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2 CapitalPress.com May 25, 2018 People & Places Helping dairy workers stay safe Ryan DeWit runs unique safety training effort for employees Western Innovator By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press It hasn’t been all that long since Ryan DeWit was milk- ing cows on his family’s dairy in Friona, Texas, but now he’s helping Idaho dairy farm- ers keep their workers safe through a unique training pro- gram. The Idaho Dairy Worker Safety and Training Program is a collaboration of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association and Idaho Milk Processors Asso- ciation to provide training to dairy workers across the state. While the first phase of the program was developed with university expertise and con- tinues to be expanded with that expertise, DeWit heads up the practical on-the-ground training to promote worker health and safety. “We provide dairy workers with training and educational content focused on general farm safety and animal han- dling,” he said. The goal of the program is to initiate safer interaction be- tween workers and cows and educate workers on farmwide safety when it comes to such things as equipment and elec- tricity. It’s aimed at ensuring they go home safely at the end of the day, he said. Active response The program is the re- sponse by dairy farmers and processors to heighten work- er training and safety after a dairy worker fatality in February 2016. That worker drowned in a waste pond af- ter mistakenly driving a feed truck into the pond in pre- Ryan DeWit Occupation: Dairy worker training and safety specialist Employer: Idaho Dairy- men’s Association, IDA Consulting Home: Twin Falls, Idaho Calendar To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Sub- mit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 or emailed to newsroom@ capitalpress.com. Write “Calendar” in the subject line. Saturday, May 26 Goat healthcare/nutrition/pack- goat seminar. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Workshop, 7211 40th Court NE, Olympia, Wash. Seminar includes handouts and hands-on time with goats. If you are new to goats or just need a refresher for goat care this is a great event. Instructor has 30- plus years of successful goat care experience. Cost is $25 for public; $7.50 for 4-H/FFA members/family/ Established 1928 Board of Directors Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Harrison Forrester Mike Omeg Cory Bollinger Jeff Rogers Corporate Officers Heidi Wright Chief Operating Officer Rick Hansen Chief Financial Officer Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Age: 24 Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press Ryan DeWit, right, dairy worker training and safety specialist with IDA Consulting Services, and Rick Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association. dawn hours during flooded conditions. To prevent future trage- dies, IDA engaged experts in worker safety and training. Idaho’s dairy processors com- mitted to the effort soon after. IDA contracted with David Douphrate, assistant profes- sor of epidemiology, human genetics and environmental sciences at the University of Texas, and Robert Hagevoort, extension dairy specialist at the New Mexico State Uni- versity, to develop a program. DeWit met Hagevoort through the U.S. Dairy Edu- cation and Training Consor- tium, and Hagevoort referred him to IDA to facilitate the training. DeWit uses iPads with headphones to deliver indi- vidualized training in English and Spanish and can deliver that training in groups of up to 20 workers. “It’s always fun for me to explain why I’m here and why it’s important to have safety training,” he said. Bottom line The bottom line is having workers go home to their fam- ilies intact, he said. Some workers are a little intimidated at first, but they soon discover their trainer grew up milking cows and clearing water troughs and re- spond favorably. And they ap- preciate that the dairy owner is investing in their training, he said. The iPad training session is followed by a live animal handling session. Workers of- ten do the “what” of the job but don’t know the “why” of safety issues and animal handling. Helping them see things from a cow’s perspec- tive allows them to predict the cow’s behavior and get the animal to do what the workers want them to and avoid injury, he said. “At the end of the day, we’re helping employees rec- ognize those hazards on the dairy,” he said. He encourages managers and owners to participate in the worker training because it reinforces how important safety is and creates a dia- logue of safety on the dairy. The mission “My mission with this role is to help Idaho’s dairymen improve the safety culture on their dairies while providing consumers’ assurance that our workforce is working in a safe environment and is well- trained,” he said. The program began in August 2017, and DeWit has trained more than 500 work- ers at 25 dairies with 50 milk- ing barns. But there’s more to do, with 500 dairies and an estimated 8,000 employees in the state. He’s also given a three-day “train the trainer” workshop for processor and co-op field personnel and plans more in the future to broaden the reach of the training program and Education: Master’s degree (2017) and bachelor’s degree (2016) in Agribusi- ness, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas Family: Wife, Kathryn reinforce safety concepts. He also offers safety, compliance and record-keeping consult- ing to owners and managers. Additional training is being developed to cover a broader array of safety issues on the dairy, such as safe feed- ing and safe maternity care. Idaho’s program has also caught the attention of Na- tional Milk Producers Fed- eration, which has pulled to- gether a task force to address safety issues in response to consumer concerns. “This is an issue that af- fects the industry as a whole,” he said. IDA will play a key role in developing a safety man- ual that will be part of the NMPF’s Farmers Assuring Responsible Management program. “At the end of the day, I think we’ll have a solution for dairymen that’s workable, ef- fective and user-friendly,” he said. Emmett Earl Pryor, wheat industry leader, dies at age 92 Emmett Earl Pryor, a for- mer chairman of the Oregon Wheat Commission and past president of the National As- sociation of Wheat Growers, died May 11 at his home in Salem, Ore. He was 92. Blake Rowe, CEO of the Oregon Wheat Growers League and Oregon Wheat Commission, said Pryor was a strong advocate for Oregon agriculture. “Oregon Wheat notes with sadness the passing of one of its most respected grow- er leaders,” Rowe said. “We extend our deep appreciation for his service and our condo- lences to his family.” Walter Powell, chairman of the Oregon Wheat Com- mission and a farmer near Condon, Ore., knew Pryor for 20 years. The two men were friends, neighbors and fellow advocates for the wheat in- dustry. “We have a tradition in Oregon of growers going to Asia, going to South Amer- ica,” Powell said. “I don’t know all the countries Earl went to, but he was as active as anyone.” Powell said that when he thinks of Pryor, he thinks of all the growers from his gen- eration who gave their time — and many times their money — to serve the industry, blaz- Capital Press ing the trail for Oregon wheat overseas. “That’s what I think about, is how lucky we are to have these people,” Powell said. As president of the Na- tional Association of Wheat Growers, Pryor was featured in the April 1984 cover story of Oregon Business maga- zine, detailing his role lob- bying for the industry in the face of record surpluses, low prices and export difficulties caused by a strong dollar. In the article, Pryor was described by one agricultur- al expert as “very dogged. ... He’ll be in there fighting and scratching and clawing for his members.” Pryor was born in Condon, Ore., July 12, 1925. His moth- er, Julia Jones Pryor, preceded him in death when he was 3 years old. He was raised by his father, Emmet Pryor, and his step-mother, Jean Law Pryor. He graduated in 1943 from Condon High School, where he was student body president and senior class president. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy immediately after graduation. After attending Oklahoma University, he served on the USS Merrimack as engineer- ing officer. After World War II, Pryor returned to Condon and began volunteers. For more information contact Donna at 360-742-8310 or dsemasko@comcast.net. Website: edelweissacresobers.com Saturday-Sunday May 26-27 Alpaca Shearing Day & Fleece Sale. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Alpacas of Or- egon, 21345 SW Aebischer Road, Sherwood, Ore. Join EasyGo Farm at Alpacas of Oregon and take a break from the Memorial Day Win- ery Tours to watch the alpacas get their annual haircuts. Get up close, hand feed them, and handle their luxurious fleece. Shearing Day is Saturday. On Sunday, learn to felt an alpaca gift. Phone Suzanne at 503-348-6954 to reserve a spot. $25-$75 covers materials and in- struction. Cost: Free. Website: www.easygofarm.net/AOOMem- Day Capital Press File Emmett Earl Pryor spent his adult life working for his community and for agriculture. farming. He believed deeply in public service and advoca- cy for agriculture and specif- ically the wheat industry, ac- cording to his family. He once said in a speech that “Every man worth his salt should give back to his community and in- dustry at least 10 percent.” He was as good as his word. He served on numerous community and