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2 CapitalPress.com Friday, August 7, 2020 People & Places Washington farmer finds grass seed more fruitful than berries By DON JENKINS Capital Press Southwest Washington farmer Kevin Dobbins pulls out a contract to show a visi- tor. It states how much grass seed that meets the buyer’s specifications will be worth. That explains why Dob- bins grows grass seed, rather than berries. “With berries, you don’t know what you’re going to get paid,” he said. “I couldn’t roll the dice on that.” Dobbins, 35, owns Dob- bins Farms, based in Clark County. Under his grand- father Jerry Dobbins, the farm was known for berries, though he also grew some grass seed. Jerry Dobbins died in 2018. Taking over as the sole owner, the grandson opted to lean heavily on grass seed. If prices are down, grass seed can be stored, while ber- ries can’t, Kevin Dobbins said. If the seed doesn’t meet the buyer’s specifications, it can still be sold as “variety not stated.” “I couldn’t bet the farm on berries,” he said. “The seed end was more reliable.” Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are grown commercially in Clark County, but the acre- age has trended downward, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statis- tics Service. The 2007 Census of Agri- culture recorded 1,335 acres of berries in Clark County. By the 2017 census, the num- Western Innovator KEVIN DOBBINS Age: 35 Occupation: Clark Coun- ty, Wash., farmer Heritage: Grandfather Jerry Dobbins started the berry farm; Kevin Dob- bins has made the farm’s focus grass seed Established 1928 Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor Jessica Boone ............ Production Manager Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2020 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 2870 Broadway NE, Salem OR 97303. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Don Jenkins/Capital Press Southwest Washington grass seed grower Kevin Dobbins farms in fast-growing Clark County. Note the housing development on horizon. ber was down to 955 acres, a 28% drop in a decade. Growers cite rising labor costs, and low and uncer- tain prices for the decline in production. “The crop is gone, out of your posses- sion, before you even know a price,” Dobbins said. Another Clark County berry grower, George Thoeny, once had 144 acres of raspberries. Now he has a half-dozen. He also grows strawberries and Marionber- ries, mostly to sell at roadside stands and farmers markets. Fresh market sales have been good this year, he said. Apparently a lot of people are staying home and can- ning during the coronavirus pandemic, he said. “I believe there is a great opportunity to raise berries on a small basis.” On a bigger scale, how- ever, “the money just wasn’t there,” Thoeny said. “There’s not enough good years to make up for the bad ones.” Thoeny said he started growing grass seed seven years ago. “If I had to do it over again, I would have planted grass seed 20 years ago,” he said. “Kevin is doing a real good job with it,” Thoeny said. “For him to jump in by himself, I got a lot of respect for that.” Dobbins, who has three employees, said he aspires to “plant as much as I possibly can handle.” He’s said he’s leased as many as 300 acres and is now at about 200 acres. He said he loses about 50 acres a year to development in fast-growing Clark County. “It will push me north,” he said. To keep up the acreage, he leases land across the Colum- bia River in Scappoose, Ore., and as far north as Lewis County, Wash. Jerry Dobbins took up farming in mid-life, after a career selling, repairing and racing motorcycles in Port- land. Kevin Dobbins grew up around the farm, but he too didn’t go into farming as his first career. He tried his father’s occu- pation, river pilot on the Columbia, but found the quarters too confining. He worked in construction for 15 years. He then joined his grandfather to manage the farm’s grass seed business. He said his grandfather didn’t want him to make farming a career. “It’s what I decided to do. I enjoy it. I hope to keep doing it,” he said. “It’s a product of your labor and everything you do,” he said. “You bear the risk and also bear the rewards.” Farmer returns prosthetic leg that skydiver lost during jump WEST ADDISON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont skydiver who lost his prosthetic leg during a jump has it back, thanks to a farmer who kept an eye out for it and spotted it in a soybean field. Double amputee Chris Marckres, of Hyde Park, went for a jump Saturday at