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4 CapitalPress.com December 22, 2017 La Nina will tighten chilly grip on NW Signals cold, wet winter By DON JENKINS Capital Press La Nina conditions, a harbin- ger of a cold and wet winter in the Northwest, have strengthened over the past month in the Pacific Ocean, the National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration reported this week. Below-average sea-surface tem- peratures along the equator in the central and eastern Pacific became increasingly prominent, accord- ing to NOAA’s monthly update on ocean conditions. Climatologists lean heavily on ocean temperatures to make sea- sonal forecasts. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center was scheduled to issue a new three-month outlook on Dec. 21. The center already was forecast- ing a relatively cold and wet Janu- ary and February for Washington and much of Oregon, Idaho and Northern California. During a La Nina, temperatures are generally lower and precipita- tion above normal in the northern tier of the U.S. In the southern tier, temperatures are generally above average and precipitation is below normal. The report today confirmed that La Nina conditions are like- ly to persist throughout the winter. NOAA rates the chances of La Nina prevailing until the spring at 80 per- cent, up from 75 percent last month. La Nina’s odds of sticking around have been improving through the fall. Average sea-surface tempera- tures in the central equatorial Pacif- ic, the region most closely watched by climatologists, were down 0.8 degrees Celsius, according to NOAA. Climatologists classified current conditions as a “weak” La Nina, but said they could strengthen into a “moderate” La Nina. El Nino, during which sea tem- perature is above normal, usually foreshadows a warm Northwest winter. The unusually small snow- pack that accumulated at higher elevations in Washington in the 2015-16 winter came during an El Nino. The low snowpack combined with a hot and dry spring and sum- mer led to one of state’s most severe droughts. FFA collects 350,000 pounds of food for needy families Perrydale adviser lands grant, scholarship By GEOFF PARKS For the Capital Press PERRYDALE, Ore. — Perrydale High School’s ag education and FFA programs received a windfall of good news this fall. In addition to celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Food For All drive benefiting families in need with a record collection of 350,000 pounds of food, the Perrydale FFA Chapter adviser, Christina Lo- renz, recently brought home a national award and helped se- cure a substantial state-funded grant for the school’s ag edu- cation program. Perrydale’s ag program was awarded $372,286 in Revitalization Grant funds from the Oregon Department of Education, and fourth-year teacher Lorenz was awarded a Turn the Key Scholarship during the recent National Association of Agricultur- al Educators convention in Nashville. The grant will be used to upgrade the school’s ag ed- ucation program. Lorenz’s award is meant to be “a means of encouraging young teach- ers to remain in the profession and recognize their partici- pation in professional activi- ties,” according to the NAAE. Perrydale’s iconic Food For All program has evolved Geoff Parks/For the Capital Press Left to right, Dylan Milburn, 14; Brodie Jager, 15; Courtney Reed, 12; Megan Freeborn, 14; Wyatt Burg, 12; and Jessica Cruickshank, 15, load spaghetti squash into sacks from donated totes. Perry- dale’s Food For All Program distributes food to the region’s needy. into a concerted effort by the FFA students in all of the Lower Willamette FFA Dis- trict — including Central, Dallas, Willamina, Sheridan, Perrydale, Amity, Dayton and Yamhill-Carlton high schools — in making a massive effort in gathering, packaging and distributing donated produce to needy families. The vegetables and pro- duce collected and distributed range from local rutabagas, beets, parsnips and other root vegetables to pears from the Hood River area, potatoes from Hermiston and even oranges and fruit from area distributors. Food For All was begun in 1998 by former Perrydale FFA adviser Kirk Hutchinson with one donated tote of po- tatoes. In 2015, over 260,000 pounds were collected and last year the students collect- ed and distributed 320,000 pounds. All of Perrydale School District’s students, from pre- school to 12th grade, partici- pate in the Food For All pro- gram’s activities each year, Lorenz said. What they get out of the effort is much more than just a chance to do some hard work. Students make eight to 10 trips to reach out to partners prior to collection efforts, Lo- renz said. “The trips are beneficial for a number of reasons,” she said. “Students are getting out from a school environment and into a business setting and are able to see how those