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4 CapitalPress.com September 15, 2017 East Idaho spud growers wary of bruising at harvest’s start By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press Eastern Idaho potato farm- ers say bruising could be espe- cially problematic as they start their harvest. Farmers have begun dig- ging before sunrise and close- ly monitoring the internal tem- peratures of their tubers during the heat of day, due to unsea- sonably warm weather. Most of the region’s grow- ers have been shutting down their harvests once their po- tato pulp temperatures have reached about 65 degrees, as dehydrated spuds are more susceptible to bruising. “The threat of tuber dehy- dration is highest when warm conditions result in high evapo- rative loss from the soil surface, which is exactly the forecast we are facing for the next few weeks,” University of Idaho Extension potato researchers Nora Olsen and Mike Thornton recently wrote in harvest rec- ommendations to growers. The researchers also advise the current crop has extreme variability in maturity — with some vines extremely green due to late plantings this spring John O’Connell/Capital Press Ranger Russet potatoes are harvested Sept. 11 on Kress Farms in American Falls, Idaho. The growers say they’ve had to cut off digging early at the start of harvest in East Idaho because of hot weather. and vines in other fi elds dying prematurely due to extreme heat. Under dead vines, tubers can become too mature and may bruise easily. They may also sustain skin damage and bruising if the vines are too green and are diffi cult to kill before harvest. Eastern Idaho growers are generally reporting good tu- ber quality and yields in line with the fi ve-year average, but down from a large crop last season. Industry leaders are optimistic that reduced potato acreage and yields this season should lead to better fresh-market prices. Kevin Stanger, an offi cial with the Pingree-based fresh potato packing operation Wada Farms, said on Sept. 11 his company’s crews have started digging Russet Norko- tahs at 3 a.m. and have been quitting for the day by noon, to make certain their potatoes store well. “Sizing looks to be a mixed bag — a hodge-podge,” Stan- ger said. “We’ve had fi elds that are almost too big of a size and a fi eld or two of small sizes.” Jason Kress, of American Falls, and his workers started digging Ranger Russets at 6 a.m., and he anticipated they’d have to stop for the day by 2 or 3 p.m. Kress said his farm has made sure to pre-water spuds to hydrate them before harvest. He’s shipped his early dig spuds directly to Lamb Weston for processing, and they shouldn’t need to be stored long. Kress said yields appear to be about average. Nate Schroeder, of the Po- catello area, planned to start harvesting his chipping pota- toes on Sept. 12. Schroeder said his vines are still green and he likely could have boosted his yields by waiting a week, but he was forced to start har- vesting to meet the schedule of a buyer’s audit. He expects average yields overall, with “huge” Yukon golds and a large set of tubers per plant yielding slightly smaller Ranger Rus- sets. He’s heard reports of pro- cessors buying a small volume of additional potatoes to bolster their inventories. Study outlines economic impact of H-2A workers By DAN WHEAT Capital Press OLYMPIA — For- eign guestworkers hired by the farm labor association WAFLA harvested about one-seventh of the total pro- duction value of Washington apples, pears and cherries in 2015. A total of 7,779 H-2A-visa foreign guestworkers hired by WAFLA for growers harvest- ed 490,000 tons of fruit val- ued at $424.3 million in 2015, according to ECONorthwest, a Portland business consulting fi rm, hired by WAFLA. The report, released Aug. 23, is based on the 7,779 WAFLA H-2A workers, not the total 11,844 H-2A work- ers hired in the state that year. The rest were hired directly by several large growers. The total economic impact of the WAFLA H-2A workers is $619 million when indirect supply chain and induced payroll effects from local pro- duction of the fruit are added in, the report says. The total production value of Washington apples, pears and sweet and tart cherries was Dan Wheat/Capital Press File Francisco Trinidad, H-2A-visa foreign guestworker, thins Gala apples at CRO Orchard near Rock Island, Wash., in 2016. Roughly 15,000 H-2A workers are part of some 50,000 seasonal farmworkers employed in Washington state this year. $3 billion in 2015, according to the USDA’s National Agri- cultural Statistics Service. “Decision makers in Wash- ington, D.C., are asking us to make the business case for the legal worker program and our study does just that,” said Dan Fazio, WAFLA director. The study demonstrates the economic importance of H-2A workers to the Wash- ington