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August 10, 2018 CapitalPress.com 11 U.S. mink pelt production declines By CAROL RYAN DUMAS $120 Capital Press U.S. mink production de- creased by 4 percent in 2017, to a little over 3.3 million pelts, down about 149,000 from 2016. Wisconsin, the largest pelt-producing state, harvest- ed 56,130 fewer pelts for a total of about 1.091 million. Utah, the second-leading pro- ducer, was down 2,600 pelts to 734,260. Idaho, at No. 3, in- creased production by 36,000 pelts to 349,500, according to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. But notable declines were also seen in Minnesota, down 30,000 pelts; Oregon, down 22,500; and Washington, down 11,080 pelts. The decline is an adjust- ment from overproduction, Michael Whelan, executive director of Fur Commission USA in Medford, Ore., said. Pelt prices in 2012 went through the roof, and mink ranchers ramped up produc- tion to take advantage of the market, he said. “It’s totally understand- able,” he said. USDA statistics show U.S. pelt prices in 2011 averaged $94.30. The agency suspend- ed the 2012 report due to U.S. mink prices $94.30 (Price per pelt/U.S. dollars*) † Mink 80 report suspended due to sequestration. *Estimate $33.10 40 $36.30: Down 61.5% from 2011 0 ’15 2017* in the U.S. is about $30 a pelt, and prices have crept up enough to be a little above production costs, he said Production and prices are just starting to get back to sus- tainable levels, Whelan said. USDA reported the price of pelts in 2017 increased by $1.60 to $36.30. Despite lost production, the total value of U.S. pelt production increased slightly to almost $120 mil- lion. But it was the third year in a row of low prices and tough times, especially for smaller producers. Mink production doesn’t have any price sup- ports or subsidies, and pric- es can’t stay down for more than three or four years be- fore producers have to make some changes on the ranch, he said. They’re subject to the laws of supply and demand, and he expects production to decline again this year, he said. USDA’s numbers support that expectation, as the num- ber of female mink bred to produce kits was down 5 per- cent in 2018 to 731,430. The agency also reported the color breakdown on the 2017 production. Black pelts accounted for 50 percent of production, mahogany for 19 percent, and blue iris and sapphire for 6 percent. The remaining color classes ac- counted for 12 percent. Source: USDA NASS 1997 ’00 Alan Kenaga/Capital Press ’05 federal budget sequestration, but Whelan said prices were about $100 a pelt. Everyone knew that price wasn’t sustainable, he said, but if the price triples on any product, producers are going to make more of it. U.S. production did in- crease, but it’s been pretty steady. China, however, in- creased production from 15 million pelts to 40 million pelts in one year, and global production increased from 40 million to 80 million pelts, he said. Price declines followed, and U.S. production began to decline in 2015, according to USDA. Low cost of production Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press File U.S. mink production was down last year, according to the Nation- al Agricultural Statistics Service. ’10 2012 † Bunchgrass boost: Seed-amendment technology aiding rangeland perennials By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Researchers such as Chad Boyd aim to give bunchgrass seed a boost. Perennial bunchgrasses have big root systems that help them survive long-term amid the unpredictable precipita- tion levels and widely varying temperatures that characterize much of southeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho. But bunchgrass seeds ar- en’t correspondingly big and strong. Boyd, USDA Agricul- tural Research Service range- land ecologist in Burns, Ore., and other researchers are making progress in develop- ing ways to give these seeds a better chance to survive tem- perature extremes and wide year-to-year swings in precip- itation amid increased compe- tition from non-native annual grasses. “We need to establish pe- rennials quickly,” he said. “Survival is their strength, but way back, perennials had that time to establish.” Smallish bunchgrass seeds and seedlings, if they survive extreme temperatures and hard-won moisture uptake in starting to establish them- selves, now often face stiff competition from non-native annuals like cheatgrass — which puts a development time crunch on seed-stage pe- rennials by germinating seed, emerging and producing new seed as an adult in a single year. Enter seed-amendment technology, which basical- ly means adding something to a bunchgrass seed to boost its chances of survival. The amendment could be placed on, against or next to the seed. Seed-amendment examples, Boyd said, include a chemical Courtesy of Chad Boyd Rangeland ecologist Chad Boyd, shown in southeastern Oregon collecting data on sagebrush abun- dance, has been working on seed-amendment technology to benefit perennial bunchgrass. coating applied directly to help delay germination until freeze risk passes, a pod that protects seeds therein from herbicide — put down at the same time to stop an unwanted emerging annual in its tracks - time-delay coating, and agglomeration. Time-delay coating, used for seeds planted in a tight group, aims to cover different potential germination and freeze periods, he said. Agglomeration, anoth- er approach to increasing sur- vival percentages, amounts to gluing together selected seeds to provide a strength-in-num- bers advantage as they work through challenges such as trying to emerge through tough clay soil. “We have seen some successes with some of the seed-amendment technologies at what I would call field-plot scale,” Boyd said. “The focus now is to continue to refine those technologies and also try to scale up.” To work in more vast set- tings and on a wider scale, seeds, seed groupings and amendments will have to per- form amid the varying eleva- tions, aspects and soils found in the sagebrush steppe landscape. “We’ve got a variety of en- vironmental conditions we are trying to make seeds successful in,” Boyd said. “They are going to have to overcome multiple barriers to establish.” The region’s typically wide year-to-year swings in precipi- tation and its tendency toward extreme hot and cold prompt scientists to steer clear of devel- oping restoration technologies and strategies based on long- term averages. Precipitation totals, for example, fall within 10 percent of the long-term av- erage roughly one year out of three or four, he said. Researchers select and amend perennial seeds to in- crease the likelihood that more make it through tough condi- tions and develop