6 CapitalPress.com Editorials are written by or approved by members of the Capital Press Editorial Board. Friday, January 22, 2021 All other commentary pieces are the opinions of the authors but not necessarily this newspaper. Opinion Editor & Publisher Managing Editor Joe Beach Carl Sampson opinions@capitalpress.com | CapitalPress.com/opinion Our View County trying to railroad farmers T he Yamhill County Com- mission has again been sent back to the drawing board over its ill-conceived plan to convert about three miles of an abandoned rail line into a recre- ational trail. The county has been a regu- lar visitor to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals as it tried to ignore the concerns of farm- ers whose property borders the old rail line. So far, the county is 0 for 3, as LUBA has sided with the farmers. The county still has not acknowledged that having a rec- reational trail dividing farmland will have a profound impact on the farmers and their livelihoods. Many a farmer knows what hap- pens when walkers and bicyclists begin wandering around on their property. Some uninvited visi- tors use the farms as outdoor toi- lets. Others help themselves to the land as a picnic spot, leaving gar- bage behind. Others are shocked to discover that farms occasionally spray pesticides to keep insects and plant diseases at bay. Still oth- ers help themselves to crops and let their kids run near dangerous farm equipment and livestock. Another consideration: Setbacks required for pesticide applications will cost those farmers time and money. In a sentence, a recreational trail is incompatible with working farmland. Consider also that the county is close to the Portland Metro area. That means a sunny summer day during the growing season could attract crowds of walkers, bicy- clists and others. The county has pursued the trail project backwards. The first thing it should have done is meet with local farmers to understand the impacts such a project would have on them. Then the county should have addressed those impacts. If they couldn’t be addressed to the sat- isfaction of the farmers, who live there and depend on that land to make a living, the whole trail idea should have been dropped. That’s what an editorial in this newspaper said last June. It was correct then, and it’s cor- rect now. Yamhill County must stop try- ing to railroad those farmers. Keep momentum going on trade for wheat farmers Our View ith the United States bringing in a new admin- istration, one of a different political party, some changes in trade policy and strategy could be expected. As the Biden administration takes shape, the National Asso- ciation of Wheat Growers (NAWG) encourages it to build upon the trade successes of the Trump administration. Additionally, NAWG stresses the importance of coalition-building in pursu- ing solutions to trade disputes and to work towards restoring a functional appeals system at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Further, NAWG urges the Biden administration to advo- cate for wheat on the world stage by continuing to sup- port export market develop- ment programs through the annual budget process and to work collaboratively to reduce trade barriers. The U.S. exports 50% of its wheat crop, making it a priority for America’s farmers, which should also mean a priority for the new administration. The Trump adminis- tration’s efforts to rene- gotiate the North Ameri- can Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agree- ment (USMCA), proved to be beneficial for wheat grow- ers. Mexico has also consis- tently been a top market for U.S. wheat exports. Through NAFTA, the U.S. had tar- iff-free access, which was maintained in USMCA. Additionally, USMCA made important improve- ments to Canada’s grain grad- ing system, which provides better treatment of U.S. wheat being sold to Canadian eleva- tors, and it updated the sani- tary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards that were modeled from the SPS requirements in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Maintaining tariff-free access and strengthening sci- ence-based disciplines for SPS measures with Mexico is essential to the U.S. wheat industry. NAWG is counting on the Biden administration to fully honor the intent of the USMCA. Another notable suc- cess garnered by the Trump administration is the Phase 1 trade deal with China. In exchange for the U.S. cut- ting some of its tariffs on Chi- nese goods, China pledged to purchase more American farm, energy and manufac- tured goods. Retaliatory tar- iffs from China had a signifi- cantly negative impact on farmers. However, since the sign- ing of the Phase 1 agree- ment with China, combined with the market development efforts undertaken by U.S. W $15 minimum wage would hit rural economy hard ulfilling a campaign promise, Joe Biden wants to boost the federal mini- mum wage to $15 an hour. Farmers, whose livelihoods and property are on the line, are right to be wary of the possibilities. Proponents suggest that employers are able either to absorb increased labor costs, or increase prices to offset costs without negative impacts to employees. It’s political claptrap. Advocates say boosting the minimum wage will give millions of Americans a much- needed raise — or, at least, the ones lucky enough to keep their jobs. Politicians and pro- ponents somehow miss the fact that hard- pressed employers will scour their operations for ways to reduce their payrolls to offset the increase. In addition to layoffs, many will switch to part-time and on-call employees as ways to save money. Mechanization and automation, which elim- inate jobs, will also become more attractive. This wage hike would hurt small busi- nesses the most. Big chains can absorb the increase, safe in the knowledge that their F smaller competitors won’t be able to keep up. Those smaller ag operations and processors in labor-intensive sectors will be forced to sell out to larger competitors. And it’s not only businesses that will feel the pinch. Local governments and school dis- tricts will also have to raise wages, or cut staff. President Biden put his proposal to increase the minimum wage into his $2 billion COVID