economy in light of labor shortages, he said. The number of domestic seasonal farmworkers in the state has been fl at to declin- ing at about 50,000 annually while statewide H-2A use has increased, he said. Statewide H-2A reached 13,641 in 2016 and is expected to exceed 15,000 this year. Domestic tree fruit em- ployment has declined 7 per- cent since 2010, the report says. The 7,779 WAFLA H-2A workers in 2015 com- pares with 5,955 in 2014 for 460,000 tons and $270.5 mil- lion in production value, the report shows. “This is a solid report based on reliable sources and using accepted method- ology. It shows the economic impact of H-2A workers on the Washington fruit indus- try and Washington econo- my,” said Desmond O’Ro- urke, a world apple analyst and retired Washington State University agricultural econ- omist. Study fi nds organic farming better at sequestering carbon By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press A new study shows organ- ic farms store more carbon in the soil and keep it out of the atmosphere longer than con- ventional farms. The fi ndings of the study by Northeastern University’s National Soil Project and The Organic Center suggest organic farming could help reduce one of the causes of climate change. Eighty percent of the Earth’s terrestrial carbon is stored in soils, and human management practices can deplete the soil’s carbon stores by releasing it into the atmosphere. Agriculture in particular has been linked to large losses of soil carbon worldwide, the researchers said. While other studies have found that soils from organic farms have more soil organ- ic carbon, little research has been done on the amount of total soil organic carbon found in the form of stable humic substances, the re- searchers said. “This study is truly groundbreaking,” said Jessi- ca Shade, director of science programs at The Organic Center. “We don’t just look at to- tal soil carbon but also com- ponents of soil that have sta- ble pools of carbon — humic substances — which gives us a much more accurate and precise view of the stable, long-term storage of carbon in the soil,” she said. Total soil organic matter is not necessarily an accu- rate proxy for understanding long-term, carbon-storage ability in the soil. The study is important because it quan- tifi es the molecules important for long-term carbon stor- age in soils, the researchers said. Lee Juillerat/For the Capital Press Ron Barnes, left, and Tracey Liskey check out geothermally heated ponds used for raising tilapia. Hot water holds many opportunities for S. Oregon farms By LEE JUILLERAT For the Capital Press KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — No matter the season, the fi sh are always jumping. That’s because Ron Barnes and Tracey Liskey are toss- ing handfuls of fi sh food into one of their several fi sh ponds where they’re raising 2-pound tilapia that are live-trucked to fi sh markets in Seattle and San Francisco. Some remains local, often sold to Klamath Basin residents who especially enjoy the tasty, white fi sh. For the past six-plus years Barnes, with Liskey’s help, has been experimenting with the best ways of speedily raising tilapias from tiny hatchlings until they’re large enough to be fresh-shipped to commercial markets. Before the year is out, Barnes said he expects his busi- ness, Gone Fishing, will ship about 50,000 pounds. “We’re starting small, but deliberately so,” Barnes said, noting a commercial tilapia farm in Northern California’s Modoc County ships up to 20,000 pounds a week. His goal is raising 2-pound tilapias, admitting, “It was diffi cult to raise them to that size. We’ve overcome that.” “We work together and get things done,” said Liskey. “I can fi x things. I’m the mechan- ic, the engineer.” He and Barnes believe the years of experimenting with feed, water temperatures and other variables have paid off. Barnes said his 80-acre oper- ation south of Klamath Falls and adjacent to Liskey Farms, is “extremely effi cient. My wa- ter use is a tiny, tiny fraction of what most fi sh farmers use,” noting the tilapias reach market size in about 90 days. “There was a learning curve learning how to grow them to size,” agrees Liskey. “It’s kind of like raising a beef cow to a size in the shortest amount of time.” Liskey makes the cattle reference because he manages the family’s 1,500-acre ranch, which is 99 percent leased to others. At age 63, he calls him- self semi-retired — “But I hav- en’t seen the ‘retired’ part yet” — because he remains active in RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW SAVE 20% LEGAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS GRANT COUNTY NATURAL RESOURCES POLICY ADVISOR Grant County is seeking a consultant to monitor natural resource issues of importance to the County and to keep the County Court advised of the