October 20, 2017
Corn maze covering college
costs for seven Idaho siblings
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
BLACKFOOT,
Idaho
— Produce farmer Richard
Johnson expects his family’s
annual fall corn maze and
associated ag-
ricultural tour-
ism activities
to cover col-
lege tuition for
all seven of his
children.
Since start-
ing his Wild
Richard
Adventure
Johnson
Corn
Maze
six years ago,
Johnson estimates he’s aver-
aged more than 13,000 vis-
itors per season — ranging
from peak years of about
20,000 customers to an un-
profitable maze last fall, when
9 inches of rain fell in eight
weeks.
He and his family also op-
erate Grove City Gardens, a
large produce farm that also
offers a CSA.
This year’s maze, carved
into a 12-acre corn field, en-
compasses more than 6 miles
of pathways, which form
the images of a nurse, a fire-
fighter and a police officer
when viewed from the sky.
Johnson explained the theme
is “heroes.” Local emergen-
cy responders and military
members get reduced admis-
sion daily, and got in for free
during a special Sept. 30 trib-
ute to hometown heroes. The
maze will run every Monday
through Saturday until Nov. 4.
Johnson said his oldest
son, Bryce, has already earned
a business degree at Brigham
Young University-Idaho, with
his tuition covered by maze
revenue. Now the maze is
supporting Utah State Uni-
versity tuition for his daugh-
ter, Marissa, and son, Jeremy.
Four younger children will
follow suit.
On weekends, Marissa
and Jeremy head home from
school in Logan, Utah, to lend
their family a hand in running
the operation, which includes
the region’s largest pump-
kin patch, four mini ziplines,
farm-raised Mexican crazy
corn and other concessions, a
petting zoo, a Toddler Town
with peddle carts and rocking
horses, displays on how food
is produced, ticket booths in
retrofitted grain silos, a straw-
bale maze and three different
games to play in the corn
maze.
Marissa said working the
maze has also padded her re-
sume and provided fodder for
discussions in her strategic
sales class.
“It’s a big weight lifted
off my shoulders not having
to worry about finances and
having to pay for everything,”
Marissa said.
Those who enter the maze
are tasked with collecting
rubbings of animal tracks,
solving the mystery of who
kidnapped Farmer Joe or
scoring the most points in a
“treasure hunt.”
For the brave of heart,
Idaho State University’s Beta
Alpha Psi chapter will host
its Third Annual Zombie Fun
Run in the maze at 6 p.m. Oct.
21, benefiting the fraternity
and Junior Achievement.
Sheldon Anderson, of Beta
Alphi Psi, explained runners
are given flags, which zom-
bies attempt to steal, and are
eligible for raffle prizes if
they make it through with at
least one flag remaining.
Johnson hosted his family
reunion in the maze before
opening day and offers dis-
counted rates for field trips.
Past maze themes have in-
cluded the Idaho Potato Com-
mission’s 75th anniversary,
Idaho wildlife, Duck Dynas-
ty, Lewis and Clark and Race
to the Moon. Johnson said he
chose the hero theme to show
the community’s appreciation
for police and other emergen-
cy responders.
“You look at the discontent
across the country and you
see how some of these peo-
ple aren’t really appreciated
for all of the sacrifices they
make,” Johnson said.
CapitalPress.com
Weather pushes wine grape harvest
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
CHELAN, Wash. —
Gaston Rocha worked
swiftly, clipping Pinot noir
grape clusters with his
right hand and catching and
dumping them into white,
5-gallon plastic buckets
with his left.
He seemed oblivious to
the beauty of the setting —
perfect vineyard rows drop-
ping sharply downslope to a
placid Lake Chelan.
But time is of the essence
while he’s working, not just
because he’s paid by how
much he picks, but because
rain and cold may soon
close the harvest window.
While the last 10 percent
of California’s wine grape
harvest was hit by wildfires
and Idaho counts a light har-
vest from last winter’s frost
damage, Washington’s crop
appears to be near normal
or slightly under last year’s
record 270,000 tons.
The August crop estimate
was 260,000 tons. That’s
updated post-crush in No-
Dan Wheat/Capital Press
vember.
Epifanio Reyes dumps Pinot noir wine grapes into a bin on the tractor driven by Rafael Negrate in
“It can be up or down. Clos CheValle Vineyard overlooking Lake Chelan, Wash., on Oct. 16. The state’s wine grape crop
It’s gone both ways,” says may be down a little from last year’s record 270,000 tons.
Vicky Scharlau, executive
he said.
to
director of the Washington Gorge
ington, just as Washington
Freddy Arredondo, vint- is small compared to Cali-
Winegrower Association in Lake Chelan.
ner at Cave B Estate Winery fornia, Scharlau said. Wine
“It’s a tim-
Cashmere.
near George, said his 100- grapes tend to stay specif-
“We have some winter ing thing,” he
acre crop is lighter than last ic to AVAs and there are
damage in older vines, but said. “There’s
year, possibly from more of so many factors in buying
no drastic freeze damage,” a 14- to 17-
a January freeze nip than he wine “that it’s hard to draw
Scharlau said. “Our heat day window
Shane
originally thought. Mildew any kind of conclusions”
ve-
units at the end of August around
Collins
pressure was big from an about one area’s loss bene-
were more like 2013, more raison (when
overly wet spring, he said. fiting another, she said.
grapes accu-
normal.”