relief package. He most likely believes reluc- tant lawmakers — even many moderate Democrats have balked at the $15 figure — will have a tougher time saying “no” if it’s wrapped in the flag of pandemic aid. But Congress needs to be cautious. The result will be fewer jobs, fewer businesses and a weaker rural economy. Putting the thousands of businesses battered by government reaction to the virus on a better footing makes more sense than increasing their costs. Those seeking higher minimum wages want to use other people’s money to make political points with their supporters. Proponents of higher minimum wages may be disappointed to find out that a robust econ- omy, not governmental fiat, benefits workers most. Activist stories do not reflect reality of mink farming ith the concerns we all Mutations are very common with have about bringing all viruses — and some can be dan- COVID-19 under control, gerous, like the variant that has it is not surprising that out- emerged among humans in breaks on several U.S. mink Britain — but there is lit- farms have become news, a GUEST tle concern among health authorities that the mutation story fanned by those who VIEW that occurred in Denmark already oppose any use of will reduce the efficacy of Michael animals, even for food. Whelan The more outrageous vaccines for humans. and sensational the fears, Dr. Anthony Fauci, of course, the more likely America’s leading virolo- that they spread quickly through the gist, states, “It does not appear, at this point, that that mutation that’s news media and social networks. Less exciting is the insistence by been identified in the minks is going animal and public health authorities to have an impact on vaccines and that the virus in mink presents little affect a vaccine-induced response.” risk to the general population. Activists have also jumped on the The facts are clear: There are no news that two mink trapped outside documented cases of mink-to-hu- infected farms (one in Utah and one man transmission of the SARS- in Oregon) showed low levels of CoV-2 virus in the U.S. There were the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They claim 12 suspected cases of transmission these isolated cases represent an of the “Cluster 5” mutation of the existential threat to wildlife and may virus in Denmark (not 214 “con- create a “viral reservoir” that will firmed cases,” as activists are claim- endanger public health. ing). Furthermore, this Cluster 5 They rarely mention that at least variant has not been detected since nine other species were captured at September and is now considered the same time, and none tested pos- itive for the virus. Mink are solitary extinct. W Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press File Opponents of Yamhill County’s plan for a rail-to-trail project through farmland gather in McMinnville, Ore., in 2019. Even after being rejected three times by the state Land Use Board of Appeals, the county is still trying to push through the trail project. animals, and experts agree that it is highly unlikely that they will spread the virus to humans or wildlife. Another fact not often reported is that the virus on affected mink farms is rapidly clearing. The most recent round of testing on the farm in Oregon has found no trace of the virus. Mink farmers have long practiced robust biosecurity to pro- tect their animals from diseases car- ried by wildlife. By implementing stepped-up precautions as recom- mended by the USDA and the CDC, mink farmers have been able to suc- cessfully contain the outbreaks that have occurred. So, next time you read the end- of-the-world scenarios being used to call for an end to mink farming, spare a moment to think of the farm- ers who are acting responsibly to protect their animals, their liveli- hoods, and the health of their fami- lies and neighbors. Michael Whelan is the executive director of Fur Commission USA, the national trade association repre- senting U.S. mink farmers, based in Medford, Ore. GUEST VIEW Chandler Goule Wheat Associates (USW), U.S. wheat sales to China have totaled more than 2.8 million tons, representing a near doubling of our long- term average annual sales to China. Separately, trade and investment discussions with Vietnam, a growing wheat import market, resulted in securing a reduced tariff rate for imported U.S. wheat. Additionally, the bilateral agreement with Japan nego- tiated by the Trump adminis- tration put the U.S. back onto a level playing field with our competitors. The next admin- istration should continue to build upon these market development actions. Unfortunately, China con- tinues to be a bad actor in the trade arena and some coun- tries are following suit. In 2019, the United States won two WTO cases against Chi- na’s tariff rate quota scheme and domestic support poli- cies. However, China has yet to fully comply in either case. Additionally, India and other developing countries have been on the same trend of providing trade distort- ing subsidies that far exceed WTO commitments. The Biden administration should build on the China domes- tic support case’s success to bring other countries into compliance through litigation. American wheat farm- ers need a strong voice on the world stage. There are many opportunities for the Biden administration to be an inter- national advocate for wheat and capitalize on new trade deals. For instance, Brexit provides an opportunity for change to wheat exports to the United Kingdom, and hopefully wheat tariffs will be fully eliminated in a final U.S.-U.K. agreement. International trade is crit- ical to U.S. wheat growers, and our overseas customers demand high quality wheat, which American farmers are proud to supply. NAWG urges the Biden administra- tion to continue to work from the Trump administration’s trade successes. Additionally, the new administration must hold bad actors, like China, to their commitments and make them accountable for violat- ing any WTO rulings. Further, NAWG asks the Biden administration to be a strong advocate for wheat on the international stage and to help find new market oppor- tunities for wheat. Chandler Goule is CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers.