Friday, April 9, 2021
CapitalPress.com 11
Rural: ‘I don’t know of a farmer who wants to be a bad neighbor’
Continued from Page 1
farmland were converted to
low-density residential use
during the five-year period
that ended in 2016.
Across the Pacific North-
west and in California, the
hunger for country liv-
ing drove the conversion of
267,728 acres of farmland
to low-density residential
lots between 2001 and 2016,
according to the trust.
In southwest Idaho, the
appeal of living in farm coun-
try helps drive the popula-
tion growth. The Commu-
nity Planning Association
of Southwest Idaho in 2020
pegged the population of Ada
County, which includes Boise
and Meridian, at 502,970, up
28% from 2010.
Next door, in mainly agri-
cultural Canyon County,
which includes Nampa and
Caldwell, the population is
234,820, up 24% during the
same 10 years.
But living in farm country
can take some getting used to,
both on the part of new arriv-
als and farmers.
Sid Freeman, who farms
near Caldwell, said some new
rural residents view agricul-
ture as an inconvenience as
they encounter farm equip-
ment on the roads, for exam-
ple. He chalks it up to a lack
of appreciation for the farm
sector’s value.
“We are producing the saf-
est, cheapest and most reliable
food source in the world,” he
said.
“I always try to be a
good neighbor,” said another
farmer, Dave Reynolds, who
owns farming and dairy oper-
ations near Kuna.
He and his crew frequently
interact with the people who
live nearby.
“Some want to know every
time we spray,” Reynolds
said. “Or they want to know
when we are going to spread
manure or spray at night” to
keep pollinators such as bees
out of harm’s way.
The notifications take
time, he said. Farming is a
low-margin business, “and
we don’t get paid for that. But
Brad Carlson/Capital Press
Laura and Steve Wilder
Brad Carlson/Capital Press
Lori and Jack Blattner
FARMLAND DEVELOPMENT, 2001-2016
• 4.1 million: The number of acres of U.S. farmland converted
to urban and highly developed land uses.
• Nearly 7 million: The number of acres converted to
low-density residential use.
Addie
Candib
Sid
Freeman
it’s good for education.”
“I don’t know of a farmer
who wants to be a bad neigh-
bor,” Reynolds said.
Neil Durrant of Big
D Ranch, a farming and
crop-marketing
business
between
Meridian
and
Kuna, said he expects the
region’s population growth to
continue.
“We try to adapt our oper-
ation,” he said. “A lot of land
we own butts up against
development ground.”
Durrant said Big D has
acquired equipment that folds
or is easier to maneuver on
roads where traffic is increas-
ing. On rented fields made
smaller by development, he’s
exploring opportunities to
grow higher-value crops.
Patience required
Living in farm country
often requires more patience
— and work — than people
realize.
Kuna-area residents Jack
and Lori Blattner live on 4
acres that are part of a larger
property that has been in the
family 103 years. Most of the
land is leased to farmers.
Jack teaches agriculture in
a neighboring school district,
and Lori is an executive at a
• 465,900: The number of acres of California farmland
converted to urban or highly developed uses or low-density
residential use.
• 65,800: the number of acres of Oregon farmland that was
developed.
• 97,800: The number of acres of Washington farmland that
was developed.
• 68,800: The number of acres of Idaho farmland that was
developed.
Source: American Farmland Trust “Farms Under Threat” report.
Boise company.
They’ve lived there since
well before the road in front
of their house became a
high-traffic route connecting
fast-growing towns.
People buy 1 to 5 acres
because they don’t want to
have neighbors, “and when
they get there, they don’t real-
ize the amount of work it
takes to care for that ground,”
Jack Blattner said.
The Blattners have sheep
and frequently work on proj-
ects and repairs on their
acreage.
“Being able to fix things
is pretty valuable, I suppose,
but I wish I knew more about
lots of stuff,” Jack Blattner
said. “That’s when you go
ask for help.”
