Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2018)
September 21, 2018 CapitalPress.com 3 Airport grant worries farmland preservationists By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Farmer Mike Iverson grows fresh market vegetables along both sides of the Aurora State Airport, so a prospective runway expansion makes him nervous for several reasons. An immediate concern would be any disruption to traf- fic on Keil Road, which runs directly south of the airport and is necessary for him to transport workers and equipment back and forth. Noise and pollution from added air traffic are worrisome to Iverson, who is also troubled by the implications for develop- ment on surrounding farmland from a more bustling airport. While such concerns about increasing the runway from 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet are nothing new, an upcoming pro- posal from the Oregon Depart- ment of Aviation has Iverson and other opponents on high alert. On Sept. 26, the agency will ask the Oregon Emergency Board — which makes funding decisions when the Legislature isn’t in session — for permis- sion to apply for a $33.3 mil- lion federal grant to expand the Aurora airport’s runway. Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press An airplane departs the Aurora State Airport near Aurora, Ore. A proposed $33.3 million grant application to expand the facility’s runway has stirred alarm among opponents of the extension, including farmland preservationists. The fear is that if the Fed- eral Aviation Administration approves the application, pro- ponents of the controversial proposal will be emboldened to sidestep normal regulations to expand the runway. “There was no public pro- cess and they’re trying to by- pass the public process now,” said Iverson. The Oregon Department of Aviation counters that even if the Emergency Board does au- thorize applying for the grant, that hardly means the runway expansion would be exempt from requirements by local, state and federal governments. “Once the money is there, it doesn’t circumvent the permit- ting or planning process,” said Matthew Maass, the agency’s state airports manager. Increasing the runway’s length has already been ex- tensively discussed during a “master planning” process for the airport, also paid for by the FAA, and the grant applica- tion is just another incremental step, he said. The FAA doesn’t subscribe to a philosophy of “if you build it, they will come” — it only funds such expansions for airports that have demonstrat- ed their operations are already constrained, Maass said. A study of the Aurora air- port determined that more than 500 aircraft operate at less than full capacity by taking on less fuel or cargo to adapt to the shorter runway, he said. Extending the runway by 1,000 feet would allow these aircraft to gain more airspeed and improve their lift, letting them take on more fuel and cargo, he said. Agricultural traffic could still be accom- modated if the runway were longer. “They are going to fund it based on the existing need today,” Maass said, while ac- knowledging the expansion could increase air traffic at the facility. If the runway was extend- ed, the state would buy more land south of the facility to protect the airspace, but new buildings wouldn’t be al- lowed in that area, he said. “Our intent would be to keep that farmland because it pro- tects the approach to the air- port.” Opponents of the project are dubious whether the run- way extension would ever face full regulatory scrutiny, partly because of House Bill 4092, which would have eased land use laws for such an airport ex- pansion onto farmland. The bill died in committee earlier this year, but it’s likely other legislation could again be proposed to “super-site” the expansion — especially if the funding is already in hand, said Ken Ivey, chairman of the Aurora-Butteville-Barlow Community Planning Orga- nization. “They don’t want to go through the land use plan- ning, they don’t want the community involved,” he said. “They will hammer a square peg into a round hole because they have the fund- ing.” Farmworkers reject UFW in long-fought election By DAN WHEAT Capital Press With ballots counted five years after an election, farm- workers at California’s larg- est peach and stone fruit farm have overwhelmingly reject- ed the United Farm Workers Union. Workers at Gerawan Farms, in Fresno, voted 1,098 to 197, a 5-to-1 margin, in fa- vor of decertifying the union as their representative, ac- cording to a Sept. 18 count by the state Agricultural La- bor Relations Board. Another 635 disputed ballots were not counted. The election was Nov. 5, 2013, but ALRB impounded the ballots at UFW’s request, concluding that it was “im- possible to know” whether the workers’ request for an elec- tion represented their “true sentiments” when it came time to vote and alleging Ger- awan manipulated the vote. On Sept. 11, 2018, the California Supreme Court upheld a lower court order to count the ballots, rejecting arguments by UFW and the ALRB. It is one of the largest union decertification elections in California agricultural la- bor history. Tom Nassif, president and CEO of Western Growers in Irvine, said it took the state’s highest court to force ALRB to do the right thing. “We now know the reason behind the ALRB’s delay tac- tics, which lasted nearly five years. The ALRB knew or believed the outcome of the Courtesy of Gerawan Farms Workers protest to have their votes counted in a UFW decertification election. The Sept. 18 count was 5-to-1 to decertify United Farm Workers Union from representing the workers. vote was ‘No Union’ and was attempting to shield the UFW from the humiliation of its ir- relevance,” Nassif said. “It is clear the UFW does not represent the voice of Cal- ifornia’s farmworkers and the results of this election must compel the state to stop acting as a surrogate of the UFW and move instead to guarantee jus- tice for all agricultural work- ers,” he said. The ALRB will next rule on the disputed ballots and certify final results before tak- ing up the broader issue of the fairness of the election. “Our employees have been waiting since November 2013 for their votes to be counted. After a historic struggle, they achieved that right today, in spite of the efforts by the UFW and millions of taxpayer dol- lars spent by the ALRB to deny them that right,” Gerawan WDFW shoots one wolf in Northeast Washington By DON JENKINS Capital Press A 50-pound juvenile wolf was shot and killed Sunday by a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife marksman in the Kettle River Range in Ferry County, the department reported Tuesday. The wolf was one of four seen by