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4 CapitalPress.com July 27, 2018 Christmas tree growers narrowly approve checkoff Another referendum planned next year By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Christmas tree farmers have narrowly approved a na- tional checkoff program that raises about $1.8 million a year to promote and research the crop. Though 51 percent of growers voted in favor of continuing the Christmas Tree Promotion Board during a re- cent referendum, the program continues to face uncertainty. Another referendum would normally be required in seven years, but the USDA — which oversees the research and promotion checkoff — has announced that growers will again vote on its continuation in about one year. The agency hasn’t speci- fied why another vote will oc- cur so soon, but a referendum may be held at the request of the secretary of the USDA, the Christmas Tree Promotion Board or by more than 10 per- cent of eligible farmers. Roughly 1,500 Christmas tree growers across the U.S. who sell more than 500 trees a year and pay 15 cents per tree to fund the program are eligi- ble to vote in the referendum. “I’m pleased we’re going to be able to go forward,” said Betty Malone, a farmer near Philomath, Ore., who spear- headed the effort to start a checkoff for Christmas trees. Even so, Malone said she’s surprised by the narrow mar- gin of victory, since an inter- Capital Press File Harvest time at Greg Hunter Christmas Tree Farm near Tenino, Wash. Though 51 percent of growers voted in favor of continuing the Christmas Tree Promotion Board during a recent referendum, the program continues to face uncertainty. nal “head count” of growers had indicated stronger sup- port. Holding another referen- dum in a year will create un- certainty at a time when the checkoff program needs to be making long-term decisions about research and promo- tions, she said. “It’s absolutely crucial for our industry to do that kind of planning,” Malone said. Frans Kok, a Virginia farmer who organized oppo- sition to the checkoff, said he was disappointed by the result because he’d been cautiously optimistic growers had voted against continuing the pro- gram. It’s likely USDA decided to hold another referendum next year because the vote was so close, he said. “It gives us a chance,” Kok said. “A swing of 15 votes shouldn’t be so hard but we will get significant opposition working against us as well.” Kok said he must discuss the situation with other growers who funded “Farmers Against Christmas Tree Taxation” to see if they’re willing to orches- trate a similar campaign in the future. Many growers oppose the checkoff both because they feel it’s ineffective — consum- ers aren’t likely to grow more aware of Christmas trees — and because they feel the pro- gram was foist upon them, he said. The checkoff program was first allowed to operate for three seasons before a ref- erendum was held, partly so organizers could compile a list of eligible farmers. Oppo- nents, however, discount that rationale. “Given the vote, you can see it’s extremely controver- sial,” Kok said. Cherries doing better than last July By DAN WHEAT Capital Press Jayson Korthius/Whatcom Family Farmers Red raspberries are harvested in Whatcom County, Wash. The Washington Red Raspberry Commission reports that imported red raspberries are undermining U.S. growers. Dan Wheat/Capital Press Jose Lopez picks Orondo Ruby cherries at Griggs Orchard near Orondo, Wash., on June 19. Prices and movement were strong in June and doing better this July than last. $127 million. It was 13 per- cent of the crop. Fewer cherries going to China puts some downward pressure on prices but it’s be- ing offset by great quality, increased repeat sales and a smaller crop, Peebles said. “This July’s prices are im- proved over last July’s. On a 20-pound box, it’s in the $30 to $35 range, domestic and ex- port,” he said. A cherry glut last July caused prices to tumble. As of July 23, the industry had shipped more than 20 mil- lion boxes of cherries domes- tically and overseas, said Tom Riggan, Chelan Fresh Market- ing general manager. Thurlby said he thinks the crop will finish at over 24 mil- lion boxes, somewhere higher than the last estimate of 23.2 million. Last year’s crop was a record 26.4 million boxes. As of July 17, the industry marked 30 days of shipping more than 500,000 boxes per day. Now it’s at 400,000 per day and will be closer to 300,000 by the end of the week, he