busi- nesses operate and to make a sales pitch to them.” Food For All works with community outreach groups NAAE Christina Lorenz, the Perrydale High School agricultural teacher and FFA adviser, recently received a plaque and scholarship from the Na- tional Association of Agricultural Educators honoring her work. to identify families in need and distribute 40- to 50-pound bags of food to them each year. Food banks, local orga- nizations such as the Knights of Columbus, the Elks Club and churches that adopt fami- lies in need are all put into the distribution mix. “This project is amazing in so many ways,” Lorenz said. “But the most obvious way is that it gives to families in need and teaches students to serve their communities and pay it forward.” Yakima woman receives USDA honor No help for hemp in Wash. budget proposal Agency relies on surveys Advocate says rules smother young industry Capital Press Judy Fulkerson of Yakima, Wash., has been named Enumerator of the Year by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Ser- vice’s Northwest Region. Fulkerson was one of four enumerators honored nationwide by USDA on Dec. 15. Each year, the agency honors outstanding enumerators employed by the National Asso- ciation of State Departments of Agriculture. There are about 3,000 enumerators who sur- vey producers. Fulkerson said it is a privilege to work with people involved in Yakima Valley agri- culture. “They are thinkers and doers. I love that I have learned so much more about ag- riculture above and beyond their answers to my survey questions,” she said in a written statement. By DON JENKINS Capital Press Judy Wilkerson Enumerators are recognized for survey quality, response rates, training and develop- ment, and enhancing relations with the agri- cultural community. Data collection and public relations by enumerators are keys to publishing timely, accurate and useful information, according to NASS. The budget Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will submit to the 2018 Legislature does not include money to save the state’s hemp program. The state Department of Agriculture says it needs $287,000 to oversee hemp cultivation in 2018 and 2019. Lawmakers could still pro- vide the infusion of cash. But as part of the Inslee adminis- tration, WSDA won’t lobby for the money. “We understand the gover- nor has to balance a lot of pri- orities. We are supportive of his budget,” WSDA spokes- man Hector Castro said. Washington last year joined about 30 states that allow the growing of hemp, a federally controlled sub- stance. Fees on farmers and handlers are expected to pay for WSDA supervision. De- partment costs, however, are far exceeding the money it LEGAL CHERRY AVENUE STORAGE 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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It may be the last unless the Legislature throws the young industry a lifeline. collects from the seven li- cense holders. Because of the shortfall, WSDA has suspended issuing new licenses. The current li- censes begin expiring in June. The department says the bud- get gap is too large to simply raise fees. Moses Lake Republican Sen. Judy Warnick, whose district had the state’s largest hemp farm last summer, said she hoped that lawmakers will appropriate the money for hemp. Lawmakers in 2016 allo- cated $145,000 to start the program. Warnick noted that private money also has been invested in building a Wash- ington hemp industry. “I’m surprised that it wasn’t included in the gov- ernor’s budget because it’s a new crop that could have a huge impact,” Warnick said. “We’ve got farmers trying to grow it and trying to do the right thing.” The 2014 Farm Bill autho- rized state-supervised hemp cultivation and processing. Washington, already risking the ire of federal officials with recreational marijuana, strove to stay within federal rules. In the process, it has fallen behind states with looser reg- ulations. Hemp advocate Joy Beck- erman said Washington will need to relax the rules to give hemp a chance to prosper. “We are overly regulated here in Washington state,” Beckerman said. “We need to change the rules.” Even if lawmakers give the hemp program a reprieve, re- forms are needed, she said. “If we don’t change the law to allow for CBD ex- traction and remove the most burdensome and unnecessary regulations, basically it’s a non-starter,” Beckerman said. “There are too many barriers to entry.” Farmers must buy a license to grow hemp and pay for reg- ular inspections and testing by WSDA. Seeds can only be obtained through WSDA. The department has no plans, or funding, to rewrite the regu- lations. A total of 175 acres of hemp were cultivated in Washington in 2017, compared to 3,469 acres in Oregon, according to the advocacy group Hemp Vote. Colorado led all states with more than 9,000 acres.