issues, their context and assist the County in developing appropriate policy positions. The duties of the County’s Natural Resources Policy Advisor will include, but not necessarily be limited to: 1. Coordinating with citizens and public and private agencies on natural resource policy matters; 2. Providing technical and policy support on natural resource policy matters; 3. Preparing policy documents and drafting recommended response alternatives for Court analysis; 4. Reviewing and advising the Court on proposed federal and state legislative and administrative actions that may affect County policies on natural resources; 5. Preparing and recommending policy and technical responses; 6. Develop and present briefing papers; 7. Act as a liaison to federal and state agencies regarding policy development opportunities and assist Court members as they serve in the primary role of policy- implementation with federal and state agencies. 2018 NW AG SHOW PORTLAND EXPO CENTER JANUARY 3 0 - FEBRUARY 1 Sign up before Oct. 31, 2017 and Save 20% off your advertising in the 2018 NW Ag Show Guide, the Official Program for the show. *20% discount will be taken off your total buy in the 2018 NW Ag Show Guide. Discount must be applied before your advertising publishes and cannot be combined with any other offer. Discount cannot be applied to previous advertising run in association with the show. Offer expires 10/31/17. ROP-36-8-4/HOU To take advantage of this offer, contact your sales consultant or call 800-882-6789. All inquiries should be in written form and directed to Grant County Judge Scott W. Myers myerssw@grantcounty-or.gov. To be considered, proposals must adhere to the Minimum Proposal Requirements described in the RFP packet and be received by the Grant County Court office, 201 S. Humbolt Street, No. 280, Canyon City OR 97820 no later than 5 pm Wednesday, September 20, 2017. No faxes or electronic transmissions will be accepted. A complete RFP packet may be requested at 541-575-0059 or wrightl@grantcounty-or.gov. Legal-36-2-2/102 many of the ranch’s day-to-day operations. He said ranch operations are equally divided among cattle, hay and grain. A smaller area includes geothermal-reliant businesses that which have drawn his interest. Because of plentiful supplies of geother- mal water — tests indicate fl ows of 5,000 gallons of 195- to 199-degree water a minute — he sees fi sh farming as one arm of a potentially broader op- eration. “My main goal here is try- ing to develop a geothermal park ... to get something in here to make agriculture more pro- ductive,” Liskey said. He envisions “cascading uses,” fi rst using the extremely hot water to generate power. While that hasn’t yet happened, Liskey said he continues to work with power companies. Less hot, re-circulated geother- mal water is already being used for three commercial green- houses while the third tier of cooler, 84-degree “tail water” is used for raising tilapia, which require warm water. Barnes breeds his own ti- lapia because, “When you do your own breeding you don’t inherit somebody else’s prob- lems,” such as various diseas- es. While some believe com- mercially raised fi sh aren’t as healthy as wild fi sh, Barnes said the geothermal water ne- gates the need for chemicals, insisting, “If it’s done correctly it’s better,” noting wild fi sh are often subject to fouled waters. While tilapia is their current endeavor, Liskey and Barnes believe the Gone Fishing ponds could be expanded to raise oth- er fi sh, including shrimp, cat- fi sh and sturgeon. “Oregon has a lot of pos- sibilities in the aqua industry and it’s just being done,” insists Barnes. While Barnes focuses on tilapia, Liskey also monitors other geothermally related operations, including a trio of 200-foot greenhouses operated the last several years by Rick Walsh of Fresh Green. Certi- fi ed organic produce — mi- cro-greens, tomatoes, squash and more — grown in the greenhouses is sold regional- ly, with some going to Whole Foods. Another adjacent geother- mally heated section is used to grow medical marijuana. Med- ical and recreational marijuana is legal to grow and sell in Ore- gon, but recreational marijuana is not legal in some counties, including Klamath County. Although Liskey voted against legalizing recreation- al marijuana, he believes the county should rescind the ban because, “We’re letting every- body else grow it and saturate the market. Let us grow it, too.” LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87 Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be sold, for cash to the highest bidder, on 9/1/2017. The sale will be held at 10:00am by Copart of Washington Inc. 2885 National Way Woodburn, OR 2015 Ford F 450 PU VIN = 1FD0W4HT2FEC93475 Amount due on lien $1755.00 Reputed owner(s) Integrity Machinery/ Jeff Mongan 37-1/102