Cluster weight is down mulate sugar rapidly) that’s Clusters are lighter, he said.
Rocky Pond Winery
Washington has more owns the 30-acre Clos Che-
slightly, which will contrib- the critical time.”
Despite wildfires up- than 53,000 acres of wine Valle Vineyard on the south
ute to a bit lighter crop, she
lake, Lake Chelan smoke grapes, more than 860 win- shore of Lake Chelan and
said.
Oregon had heavy smoke was nothing this year like it eries and is second to Cali- the 90-acre Double D Vine-
fornia in production.
during the last two weeks of was in 2015, he said.
yard 20 miles southeast at
Washington
harvest Sun Cove on the Columbia
Smoke taint gives wine
ripening. The effects so far
“an ashtray, gasoline taste,” normally begins in earnest River.
are unknown.
But Shane Collins, vint- he said. Nothing anyone right after Labor Day and
Plans call for adding 30
ner of Rocky Pond Winery, wants but hard to detect be- ends in early November. It acres at Double D and devel-
Chelan, which owns Clos cause it develops over time, was about 80 to 90 percent oping 50 acres of vineyard
done as of Oct. 17, Scharlau farther south at Skeels Road,
CheValle Vineyard where he said.
In
2015,
wineries said.
Rocha works, said wine
Collins said.
Idaho is growing quickly
grapes so far are testing dumped it or sold it early,
Progress is being ham-
negative for wildfire smoke he said. “Karma Vineyards and “stellar” in quality but pered by a lack of labor, he
taint from the Columbia sold it as Bad Karma,” is small compared to Wash- said.
Local Money Working For Local People
GMO Answers
A screen shot from the GMO Answers website.
Contact a Loan Officer Today
to Discuss Your Financing Needs!
GMO Answers website attracts
more than 2 million visits a year
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
A website created by
major seed companies four
years ago to provide consum-
ers with accurate information
about genetically modified
crops is receiving more than
2 million visits a year.
“We do feel like we are
making a difference,” said
Michael Stebbins, director
of external engagement for
GMO Answers.
The website is funded by
members of the Council for
Biotechnology Information,
which includes BASF, Bayer,
Dow AgroSciences, DuPont,
Monsanto Co. and Syngenta.
The online conversation
about genetically engineered
crops, commonly called
GMOs, is not where CBI
members want it to be yet,
“but it’s certainly in a better
place than it was a couple of
years ago,” Stebbins said.
“We do feel like we are mak-
ing a difference and we’d like
to move the needle a little bit
every year.”
The website invites peo-
ple to ask tough questions
about GMO crops and en-
courages them to be skeptical
but also open-minded. Ques-
tions are referred to indepen-
dent experts who are not paid
by GMO Answers, Stebbins
said.
He said most of the ques-
tions have to do with the
safety of GMO crops, “even
Adrian Harguess
Joseph, OR
Mollie Hulse
La Grande, OR
Cliff Schoeningh
Baker City, OR
541-432-9050
541-963-3434
541-524-7667
Christina Smith
Pendleton, OR
John Ngo
Hermiston, OR
Todd Wood
College Place, WA
541-278-9000
541-289-4480
509-525-9860
Sean Ellis/Capital Press File
Recently harvested sugar beets, which are genetically engineered.
The nation’s sugar beet industry and other farm-related business-
es that benefit from genetically engineered crops are making a
concerted effort to engage consumers online and change their
understanding of GMO crops.
though this issue has been ad-
dressed again and again. Peo-
ple still have their doubts.”
Robert Wager, a molec-
ular biologist at Vancouver
Island University in Canada,
is one of the experts who do-
nate time to answer questions
submitted to the website.
“Very clearly, after 20
years of commercial genet-
ically engineered crops and
thousands of tests, there is no
evidence that shows geneti-
cally engineered crops repre-
sent any unique risk beyond
the normal uncertainties of
plant breeding,” he told Cap-
ital Press.
Wager believes the con-
versation in the U.S. about
GMO crops is starting to
turn in their favor, thanks in
part to efforts of groups like
GMO Answers and individu-
al farmers who are “stepping
5
up and telling the public what
they do, how they do it and
why they do it.”
“The public is getting a
much more balanced view of
this technology than they did
five years ago,” he said.
The nation’s sugar beet
industry recently announced
it will launch a $4 million
online campaign this fall
aimed at changing consum-
ers’ minds about the safety
and benefits of GMO crops.
Idaho sugar beet farmer
Duane Grant, who is helping
lead that effort, said users of
GMO crops made a conscious
decision when the technolo-
gy was introduced commer-
cially in 1996 not to engage
consumers about it, deferring
communication about it to the
federal agencies that regulate
GMO crops and gave them a
green light.
Heidi Zellerhoff
Clarkston, WA
John Gass
The Dalles, OR
509-758-6878
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