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10 CapitalPress.com August 24, 2018 Like your favorite pair of work boots — insist on a good fit with your banker, too Hazelnut research to set bar for irrigation By KASH GILL Chris Higgins, an Oregon State University agricultural engineering professor, stands beneath a 30-foot steel tower in the middle of a hazelnut orchard a few miles south- west of Amity, and points up to a jaw-like contraption that looks like it should adorn the side of a spaceship. These sensors, he says, will measure water that evap- orates from the ground and the trees into the air from a 15-acre portion of the or- chard. At the base of the tow- er, wires snake into the dirt, measuring soil moisture. In a few weeks, young tree trunks will be pierced with sap sen- sors, measuring the moisture moving through the trees. Higgins and his students are collecting the data to see what the hazelnut trees are doing in real time, hoping to establish guidelines that new hazelnut growers can use to plan the most efficient irriga- tion schedules in the Willa- mette Valley. The guidelines for most crops are created by gather- ing information from sensors or historical records. Most of that data is publicly available online at AgriMet, a program of the U.S. Bureau of Rec- lamation that, among other things, lists recommended Banner Bank I’ve been an ag banker my entire career and I’m passionate about helping families and businesses achieve their financial goals. Like all my ag-focused col- leagues, I value the farms — large and small — and the many supporting businesses that are part of the food sup- ply chain. The products and commodities you grow, pro- mote and sell, as well as all the people you employ, are an invaluable component of the local, regional and na- tional economy. One of the kernels of knowledge I’ve picked up over my career is how vital it is for any business, espe- cially an ag business, to be matched up with the right bank. But how do you know when it’s a good fit? Here are four tried-and-true consider- ations: • Apply the Golden Rule. Service is priority #1 with every business — in- cluding banking. Regardless of the size of your farm or business (or the crops you grow), you deserve outstand- ing service. Every time. All the time. If we’re doing our job right in banking we are ready and willing to earn your business. • It’s not you. It’s me. As in our personal lives, a business relationship must work for both parties. There are reasons to switch banks. Maybe the complexities of your operations have out- grown your current bank, or you feel you’ve been sold the hot new product instead of what you need. Regard- less of the reason, don’t be afraid to “break up” for a Dan Wheat/Capital Press Wheat is one of the major crops grown in the West. better match. • Expect the best. Many financial institutions can fund a loan or line, but it’s key to choose a banker with specific ag credit expertise to understand your financials and industry. Your banker should be a trusted advisor and a resource year-round, not just when your loan or line is up for renewal. A strong relationship is invalu- able — think of it as anytime access to free expertise. • Are you on a first name basis with your banker? I believe this is the litmus test. A good banker should know why you’re passionate about what you produce or sell and what sets you apart from your competitors. In fact, they should be the loudest voice in your cheering sec- tion, rooting you on as you achieve your financial goals. Working closely with lo- cal families and businesses to help them succeed is why I’ve built a career in bank- ing. It’s satisfying to know our clients’ products show up on dinner tables across the nation and the world. That appreciation is one of the reasons I’m at Banner Bank. We’ve been committed to ag business since opening our doors 128 years ago. Taking a hands-on ap- proach, our ag bankers get to know each client — from understanding their short- and long-term goals to knowing how they bring their product to market. We also work hard to understand outside pressures like fluctu- ating fertilizer pricing, for- ward contracting and timing for cash flow. Only then do we tailor solutions to suit a client’s specific needs. This approach makes all the dif- ference in my mind because every farm we drive onto and every business we en- ter is unique and should be treated that way. I encourage you to re- member your value as a cli- ent. When you’re matched with the right banker, they will proactively recommend financial solutions to make the best use of your hard- earned money and propel your business forward so you can focus on feeding America. Kash Gill is a Senior Vice President and Commer- cial Banking Center Man- ager for Banner Bank. From seed bulbs and strawberry starters to cattle and caviar, the Banner team serves diverse ag regions in Cali- fornia, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Learn more at bannerbank.com. SuTech18-1/101 By GAIL OBERST For the Capital Press Gail Oberst/For the Capital Press Chad Higgins, a professor in Oregon State University’s