into the du- rable stature that characterizes them in mature-plant form. Boyd said mature bunch grasses can survive a decade or longer. He estimated 70 percent of a mature Bluebunch wheat- grass plant is underground in the form of a huge root system. “Survival is their strength,” he said. George Plaven/Capital Press Erik Augerson, a graduate research assistant at Oregon State University, demonstrates the Steam Weeder, steaming field bindweed along rows of blueberries at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center. Saturated steam an organic weed killer Technology demonstrated at OSU’s Blueberry Field Day By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press The Steam Weeder looks like a vacuum cleaner and sounds like an espresso machine, with a long hose and nozzle attached to a tractor-mounted boiler that superheats water up to 250 degrees. Erik Augerson, a grad- uate research assistant at Oregon State Universi- ty, recently demonstrat- ed how the technology works during a Blueber- ry Field Day at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center, steam- ing along rows of organic blueberries to control field bindweed. As a weed management tool, Augerson said the Steam Weeder has shown promise, especially for organic growers. The sat- urated steam kills weeds by bursting plant cells, without frying woody mulch like flame weeding does. Augerson, who is earn- ing his master’s degree from OSU in horticulture, is part of a research team trying to develop a sea- son-long organic weed management program for small berry growers, using steam in combination with other mechanical treat- ments and certified organ- ic sprays. “The organic berry in- dustry in Oregon is hav- ing a lot of trouble deter- mining what the best and most cost-effective form of weed management is for their systems,” Auger- son told the Capital Press. “We’re just trying to in- crease the growers’ tool- box.” The project is supported in part by a $500,000 grant from the USDA Organ- ic Transitions Program, with additional funding from the OSU Agricul- ture Research Foundation and Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research. Jeremy Winer, manag- ing director of Weedtech- nics, the Australian com- pany that manufactures the Steam Weeder, was also on hand at field day to meet with growers and answer questions about the product. According to Winer, the Steam Weeder superheats water and flashes it into saturated steam within the nozzle system. It sprays 2.5 gallons per minute, penetrating 1 inch into the soil. “It’s not actually boil- ing, but it’s superheated,” Winer explained. “It ex- plodes the (weed) cells.” OSU purchased the Steam Weeder over the winter, and field trials be- gan about a month and a half ago. While they are still collecting data, Au- gerson said the technology could be another option for organic growers. “We know that it can kill weeds, and that it works from a management standpoint,” Augerson said. “I think it has a lot of promise. Depending on the size and model, Steam Weed- ers cost between $16,000 and $30,000. Augerson said the value for small farmers is in decreased need for manual labor con- trolling weeds, allowing them to put their workers to better use. “There is a lack of farm labor, and it is decreas- ing,” Augerson said. “We want to make it so farmers can utilize their labor in different ways.” Augerson said they will need at least two years of data before they can start writing a comprehensive, full-season weed manage- ment program for organic berries. Mint production increases in parts of the West By DESIREE BERGSTROM Capital Press Most of the mint oil in the U.S. is produced in the West, and some parts of the region are still increasing production. “I think Idaho is going to in- crease its production in the next three to 5 years,” Roger Batt, executive director of the Idaho Mint Commission, said. From 2007 to 2012, Idaho increased mint harvest by a lit- tle over 4,000 acres. During the same time, Oregon saw a nearly 6,000-acre increase in mint har- vests for oil. Washington state, however, has seen a decrease in acreage, and Ken Christensen, a mint grower and chairman of the Far West Mint Marketing Order, said he doesn’t see it increasing. Christensen said production will most likely begin moving to other states because of the aging demographic of farmers and less demand for spearmint, a popular crop in Washington, versus pep- permint. In 2012, the USDA Cen- sus of Agriculture reported that 96,129 acres of mint were harvested for oil. Of that total, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California produced approxi- mately 77.5 percent. Producing mint oil takes special know-how, Christensen said. “It’s not like everyone knows how to grow it,” Christensen said. “You have either been in it for generations or you have a neighbor that helps you.” Idaho ranks number three in the nation for peppermint pro- Capital Press File Mint grows near Greenleaf, Idaho. Mint acreage in Idaho and Oregon has been increasing. duction, with 16,000 acres. The state also grows a much smaller percentage of spearmint, only about 1,000 acres, according to Batt. “Ninety percent of all mint oil goes into gum, toothpaste and candy,” Batt said. The other 10 percent is used for medicinal purposes. Mint can also be used for tea leaves. The demand for oil depends on the type of mint. Peppermint oil is in higher demand than spearmint, Batt said, because peppermint has menthol in it. Also, spearmint has a marketing order attached to it, he said. Basically, there is a limit to how much spearmint can be produced to prevent flooding the market. The system works based on a lottery to de- cide who is able to grow spear- mint, he said. “Mint is a product that can be stored for a for a long time,” Christensen said, but that can be a problem as well. If there isn’t enough demand the stocks get really high and drive the price down, which is part of the rea- son spearmint oil production is regulated. Mint oil, no matter the kind, requires expensive equipment to produce. Farmers cut the mint and leave it in windrows for sever- al days to dry, Batt explained. Then, the mint is chopped into small pieces with a silage chop- per before it is placed into large sealable mint tubs. The tubs are then hauled to a mint still, where they are hooked to a steam hose, Batt said. Steam is pumped into the bottom of the bin to release the oil in the mint and turn it into vapor. The vapor is then taken and allowed to cool and turn into liquid. The oil sep- arates to the top of the water and is separated. Mint stills alone cost around $1 million, according Christensen, who mentioned that propane costs to run the still can also be high.
