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November 24, 2017 CapitalPress.com 5 EPA can’t link cows to fouled shellfish No cattle DNA in fecal coliform By DON JENKINS Capital Press A study by the Environ- mental Protection Agen- cy and Lummi Indian tribe failed to find evidence that cow manure is polluting trib- al shellfish beds in Portage Bay in northwest Washing- ton. The study suggests farm- ers are keeping manure out of the Nooksack River and its tributaries, which drain into the bay, said Fred Likkel, an environmental consultant and executive director of What- com Family Farmers. “It shows the farm com- munity has been working very hard for the last number of years to make sure it’s not polluting the shellfish beds,” he said. Dairies have long been suspected of being a leading contributor to fecal coliform contaminating the Lummi shellfish beds. The Nook- sack River drains nearly 800 square miles, much of it farmland, and is the primary source of freshwater for the bay. To identify the sources of fecal coliform, the EPA analyzed the DNA in 54 water samples collected in 2016 from the bay, river, five creeks and a ditch. The EPA reported last month that its laboratory found fecal coliform from birds in two samples, from non-cattle hoofed animals such as horses or deer in four samples, and from both birds and non-cattle hoofed animals in three samples. The source of fecal coli- form in 45 samples was unde- termined. No genetic material from cattle, humans or dogs was found. The EPA in a two-page summary said it’s possible that cattle fecal coliform was present, but at levels too low to detect or in genetic se- quences that were not identi- fied. The Washington De- partment of Health in 1997 blamed dairies for fecal co- liform that caused shellfish beds to close. Water quality improved and the beds re- opened after dairies adopted new manure-handling rules enforced by the state Depart- ment of Agriculture. In recent years, however, water quality has again de- graded. Other potential sourc- es of pollution include wild- life, hobby farms and failing septic tanks. “This study really vali- dates our position: You need to look at other sources,” Lik- kel said. “That doesn’t mean we can slack off and not do our job.” Efforts to obtain further comment from the EPA and tribe were unsuccessful. In early 2016, the EPA and the tribe set out to identify the sources of fecal coliform to help develop pollution-con- trol strategies for the Nook- sack River watershed, accord- ing to the agreement. At first, the EPA’s Region 10 laboratory analyzed 53 wa- ter samples for genetic mate- rial from humans and hoofed mammals and found one sam- ple with human DNA and four with animal DNA. The laboratory later added the ability to test for material specific to cattle, birds and dogs for the other 54 samples. The threat of lawsuits has hung over Whatcom County dairies. Seven dairies early this year agreed to pay the tribe $450,000 to compensate it for closed shellfish beds. The agreement calls for more payments later and for dairies and the tribe to collaborate on pollution-prevention plans. Six farmer-led watershed improvement districts have hired a microbiologist to an- alyze fecal coliform in Scott Ditch, one of the waterways tested by the EPA. The report has yet to be completed. Ag industry: CAHNRS dean candidates are ‘exceptional’ Provost hopes to make job offer before Christmas By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press When stakeholders meet with candidates for the next dean of Washington State University’s agricultural col- lege, they want to find the right fit, they say. The four candidates for dean at WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human and Nat- ural Resource Sciences will visit Washington the weeks of Nov. 27 and Dec. 4. Dan Bernardo, provost at WSU and former CAHNRS dean, said he is excited about the “depth and breadth” of the candidate pool. This is the second round of interviews for the position this year. Bernardo previously an- nounced in June that he would not extend an offer to a single candidate who interviewed for dean, electing to begin the search again in the fall. “As I regularly tell people, a failed search is not defined as not making a hire,” he told the Capital Press. “We want to make sure we get the right person, and I think we have four people here who are all very capable and qualified.” Washington State University Agricultural stakeholders and Washington State University faculty will meet with the four candidates for dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences the weeks of Nov. 27 and Dec. 4. University officials hope to make a selection by Christmas. The four candidates are: • Gregory Lardy, associate vice president for agricultural affairs, North Dakota State University. • André-Denis Wright, en- dowed professor and director of the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sci- ences, University of Arizona. • Gary Thompson, asso- ciate dean for research and graduate education, and direc- tor of the Agricultural Exper- iment Station, Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences. • John Kirby, dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, and direc- tor of the Agricultural Exper- iment Station and Coopera- tive Extension, University of Rhode Island. They will speak on the Pullman campus and tour WSU centers in Wenatchee and Mount Vernon. “We feel it’s really important that they see the scope of the activity at WSU within this col- lege and they have the opportu- nity to visit with our stakehold- ers,” Bernardo said. “All of them are excellent candidates, it’s really going to come down to which one is right,” said Jay Gordon, poli- cy director of the Washington State Dairy Federation and a member of the search com- mittee. “The dean’s position is really important,” said Mike Willett, manager of the Wash- ington Tree Fruit Research Commission and a member of the search committee. “The stakeholder groups I represent are heavily invested in and look to CAHNRS for high levels of support to ensure people’s success in these ag- ricultural endeavors.” Idaho livestock owners eligible for cattle inspection fee refund By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press BOISE — Idaho livestock owners who had a brand in- spection between July 1 and Oct. 1 are eligible for a partial refund. Because of a paperwork error, those producers were overcharged 25 cents per head during that time. Idaho State Brand Inspec- tor Larry