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4 CapitalPress.com April 6, 2018 Ex-governor: State’s appeal of culvert order incites ‘social unrest’ Dates set for this year’s ‘Cowgirl Camps’ Third session added for male and female participants Online rootsofresilience.org By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press After the first “Cowgirl Camp” last year, a participant returned home and the next night she called instructor Sandy Matheson with a prob- lem. One of her cows had wan- dered a mile from her small ranch and was now calving. With coaching, she and her husband were able to lead the animal home and de- termine that the calf needed help, which was provided by a local veterinarian. “The calf would have died and the cow would have had problems if they had not rec- ognized (the situation) right away,” Matheson said. “So she got a chance to use what she learned.” Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Cheney, Wash., rancher Beth Robinette, left, talks about man- aged grazing during last year’s first “Cowgirl Camp.” Three camps are planned for this year. Matheson and co-facil- itators Beth Robinette and Doug Warnock are offer- ing three intensive five-day camps this year, two “Cow- girl Camps” for women and one New Rancher Camp for men and women. The “Cowgirl Camps” taught by Matheson and Rob- inette are May 28-June 1 and Aug. 27-31 at Robinette’s Lazy R Ranch in Cheney, Wash. The New Rancher Camp, taught by Matheson and Warnock, is July 9-13 at Matheson’s farm in Belling- ham, Wash. Matheson is president of Roots of Resilience, a non- profit organization dedicated to regenerating grazing lands, increasing ranch profits and enhancing the quality of life for ranch families. The response to the first “Cowgirl Camp” was great, Robinette said. “People were so excit- ed,” she said. “Lots of peo- ple wanted to know when the next camp was going to be, and lots of interest from guys, too.” Several of last year’s camp participants told Matheson and Robinette they consid- ered it a safe and “empower- ing” environment, Matheson said. “Not only did we chal- lenge them, but we also had a lot of fun as well,” Mathe- son said. Robinette said each camp will include 10 to 15 participants. Matheson said the camps provide an opportunity for participants to become im- mersed in the topic of run- ning a ranch and practice the skills they learn. The coordinators learned to keep the schedule flexible to meet the needs of partici- pants and appeal to different learning styles, Matheson said. “We packed a lot in for the amount of time we had,” she said. “I think we actually did pretty well considering it was our first time — both sitting and listening and watching and doing, being inside and outside.” Robinette said the camps are designed to inspire confi- dence in participants’ ability to get started in agriculture. “We really wanted to cre- ate a place that feels welcom- ing, safe and celebratory,” she said. “Especially women, who don’t have as many role models, can see it is totally possible for a woman to op- erate her own farm or ranch.” Early bird price for each five-day camp is $997. By DON JENKINS Capital Press Anxiety mounts over China’s retaliatory tariffs By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press Farmers and ranchers are becom- ing increasingly concerned over a growing trade war with China. Tension escalated between the U.S. and Chinese governments on Tuesday after the Chinese Min- istry of Commerce announced plans to impose a 25 percent tar- iff on $50 billion worth of U.S. goods. Those tariffs on 106 items would target more than 30 agricultural goods — including soybeans, beef, corn and wheat — and expand Chi- na’s retaliatory tariffs announced Monday that increased tariffs on pork, fruit, tree nuts, wine, ginseng and ethanol. China’s latest tariffs followed the U.S. government’s announcement that it will impose tariffs on $50 bil- lion worth of Chinese goods coming into the U.S. The U.S. tariffs are in response to China’s unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of U.S. technol- ogy and intellectual property, accord- ing to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. They follow recent tariffs on im- ports of steel and aluminum in Pres- ident Trump’s efforts to address the U.S. $375 billion trade deficit with China. Numerous farm groups on Wednesday issued press statements on the severity of the situation and urged resolve. China’s threatened retaliation is testing both the patience and opti- mism of farm and ranch families who are facing the worst agricultural economy in 16 years, Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation president, said. “This has to stop. Growing trade disputes have placed farmers and ranchers in a precarious position,” he said. They have bills to pay and debts to settle and cannot afford to lose any markets, much less one as important as China, he said. The American Soybean Associa- tion reiterated its extreme frustration Marrk Schiefelbein/Associated Press A representative of a U.S. produce company helps a customer shop for apples March 23 at a supermarket in Beijing. The escalating trade war between the U.S. and China is alarming folks in farm country, who are already struggling with economic hardship. about the escalation of a trade war with China. China purchases 61 percent of total U.S. soybean exports and more than 30 percent of U.S. soybean pro- duction. “We have been warning the ad- ministration and members of Con- gress that this would happen since the prospect for tariffs was raised,” John Heisdorffer, ASA president, said. “This is no longer hypothetical, and a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soy- beans into China will have a devastat- ing effect on every soybean farmer in America,” he said. Kent Baucus, director of interna- tional trade and market access for Na- tional Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said