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8 CapitalPress.com Friday, December 6, 2019 Haystack arsons cost farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Authorities in Washington are offering a $15,000 reward for infor- mation leading to the conviction of the people who have set more than a dozen fires that have caused hun- dreds of thousands of dollars worth of losses to haystacks. At least 12 haystack fires have been identified as “incendiary,” said Kyle Foreman, public infor- mation officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, based in Ephrata, Wash. “Which leads us to suspect strongly that these are being set by somebody, or a number of per- sons,” Foreman told the Capital Press. The Arson Alarm Foundation is offering a $10,000 reward. The sheriff’s office is offering a $5,000 reward. Grant County Fire District 13/Facebook Rewards totaling $15,000 have been offered for information lead- ing to the arrest and conviction of arsonists who have set at least 12 haystack fires in the area. A few other fires have been determined to be spontaneous combustion due to wet hay, and one was accidental, Foreman said. Haystack sizes range from 600 tons to 1,000 tons of hay. A ton of alfalfa hay is worth $210-$230. The fires of concern date back to Oct. 3. The most recent was Nov. 22. The fires were in the rural Quincy, Ephrata and Royal City areas. Locations of 2019 Grant County haystack arsons, according to the sheriff’s office: Idaho issues temporary rules for hemp transportation By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Idaho water board explores recharge sites The temporary rules by ISDA, the state police and state Department of Trans- portation allow interstate transport of hemp until the state Legislature takes action. Under the agencies’ tem- porary rules, drivers must sign an affirmation saying the vehicle does not contain illicit drugs. They must have a lawful-hemp verification stating cargo was produced under a state, tribal entity or USDA plan in accordance with the 2014 or 2018 Farm Bill. Also required is a lab report saying the hemp trans- ported was produced legally under either Farm Bill’s guidelines, meets the federal THC percentage limit and complies with October 2019 USDA rules outlining testing requirements. A required bill of lading shows shipping contents, lot number, origination and des- tination and the vehicle’s type and weight. By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press Looking to increase the capacity for recharging the Snake River Plain Aquifer, the Idaho Water Resource Board is focusing on large basins in its upper portion. Staffers from the Idaho State Department of Water Resources have been at work identifying potential sites above the Minidoka Dam and presented their analysis to the water board on Wednesday. The board’s goal is to recharge an annual average of 250,000 acre-feet of water. To that end, it’s already picked the low-hanging fruit — getting near the desired capacity in the lower val- ley. But if it’s going to reach its goal, it needs additional capacity in the more chal- lenging upper valley, Wesley Hipke, the board’s recharge program manager, told Capi- tal Press. Unlike the lower valley, the upper valley doesn’t have canals shooting across the desert among undeveloped basalt basins. There aren’t a lot of large off-canal sites to conduct recharge, and land near canals in the upper valley is developed, he said. Another challenge is that water for recharge is only available about 50% of the time on average. What is needed is a large site that offers good infiltration and a long retention time to capture available water in wet years, he said. In addition, land-use issues such as threatened or endan- gered species or wilderness study areas have to be taken into consideration, he said. YOUR HARDEST WORKING FARMHAND Any size job, any size crew, get it done with a Real World Tough Yamaha ATV or Side-by-Side FARMERS SAVE UP TO $2,169 * to haystacks. Farmers can call 509-762-1160 to ask for a deputy to provide advice on camera or sensor placement. Farmers should also rake the areas around haystacks and access routes. The raked soil will assist deputies in identifying tire tracks and shoe impressions that can be matched to suspects. If you have information about the arsons, contact the sheriff’s office at crimetips@grantcountywa. gov. Also, call the Arson Alarm Foun- dation at 1-800-55-ARSON. If the fire is in progress, call 911 and give the information to the dis- patcher, Foreman said. “Right now, we just know we have an unusually high number of haystack fires and they appear to be intentionally set,” he said. “We want to get these people into custody.” VIKING EPS Potential recharge sites in the Snake River Plain Aquifer YELLOW- STONE NAT’L PARK