a helicopter crew. The department said distinguish- ing between an adult and ju- venile from the air is difficult this time of year because of the size of the young wolves. The pack has been preying on cattle in the Colville Na- tional Forest in an area that Fish and Wildlife calls the Old Profanity Peak territory after a former pack. The department confirmed Monday that the pack had killed a cow. The cow was likely killed before the wolf was shot, according to the de- partment. The department previously confirmed that the pack had killed at least one calf and in- jured at least four more. Fish and Wildlife says removing wolves as a last resort to stop attacks on live- stock is consistent with the state’s overall plan to re-es- tablish wolves in Washing- ton. A Thurston County judge on Sept. 14 denied a request by environmental groups to block the department from killing a wolf. Farms said in a statement. The right of workers to choose their representation is at the heart of what the ALRB is “designed to protect,” the election is a “ringing endorse- ment” of that right and a “repu- diation of concerted, unlawful and anti-democratic efforts to deny them that right,” Ger- awan Farms said. Armando Elenes, UFW national vice president, told the Fresno Bee he was disap- pointed, not surprised and that the election should be thrown out because the ALRB found Gerawan committed multiple unfair labor practices. George Radanovich, pres- ident of the California Fresh Fruit Association, applauded the outcome, saying farm- workers have a fundamental right to choose whether to be represented. “The Agriculture Labor Re- lations Board together with the United Farm Workers joined to work against the true voice of these employees, their votes,” Radanovich said. He joined Gerawan in ask- ing the ALRB to certify the election results and decertify the UFW. They called on the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown to ensure ALRB’s vi- olation of farmworkers’ free- dom to choose never happens again. UFW won an election at Gerawan in 1990. Five years later, workers rebuffed UFW-negotiated contracts. Gerawan contends the union abandoned the workers for more than 17 years. UFW reappeared in 2012 when a new state mandatory media- tion law allowed the union to impose a contract. Workers didn’t like that and chose the decertification election. Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Matthew Beltran, grain inspection program assistant for the Washington State Department of Agriculture, holds up a mixture of wheat and water used in the falling number test Sept. 14 at the agency office in Spokane Valley, Wash. Grain elevators blend wheat to meet falling number standard By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Washington grain eleva- tors say they’re finding suc- cess blending wheat to make sure it meets the industry standard for the falling num- bers test. HighLine Grain Growers is blending some carryover crop from 2017 to achieve the industry standard falling number score of 300, CEO Paul Katovich said. “If you think you have a good handle on a lot that’s 270 wheat and another lot that’s 350, how much 350 do you need to make the 270 get over the line and average 300?” he said. “If it’s blend- ed well, it works just fine.” In the Columbia Basin, falling number test scores were 40 to 60 seconds higher than 300, said Damon Filan, manager of Tri-Cities Grain in Pasco, Wash. The falling number test measures starch damage caused by rapid changes in temperature or rain during critical stages of wheat de- velopment. The test involves mixing water and wheat to- gether and measuring how long a plunger takes to “fall” through it. A test score of 300 seconds is the industry stan- dard. Filan believes the indus- try is more prepared this year and able to better segregate wheat in areas where low scores occurred. The wheat industry was caught off guard in 2016, when starch problems caused much low- er falling number test scores and cost farmers more than $30 million in reduced pric- es. He said the majority of the problems this year seemed to occur north of Interstate 90 and east of Highway 95, from Colfax to Spokane. HighLine has two facil- ities testing wheat, and will keep at it throughout the year to determine the variability in the wheat sample, Ka- tovich said. “Every time we move a bushel from one bin to an- other, or from one location to another, we’re testing again and again and again,” he said. “That’s where the extra expense and management comes in. Ultimately, you’re trying to hit the mark on 300 when it goes to export.” The Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative says on its website that it will not discount for low falling numbers this year. “There were a few iso- lated areas of low FNs at the start of harvest, but as harvest progressed north- ward and eastward, enough high FNs had been deliv- ered to alleviate any poten- tial problems,” the website states. Katovich said HighLine is discounting some wheat, but will work to absorb as much risk internally as pos- sible. The entire reason for the test is to make sure dough holds together and lasts the entirety of its mix cycle for customers overseas, Ka- tovich said. “That’s why they set the line where they set it,” he said. “...It’s all about wheth- er this product is going to be usable in making a cookie, bread or whatever.” Wheat that doesn’t meet customer quality require- ments won’t get to end-us- ers, Katovich said. “We don’t want to undermine these markets. Our custom- ers are the best customers in the world. ... We want to make sure that they have full confidence that every time we ship something to them, it’s going to work for them.” Katovich will visit over- seas customers in October. He expects the falling num- ber question to come up with customers. “They’re going to ask about this. They’re going to ask, ‘Can we deliver?’” he said. “Yeah, we’re going to deliver and they don’t have to worry.” Grass Expertise. LET’S TALK! Over 40 Years Experience POND & DITCH LINERS WE DELIVER YOU INSTALL & SAVE GREENWAY SEEDS Caldwell, Idaho • Alan Greenway, Seedsman Cell: 298-259-9159 • MSG: 298-454-8342 Alan Greenway, Seedsman Weekly fieldwork report Ore. Item/description (Source: USDA, NASS; NOAA) • Days suitable for fieldwork (As of Sept. 18) 6.5 • Topsoil moisture, surplus 0 • Topsoil moisture, percent short 93% • Subsoil moisture, surplus 0 • Subsoil moisture, percent short 92% • Precipitation probability 33% Below/ (6-10 day outlook as of Sept. 18) Normal Wash. Idaho Calif. 6.8 0 63% 0 54% 6.6 0 69% 0 70% 7 0 75% 0 80% 33-40% Above Normal 33% Below/ Normal 38-3/108 Extending runway suspected to invite more development
