Septemb
V i t i c u l
er 8, 20
17
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Queen
of the
vine: Be
tty O’Br
ien
Page 3
VITICULTURE SPECIAL SECTION
t u r e INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION
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Grape gr
ower gi
time to
the land ves
Page 15
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
VOLUME 90, NUMBER 36
WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM
$2.00
SHOW & TELL
‘Washington Grown’ TV program
brings the farm to urban audiences
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
UNNYSIDE, Wash. — Art den Hoed is ready for his close-up.
The Sunnyside, Wash., juice grape farmer stands at the end
of a row of Concord grapes on a Monday morning in August,
getting a microphone tucked into his shirt — the better to hear
his words against the sounds of the wind that ruffl es leaves on
the vines.
“I’m on the Washington Grape Society board, and they picked me, I
guess,” den Hoed said with a laugh.
Tomas Guzman, host and director of photography for the TV show
“Washington Grown,” walks him through what’s going to happen.
Guzman and producer Kara Rowe have a list of questions they want
to ask, about the family farm, harvesting juice grapes and, maybe the
most important: What is one thing you would like people to know about
farming and farmers?
It’s not the only stop of the day for the crew members. They’ll go
to Bon Vino’s Bistro and Bakery, a Sunnyside restaurant, at lunchtime
S
Photos by Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Art den Hoed, a Sunnyside, Wash., juice grape farmer, chats with
Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato
Commission, before taping an episode of the television program
“Washington Grown.” TOP PHOTO: “Washington Grown” director
of photography Ryan Rowe, left, fi lms as Sunnyside, Wash., juice
grape farmer Art den Hoed shows his concord grapes to show host
and director of photography Tomas Guzman.
“It’s an ag show
disguised as
a food show.
There’s a real
desire to learn
about farming
and reconnect
with food.”
Chris Voigt, executive director
of the Washington State Potato
Commission
Turn to SHOW, Page 12
Wildfi res may be a wake-up call to urban residents
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
Portland’s downtown disap-
peared from view this week as thick
smoke from wildfi res settled in for
an uncomfortable stay.
And that made it a problem, even
though forest fi res have been burn-
ing elsewhere in the West for several
weeks.
All told, there were 65 active fi res
in nine Western states as of mid-day
Sept. 6, including 19 in Oregon. The
active fi res have burned 1.4 million
acres.
The biggest fi re in Oregon, by
far, is the Chetco Bar Fire in the
Kalmiopsis Wilderness northeast of
Brookings on the Southern Oregon
coast. As of mid-day Sept. 6 if had
burned nearly 177,000 acres, de-
stroyed six homes, damaged another
and threatened 8,523 more.
As multiple rural residents said in
effect on social media: Welcome to
our world, Portland.
Some Oregonians who work in
or support the state’s stagnant timber
industry had another response: We
told you so.
What got Portland’s attention was
the Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia
River Gorge National Scenic Area
east of the city, a spectacular 80-
mile stretch of river, timber, basalt
formations and waterfalls that at-
tracts legions of climbers, hikers and
Turn to WILDFIRES, Page 12
Gene-edited camelina cleared by USDA
CRISPR-developed trait
increases oil content
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
A variety of camelina that’s gene-ed-
ited to increase oil content can be grown
without undergoing the USDA’s regula-
tory process for biotech crops.
The agency has determined the
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camelina cultivar doesn’t pose a plant
pest risk, which means it’s outside the
USDA’s regulatory jurisdiction over ge-
netically modifi ed organisms, or GMOs.
The crop’s developer, Yield10 Bio-
science, relied on a technology known
as CRISPR to “knock out” a gene from
camelina, eliminating a biological plant
activity, thereby allowing it to produce
more oil, said Kristi Snell, the compa-
ny’s chief science offi cer.
Camelina is an oilseed that’s been
studied as an alternative crop in Eastern
Oregon and elsewhere in the arid West,
since it’s capable of surviving with min-
imal irrigation.
However, the crop isn’t widely cul-
tivated because it’s currently not prof-
itable enough for growers, said Snell.
“You need to get the yield up to make
it viable.”
Yield10 Bioscience is examining the
possibility of “stacking” the trait asso-
ciated with increased oil content with
Turn to CAMELINA, Page 12
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36-2/102