Friday, December 13, 2019
CapitalPress.com 11
Departing Ecology director to ag:
‘Thank you for taking a chance on me’
Industry: Bellon’s exit
‘loss’ for agriculture
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Maia Bellon, the direc-
tor of Washington’s Depart-
ment of Ecology, has
announced her plans to step
down at the end of the year.
Bellon worked in state
service for 25 years and
was director of Ecology for
nearly seven years.
In a statement, Bellon
called the decision “bitter-
sweet,” but said she’s con-
fident that it’s the right time
to make a professional and
personal change.
“My current plans are to
enjoy some time off recon-
necting with my family and
friends,” she stated. “I then
intend to dust off my law
degree and try my hand at
private practice focusing
on environmental law and
policy.”
“It’s going to be a real
loss for agriculture,” said
Toni Meacham, rancher and
attorney in Connell, Wash.,
and the Washington Cat-
tlemen’s Association water
ecology chairwoman. “Not
to say she hasn’t been tough
on ag. She has. That’s her
job and she tried her best
to make sure anybody she
feels was accountable was
held accountable.”
Meacham represents the
cattlemen on Ecology’s
agriculture and the water
quality advisory commit-
tee, which Bellon formed
in 2014.
Meacham also repre-
sented rancher Joe Lemire
in a landmark case against
Ecology. In 2009, prior to
Bellon’s arrival, Ecology
issued an order claiming
Lemire’s cattle had “sub-
stantial potential to pol-
lute” and ordering him to
fence them out of nearby
Pataha Creek.
The state Supreme Court
in 2013 ruled in favor of
the department, saying
Ecology was not required
to show that conditions on
Lemire’s 29-cattle ranch
polluted the creek. Lemire
died in May 2018.
When she came on
board, Bellon opened the
lines
of
commu-
nication
between
agricul-
ture and the
department,
Maia
Meacham
Bellon,
said.
The
committee
has provided a good venue
for ranchers to express con-
cerns to the department,
she said, even though Bel-
lon is still constrained by
the law and requirements
of Gov. Jay Inslee.
“You never felt like you
were just talking to your-
self,” Meacham said. “I
definitely have always felt
that she was listening. She
might not have always
agreed, but she did hear the
concerns that we had.”
In an email to members,
Bellon said she believed
the committee had been
“vital” in many ways —
“mostly for mending bro-
ken relationships and estab-
lishing mutual trust. I want
to personally thank all of
you, especially the found-
ing members, for your com-
mitment to collaboration
and partnerships. Together,
we have made progress on
clean water.”
Ballon added in her
email that she hoped the
committee would continue
to meet and build upon
“successful outcomes” pre-
viously accomplished.
“Until our paths cross
again, I wish you all the
best, and I thank you for
taking a chance on me,” she
stated.
“Maia has been a true
proponent of working
relationships, collabora-
tive approaches and has
been one to reach out to
agriculture to try to cre-
ate solutions,” said Pater-
son, Wash., wheat farmer
Nicole Berg, one of the
founding members of the
committee. “She was a
true listener and a problem
solver.”
Berg said she hopes Bel-
lon’s replacement has the
same approach to outreach
and agriculture.
“She has a true commit-
ment to the environment, as
us farmers do, and I always
appreciated that about her,”
Berg said.
Economist talks crop insurance
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
SPOKANE — Farmers
should consider whether they
have more risk on prices or
yields when deciding to enroll
in a national crop insurance
program, a small grains econ-
omist says.
Farmers must decide
between the Agriculture Loss
Coverage-County (ARC-CO)
program or the Price Loss
Coverage (PLC) insurance
programs.
PLC is best when price is
a grower’s biggest risk and
yields don’t change much, and
ARC-CO is best when revenue
is the biggest risk, said Randy
Fortenbery, small grains econ-
omist at Washington State
University.
Most farmers signed up for
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press File
Randy Fortenbery, small
grains economist at Wash-
ington State University,
advises farmers to con-
sider where they face the
most risk before signing
up for crop insurance.
ARC-CO in 2014 because they
thought wheat prices would
never fall below $5 per bushel,
Fortenbery said. Once they did,
PLC would have generated
larger payments than ARC.
Under the 2014 Farm Bill,
ARC-CO would have paid
$43.29 per acre in Washing-
ton’s Franklin County, com-
pared to a PLC payment of
$79.62 per acre, he said.
Farmers previously had to
sign up for the entire duration
of the Farm Bill. That lack of
flexibility ended up costing
Washington roughly $200 mil-
lion in 2016, Fortenbery said.
