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STAYING SAFE ON THE FARM AND RANCH PAGES 9-10 Capital Press A g The West’s FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 Weekly VOLUME 91, NUMBER 36 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 Emily Cooper, of Full Cellar Farm at Headwaters Farm, is in her fifth year of the incubator program and also serves as the care taker for the farm. Desiree Bergstrom/Capital Press GETTING STARTED Headwaters Farm For Nicki Passarella, left, and Irina Schabram Headwaters has allowed them to begin farming with low start-up costs and low risk. “ It is not that easy to find land that you can farm on, and then the capital of getting started has been a little bit prohibitive as well.” — Irina Schabram Incubators, extension programs and seeking advice are among the ways new farmers can overcome barriers facing them. By DESIREE BERGSTROM Capital Press RESHAM, Ore. — On the outskirts of this Portland sub- urb, a red barn and several small farm fields huddle along a gravel driveway. Lush green plants covering the plots con- trast with the dusty dull grays of the gravel road, highlighting the well-cared-for farm and the crops of vegetables, herbs and flow- ers. Welcome to Headwaters Farm. Managed by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Con- servation District, it is a farm incubator — a place where aspiring farmers can lease small G parcels of land and rent equipment to get their farms going. For Irina Schabram and Nicki Passarella, Headwaters has allowed them to begin farm- ing with low start-up costs and low risk. “It is not that easy to find land that you can farm on, and then the capital of getting started has been a little bit prohibitive as well,” said Schabram. “So all the equipment here, the wonderful lease we have, the fact that we have a riser right at our field and we can pump water onto our field … just made it a dream come true for somebody who wants to try this out.” Schabram and Passarella are part of a new generation of farmers. They didn’t grow up in agriculture, yet they are intent on learning the profession so they can grow the nation’s food and fiber as the current genera- tion of farmers retires. It is an uphill battle. The number of younger farmers has been decreasing. In the 2007 Census of Agriculture, there were about 387,000 farmers age 44 and under. By 2012, that number had dropped to about 334,000 — a decrease of nearly 14 percent. Turn to STARTED, Page 12 Finding common ground on Oregon wolf plan proves difficult Second meeting scheduled for Sept. 21 By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press It was a tale of two meetings in The Dalles Aug. 30 as traditional adversaries sat down to find com- mon ground within the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Manage- ment Plan, now three years past due for an update. Around the table, members of farming, ranching, environmental and hunting organizations laid out their objectives for the plan, which will guide wolf recovery across the state for the next five years. Todd Nash, a rancher and Wallowa County commissioner representing the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, speaks during a meeting in The Dalles to find common ground on an update to the state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, while Quinn Read with Defenders of Wildlife and Amira Streeter, natural resources policy adviser to Gov. Kate Brown, listen. Conversations were heated at times — especially while dis- cussing the prospect of hunting wolves — but the group eventu- ally reached some areas of com- promise, and agreed to schedule a second meeting. Deb Nudelman, a mediator with Kearns & West in Portland, Turn to WOLF, Page 12 George Plaven/Capital Press Higher production costs depress net farm income By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press After a welcome increase in 2017, net farm income is expected to drop 13 percent — $9.8 billion nationwide — in 2018 to $65.7 billion, the USDA fore- casts. Adjusted for inflation, net farm in- come is forecast to drop 14.8 percent to slightly above its 2016 level — which was the lowest level since 2002, ana- lysts with USDA Economic Research Service reported. While overall farm cash receipts are forecast to remain stable at $374 billion, there are winners and losers in the mix. In the big picture, the analysts ex- pect increases in sales volumes to offset decreases in prices. The forecast $5 billion effect of lower prices — $1 billion from crops and $4 billion from animals and animal products — should be partially offset by a $4 billion higher volume of sales, mostly from animals and animal prod- ucts. Milk receipts are expected to de- crease by $2.8 billion, or 7.4 percent, reflecting an expected price decline that more than offsets the higher volume of milk sold. Cash receipts for cattle and calves are expected to decrease $800 mil- lion, or 1.1 percent, reflecting a price decline that is weightier than in- creased quantities sold. Hog cash receipts are expected to decline $1.6 billion, or 7.7 percent, re- flecting expected lower prices. On a brighter note, broiler chicken receipts are expected to rise $3 billion, or 10 percent, on larger quantities and higher prices. Chicken egg receipts are forecast for a similar scenario, rising $3 billion, or 39.5 percent. Turn to INCOME, Page 12