OPINION: WE HOPE JURORS WILL PUT THE FACTS ON TRIAL, NOT MONSANTO. Page 6 FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2018 VOLUME 91, NUMBER 33 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 FAR FROM HOME Antonio de Jesus Bailon is one of thousands of foreign guestworkers who U.S. growers depend on to harvest their crops. But their story goes beyond the fields and orchards. Dan Wheat/Capital Press Antonio de Jesus Bailon in the bunkhouse kitchen, where other H-2A guestworkers are beginning to prepare dinner. They work at Griggs Orchards in Orondo, Wash. By DAN WHEAT Capital Press O RONDO, Wash. — He’s up and down a ladder in mere seconds, picking apples quickly with both hands and placing them into the canvas bag strapped to his chest. It’s grab the ladder and on to the next trees. He’s moving fast because the Gala apples are sparse, most having been picked days earlier. This is the final sweep for apples that needed more time to ripen. Antonio de Jesus Bailon is a good picker, slightly faster than average. He picks a 700-800-pound bin of apples per hour, says his foreman, Gustavo San- Turn to WORKERS, Page 9 Drought lingers across PNW Western U.S. drought conditions (As of Aug. 23) Wildfires, low stream flows impact agriculture Legend D0-Abnormally dry D1-Drought (moderate) D2-Drought (severe) Antonio de Jesus “Chuy” Bailon picks Gala apples at Griggs Orchards in Orondo, Wash., on Aug. 21. He’s in his fifth season as one of thousands of H-2A-visa agricultural guestworkers from Mexico. chez, at Griggs Orchards in Orondo. Bailon, 34, is a quiet man of short, slender build affectionately called “Chuy” — pronounced “Chew-wee” — by his peers, a common Mexican nick- name for people named Jesus. “These are good apples,” he says, grabbing nicely sized red Gala at ground level. Bailon is one of a growing number of foreign guestworkers working on U.S. farms and orchards. He has received a temporary H-2A (agricultural) visa often used to pick tree fruit, berries or vegeta- bles. His employer has obtained special permission from the federal government to hire him and bring him from his home D3-Drought (extreme) D4-Drought (exceptional) By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press Intensity of drought by percent area affected Date None D0-4 Current 15.8% 84.2 3 mo. ago 39.4 60.6 1 yr. ago 64.8 35.2 D1-4 D2-4 D3-4 58.1 35.9 15.9 44.6 31.6 18.8 15.3 7.5 4.3 D4 3.6 4.6 1.5 Source: National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Capital Press graphic More hot and dry weather is expected to hang around the Pacific Northwest, exacerbat- ing drought conditions that have gripped the region. As of Aug. 23, every cor- ner of Oregon, Washington state and Idaho is experienc- ing some stage of drought, from “abnormally dry” to “extreme,” according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. The result is a summer filled with wildfires belching smoke that has impacted air quality for days at a time, and low stream flows prompting water regulators to curtail de- liveries in some basins. The worst conditions ap- pear to be in Western Oregon, which is reeling from a his- toric lack of rainfall in some areas. The National Weather Service reports the city of Sa- USDA to provide $6.1 billion in farm aid By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press USDA Monday announced details of a three-pronged plan to assist U.S. farmers and ranchers in response to trade damages from retaliato- ry tariffs by China and other countries. The plan includes nearly $4.7 billion in direct pay- ments to producers harmed, more than $1.2 billion in gov- ernment food purchases and $200 million to develop for- eign markets. “For months President Trump has been standing up to China and other nations sending a clear message that the United States will no lon- ger tolerate the unfair trade practices, which include non-tariff barriers and forced transfer of intellectual prop- erty,” Sonny Perdue, USDA secretary, said in a phone con- ference with the media. “President Trump has said enough is enough,” he said. But he also did not want agricultural producers bear- ing the brunt of the retaliatory tariffs and instructed Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy, Perdue said. Economic pressure al- ready exists in farm country, where net farm income has dropped more than 50 percent in the last five years. Produc- ers simply cannot pay their bills with patriotism, he said. The $6.1 billion in farm assistance announced Mon- day is about half the $12 billion USDA expects in lost exports. There may be an- other round of aid depending on how the trade disputes evolve, but the goal is to be- gin taking applications for as- sistance Sept. 4. Turn to USDA, Page 9 lem had gone 78 straight days without any significant rain as of Wednesday, and will likely break the record of 79 consec- utive days set in 1967. Other parts of the region did get a few light showers last week- end and Monday. Overall, Oregon precip- itation is averaging 86 per- cent of normal, while stream flows are averaging less than 50 percent of normal — rang- ing from 30 percent in the Turn to DROUGHT, Page 9 Market Facilitation Program payments (Direct payments to producers) Commodity Payment Total ($ dollars) ($ millions) Cotton Corn Dairy (milk) Pork (hogs) Soybeans Sorghum Wheat Total 0.06/lb 0.01/bu. 0.12/cwt 8/head 0.86/bu. 0.86/bu. 0.14/bu. — 276.9 96 127.4 290.3 3,629.7 156.8 119.2 4,696.3 Source: USDA Capital Press graphic