighboring farmers, said Nash. Area in detail Cannon Beach 101 53 CLATSOP 26 Manzanita Pacific Ocean Associated Press File Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has vetoed state funding for an irrigation project after Rep. Sal Esquivel, R-Medford, supported a vote on health care taxes. Along most of the inter- states, highways and major roads that bisect Oregon’s farmland, signs have sprouted prominently identifying the many different crops that are grown. The organization behind the signs is Oregon Women for Agriculture, an association founded in 1969 to educate the public about the economic and ecological importance of agri- culture. “We’re about education, and people didn’t really under- stand what they were driving past, and it’s important to us for them to know what it was,” said Dona Coon, former OWA president and daughter-in-law of Pat Roberts, who initial- ly created the concept of the signs. OWA has partnered with the nonprofi t Oregon Aglink, which produces the signs. OWA then distributes the signs to farmers across the state at no cost to the farmers. There are more than 200 identifi - cation signs across the state, according to Oregon Aglink’s website. 6 TILLAMOOK Tillamook 101 Pacific City YAMHILL 22 Sheridan 18 18 LINCOLN Lincoln City 22 POLK N Capital Press graphic John Deere Dealers See one of these dealers for a demonstration 33-3/#4N