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4 CapitalPress.com November 30, 2018 Three-peat: Wheat farmer wins national yield contest By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Phillip Gross and the War- den Hutterian Brethren won the National Wheat Founda- tion’s annual wheat yield con- test for the third time since it began three years ago, topping 200 bushels per acre for the first time. Gross represents the War- den Hutterians with his entry. His irrigated winter wheat yielded 202.5 bushels per acre. The group planted the Limagrain Cereal Seeds hard red winter wheat variety LCS Jet. Gross said the group tried to address fertility issues on the crop, keeping the plants healthy and never wanting. “It was a little surprising, since we didn’t quite have the tillers, the head counts, that we were shooting for, but the kernel size was very large and Matthew Weaver/Capital Press File Phillip Gross, with the Warden Hutterian Brethren in Warden, Wash., has won the national wheat yield contest for the third straight year. nice, so it made up for some stuff that wasn’t there,” he told the Capital Press. The group wants to in- crease the farm’s efficiency and overall yield average, try- ing to get more production out of the same costs, Gross said. “You never know what’s going to happen, what the weather’s going to throw at you,” he said. “All you can do is try. It’s all up to the good Lord to send favorable weath- er, and we just have to do our part and be good stewards.” California winery to change labels for Oregon brands By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press A Napa Valley winery at the center of a labeling dis- pute in Oregon has agreed to put new labels on two brands of Oregon Pinot noir, follow- ing an investigation by feder- al regulators. The wines in question — Elouan and The Willamet- ter Journal — are made by Copper Cane LLC, based in Rutherford, Calif. The win- ery buys grapes from rough- ly 50 Oregon growers to make Pinot noir and rosé in California. Oregon winemakers ear- lier this year raised concerns about Copper Cane’s labels, which they felt were mis- leading to consumers by sug- gesting the wines were made in one of Oregon’s high-val- ue American Viticultural Ar- eas, or AVAs. Federal law prohibits us- ing an AVA name on labels, containers or bottles unless the wine was made in that state, and likewise forbids language that “tends to cre- ate a misleading perception.” Copper Cane surrendered nine labels to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, though the compa- ny was granted a “use-up” allowance, which allows it to finish selling what it has already bottled and labeled. Tom Hogue, a spokesman for the TTB in Washington, D.C., did not comment spe- cifically about the investi- gation, but said the agency determined labels for Elouan and The Willametter Journal should not have been ap- proved in the first place. In the case of The Wil- lametter Journal, the label was stylized as an old tele- George Plaven/Capital Press A Napa Valley winery at the center of a labeling dispute in Oregon has agreed to put new labels on two brands of Oregon Pinot noir, including Elouan and The Willametter Journal. gram, hailing the wine from the “Willamette region of Oregon’s coastal range” and sourced from the “Territory of Oregon.” Cases of Elouan Oregon Coast Pinot noir also referenced the Willamette, Rogue and Umpqua valleys, all three of which are feder- ally designated AVAs. Joe Wagner, founder and owner of Copper Cane, de- fended his labeling practic- es, saying the grapes are 100 percent from Oregon and they had hoped to communi- cate that fact through fun and fanciful language. “We’ve never misguided consumers,” Wagner said. “We’re very transparent about all those elements.” Wagner said they re- ceived new labels for the brands on Nov. 19, which drops all mention to specific geographic regions. Instead, the wines will be labeled as “Grown in Oregon, Made in California.” Jim Bernau, founder and CEO of Willamette Valley Vineyards south of Salem, Ore., has been a vocal crit- ic of Copper Cane’s labels. The laws are in place for a reason, Bernau said, and that is to protect the authentici- ty, value and reputation of unique wine growing areas. Bernau said he was pleased to see the TTB take quick and serious action, though there is still work to be done. He said two more Elouan labels are still causing prob- lems, including Missoula Wash and Klamath’s Kettle, which imply the Willamette and Rogue AVAs. “This is a pattern of de- ception quite sophisticated in nature,” Bernau said. “If this kind of behavior is allowed to continue, we won’t have an Oregon wine industry.” The