Hayhurst told Capital Press the overcharge was due to a paperwork error, a claim that was substantiated by Jani Revier, budget director of the state’s Division of Financial Management. “In the simplest terms, the paperwork didn’t all get filed correctly,” she said. The Idaho Brand Board in May proposed a temporary rule to raise the state’s brand inspection fee by 25 cents, from 94 cents to $1.19 a head. That increase, which was approved by the governor’s office, was intended to cover an anticipated increase in per- sonnel and equipment costs in fiscal year 2018 related partial- ly to the new beef processing plant in Kuna. It was expected to raise $462,000. But the proposed increase was never published in Ida- ho’s Administrative Bulletin in June, a requirement for it to become effective. The brand board didn’t find that out until late September. That means producers who had brand inspections July 1 to Oct. 1 were overcharged 25 cents per head and are el- igible for a refund. Hayhurst said they have until Jan. 1 to request one but that date will likely be extended. He said there is confusion over why the paperwork error occurred, but ultimately, the responsibility for the error lies with him. “It was just a stupid error,” he said. “At the end of the day, I should have caught it. All we can do is fix it, be upfront about it and do what is right.” After correcting the mistake, the brand board began collecting the higher fee as of Oct. 2. Hayhurst said about 400,000 cattle inspections were performed July 1 to Oct. 1, which means the board could have to refund as much as $100,000 if every producer requests a refund. He said groups represent- ing the beef and dairy indus- tries have been notified of the error and the brand board will purchase advertisements in industry publications ex- plaining the issue. USDA The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and other groups laud the proposed eventual elimination of the estate tax, but they’re concerned about restrictions on business interest deductions they say could harm rural America. Farm group reactions mixed on federal tax relief package By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press Farm groups and Western lawmakers are giving mixed reviews to tax relief legis- lation now making its way through Congress. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and other groups hail a provision in the bill approved Nov. 16 in the House of Representatives that doubles the current estate tax exemption limits of $5 mil- lion for individuals and $10 million for couples. The bill calls for the so-called “death tax” to be repealed entirely after six years. Among other benefits to farms, the bill also allows businesses to write off the cost of new investments all at once rather than over time and in- creases certain small-business expensing limits, industry in- siders say. But the bill also limits the ability of some businesses to deduct interest expens- es — a provision that the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives asserts would drain $2 billion a year from rural America at a time when farmers and communities are struggling through a fourth year of stagnant commodity prices. “This could be a big prob- lem for some members of the cattle production business,” agreed NCBA president Craig Uden, a Nebraska rancher. “We’ve worked closely with members of Congress to ad- dress this issue, and we’ll continue to work tirelessly to fix this problematic provi- sion as this legislation moves forward in the Senate and to- ward a House-Senate confer- ence committee.” The nearly $1.5 trillion tax package passed the House by a 227-205 margin. A similar bill advanced out of the Sen- ate Finance Committee late Nov. 16 and heads to the Sen- ate floor, where debate could begin after the Thanksgiving break. The House bill won praise from U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who said in a statement that it would create jobs and boost the economy. “The people of agriculture dedicate their lives to putting food on the table for their fel- low citizens,” Perdue said, “and they deserve to keep more of what they earn from their labors.” A key provision for grow- ers is the eventual elimination of the estate tax, which has long been a target of agri- culture advocates who have argued it complicates farm succession plans. The tax has been a major focus of the NCBA-backed Cattlemen For Tax Reform’s two-month media campaign, which has included videos of producers that have been viewed more than 1 million times on Face- book, according to the organi- zation. The bill also preserves a step-up in the value of inher- ited assets for tax purposes in addition to 100 percent expensing of farm property other than land. Under cur- rent law, businesses can only depreciate the costs of such investments as buildings and equipment over time — as long as 39 years, the Califor- nia Cattlemen’s Association explained in a legislative newsletter. The House bill also tem- porarily allows farms to ex- pense up to $5 million for the cost of both new and used equipment, buildings, breed- ing livestock and dairy cows, with the allowance phased out when the purchases exceed $20 million, the CCA notes. Current law covers only new equipment, allows for a write- off of $500,000 and phases out when the purchases exceed $2 million, according to the orga- nization. The bill also expands cash accounting by increasing the eligibility threshold from $5 million to $25 million, in- cluding for farm corporations and partnerships, the newslet- ter explains. However, farms and other operations would not be al- lowed to deduct net business interest expenses beyond 30 percent of the business’ ad- justed taxable income, which would be computed without regard to such things as net operating losses, the CCA notes. Businesses with gross receipts under $25 million would be exempt from the limits. “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives ... approved a tax reform bill that will raise taxes on farmers and their co-ops across the coun- try,” NCFC president Chuck Conner said in a statement. SAGE Fact #147 The miles one ton of cargo can be transported on one gallon of fuel: Semi Truck: 59 miles Train: 202 Miles Barge: 514 miles WE SPECIALIZE IN BULK BAGS! BAGS: • Seed Bags • Fertilizer Bags • Feed Bags • Potato Bags • Printed Bags • Plain Bags • Bulk Bags • Totes • Woven Polypropylene • Bopp • Polyethylene • Pocket Bags • Roll Stock & More! 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