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HEMP SPECIAL SECTION | INSIDE EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER CapitalPress.com Friday, May 22, 2020 Volume 93, Number 21 $2.00 IN GOOD COMPANY Agribusinesses help farmers deal with changing climate By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press F armers have always been at the mercy of Mother Nature, but climate change has made her an unpredictable partner. Less snowpack to provide irrigation water, scorch- ing heat, longer droughts, drenching rainfall and cat- astrophic flooding are all occurring more frequently around the world as minor increases in global tem- peratures set off major Andy shifts in the predictability Knepp of weather. “There’s no such thing as an average year, but the swings are get- ting more extreme for most farmers,” said Andy Knepp, head of environmental strat- egy and industry activation for Bayer AG. Broadly speaking, weather is much less predictable for farmers, he said. “Adapting to changes is critically important to them in their operations. Ultimately, we’re really looking at how do Bayer A Bayer employee looks at field data with a customer in this pre-COVID 19 photo. we help them stay in business,” he said. Around the world, agribusinesses are pouring resources into innovations and technology that will help farmers and ranchers survive — and thrive — as the climate changes. New hybrids of crops, new chemistries aimed at the shifting populations of pests and technology that will allow farmers to fine-tune their strategies on the fly are all being added to producers’ toolboxes. Companies are even helping to develop a new market for carbon credits that farm- ers will be able to cash in. At Bayer, Knepp said research-and-de- velopment has shifted into high gear to produce higher-yield- ing crops that perform under extreme condi- tions — whether it’s drought, disease, pest pressure, changes in the duration of the cropping season or the expansion of cropping areas. The company is also devel- oping better crop protection products, he said. Another focus is putting more infor- mation at farmers’ fingertips through dig- ital technology to help them make more informed decisions. That includes infor- mation on soils, weather and Bayer’s See Climate, Page 9 Simplot A tractor rolls on Simplot’s Grandview Farm in Southern Idaho. Simplot and other companies are developing tools to help farmers cope with a changing climate. Wolf czar appointment roils cattlemen By DON JENKINS Capital Press Wolf management in northeast Washington will be overseen this summer by Fish and Wildlife Eastern Region Director Steve Poz- zanghera, a choice the pres- ident of a rancher’s group said ignores a troubled his- Matthew Weaver/Capital Press tory between the department Steve Pozzanghera will temporarily step aside as direc- and cattlemen. tor of the Eastern Region of the Washington Depart- Pozzanghera will tempo- ment of Fish and Wildlife to oversee wolf management rarily step aside as regional in northeast Washington. director, a position he’s had for a decade. He said he will coordinate the work of wild- life conflict specialists and wolf biologists and be the liaison between the depart- ment and the community in four counties. The department plans to make the position perma- nent later this year and hire someone else as Pozzang- hera resumes being regional director. “I’m test driving it,” Poz- zanghera said Monday. “I’m just hoping to create some efficiencies where we can.” Pozzanghera, picked for the new post by Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Suse- wind, comes with baggage, said Stevens County Cattle- men’s Association President Scott Nielsen, who called the appointment a “slap to ranchers.” He said Fish and Wildlife needs to communicate bet- ter with livestock producers, but missed an opportunity by appointing an architect of the department’s past actions. “I think they would have been a lot better off with a fresh face,” Nielsen said. “I think Steve will be a com- plete and utter failure at improving relations with ranchers. But, hey, having said that, Steve can prove me wrong.” The appointment was a surprise to the Washing- ton Cattlemen’s Associa- tion, said Mark Streuli, act- ing executive vice president. See Wolf, Page 9 ‘Whistleblower’ allegedly helped unravel NORPAC deal By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press The Oregon Potato Co. claims information from a “whistleblower” at the NORPAC cooperative was the “last straw” that sank its deal to buy most of the bankrupt processor’s assets. A top executive at NOR- PAC warned of dealings between the cooperative and Simplot, a rival pro- cessor, that threatened to diminish the agreement’s profitability for Oregon Potato Co., according to OPC’s vice president in court filings. The allegation is the lat- est twist in ongoing bank- Capital Press File Workers at NORPAC Foods prepare onions for process- ing. A deal to sell most of the bankrupt cooperative’s assets was allegedly sunk by a “whistleblower,” the buy- er says. ruptcy proceedings that will determine how much money is repaid to NOR- PAC’s creditors — includ- ing farmers who are demanding payments for last year’s crops. At the time NOR- PAC Foods filed for bank- ruptcy last year, the Ore- gon Potato Co. had planned to buy most of its facilities, equipment and inventory for $155.5 million. However, agribusiness entrepreneur Frank Tiegs, the owner of Oregon Potato Co., pulled out of the deal shortly before competing bids for the assets were due. A committee represent- ing unsecured creditors — who don’t have collat- eral for loans — is seeking to file a lawsuit on NOR- PAC’s behalf, alleging Tiegs withdrew from the deal in “bad faith” to drive down the sale price. These creditors claim they’ll be able to recover additional funds that NOR- PAC can use to repay the money they’re owed. Oregon Potato Co. is now urging a bankruptcy judge to deny permission for the unsecured cred- itors to file such a com- plaint because their accu- sations are “baseless” and will only result in “expen- sive and futile” litigation. Unsecured credi- tors shouldn’t now be allowed to pursue a law- suit that would be paid for with NORPAC’s remain- ing cash since “there will be no upside recovery — only downside in the form of legal bills at New York City rates,” according to OPC in its filings. To bolster its argument, See NORPAC, Page 9