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FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2018 VOLUME 91, NUMBER 30 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 Capital Press A g The West’s Weekly HARDER-TO-FIND FARMLAND Brad Carlson/Capital Press Jeff Smith, who owns Twin Oaks Farms north of Eagle, Idaho, has been con- cerned about farmland loss in the area. The trees in the distance are part of residential developments. Parts of growing southwest Idaho mull preservation By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Area in detail A IDAHO 55 WASHINGTON 95 Ada County 84 PAYETTE GEM Ontario 52 BOISE 21 Ore. Boise Nampa 95 Canyon County 84 78 ake v Ri Turn to FARMLAND, Page 11 VALLEY ADAMS Sn Roger Batt, Canyon County Farm Bureau rep- resentative on a county committee exploring strate- gies to preserve farmland. 95 Idaho Courtesy Photo high mound at Twin Oaks Farms north of af- fluent Eagle, Idaho, offers an expansive view of the growing greater Boise area — includ- ing miles of once-productive farmland that has sprouted houses, trees and big yards. “Twenty years ago, you could see almost nothing but farm- land,” owner Jeff Smith said. “Now it’s all trees surrounding houses.” Farmland preservation concerns individuals and organi- zations in the fast-growing Boise area. Historically agricul- ture-heavy Canyon County, immediately to the west, recently formed a committee of stakeholders to study how to preserve farmland as the area continues to grow. Roger Batt, who lives in western Canyon County, has been advocating farmland preservation in southwest Idaho for years, first by co-founding a coalition of agriculture interests and now by serving as the Canyon County Farm Bureau’s representative on the county’s new Agricultural Planning Area Committee. “The major concern I have been hearing is from our seed industry,” said Batt, executive director of the Idaho-Eastern er N 20 miles Brad Carlson/Capital Press ELMORE Grand View OWYHEE Alan Kenaga/Capital Press Part of a farm parcel in northwest Meridian, Idaho, proposed for devel- opment. Oregon farmers harvest grass seed amid strong market Yields a mixed bag in Willamette Valley By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press Kathy Hadley maneuvers a combine over neat rows of tall fescue that was recently cut at her family’s farm near Rickreall, Ore., in the heart of the Willamette Valley, where farmers grow roughly two- thirds of the cool season grass seed produced in the U.S. Grass seed harvest began in mid-June, and despite an un- usually dry May with almost no significant rainfall, Hadley says yields should be close to average, with a wide range of variability from field to field. “For us, we’re just kind of at the mercy of Mother Nature,” Hadley says from behind the wheel as dry grass feeds into the combine’s header. “It’s all across the board, from being really poor to really good.” Seed prices are also a mixed bag, with the price of turf-type tall fescue particularly strong, based on several factors, in- cluding short supply and new varieties displacing perennial ryegrass in some markets. Hadley is harvesting 30 acres of turf-type tall fescue for DLF Pickseed in Halsey, George Plaven/Capital Press Kathy Hadley harvests a turf variety of tall fescue grass seed at her family’s farm near Rickreall, Ore. Ore. Companies such as DLF contract with farmers to grow their proprietary varieties. Following a mild winter and dry spring, Hadley says growers were concerned about lower yields and seed weight heading into this year’s har- vest, though they appear to be in good shape so far. “It’s been going pret- ty smoothly,” Hadley says. “We’ve had some trucks that weighed really good.” Growers will receive 9 cents more per pound for tall fescue this year — a price bump of about 11 percent. Mark Simmons, executive director of the Oregon Grass Seed Bargaining Association, says farmers hope to maintain that increase over the next few years. The association, made up of 150 members, negotiates pric- es for tall fescue and perennial ryegrass with dealers. Sim- mons, a former Oregon legis- lator and state House speaker, says there is already a shortage of turf-type tall fescue, and breeders have developed more robust varieties preferred over perennial ryegrass, prompting greater demand. “The breeders have devel- oped new dark green, finer leafed varieties of turf-type tall fescue that the market likes,” Simmons says. Lucas Solis, vice president and general manager of Pure Turn to HARVEST, Page 11 USDA commits $12B for farmers, ranchers affected by tariffs Three new programs to take effect around Labor Day By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press When U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited farmers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho earlier this month, he promised the Trump administration was working on a plan to compen- sate growers hurt by ongoing trade disputes, namely with China. That emergency relief is now coming into focus. On Tuesday, Perdue an- nounced $12 billion for three new USDA programs during a conference call with re- porters. The aid will include direct payments to farmers and ranchers, government purchases of some surplus commodities and helping to develop new export markets overseas. Perdue said the programs are a short-term solution giv- ing President Trump time to work out long-term trade deals in the future. “It’s clear to everyone that President Trump has gotten China’s attention like never before,” Perdue said. Trump recently placed tar- iffs on $34 billion in Chinese goods, which prompted retal- iatory tariffs on U.S. agricul- tural products — everything from soybeans to fresh fruit and meat. Turn to TARIFFS, Page 11 Staff photo by E.J. Harris Jenny Freeborn of Rickreall, Ore., laughs with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue while presenting him with a hat from the Oregon Young Farmers and Ranchers during a visit to Rufus earlier this month.