Vermont Skydiving Adven- tures in West Addison and lost one of his prosthetic legs after leaping from the plane. “I think my adrenaline was so high and I was just EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER Getty Images A skydiver lost his prosthetic leg over the weekend — and a farmer found it in his soybean field. so excited, I didn’t realize I had lost it,” Marckres told CALENDAR Submit upcoming ag-related events on www.capitalpress.com or by email to news- room@capitalpress.com. FRIDAY, AUG. 7 Friends of Oregon Agriculture Golf Tournament: 7 a.m. Chehalem Glenn Golf Course, 4501 E. Fernwood Road, Newberg, Ore. In a modified scramble format, teams of four combine their skills to play 18 holes, buy- ing mulligans, gimme string and a PGA Pro- Shot to outscore the other teams and win the tournament. For our Golf Ball Drop fund- raiser, pre-numbered golf balls are sold to the public. Each ball will be dropped from a helicopter onto the driving range at the con- clusion of the golf tournament. The ball that lands in the hole first, or is closest to the hole, wins a $1,000 Visa gift card. Website: https:// aglink.org/events/friends-of-oregon-agricul- ture-golf-tournament/ Contact: info@aglink. org, 971-600-0466 THURSDAY, AUG. 13 7th Annual Ag World Golf Classic: 11 a.m. The Links at Moses Pointe, 4524 West- shore Drive NE, Moses Lake, Wash. Contact: 509-765-0698 Website: http://www.agworld- golf.com/golf WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY AUG. 19-21 R-CALF USA annual convention: The Lodge at Deadwood, 100 Pine Crest Lane, Deadwood, SD. Topics will include antitrust enforcement, trade reform, globalization and animal welfare as well as an update on R-CALF’s lawsuit against the four big pack- ers. Contact: 406-252-2516 Website: http:// www.r-calfusa.com TUESDAY, AUG. 25 WSTFA Annual Golf Tournament: 8 a.m. Highlander Golf Course 2920 Eighth St. SE, East Wenatchee, Wash. Join us for the 27th Annual Washington State Tree Fruit Associ- ation Golf Tournament. Your participation in our tournament helps raise money to sup- port scholarships that are awarded to stu- dents in honor of past tree fruit industry lead- ers. As part of our tournament, we are doing a silent online auction of the Washington apple No. 3 license plate. Website: https://wstfa.org/ golf-tournament/? WEDNESDAY AUG. 26 Safety Lockout-Tagout (webinar): 1 p.m. In this free one-hour webinar we will cover the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.147 Con- trol of Hazardous Energy, provide best prac- tices that can be applied immediately, dis- cuss some common issues and discuss some methods to ensure your program is compli- ant. Information: 208-426-3820, janehokan- son@techhelp.org Website: https://techhelp. regfox.com/lockouttagout NECN and NBC10 Boston. Marckres, who was har- nessed to an instructor, landed safely. He then put out the word on social media that he’d lost his leg. Farmer Joe Marszalkowski saw the post before finding the prosthetic on Sunday in a soybean field. Beyond a few scratches, it was undamaged. “You’ve always got to keep an eye out,” said Marszalkowski, who com- pared the discovery to a needle in a haystack. He said he was grateful he found the leg without run- ning it over with a machine during the fall harvest. “Or, God forbid, the combine sucked it up — it would’ve destroyed it,” Marszalkowski said. Marckres said losing his leg turned into a positive experience. “We kind of take for granted sometimes how many truly good people there still are in the world,” he said. Young farmer takes his job seriously Circulation ...........................800-781-3214 Email ........... Circulation@capitalpress.com Main line .............................503-364-4431 News Staff Idaho Carol Ryan Dumas ..............208-860-3898 Boise Brad Carlson .......................208-914-8264 Western Washington Don Jenkins .........................360-722-6975 Eastern Washington Matthew Weaver ................509-688-9923 Oregon George Plaven ....................406-560-1655 Mateusz Perkowski .............800-882-6789 Sierra Dawn McClain ..........503-506-8011 Designer Randy Wrighthouse .............800-882-6789 To Place Classified Ads Telephone (toll free) ............800-882-6789 Online ...........CapitalPress.com/classifieds Subscriptions Mail rates paid in advance Easy Pay U.S. $4 /month (direct withdrawal from bank or credit card account) 1 year U.S. ...........................................$55 2 years U.S. ........................................$100 1 year Canada .....................................