said. Other than China, export demand has been outstanding with plenty of large, 9-row cherries heading to more than 40 markets worldwide, Thurl- by said. Exports have made up 35 percent of shipments, he said. “The U.S. grocery retail industry is perhaps one of the most competitive in the world. Produce is key in summer. So when a group of just over 2,000 growers in one corner of the country can say their fruit is on ad in more stores than any other for the third week in a row, then that’s really saying something,” Thurlby said. Growers have enjoyed good weather with virtually no crop-ruining rains nor exces- sive heat. “Quality remains outstand- ing. Lots of size and sugar,” he said. Harvest will go to mid-Au- gust or maybe later in higher elevations, Thurlby said. Researchers continue to combat growing ventenata threat By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Ventenata is a strange grass, Tim Prather says. The University of Idaho plant science professor said he has been “frustrated” by the weed for years. “It’s shallowly rooted, you only find it in the top 3 inches of soil, it’s mostly stem, there’s not very many leaves, it’s not LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87 Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be sold, for cash to the highest bidder, on 8/2/2018. The sale will be held at 10:00am by AUTO TEAM CAR CARE CENTER LLC 2305 MCGILCHRIST ST SE, SALEM OR 2014 DODGE CARAVAN VAN VIN = 2C4RDGBG9ER162267 Amount due on lien $6,256.96 Reputed owner(s): FERY ASSOCIATES LLC/ GOLD STAR TRAN ADVANTAGE FUNDING COMM CAP CORP 29-2-3-999 very tall,” he said. “In terms of being in a grass crop, it’s go- ing to be shorter than the crop. And yet, we’re finding that it’s able to take over in long-lived grasses. ... We know there’s no way this small plant would out compete a larger perennial grass.” However, it’s possible ven- tenata is a carrier for one or more fungi that cause diseases in other grasses, he said. Prather said the number of acres ventenata is infesting continues to grow. It occurs throughout northern Idaho and Eastern Washington, and beyond. It’s a problem in pasture, rangeland and grass hays, par- ticularly timothy hay. It can cut the life and production of a timothy hay stand in half, and hay with ventenata cannot be exported. “You’re left with a low-quality, domestic hay which might be $50 to $60 per ton, and you’re only get- ting half the production you should, instead of double the production $250 to $260 per ton,” Prather said. Ventenata costs $22 mil- lion each year in forage dam- age, he estimated. Cattle don’t like to eat hay with ventenata, but will eat pelletized hay that contains ventenata, he said. UI has looked for herbi- cides effective in removing a grass from a grass, Prather said. “There are more limited options,” Prather said. “We want to keep the crop as com- petitive and healthy as possi- ble, so it’s not susceptible to injury by the herbicide.” UI is looking at other man- agement options, including proper fertilization and soil nutrients, raising the cutter-bar height for timothy hay to 4 inches to help stem develop- ment and not grazing in the fall. Ventenata is not yet listed as a noxious weed. Commodi- ty groups may petition the Ida- ho Department of Agriculture to get it listed, Prather said. Tools are available for pasture and rangeland. Prath- er believes progress is being made, but the weed continues to spread. He recommends farmers keep an eye on county roads and corridors, places where ventenata likes to move in, for early detection and preven- tion. “It has not reached every- where it could in Idaho,” he said. “It would be nice to stop it from continuing to expand and try to limit its distribu- tion.” Red raspberry imports weigh on U.S. harvest No case for trade complaint By DON JENKINS Capital Press A spring surge in imported red raspberries has soured the economics of the summer har- vest, according to Washington growers. Woodland farmer George Thoeny said he sells fresh raspberries at a profit at farm- ers’ markets and a roadside stand, but that he may lose money on fruit he sells for processing. “The price has been a di- saster, an all-time low,” he said. “The imports have just killed this industry.” Farmers in the three red raspberry-growing states — Washington, California and Oregon — compete against an increasing volume of foreign fruit. The main competitor, Mexico, more than doubled exports to the U.S. between 2014 and 2017, according to