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CapitalPress.com
Editorials are written by or
approved by members of the
Capital Press Editorial Board.
August 25, 2017
All other commentary pieces are
the opinions of the authors but
not necessarily this newspaper.
Opinion
Editorial Board
Editor & Publisher
Managing Editor
Joe Beach
Carl Sampson
opinions@capitalpress.com Online: www.capitalpress.com/opinion
O UR V IEW
It’s all about the niche
T
en years ago, the word
“niche” occasionally came
up in conversations —
usually those about foreign words
no one could defi ne.
Today, niche is a common
term. It describes how businesses
carve out a small portion of a
market as a specialty. Especially
in agriculture, farmers, ranchers,
processors and retailers all seem
to be looking for just the right
niche. Especially for small-
scale operations, a niche is an
important part of any business
plan. No small farm or processor
could ever produce the same crop
or product as a large one and
hope to compete. The economies
of scale are always on the side of
the big guys.
But if the right niche can be
carved out, size doesn’t matter. In
fact, in the case of many niches,
small is better.
Micro-breweries are a perfect
example of how niches work.
Every consumer knows the large
EO Media Group File
When it comes to micro-breweries, the more choices, the better. The prolif-
eration of niches allows small and large farmers, ranchers and processors to
fl ourish.
players among breweries. They
produce such international brands
as Budweiser, Miller and Coors,
which they sell by the truckload.
A micro-brewery, however,
is selling more than good beer
in large quantities. It’s selling a
much smaller amount of many
unique beers. Beers can have
unusual fl avors such as berries,
honey, chocolate and vanilla.
These and others are added to
styles such as pale ales, pilsners,
porters, stouts, lagers and
hefeweizens.
A recent stroll through a
neighborhood supermarket found
142 distinct types and styles of
micro-brews for sale in addition
to the mainstream brands.
This creates the triple benefi ts
of allowing small breweries to
survive — and even thrive — in
a world of brewing goliaths. At
the same time, the added niches
generate demand for different
types of ingredients such as hops
and barley, benefi ting farmers.
And fi nally, the proliferation of
micro-breweries benefi ts large
brewers, too, as consumers will
also try their many types of beers.
That same principle is being
applied to nearly every sector of
agriculture. Whether it’s meats,
vegetables, nursery stock or
even Christmas trees, growers,
marketers and retailers are
O UR V IEW
carving out niches for their crops.
One type of niche is
certifi cations such as organic,
biodynamic and salmon safe.
Other niches are kosher, halal,
local, artisan and hand-made.
Others are gluten-free, vegan,
GMO-free, grass-fed and
everyone’s favorite, sustainable.
How crops are sold is also a
niche. CSAs, U-pick, roadside
stands, niche grocery stores
and even meals-in-a-box are all
gaining popularity.
All of which is good, and
provides consumers with many
choices, depending on their
preferences and how much they
can afford to spend.
Which brings us to another
niche, the largest of all. It’s the
niche fi lled by the vast majority
of farmers and ranchers, who
provide Americans — and much
of the world — with healthful,
plentiful and affordable food.
It is a niche that none of us
could do without.
Readers’ views
The problem
with biosolids
Crop signs help bridge
urban-rural divide
T
It’s a great tool to quickly educate the public
he farm community talks a lot about the
about the diversity of Oregon agriculture.
urban-rural divide, that sense that people
“We’re about education, and people didn’t
in the cities don’t understand, and perhaps
don’t care, about what’s happening in small towns really understand what they were driving past,
and it’s important to us for them to know what
and farm country.
it was,” said Dona Coon, former OWA president
It’s particularly true about most issues
and daughter-in-law of Pat Roberts, who initially
concerning agriculture. Part of the problem is that
created the concept of the signs.
most Americans, even those living outside of big
It has been a great statewide effort. There have
cities, are three or more generations removed from
been similar efforts
the farm.
in Washington
So, as people
For 30 years there has been a program
and Idaho. The
drive down the
in Oregon to put up crop and breed
Nampa-Caldwell
highway past the
identifi cation signs along the highway to
Agribusiness
region’s most
productive farmland help educate passing motorists about what’s Committee of
the chamber of
— as close as many growing in the fi elds.
commerce, for
get to a farm — they
example, places about 150 signs identifying 30
are often unsure that they’re looking at.
different crops around Canyon County, Idaho.