$275 1 year other countries ...........call for quote 1 year Internet only .........................$49.99 1 year 4-H, FFA students/teachers .......$30 9 months 4-H, FFA students/teachers ..$25 Visa and Mastercard accepted To get information published Mailing address: Capital Press P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 News: Contact the main office or news staff member closest to you, send the information to newsroom@capitalpress.com or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press. Include a contact telephone number. SATURDAY SEPT. 19 Small Farm School 2020: Clackamas Community College, Clairmont Hall, 19600 S Molalla Ave., Oregon City, Ore. Small Farm School is a full-day event with hands-on work- shops and classroom sessions for beginning and small-scale commercial farmers. Subscribe to the mailing list for updates. Fee: $75 Contact: Clint Taylor, 979-820-3980 or clint.taylor@ore- gonstate.edu Letters to the Editor: Send your comments on agriculture-related public issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital Press. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday. Capital Press ag media WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY SEPT. 23-25 CapitalPress.com FarmSeller.com MarketPlace.capitalpress.com facebook.com/CapitalPress facebook.com/FarmSeller twitter.com/CapitalPress youtube.com/CapitalPressvideo Public Lands Council Annual Meeting: Nuggett Casino Resort, Sparks, Nev. The meet- ing will include featured speakers, educational webinars and legislative and agency updates. Livestock producers can attend in-person or online. Website: http://publiclandscouncil.org FRIDAY-SATURDAY SEPT. 25-26 Index Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Asso- ciation Trade Show: Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, 8235 NE Airport Way, Portland. This is the annual meeting and trade show of the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association. Contact: Angie Smith, 503-364-2942, smith@pacwest- com.com Website: www.pnwcta.org Dairy .....................................................11 Livestock ...............................................11 Markets .................................................13 Opinion ...................................................6 CORRECTION SATURDAY, SEPT. 26 Women in Ranching WIRED Program: 7:30 a.m.. Yolo Land and Cattle Co., Woodland, Calif. The Northern California Women in Ranch- ing WIRED symposium will be held on Sept. 26 at Yolo Land and Cattle Co. in Woodland, Calif. Speakers who are experts in their field have agreed to share their knowledge with par- ticipants. Several event sponsors have been engaged in order to keep the participant’s reg- istration fee low. Cost: $50 per person. Website: http://www.ancw.org An article in the July 31 edition of the Capital Press included incorrect infor- mation about blueberry research at Oregon State University’s North Willa- mette Research and Exten- sion Center. The eight-year project has led to tighter in- row spacing and trellises to hold up blueberry bushes. SATURDAY, OCT. 10 Rough Rider Roundup Special Needs Western Day & Rodeo: 10 a.m. Roughout Ranch, Redding, Calif. Rough Rider Roundup is an inclusive, family-friendly outdoor event designed for the special needs community of Shasta County, Calif., and the surround- ing area. Rough Rider Roundup incorporates rodeo-, ranch- and western-themed events into adaptable and accessible activities for chil- dren and adults of all ages and abilities. The inaugural event is free and hosted by Rough- out Ranch Foundation Inc., a 501©3 nonprofit public service organization. Registration is required to participate or to volunteer. Con- tact: Kathy ODonnell, 209-256-9640, skyland@ frontier.com. Courtesy of Jeanine Norman Two-year-old Wyatt Norman takes his job seriously when he’s helping his parents, Jeanine and Cody Norman, on their Beavercreek, Ore., farm. “Wyatt is our first and only child (for now) and he has done the farm chores with us since he was born,” says his mother, Jeanine. “Started out in a front pack, then to a back pack and now he is just running every- where and wants to ride on all the tractors he can. As soon as he gets in the tractor seat he says ‘vroom vroom.’” Do you have a young farmer at your place? We’d like to know. Just email a photo and brief description to newsroom@capitalpress.com and we’ll post it on our website and, space available, in the print edition. The Capital Press regrets the error. Correction policy Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.