MONT. Common groundwater supply area Potential recharge sites 15 IDAHO Rexburg Sna Idaho Falls Hagerman 84 IN PLA ER RIV E American AK SN Falls Res. r R iv e ke Sn a GRAND TETON NAT’L PARK ke The Idaho State Depart- ment of Agriculture has issued temporary rules authorizing hemp to be shipped across the state. The rules set label- ing requirements for hemp receptacles — including the quantity, and the pro- ducer’s name and address — and require drivers to document that the product complies with federal Farm Bill standards. The temporary rules do not cover hemp production or processing, which current state law prohibits. ISDA’s authorizing stat- ute sets standards for farm product receptacles and labeling. Chief Operating Officer Chanel Tewalt said the department’s temporary rules on hemp transporta- tion, expected to take effect by Nov. 29, apply to open and closed receptacles of various sizes and types. “The intent is that it cov- ers any type of shipment of hemp,” she said. Written in response to an executive order from Gov. Brad Little, ISDA’s rules also will require verifica- tion of hemp as a farm prod- uct entering the state; drivers must stop at the first port of entry, declare they are carry- ing hemp and present it for inspection. The December 2018 Farm Bill authorized, under strict guidelines, produc- tion of hemp containing less than 0.3% of the psychoac- tive compound tetrahydro- cannabinol. USDA about a month ago released reg- ulations and guidelines for hemp production. But the 2019 Idaho Legislature did not pass a hemp-authorization bill, effectively leaving in place a law that treats any THC-con- taining material as an ille- gal drug. Truckers have been arrested in Idaho while trans- porting hemp. • Road 6 NW and Road N.5 NW. • Road 3 NW and O NW. • Road U NE and Road 2 NE. • Adams Road NW and Road 9 NW. • Road U NE and Road 3 NE. • Road 9 NW and Road I.5 NW. • Road 3 NW and Road A NW. • 4500 Block of Road 3 NW. • Road 3 NW and Division Road N. • Road L SE and Road 4 SE. • Beverly Burke Road and High- way 26. • 8000 Block Martin Road NW. Total damages have not been determined, Foreman said. “It’s several thousand dollars worth of loss for the farmers,” he said of the value of the hay. The sheriff’s office urges farm- ers to install surveillance cameras, game cameras or perimeter alarms around haystacks and at the access Ri ve r Palisades Dam WYO. Pocatello Twin Falls 15 84 25 miles UTAH NEV. Source: Idaho Department of Water Resources “The whole point of this was kind of slimming down what areas are available to us,” he said. IDWR staffers have iden- tified five potential sites — north of Lake Walcott, Aber- deen-Springfield area, New Sweden near Idaho Falls, along the Egin-Hammer Road and a site near West Market Lake in Jefferson County. But it’s tricky, a lot of these more promising areas are higher than where the water is and most would require pumping, which is expensive, Hipke said. That’s such a big thing, and staff will be taking a closer look at using gravity so pump- ing wouldn’t be needed. Exca- vation could be a possibility, he said. Pumping could be avoided in the Aberdeen-Springfield area, where a basin sits next to a canal. But the basin is only 3 Alan Kenaga/Capital Press feet deep, which isn’t as good as deeper basins in regard to infiltration, he said. Another site, the Egin site, is in a wilderness study area and would take an act of Con- gress to change it, he said. The biggest challenge in choosing a site is looking at any data available — from topography and geology to drilling test wells and doing dye tests — to get a better idea of what water is going to do at the site, he said. “It’s really hard to test how well a basin is going to retain water until you put water into it,” he said. Another challenge is cost, including infrastructure, test- ing and permitting, he said. “It’s really complicated, and there are a lot of factors that have to go into it,” he said. The board referred the matter to a subcommittee for further evaluation. 10% OFF YAMAHA ADULT SIZE ATVS AND SXS MODELS* ATTENTION AGRICULTURAL PROFESSIONALS! SAVE 10% OFF MSRP ON YOUR ATV OR SIDE-BY-SIDE PURCHASE, INCLUDING ACCESSORIES THROUGH THE YAMAHA COMMERCIAL PROGRAM. 211 bushels an acre wins wheat yield contest By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press GRIZZLY EPS & KODIAK 700 EPS YXZ1000R SS XTR WOLVERINE X2 R-SPEC SE VISIT YOUR LOCAL YAMAHA DEALER TO DISCOVER THE FULL-LINE OF REAL-WORLD TOUGH ATVS AND SIDE-BY-SIDES BEAVERTON HONDA-YAMAHA 10380 SW CASCADE AVE TIGARD, OR BEAVERTONMOTORCYCLES.COM OUTLAW MOTORSPORTS, INC. 504 NW 1ST ST ENTERPRISE, OR OUTLAWMOTORSPORTSINC.NET POWER MOTORSPORTS 333 SW SUBLIMITY BLVD SUBLIMITY, OR POWERMOTORSPORTS.COM PRO CALIBER MOTORSPORTS 3500 N HIGHWAY 97 BEND, OR PROCALIBERBEND.COM *Maximum discount is based on purchase of a 2019 YXZ1000R SS SE. Actual discount is 10% off MSRP of each unit and any accessories purchase at time of original unit sale. Units on this program are not eligible for any other retail incentive programs. Retail period: June 4, 2019 through June 30, 2020. Eligible models: 2017 – 2020 motorcycle (excluding YZF-R1 & VMAX), all scooters, ATVs (excluding youth models), all SxS models and all snowmobiles. Active business license is required to receive the discount. ATV Riders: ATVs shown are recommended for use only by riders age 16 years and older. Yamaha recommends that all ATV riders take an approved training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer or call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. Read the Owner’s Manual and the product warning labels before operation. ATVs can be hazardous to operate. Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing; never carry passengers. Side-by-Side Riders: Professional driver on closed course. Always protect the environment and wear your seat belt, helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Read the owner’s manual and product warning labels before operation. Model shown with optional accessories. Vehicle specifications subject to change. ATV and Side-by-Side Riders: Avoid excessive speeds and never engage in stunt riding. Always avoid paved surfaces and never ride on public roads and be particularly careful on difficult terrain. Never ride under the influence of alcohol or other drugs; it is illegal and dangerous. Model shown with optional accessories. Vehicle specifications subject to change. S144950-1 WATER WORLD BOAT & POWERSPORT 5731 CRATER LAKE HWY CENTRAL POINT, OR WATERWORLDMEDFORD.COM The winners of the National Wheat Founda- tion’s annual yield contest credit good weather and nutrients remaining from the previous crops for their successes. Buhl, Idaho, farmer Rick Pearson placed first in the irrigated category with a yield of 211.59 bushels per acre, and Forest Grove, Ore., farmer Tom Duyck placed first in the dryland category with 191.66 bushels per acre. Winners are selected by the percentage increase their yield exceeds the most recent 5-year county average as determined by USDA. Pearson said he was “very surprised” to be a national winner. “I’ve got really good soil,” he said. “And we had a really, really good spring.” Pearson planted his wheat where he grew potatoes the year before. The spuds leave a lot of nutrients, he said. He raised Syngenta soft white winter wheat variety SY Ovation. Pearson primarily grows seed wheat. His field man, Robin English, with Ander- son Trade Group, had encouraged him to enter the contest before. He placed third or fourth the first year Rick Pearson Tom Duyck he entered, and had a poor crop the following year, so he didn’t enter. “Last year, I didn’t put in, and it was the first time I’d ever seen my monitor in my combine go over 200 bushels,” he said. “I thought, ‘Well, maybe I just need to keep putting in.’” The spring was cool and wet, Pearson said, and weather never got too hot. He worried it was a little too cool, and noted that harvest was about two weeks late. “As soon as I started cut- ting into the field, I knew it was a good yielding year,” he said. It was Duyck’s first time entering the contest. He was surprised to be the top dry- land farmer. “I finally had a good field and looked like a very good crop,” he said. “I didn’t know I was going to get that high of a yield, probably at least 15 or 20 bushels more than I thought I was going to get.” Duyck attributed the yield to high nutrient levels after previously planting green beans. He planted some of his best ground. He planted Oregon State University soft white winter wheat Rosalyn. Duyck is North Willa- mette Valley president of the Oregon Wheat Growers League board. Duyck said he’ll prob- ably enter again next year, depending on how things look in the spring. He’s antic- ipating a drier winter. Pearson will likely enter again, too. He teased that his wife knew it was an oppor- tunity to take a vacation, so that’s why he entered the contest. She filled out the paperwork, he said. “To be fortunate enough to win best in the nation is a little overwhelming and a lit- tle hard to wrap your mind around,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of guys that had good grain in my area, proba- bly just as good as mine.” The national winners will be recognized during a recep- tion at the 2020 Commodity Classic Feb. 27-29 in San Antonio, Texas. The National Wheat Foundation is a nonprofit organization incorporated and headquartered in Wash- ington, D.C., governed by a nine-member board of direc- tors and managed by staff of the National Association of Wheat Growers, the founda- tion’s sole member.
