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WATER SPECIAL SECTION | PAGES 10-11 EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER CapitalPress.com Friday, February 12, 2021 Volume 94, Number 7 $2.00 Lawmakers question removal of spotted owl critical habitat Eight Democrats ask for investigation into decision By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press Eight Western lawmakers are calling for a federal review of the Trump administration’s decision to reduce critical habitat protections for the northern spotted owl in Oregon, Wash- ington and Northern California. In a Feb. 2 letter to Mark Lee Greenblatt, the Department of the Interior inspector general, the lawmakers said reducing the owl’s critical habitat designation by 3.4 million acres was “as bewildering as it is damaging.” The group also suggested former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt acted unilaterally to overrule officials at the U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service, which had previously proposed a much smaller reduction. “In less than two brief years under Secre- tary Bernhardt’s leadership, the department has been mired in one ethical scandal after another,” the lawmakers wrote. “Bernhardt and his loyal- ists have demonstrated a willingness to insert themselves into the scientific process in order to achieve preferred policy outcomes, withhold See Habitat, Page 14 Associated Press File The critical habitat of the northern spotted owl, a fed- erally protected species, was reduced by nearly 3.5 million acres. SOIL HEALTH PAYS OFF Farm reinvigorates its fields, bottom line By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press C Maria McIntyre Winter soil check at McIntyre Pastures. Earthworms and a “chocolate cake” look are indi- cators of healthy soil. ALDWELL, Idaho — A walk around McIntyre Family Farms reveals a different kind of operation than it was 12 years ago. Back then, the farm produced 3,500 acres of alfalfa forage and corn, wheat and beans. Then in 2009, the McIntyres started down a different path, one following regenerative, nature-mim- icking practices and focusing on soil health. In 2013, they added cat- tle and free-range lay- ing hens, followed by pigs, turkeys, meat chickens and ducks. Brad McIntyre, 38, says the previ- ous iteration of his family’s farm, which also does business as McIntyre Pas- tures, focused too much on yield, and the soil suffered because of it. “We had been going for yield the whole time, and that’s what got us in trouble,” he said. Brad McIntyre co-owns the farm with his brother, Ben, 41, and their father, Loren, 63. Ben’s wife, Maria, pro- vides marketing and management support. The farm got smaller as the leases on 2,500 acres were not renewed. The current 1,000-acre farm grows alfalfa, grass and corn for feed; winter wheat and barley; and seed crops triticale, hairy vetch, turnips and teff. It follows organic practices on the pasture. And there are some 15 cover crops, including multi- ple vetches, warm-season grasses and brassicas. “We plant a diverse blend wherever we can behind the cash crops,” McIntyre said. The cover crops keep roots in the soil while feeding the animals and poultry, which are moved daily. The poultry follows the ani- mals, helping to spread manure as they consume insects and plant material. “We use animals as one of the tools to convert biomass into available protein sources,” McIntyre said. The diversity also provides a variety of work for the McIntyres. Brad and his wife, Jill, have six children, and Ben and Maria have four. “The purpose of the change was to put more life in the soil” through no-till practices, Brad McIntyre said. “As we learned more, we realized we needed the livestock to reach the next level of soil health. We also had a desire to slow down the work,” which “gave the children something to do on the farm.” Over time, the soil rebounded. McIntyre said seeing earthworms return is “a good indication you’re moving in the right direction.” He said healthy soil often is “crumbly when you pull it up — and really airy, not compacted and tight.” He likens the color and texture to those of chocolate cake. More profitable During the transition, the farm became more profitable and sustainable without sacrificing yields, Brad McIntyre said. “We’ve added a lot of diversity into our business while improving the health of our soil,” he said. “We started diving into everything,” McIntyre said of the changes. “But you can make changes without disrupting your whole farm Brad Carlson/Capital Press plan.” Experts say better soil Brad McIntyre employs chickens on health will in the future his farm to help build soil health. drive increases in crop yields as much as advances like new seed hybrids and fertilizers. And making sure soil stays healthy bodes well for a farm’s continued productivity. “My yields have never dropped,” McIntyre said. “They only have stayed consistent or have gone up.” The farm now uses 50% less fertilizer and 25% less water than it did previously. See Soil, Page 14 Simpson’s dam breaching plan a ‘nonstarter,’ ag reps say By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press SIMPSON’S NORTHWEST IN TRANSITION CONCEPT https://simpson.house.gov/salmon/ U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson says his plan to end all salmon litigation and remove four Snake River dams would offer agriculture unprece- dented legal protection, but industry stakeholders say it’s a nonstarter. Simpson, R-Idaho, has not pro- posed legislation, but on Feb. 7 released a $33.5 billion concept for salmon recovery, which includes removing the Lower Granite, Lit- tle Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams on the lower Snake River in 2030 and 2031. “It’s such a different approach,” Associated Press File Ice Harbor dam near Burbank, Wash., is one of four dams on the lower Snake River that would be taken out under a proposal by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. said a Simpson representative, speaking on on background. “We’re not saying, ‘Take the dams out and save salmon.’ We’re saying, ‘Save agriculture, replace everything and then save salmon.’” If the dams are removed, each interest group would need sufficient resources to replace the benefits they currently receive, the representative said. Replacement power generation would have to be built and online by 2030, prior to breaching the dams. The concept includes an auto- matic 35-year extension of licensing for all remaining public and private dams generating more than 5 mega- watts in the Columbia River Basin. This would “lock in” the dams and eliminate the “slippery slope” argu- ment of, “If you allow them to remove these four dams they will go after the other main-stem Columbia River dams and others,” the repre- sentative said. Under the concept, if the dams See Plan, Page 14 COME SEE US AT OUR SALEM LOCA TION S226769-1