For 30 years there has been a program in
We encourage farmers to participate in the
Oregon to put up crop and breed identifi cation
program where available, and agribusinesses to
signs along the highway to help educate passing
support them fi nancially.
motorists about what’s growing in the fi elds.
The signs are a great way to create a connection
The Oregon Women for Agriculture and Oregon
Aglink have partnered to raise more than 200 crop between consumers and the food grown in the
Pacifi c Northwest.
identifi cation signs across the state.
PHOTO: Signs like this one help bridge the urban-rural divide by letting drivers know which crops are grown on farms.
Aliya Hall/Capital Press
The “no threat from bio-
solids” from the Environ-
mental Protection Agency
was developed from limited
research done in the 1970s
and 1980s. It is 2017. When
you look at the chemicals,
80,000 and growing, now
fl ushed down the sewer you
just have to wonder why
anyone would take the side
of this ill-conceived process
(CFR40-503).
Further, if you actually
read the EPA risk assess-
ment from the 1980s on the
land application of indus-
trial, medical, storm and
household sewage sludge
(biosolids) you will have
more red fl ags pop up than
you have toes and fi ngers.
Google “biosolid risk as-
sessment.”
Further, when you fac-
tor in the municipalities on
the East Coast having their
right to dump in the ocean
with the 1972 Clean Water
Act and the fact that sewage
has always been driven by
organized crime, do you get
a sort of conspiracy feeling?
U.S. EPA’s 40 CFR
261.30(d) and 261.33 (4),
every U.S. industry con-
nected to a sewer can
discharge any amount of
hazardous and acute haz-
ardous waste into sewage
treatment plants. There are
over 80,000 chemicals in
commerce and growing
even today.
When the EPA and the
sewage industry tells you
industrial
pretreatment
takes care of that read:
EPA’s OIG’s Report 14-
P-0363. Just Google the
number to see that indus-
trial pre-treatment has not
worked and is not working.
Anaerobic digestion will
not degrade a large percent-
age of these chemicals.
Chemicals that are per-
sistent in the environment,
bio-accumulate in people
and/or wildlife, and are
toxic are called PBTs and
neurotoxins such as micro-
cystin (a hemotoxin), phy-
cotoxins, domoic acid, bre-
vetoxin. Because of these
features, as long as they
remain in commerce and
may therefore be released
into the environment, will
threaten the health of hu-
mans, wildlife, including
aquatic life.
“Biosolids” are over
burdened with phosphates.
Phosphates cause algae
blooms.
Chemicals cause cancer.
Craig Monk
Waxahachie, Texas
Renewable Fuel
Standard should
be protected
Oregon is home to vast
renewable resources, pro-
viding new and exciting
opportunities to lead the
way in the fi ght against cli-
mate change. We produce
13 percent of the nation’s
hydroelectric power and
our geothermal potential
is rivaled only by Nevada
and California. We are also
home to some of the West
Coast’s premier biofuel fa-
cilities, producing cleaner
liquid fuels from agricul-
tural feedstocks, supporting
nearly 16,000 Oregon jobs.
A lot of this progress has
been driven by state and
local efforts. But federal
policies play an important
role. That’s why we need
our lawmakers in Congress
to stand up for the Renew-
able Fuel Standard (RFS),
which ensures that renew-
able fuel can compete at the
gas pump. Oil companies
are looking for any oppor-
tunity to hold back com-
petition, and biofuels are a
top target. They displaced
500 million barrels of oil
in 2016, cutting emissions
and protecting consumers
from price manipulation.
More importantly, thanks to
the increasingly sustainable
agricultural practices, those
biofuels cut emissions by
an average of 43 percent,
according to federal re-
ports. Conventional etha-
nol production also leaves
behind processed grain that
is re-purposed as low-cost
animal feed. The next gen-
eration of ethanol, produced
from material like wood
waste and corn cobs is even
more promising, with some
varieties reducing the total
carbon in the atmosphere
over their full lifecycle.
Thanks to smart policies
like the RFS, the future is
bright for Oregon. Law-
makers like Congressman
Greg Walden, who chairs
the energy committee,
should take note, and pro-
tect that progress.
Bobby Levy
Echo, Ore.
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