industry commissions and boards, in- cluding the Gilliam County Assessor Advisory Commit- tee, Gilliam County Board of Equalization, Gilliam County Budget Board, Gilliam Coun- ty School District 25, the Bud- get Advisory Board, Gilliam County Board of Review, chairman, Gilliam County Grain Growers as chairman, Mid-Columbia Production Credit Association, Oregon Highway Federation and the Oregon State Extension Advi- sory Board. He was also on the Ore- gon Agricultural Research and Extension Project Advi- sory Board, Committee for Senate Bill 100/LCDC Citi- zen Advisory Committee, Or- egonians for Food and Shel- ter as a founding member, Agriculture Political Action League as a founding mem- ber, Oregon Wheat League as president, Agriculture Re- covery Council as a founder and chairman, Oregon Wheat Commission as chairman, Council for Economic De- velopment in Oregon as founder and chairman, Ore- gon Economic Development Saturday-Monday May 26-28 Friday-Saturday June 1-2 Memorial Day Weekend Festi- val. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Redhawk Vine- yard & Winery, 2995 Michigan City Lane NW, Salem, Ore. Join us for wine and barrel tasting, food, our incredible view and music. $12 tasting fee. Website: www.redhawk- wine.com WSU Beef 200 Course. Okan- ogan County Fairgrounds, Annex Building, 175 Rodeo Trail Road, Okanogan, Wash. Topics for Friday night session, which will be 5:30- 8:30 p.m., include management of lupine on range and beef pairings with wine and beer, with a focus on direct marketing of your beef. Topics for Saturday, which will be 8 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., include live animal evalu- ation and grading, ruminology 101/ beef nutrition, factors affecting beef quality and palatability, carcass and retail cutting demonstrations, grid pricing, team evaluating and auc- tion, and fetal programming. Spon- sored by WSU Extension and the Methow Conservancy. Access the information brochure and hard copy registration at: http://extension.wsu. Wednesday, May 30 Field to Market Workshop. 1-4 p.m. OSU Extension Service, 505 N. Columbia River Highway, St. Hel- ens, Ore. Learn from experts about Oregon Department of Agriculture regulations, recipe selection, la- beling guidelines and other issues involved in producing value-added products. Cost: $25/person, $40/ couple Website: http://extension. oregonstate.edu/columbia/ Commission, National Asso- ciation of Wheat Growers as president and the U.S. Com- mission on Agriculture Trade and Export Policy. Pryor was preceded in death by his wife of 30 years, Bernice “Peetie” Petroff of The Dalles, Ore. He is survived by his wife, Laura Pryor of Salem; son, Marc and Paula Pryor of Tor- rance, Calif.; son, Ty Pryor of Condon; grandchildren, Damon Pryor of Damas- cus, Brittany Pryor Lodge of Boise, Idaho, and Stepha- nie Moore of Maryland; and great-grandchildren, Maggie and Grant Pryor of Damascus; nieces and nephews that he was always very close to, Rod and Jean Pryor of Olympia, Wash.; Joyce and Mike Al- len of Brewster, Wash.; Scott Pryor of Spokane, Wash.; Lar- ry and Kay Lear of Condon, David and Marlene Johnson of Bend, and Julie Johnson of Florida. Memorial contributions may be made to the Condon Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 385, Condon, Oregon 97823. A celebration of life was held at the Condon Elks Lodge May 19 for family and friends. Sign the condolence book at sweeneymortuary.com edu/okanogan/ Cost: $60/person (additional $25 after May 21); Fri- day or Saturday session only: $40/ person (additional $25 after May 21). Website: https://okanogan- beef200.brownpapertickets.com Saturday, June 2 81st Annual Marion County Lamb & Wool Show. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Turner Elementary School, 7800 School St., Turner, Ore. The show is a day of fun with 4-H & FFA events, wool animals and market lambs. The show also includes craft vendors, an ice cream vendor, a local spinning club and plants for sale. Again this year we will start the day with the children’s class- es: Most Beautiful Lamb, Young Herdsman and Young Market Lamb classes for children under the age of 10. Website: http://marioncoun- tylambandwoolshow.yolasite.com/ Entire contents copyright © 2018 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Circulation ......................... 800-882-6789 Email ........ Circulation@capitalpress.com Main line ........................... 503-364-4431 Fax ................................... 503-370-4383 Advertising Fax ................ 503-364-2692 News Staff Idaho Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-3898 Boise Brad Carlson .................... 208-914-8264 Cent. Washington Dan Wheat ........................ 509-699-9099 W. 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