it is unsettling to see U.S. beef as a target for retaliation but, sadly, not surprising. “This is an inevitable outcome of any trade war. This is a battle between two governments, and the unfortunate casualties will be American cattlemen and women and our consumers in China,” he said. “We believe in trade enforcement, but endless retaliation is not a good path forward for either side,” he said. China’s market just reopened to U.S. beef last year, and U.S. beef ex- ports there totaled $31 million in the second half of 2017. U.S. pork ex- ports to China were more than $1 bil- lion in 2017, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation. “We are extremely alarmed about rapidly escalating trade tensions oc- Congratulations curring between the U.S. and China,” Barry Carpenter, president and CEO of the North American Meat Institute, said. There are no winners in trade dis- putes, and the stakes are particularly high in the current situation, he said. U.S. Wheat Associates and Na- tional Association of Wheat Growers issued a joint statement saying the tar- iffs would further erode the incomes of farm families who strongly support addressing the real concerns about China’s trade policies. They would prefer to see the U.S. government do that within the pro- cess already in place, as it has done by challenging China’s domestic support and tariff rate quota policies through the World Trade Organization. FLAT CARS - THE BETTER BRIDGE • Lower Cost • Custom Lengths up to 90’ • Certified Engineering Services Available • Steel Construction TO OUR WINNERS Contractor License # 71943 Office: 541-451-1275 Email: info@rfc-nw.com www.rfc-nw.com 14-1/100 P.O Box 365 • 101 Industrial Way, Lebanon, OR 97355 They won the prizes given away at the Capital Press booth as part of the Spokane Ag Expo. Thank you to everyone who entered our sweepstakes and visited with us at the Expo. See you next year! Collectible Trucks Winner Former Washington Gov. Dan Evans accused the state in a court document Monday of stirring up social unrest by appealing an order to replace fish-blocking culverts. Seattle lawyer Joe Mentor Jr. submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the 92-year-old Evans. The brief supports 21 Western Washing- ton Indian tribes that sued to remove the culverts and restore salmon habitat. It claims Washington has a “long history of intransigence” on treaty rights and in the 1970s fomented resistance by non-In- dians to enforcing treaties. “This tension is an under- standable result of conflict over a dwindling resource. But con- flicts between these two groups lead to serious racial tension that the state should strive to avoid,” Evans stated. Evans’ brief is one of near- ly a dozen filed by third par- ties weighing in on a case that will further interpret treaties signed in 1854 and 1855. Farm groups are among those that ar- gue forcing the state to replace culverts will bolster lawsuits to remove dams, restrict irrigation and challenge anything else po- tentially harmful to fish. Attorney General Bob Fer- guson, a Democrat, appealed the order by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to upgrade more than 800 culverts by 2030 at a cost of nearly $2 billion. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments April 18. The attorney general’s of- fice declined to comment on Evans’ brief. The Washington Farm Bu- reau is among the organizations asking the Supreme Court to overturn the order. The group’s associate director of govern- ment relations, Evan Sheffels, called the accusation that the appeal was fomenting social unrest “a little over the top.” “That’s clearly not the way we look at it. We look at it as trying to get clarity about what the treaties mean so we can move forward and work with sovereign nations on problems we share,” he said. Evans was governor from 1965 to 1977 and U.S. senator from 1983 to 1989. As gov- ernor, according to the brief, he “experienced first-hand the tensions between Indian and non-Indian fishers.” Although the treaties were between political groups, “ra- cial tension is unavoidable since one group shares a racial characteristic that the other group does not,” according to Evans’ brief. Mentor was Evans’ legisla- tive counsel when Evans was in the Senate. Efforts to reach him for further comment were unsuccessful. The appeal is the latest in a long chain of court cases stem- ming from a 1970 lawsuit filed by the tribes and the Justice De- partment against Washington. Previous decisions have allo- cated up to half the harvestable fish to the tribes. The case now before the Supreme Court asks whether the treaties obligate the state to ensure tribal mem- bers have enough fish to earn a “moderate” living. Only eight justices will hear the case. Justice Anthony Ken- nedy recused himself, citing a 1985 decision on Washington tribal treaty rights that he partic- ipated in as a circuit court judge. If the court splits 4-4, the order to remove the culvert will stay in place, but may leave unclear whether tribes are guaranteed a moderate living from fishing. LEGAL D. Johnson St. Maries, ID $50 Visa Gift Card Winners J. Morgan G. Nook C.Sulgrove Davenport Colfax Ephrata Valley To subscribe, call 800-882-6789 or visit CapitalPress.com ROP-13-40-3/102 .COM 14-3/HOU M. Kruger MFG OF BRUSH MULCHERS | STUMP GRINDERS | DRAINAGE PLOWS BOOM MOWERS | PTO GENERATORS | AUGER BITS & DRIVES TRENCHERS | TREE SPADES | TREE SAWS | LIMB SHEARS AND MORE ELLIS EQUIPMENT 800-949-2336 The Oregon Processed Vegetable Commission will hold a public budget hearing on April 25, 2018, 7:00 p.m. at 151 Hawthorne Ave. NE Salem, Oregon. Any person wishing to comment on the budget is welcome to do so either orally or in writing. A copy of the proposed budget is available for public inspection during normal business hours at the commission office located at 9320 SW Barbur Blvd, Suite 130, Portland, Oregon. 14-1/999