issue has also drawn the attention of Oregon legis- lators, including Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat repre- senting the central coast. Gomberg — who owns an investment stake in Wil- lamette Valley Vineyards — testified about Cop- per Cane’s labels during a hearing Sept. 24 before the House Interim Committee on Economic Development and Trade, and issued a statement Nov. 19 after the labels were surrendered. “This is consumer fraud, pure and simple, and I am glad the federal agency has caught it,” Gomberg said. However, both Gomberg and Bernau expressed dis- appointment about the “use- up” allowance, saying it will continue to denigrate Ore- gon’s AVAs by allowing an estimated 900,000 more bot- tles to be sold into the market with the labels. Last year, Pacific North- west wheat groups encouraged the foundation to set minimum quality benchmarks for the contest, which was already adding a quality requirement. Glen Squires, CEO of the Washington Grain Commis- sion, said the contest requires wheat to be No. 2 grade or bet- ter. It’s a start, he said, but it’s “clearly not a definitive com- ponent of quality.” The Northwest groups want milling and baking char- acteristics considered, Squires said. “For example, if there’s a hard red spring, it ought to make a loaf of bread,” he said. “If a variety can’t do that, it ought to kick it out.” NAWG is making prog- ress, Squires said. “I think the quality aspect of it is great, because it real- ly encourages growers to try to maintain premium variet- ies and high end-use milling BAGS: • Seed Bags • Fertilizer Bags • Feed Bags • Potato Bags • Printed Bags • Plain Bags • Bulk Bags • Totes • Woven Polypropylene • Bopp • Polyethylene • Pocket Bags • Roll Stock & More! 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Gross said future contest submissions depend on how the year goes. “Actually, competition is heating up,” he said. “There were some entries this year that were really close. I think the spirit of competition is en- couraging people to try even harder. They’re not far be- hind any more, let’s put it that way.” USFS takes comment on Greater Sage Grouse management amendments By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press The public in five Western states has until Jan. 3 to com- ment on an amended plan for managing U.S. Forest Service land to protect greater sage grouse populations. USFS hopes the amend- ed plan will be easier to un- derstand and more efficient to carry out than the current version, in effect since 2015, while protecting the grouse’s disturbance-sensitive sage- brush nesting habitat to the same extent. The streamlined plan will make compliance less complex for ranchers, of- ficials said. Proposed amendments re- flect research findings in the past three years and the agen- cy’s desire to better coordi- nate its large, landscape-scale approach to managing habitat with the states’ plans to man- age the species. The amendments are de- scribed in a draft environmen- tal impact statement open to comments from residents of Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyo- ming and Colorado. Grazing plans under the amended version will be less complicated and “prescrip- tive” than what livestock operators use now, said John Shivik, USFS national sage grouse coordinator based in Ogden, Utah. They will be Jeanne Stafford/USFWS The U.S. Forest Service is updating its greater sage grouse plan. broader, more site-specific and easier to understand. “We had guidelines that were very prescriptive and didn’t attack the problem of improper grazing,” he said. Proposed new guidelines, which would take effect when a grazing permit is renewed or when a problem emerges, will reflect a more comprehensive evaluation of a specific site’s habitat health. “The biggest thing is to keep the protections to sage grouse (habitat) while en- couraging multiple use,” said Shivik, who spoke at an open house Nov. 26 in Boise. State and federal agencies “all want to be looking in the same di- rection in conserving sage grouse.” Restored habitat may off- set lost habitat, as the current plan allows, said Rob Mickel- son, USFS Idaho sage grouse coordinator. The amended version will document inva- sive species — such as annu- al cheatgrass that competes strongly with sagebrush and other native plants — in man- agement areas, and spell out how fire and other methods could be used to control them. The new plan folds current Sagebrush Focal Areas into existing Priority Habitat Man- agement Areas. Mickelson said Idaho deemed SFAs un- necessary in light of the feder- al priority areas and the state’s own three-tiered classifica- tion system for sage grouse habitat. Tight