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September 21, 2018 CapitalPress.com 9 Wyoming, Idaho grizzly hunts stay on hold By DAN WHEAT Capital Press At the request of the Earth- justice environmental law firm, a federal judge in Mis- soula, Mont., has extended his temporary restraining order on grizzly bear hunts in Wyoming and Idaho another 14 days. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen issued a 14-day stay on Aug. 30 and renewed it on Sept. 13. The hunts were scheduled to begin Sept. 1 and would have allowed for up to 23 bears to be killed outside Yellowstone National Park in the Greater Yellowstone Eco- system, with 22 in Wyoming and one in Idaho. If the judge rules in the states’ favor at the end of the month, there still could be time for hunts, said Rebekah Fitz- gerald, a Wyoming Game and Fish Department spokeswom- an. “We are disappointed the hunt continues to be post- poned. We feel Wyoming has put together a strong grizzly bear management program that allows for protection of the bear population and conserva- tive hunting,” Fitzgerald said. She said she does not know the likelihood of further re- straining order extensions and that the season is scheduled to go through Nov. 15. The Sierra Club of Greater Yellowstone issued a statement calling the extension a critical win for grizzlies still on the road to recovery. The department has said 718 grizzlies are in the ecosys- tem and the criteria for recov- ery was 500. Ranchers support the hunts, having lost cattle and sheep to grizzly bears. Wyoming paid $455,000 for grizzly livestock kills in 2016, $509,000 in 2015 and $301,000 in 2014, according to the state. One rancher, Mary Thoman, wrote in an Aug. 29 USA Today column that if the grizzly population continues to grow unchecked it will be impossible for ranchers to earn a living. Her ranch lost 445 sheep to grizzlies in one year and has given up federal grazing permits because the loss has been so great, her at- Grizzly bear hunts in Wyoming and Idaho remain on hold for two more weeks. torney said. Associated Press File Volunteers harvest corn for Puget Sound food banks More than 8,000 ears picked By DON JENKINS Capital Press File The Organic Trade Association wants to establish a voluntary checkoff to fund organic research and promotion. OTA continues efforts for organic checkoff Down but not defeated after the USDA nixed an offi- cial organic research and pro- motion program, the Organic Trade Association is forging ahead with efforts to establish a voluntary checkoff program. The organization last week pledged not to walk away from an industry-funded pro- gram and has formed a steer- ing committee to coordinate and lead the efforts. “The Organic Trade Asso- ciation recognizes great de- mand for coordinated organic research and promotion, and the organic sector is ready to work together on innovative solutions that will have key benefits for organic,” Laura Batcha, OTA executive direc- tor and CEO, said. There is a critical need to educate consumers about or- ganic, to provide more tech- nical assistance to help more farmers transition to organic and to promote the organic brand, she said. OTA lost its long battle for an organic checkoff when USDA pulled the plug on the formal process to establish a checkoff in May. After reviewing nearly 15,000 comments from in- dustry stakeholders, including farmers, USDA terminated its proposed rule for a checkoff citing a “split within the in- dustry in terms of support” for a checkoff. The No Organic Checkoff Coalition, representing 6,000 organic farmers across the country, led the charge against a checkoff — contending a federal, mandated checkoff was not the right solution for the growing domestic indus- try. The coalition found many faults in the OTA proposed checkoff, primarily that it was more likely to promote the needs of large processors over those of family farmers. Jim Gerritsen, an organic farmer and president of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association — which was an early member of the coalition — told Capital Press last week OTA represents large-scale corporate proces- sors. “So that’s who was going to benefit from the checkoff anyway. So they might as well go to them directly,” he said. “OTA is becoming pretty inconsequential. Their direc- tion has nothing to do with organic agriculture. Their un- willingness to stand up for or- ganic integrity is the real cut- ting-edge issue here,” he said. The organization just wants to see an increase in organic sales and doesn’t care how that comes about, he said. He doubts OTA’s efforts for a voluntary checkoff will get any buy-in from organic farmers. “I can’t imagine any organ- ic farmers earning their living from organic farming signing up for this. It’s going to be the corporations,” he said. And with corporations paying for the program, he doesn’t think much of the funding will go to research for organic production, a priority for farmers, he said. If those corporations want- ed to support domestic organ- ic farmers, they could make a pledge to buy U.S.-produced organic crops and not import dubious, so-called organic crops, he said. Snohomish Conservation District Volunteers pick corn Sept. 7 in Snohomish County, Wash. They picked approximately 8,750 ears of corn for Puget Sound food banks. Pacific Building Systems is a pre-engineered metal building manufacturer based in Woodburn, Oregon. Our growing organization is seeking a metal building sales account executive that can be responsible for professionally representing the performance, service, sales, and marketing functions for all of the products and services that PBS provides. Qualifications and Skills MUST HAVE AGRICULTURE SALES EXPERIENCE IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY AREA • A minimum of 2 years experience in agriculture sales or equivalent. • Knowledge in construction or related field, with a minimum of 2 years experience is preferred. • Must be proficient in the use of computers and a variety of software programs. • Excellent communication and listening skills are required to work efficiently with all levels of staff and customers. To apply email resume to: sandyt@pbsbuildings.com 38-4/102 38-2-3/102 Capital Press About 100 volunteers in Snohomish County, Wash., harvested approxi- mately 8,750 ears of corn for Puget Sound food banks Sept. 7, reviving a gleaning tradition that had been dormant for several years. Dan Bartelheimer of Sno-Valley Farms grew the corn on about 3 acres. “We’ve been doing some- thing like this for eight to 10 years,” he said. The last couple of years, however, there were no volunteers to harvest the field. Bartel- heimer said the Rev. Jim Eichner of the Holy Cross Church of Redmond, an Episcopal church, orga- nized volunteers for an unprecedented turnout. Eichner also oversees the Food Bank Farm. “It worked the first year we tried it, and we’re definitely going to contin- ue it,” Bartelheimer said. The harvest gave peo- ple a taste of farming, he said. “It’s always fun for the first half-hour, hour.” Bartelheimer, who is also president of the Snohomish County Farm Bureau, said other farm- ers in the county are in- terested in hosting glean- ers at the end of their harvest. “I think something like this creates a lot of good- will between the farmers and community,” he said. The Snohomish Con- servation District helped organize the event. 38-4-3/106 By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press