the USDA Economic Re- search Service. So far this year, imports from Serbia and Chile have also significantly increased. In April and May alone, 15.5 million pounds of frozen red raspberries came into the U.S. compared to 7.9 million pounds the year before. The size and timing of the influx left Washington grow- ers in some cases without buyers, particularly for ber- ries that were to be sold for juice, Washington Red Rasp- berry Commission Executive Director Henry Bierlink said. “That kind of sent the mes- sage to everybody, they can get product without paying much for it,” he said. The raspberry commission suspects growers are being undercut by foreign fruit be- ing dumped on the U.S. mar- ket at below the cost of pro- duction. Gathering evidence LEGAL CHERRY AVENUE STORAGE 2680 Cherry Ave. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 399-7454 AUCTION SAT., AUGUST 4, 2018 • 10 A.M. Unit AS-11 Anthony Ballentine Unit AS-93 Alena Virgilio Unit 75: Lisa Gayman Unit 103: Brian Clem Unit 124 Cynyhia Mendoza Unit 149 Gene R. Boyd Unit 156 Able Martinez Unit 162 Erik Vincent CherryAvenue Storage reserves the right to refuse any and all bids. 30-3/102 29-2-3/999 has been complicated by the way imports are labeled and reported, Bierlink said. The commission retained a Wash- ington, D.C., law firm last year to investigate whether it had a case. “We asked, and they said, ‘You don’t have much of one. You need better data,’” Bier- link said. The state commission led successful challenges to Cana- dian trade practices in the mid- 1980s and Chilean trade prac- tices in the early 2000s. Even with better data, pursuing a new claim would be harder now, Bierlink said. California has become a major red raspberry state, and many producers there also grow berries in Mexico. “They would have limited interest in suing themselves,” Bierlink said. Another hurdle would be money. Bierlink estimates pursing a claim would cost $1 million to $2 million. Congress in 2005 repealed the Byrd Amendment, which awarded payments to U.S. companies that filed successful trade com- plaints. The World Trade Or- ganization had ruled the prac- tice illegal. Unlike many sectors of the farm economy, trade does not benefit red raspberry grow- ers, said Lynden farmer Jon Maberry, the raspberry com- mission chairman. “We understand we don’t have the same position as some of the other ag commod- ities,” he said. “We would be happy if we could supply the U.S.” Low-cost Mexican red raspberries that end up as an ingredient in juice or other products pose the biggest long- term threat to the U.S. indus- try, he said. The raspberry commission is talking to policymakers about labeling laws to inform consumers that they are buy- ing U.S. berries, Maberry said. “We don’t want a bail out, we just want things to be fair,” he said. “We think it’s in the best interest of consumers to have the U.S. growing its own food.” LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87 Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be sold, for cash to the highest bidder, on 8/3/2018. The sale will be held at 10:00am by COPART OF WASHINGTON INC 2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR 2014 KW TRK VIN = 1XKAD49X8EJ400295 Amount due on lien $1,695.00 Reputed owner(s) JOEGESHWAR SINGH HITACHI CPTL AMERICA CORP ELT SPRINT CARRIERS INC 29-2-3/999 YAKIMA, Wash. — De- spite sales to China dropping dramatically due to a 50 per- cent tariff, Washington whole- sale cherry prices are “slightly above last year (in July) in most export markets and do- mestically,” says a top export manager. “The wholesale price to China is much higher driv- en by great fruit and taxation of the increased tariffs,” said Bryan Peebles, export market- ing manager of Chelan Fresh Marketing, in Chelan, one of the largest cherry marketers in the state. Tariffs rising to 50 percent on July 6, in retaliation for the Trump administration tar- iffs on Chinese goods, have slowed shipment to China “significantly in July com- pared to last year,” Peebles said. B.J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers, in Yakima, previously report- ed 341,499, 20-pound boxes of Northwest cherries sold to China as of June 26 compared to 249,432 at the same point a year ago. More recently, ship- ments to China are “down sig- nificantly,” he said, adding he did not have specific numbers compiled. The Pacific Northwest shipped 3.2 million, 20-pound boxes of cherries to China in 2017, valued at approximately