Biological and Environmental Engineering program, is conducting experi- ments to improve hazelnut irrigation techniques. Soil sensors in the ground, evaporation sensors in the air, and sensors in the tree will measure water circulating through the orchard. watering schedules in charts specific to crops. Missing from those charts, though, is the data for the lat- est hazelnut cultivars, recent- ly developed to replace trees susceptible to the Eastern Filbert Blight. The blight in the Northwest, and in other parts of the world, has devas- tated hazelnut crops. Added to the blight’s damage, world trade and distribution unrest has disrupted international hazelnut growers, who once produced more than 90 per- cent of the world’s crop. The world market’s loss has been a boon to Oregon growers who have expanded acreage from about 30,000 in 2014 to near- ly 70,000 last year, according to Polly Owen of Oregon Ha- zelnut, a nonprofit branch of the Nut Growers Society. “I see the change in the valley and it’s exciting, but there needs to be an equal amount of information to sup- port it,” Higgins said. Higgins hopes to help growers who are planting the resistant cultivars, especial- ly the Jefferson hazelnut, by setting irrigation guidelines that fit the new types of dis- ease-resistant hazelnuts — guidelines that now do not exist. To that end, he has es- tablished a research station in a 100-acre orchard a few miles southwest of Amity, where he is gathering data that may set optimum irri- gation standards for the new cultivars. Coleman Agriculture modernizes for future By GAIL OBERST For the Capital Press Some things are beyond a single farmer’s control: Global markets are among them. In 2008, Anheuser-Busch, the beer giant and longtime Coleman hop farms client, merged with InBev, an interna- tional brewing company. Cole- man was left holding the bag, literally. The new AB-InBev canceled its growing contracts, forcing the Oregon hop farmers to reduce 1,000 acres of hops to 100. The Colemans, headquar- tered in St. Paul, Ore., didn’t get to be seventh-generation farmers because they give up easily. Today, thanks to part- nerships with craft brewers and hop innovators and research- ers, Coleman Agriculture is now growing and managing over 2,000 acres of hops in the Willamette Valley. This time around, the company is raising 23 varieties of hops, 20 of them at their Alluvial Farm in Inde- pendence. The hops include a variety of public, private and, in some cases, experimental breeds soon to be found in your next favorite beer. Keeping costs low and qual- ity high is at the core of other Coleman innovations. In the hop dryer, computerized sen- sors will go online this fall to increase speed, reduce fuel costs and increase quality con- sistency, with an aim to im- prove the bottom line and im- portant flavors. This year, equipment and staff will be outfitted with GPS equipment to coordinate work between the 12 Coleman Ag- riculture entities spread across more than 8,000 acres in Or- egon. In addition to hops, the company farms hazelnuts, seed and vegetable row crops. A new model How does a multi-genera- tional family farm stay intact? “We kick-started change to a 20th-century farm into 21st-cen- tury practices,” said Liz Cole- man, one of six Coleman own- ers. The game-changer, Liz said, was the family’s investment in a new business structure. That business model was es- tablished four years ago, based on the company’s old-school collective mission, which reads: “Deeply rooted in our farming heritage, we cultivate the future for the prosperity of those we serve.” Their obstacles to sur- vival are not uncommon in multi-generational farms. As more Coleman relatives de- veloped farms and sidelines, complexities grew — it was hard to communicate new ideas between generations, and hard- er still to plan for future gener- ations. In the past, succession — passing the farm from one gen- eration to the next — had been easier. Fourth-generation own- ers Robert and Martha Cole- man helped their sons, John F., Bob and Bill, get started with their own farms. When Rob- ert and Martha died their farm ground was passed to their de- scendants. Eventually, John F. and his wife, Kathleen, and Bill and his wife Kathryn’s children — Generation 6 — graduated from college and married. The new model was based on the idea that operating in- dependently limits Coleman Agriculture’s potential for a stronger business and best prac- tices, said Liz. Combining their diverse talents, the partners are working toward a more orga- nized and collaborative way of doing business aimed at sus- taining the family farm for fu- ture generations, she said. “We asked ourselves: How can we do this differently?” said Liz. With advice from Ore- gon State University’s Austin Family Business Program, the Colemans formed an owner- ship board that works closely with the company’s president in overseeing the crop manage- ment of its 12 entities. The land is owned by individual family members but decisions about farming it falls on the owner- ship board, board of directors, and its non-family president, David Henze. SuTech18-1/101