margins slow milk production By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press U.S. dairy farmers have taken 43,000 cows out of the national herd since February, reining in milk production growth in a fourth year of sour milk prices. There is “certainly eco- nomic hardship at the farm level throughout the country,” Matt Gould, of Dairy Market Analyst, said. Producers he’s visited with in different parts of the country feel “downtrodden and beat up” after several years of lack- luster prices, he said. “Some of these farms have struggled to be profitable” since 2014, which was a great year for milk prices, he said. Farms have gone out of LEGAL WE SPECIALIZE IN BULK BAGS! qualities,” Gross said. “I think it’s a great addition to the con- test.” The foundation is a nine-member board of di- rectors and managed by staff members of the National As- sociation of Wheat Growers. Eighty-two growers from 23 states entered the compe- tition this year, according to NAWG. The contest received 318 total entries. Larry Carroll of Morrow County, Ore., placed first in irrigated spring wheat with a yield of 158.93 bushels per acre. Jon Wert of Hettinger County, N.D., placed first in dryland spring wheat with a yield of 103.98 bushels per acre. Ken Horton of Kearny County, Kan., placed first in irrigated winter wheat with a yield of 111.28 bushels per acre. R&K Farms of Pine Bluffs, PUBLIC LIEN SALE U-STORE SELF STORAGE SAT, December 15, 2018 1st location starts at 10AM 1501 Hawthorne Ave NE Salem, Oregon Andy Bill Jr, 2F05; Kelly C Butler, 1D48, Y2-4; Justin Clemetson, 2D55; Laura Emerick, 2B12; LuVana Endicott, 1D37; Leah D Grey, 1B12; Barbara Hernandez, 2A54; Chris Higgins, 1F03; Ximena Macias, 1C46; Joshua McCoy, 2B62; Michelle Pedersen, 2E11; Keirstin Nelke Roberg, 2D58; Dallas Sadler, 2A14; Phillip Sanderson, 1D08; John Curtis Smith, 2E18; Annette Thurman, 2A08; Marta Villa Cortes, RJ16; Kelly Wagers, 1F49; Jackie Weasel, 2E24; Kimberly Wollin, 2B25; Ashley R Zelmer, 1C31 2nd Location 12PM 1668 Industrial Way SW Albany, Oregon Kelli Dooley, G051; Christopher R. Elkins, H004; Cassidy Johnson, Y009; Chi Ladesa, J040; Carl Corder, Y020 48-2-3/999 business in the East due to economic conditions. Further west, they’re going out in Ohio, Wisconsin and Minne- sota because operators can’t make ends meet. A number are in the process of selling out in Idaho, and the same is rumored in California. Some have already gone out of busi- ness in New Mexico, he said. Things were setting up to be not so disappointing in 2018. But the tariff wars start- ed in June and took a lot of money out of the dairy farm economy, with estimated loss- es of $1.5 billion this year, he said. Milk production has slowed bust managed to increase 0.8 percent in October year over year to 17.9 billion pounds, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reported on Monday. There were 30,000 fewer LEGAL CHERRY AVENUE STORAGE 2680 Cherry Ave. NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 399-7454 AUCTION SAT • DEC 8, 2018 at 10 A.M. Unit AS-11 Unit AS-14 Unit AS-59 Unit AS-77 Unit 136 Unit 162 Unit 180 Unit 211 Unit 222-C Unit Parking Anthony Ballentine Rochal Cole-Gonzalez Dora Mosley Zachary Bergam Sara Stearns Erik Vincent Cody Ford Terry Trefethen Ashley Bailey Andrew J HasleHurst CherryAvenue Storage reserves the right to refuse any and all bids. 48-3/999 head on U.S. dairies compared with October 2017, but ev- er-improving production per cow tilted the scale. Twelve of the 23 reporting states — including Wisconsin, the second largest milk-pro- ducing state — saw declines in milk production year over year. But heavy hitters Califor- nia, Idaho and New York were up 3.2 percent, 2.1 percent and 1 percent, respectively. California dairy produc- ers reduced cow numbers by 30,000 year over year but gained 70 pounds in produc- tion per cow. Idaho farmers in- creased cow numbers by 7,000 and picked up 20 pounds per cow. New York saw 3,000 fewer cows but gained 30 pounds per cow. Wisconsin held steady on per-cow production but re- duced cow numbers by 4,000. Six of the 23 states in- creased cow numbers, and 14 reported an increase in produc- tion per cow year over year. Production in Texas, the fifth largest milking state, was up 7.5 percent on an additional 24,000 head and an increase of 50 pounds per cow. The state has been pushing the gas pedal all year after increasing milk production nearly 12 percent in 2017. Part of the growth in Texas is due to new processing ca- pacity, Gould said. Expansions take several years to plan and were already in the pipeline in Texas, and producers don’t pencil out building based on one year of economics, he said.
