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Friday, March 19, 2021
Volume 94, Number 12
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Reported shipping violations worry ag exporters
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
A bipartisan group of U.S. sena-
tors has called on the Federal Maritime
Commission to quickly resolve what
they call “unreasonable practices” of
ocean carriers that are hindering U.S.
farm exports.
Reports began emerging last fall that
carriers were delaying the export of
hundreds of millions of dollars worth
of U.S. agricultural goods, and instead
immediately returning empty containers
to be fi lled with more profi table Chinese
merchandise heading stateside.
Once incoming containers are emp-
tied of their cargo, they usually go to
rural areas, where they are loaded with
agricultural products such as apples,
hay, potatoes and lumber before they
are sent back to ports for the trip to Asia.
Twenty-four senators — including
Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabe-
now — signed a letter March 3 to Com-
mission Chairman Michael Khouri, call-
ing the actions by some carriers unfair
and a potential violation of the Shipping
Act of 1984.
“If the reports are true, such practices
would be unreasonable, anticompetitive
and hurt millions of producers across
the nation,” the senators wrote.
Farmers and agricultural exporters
echoed those concerns, saying the lack
of access to containers and vessels has
delayed shipments and threatens to tar-
nish their reputation as reliable trading
partners.
Shelly Boshart Davis, whose family
business specializes in baling, hauling
and selling grass straw from Willamette
Valley farms to customers in Japan and
South Korea, said the global pandemic
caused a whiplash of sorts in the inter-
national trade community.
See Shipping, Page 11
Shelly Boshart
Davis
WHERE THE AUCTION IS
Livestock sale barns face challenges amid changing times
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
C
EP Media group File
Trent Stewart, owner of the Central Oregon Livestock
Auction, calls out bids during a video sale in Pendleton,
Ore. Stewart works as an auctioneer with Superior Live-
stock to help supplement his income.
Buyers and sellers at the Chehalis Livestock Market.
HEHALIS, Wash. —
Auction day at the
Chehalis Livestock
Market begins with
a fl urry of activity
behind the scenes, as hundreds
of cattle from area ranches
arrive at the sale barn adjacent
to Interstate 5 in southwest
Washington.
Once at the loading dock,
the animals are ushered into a
hydraulic squeeze chute, where
veterinarian Jason Humphrey
pierces their ears with elec-
tronic identifi cation tags and
gives vaccinations, if needed.
The cattle are then sorted and
placed in holding pens.
Alongside the auction ring,
longtime customers sit on
reclining chairs and sofas, trad-
ing gossip and renewing friend-
ships. Next door, the restaurant
is open, serving cheeseburgers,
fries and coff ee.
“We have a strong connec-
tion to the community,” said
Brenda Balmelli, whose hus-
band, Dave, bought the Che-
halis market in 1986 with busi-
ness partner Joe Parypa. “Most
of our customers are small
farms, with fi ve to 25 head
they raise per year.”
That community connec-
tion, however, is becom-
ing more diffi cult to sustain,
Balmelli said. Fewer cattle, ris-
ing costs and the emergence of
new technology are putting a
strain on small sale barns.
When they fi rst started,
Balmelli said, it was common
to sell 200-plus dairy cows, 100
feeder cattle and 300 slaugh-
ter animals at the weekly auc-
tion. Now, they typically sell
15 dairy cows, 150 feeder cat-
tle and 150 slaughter animals.
At the same time, Balmelli
said, they have kept their com-
missions the same to remain
competitive, while costs such
as labor, insurance and repairs
have tripled over the last eight
years. The internet has also
made it easier for ranchers to
sell their livestock direct to
buyers online, foregoing the
sale barn entirely.
See Auction, Page 11
Photos by George Plaven/Capital Press
ABOVE: Brenda Balmelli, with
the Chehalis Livestock Auction in
southwest Washington.
TOP: Buyers and sellers gather at
the Chehalis Livestock Market.
Environmental groups: Simpson plan speeds
up salmon extinction, harms human health
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
It’s rare that farmers and envi-
ronmental groups agree.
But both agricultural stakehold-
ers and environmental organiza-
tions say Idaho Rep. Mike Simp-
son’s proposed $33.5 billion salmon
recovery deal is a no-go.
A group of 17 environmental
organizations say Simpson’s plan
would speed up salmon extinction
and harm human health, calling it
“untenable.”
The group, including the Cen-
ter for Biological Diversity and
Spokane Riverkeeper, sent a let-
ter March 16 to Oregon Sens. Ron
Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Wash-
Founded in 1945
by Farmers and Ranchers.
We still measure success by the acre.
ington Sens. Patty Murray and
Maria Cantwell, all Democrats,
opposing Simpson’s plan.
A representative for the Cen-
ter for Biological Diversity has
not returned calls seeking further
comment.
Agricultural stakeholders and
power companies also oppose
Simpson’s plan.
Simpson, a Republican, has not
introduced legislation, but in Feb-
ruary unveiled a plan for salmon
recovery that includes removing the
Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower
Monumental and Ice Harbor dams
on the lower Snake River in 2030
and 2031.
See Plan, Page 11
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