He did not update the cost for
later years.
“Producers weren’t get-
ting the full benefit of the pro-
gram they would have gotten
if they’d been able to switch,”
he said.
Farmers now have to sign
up for the same program for
2019 and 2020, but then can
make an annual election to
switch after that, Fortenbery
said. If they fail to sign up, by
default they go to the program
they were last signed up for.
Fortenbery expects most
farmers to switch from
ARC-CO to PLC for the first
two years.
The program previously
used yields from USDA
National Agricultural Statistics
Service, but now use USDA
Risk Management Agency
county average yields.
Yields can vary in some
locations, Fortenbery said. For
example, farmers in Stevens
County will see wheat yields
go up by at least 10 bushels per
acre and Benton County grow-
ers will see wheat yields go
down a similar amount.
County data will be publicly
available.
Brad Carlson/Capital Press
Panelist Truman Kohtz, left, speaks with Aaron Phillips
of the seed company Syngenta Dec. 3 during part of the
Idaho-Eastern Oregon Seed Association Winter Con-
vention. The convention was held in Boise Dec. 2-4.
Panel: Seed industry
resilient, innovative
despite challenges
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
The local seed industry
will remain strong despite
challenges such as popula-
tion growth, a labor short-
age and international com-
petition, panelists said at
the Idaho-Eastern Oregon
Seed Association winter
convention Dec. 3.
The area is one of the
world’s major seed pro-
ducers thanks to its dry cli-
mate and cool nights —
which aid growth while
limiting pest and disease
pressure — and substantial
irrigation
infrastructure
that provides growers an
additional precision-man-
agement tool. IEOSA said
the region produces more
than 50 seed species and
many more varieties.
Private-sector and uni-
versity scientists have kept
local seed companies inno-
vative, customer-focused
and able to capitalize on
local advantages, panel-
ists said. They addressed
how the local industry has
evolved.
“It’s going to be there,”
Jess Bice, retired from
Forage Genetics, said of
the industry. “It’s going
to be a challenge, but that
future is there. The stew-
ardship is going to be
all-important.”
Growth, and encroach-
ment by other uses, reduce
farmland supply and the
availability of larger par-
cels desired for some types
of seed production, he said.
Tim Primus, recently
retired from Syngenta, said
he hopes current local ini-
tiatives to curb urbaniza-
tion continue, and “smart”
growth is prioritized.
“Taking acres away is a
big concern,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ongo-
ing labor shortage in agri-
culture is a huge burden on
the seed industry, Primus
said.
“We’re going to see
continued
mechaniza-
tion,” he said. “Mechani-
zation needs to continue to
advance.”
Technology
and
tech-derived information
are available to seed com-
panies of all sizes, Primus
said. A diverse workforce
broadens the knowledge
base and bodes well for
continued innovation.
Truman Kohtz, who is
retired from HM Clause,
said scientists continue
to advance the industry
while focusing on what
the market demands. He
urged companies to pro-
tect inputs when producing
internationally, such as by
stationing someone at the
site full-time.
Bice said many more
seed crops are grown in
southern Idaho and east-
ern Oregon compared to
40-plus years ago.
“The
diversification
has been dramatic over the
years,” he said. “And there
is likely more to come.”
Organic growers, for
example, will demand
more seed, Bice said.
Idaho House
Minority
leader resigns
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
Idaho House Minority
Leader Mat Erpelding, who
served on agriculture and
natural-resources commit-
tees,
has
resigned to
take a job as
Boise Metro
Chamber of
Commerce
vice presi-
dent of gov-
ernment and
Mat
community Erpelding
relations.
Erpelding, D-Boise, owns
Idaho Mountain Guides and
is an adjunct professor in
the Boise State University
College of Innovation and
Design.
He represents District
19 that includes north and
northwest Boise. He was
first elected to the House
in 2012 and has served as
minority leader since 2017.
He served on House Agri-
cultural Affairs, Resources
and Conservation, Reve-
nue and Taxation, and Ways
and Means committees
during the 2019 legislative
session.
Erpelding, 44, took
a broad approach to his
work on Ag Affairs and
Resources and Conserva-
tion committees.
“I built really strong
relationships with my
Republican colleagues, and
advocates on both sides,”
he said in an interview. “I
tried to clearly understand
the issues and do what’s
best. There were times
where District 19 was not
impacted, but other dis-
tricts were going to be. I
really tried to do my best
for the state of Idaho, and
I think the ag groups saw
that. And we built a strong
relationship.”
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