Lori Blattner remembers
when a new neighbor bought
11 acres, put about 25 horses
on it “and had no idea how
much food horses eat.” The
neighbor eventually sold and
left.
“If people aren’t prepared
to move out to farm country
and don’t know what they
are getting into, it can really
be a disaster,” she said.
The Blattners said they
have good neighbors, like
those who helped when an
outbuilding caught on fire.
Fellow sheep produc-
ers Steve and Laura Wilder
in the past year moved from
a Meridian acreage soon to
be surrounded by develop-
ment to a Caldwell-area farm
that has been in Laura’s fam-
ily for generations. Steve is a
retired ag educator. Laura is
the Idaho Barley Commis-
sion’s administrator.
Laura Wilder said that
while many producers appre-
ciate the sentiment of peo-
ple desiring to move to the
country, the newcomers
often don’t fully understand
or appreciate the activity
and noise from farm equip-
ment, livestock, hay-baling
or harvesting.
“It’s generally very peace-
ful and quiet on the farm,”
she said. “However, when
we are weaning lambs or
the neighbors are weaning
calves, there is a lot of ruckus
and some sleepless nights.
This is an annual occurrence
and part of the territory. …
You catch up on sleep when
you can.”
Trespassing worries
Trespassing can also be an
issue.
The Wilders said a canal
bank they own has been used
as a public greenbelt. Some
people have even used their
private road to access it.
“We have people, because
they Google it, see a road and
just drive down the road,”
Steve Wilder said.
The Idaho Legislature in
2018 updated the trespass
statutes, and this year is con-
sidering limiting landowner
liability when people enter
private land for recreation.
Another bill would update
statutes on rights of way
and easements for irriga-
tion ditches, canals and con-
duits. The state also has
a longstanding “right-to-
farm” law that allows normal
farm activities to continue
unimpeded.
Easements can also be a
point of contention.
“One of the things we are
seeing in recent years is an
increase in disputes involv-
ing ditch easements,” said
Paul Arrington, executive
director and general counsel
with the Idaho Water Users
Association.
Roger and Gayle Batt
live on part of Gayle’s fam-
ily farm between Wilder and
Homedale. Gayle is a former
state legislator. Roger admin-
isters a handful of agricul-
tural organizations.
Growth brings issues
that range from trash and
debris in canals to greater
cross-pollination risk for
seed-crop fields, Roger Batt
said. Weeds can proliferate
on some fields that have been
taken out of ag production
but are not yet developed.
“Over the last 10 years
even out here where we live,
we hardly know our neigh-
bors anymore,” he said. “A
lot of us are questioning what
agriculture is going to look
like in 10 or 20 years” in the
Treasure Valley.
Gayle Batt said the
growth has changed “the
culture of how we deal with
each other.”
Addie Candib, with
American Farmland Trust’s
Northwest region, said fac-
tors driving growth in farm
country include developers
looking for land that’s easy to
build on from technical, cost
and regulatory standpoints.
More development
Colleen Agresta grew up
around agriculture and once
raised llamas. Greg Agresta
earlier lived on an acreage on
a hill north of Redding, Calif.
They lived near a golf course
before moving to Idaho from
the Redding area.
“At this time of our lives,
it’s less stressful,” Colleen
Agresta said. “It’s beautiful.
... I love it here.”
But the demand for small
acreages continues.
The Agrestas recently
received a notice that a devel-
opment of homes on large
lots is planned on 40 acres of
a nearby pasture.
Greg said that while they
were disappointed, they still
will see plenty of farm-re-
lated activities … “as soon
as we drive out of our
neighborhood.”
Dairies: Oregon has consistently been ranked as a top quality milk producer
Continued from Page 1
Newton, organizer for the
Stand Up to Factory Farms
Coalition, which supports SB
583.
The bill’s proponents made
several claims for why a mor-
atorium on dairies with more
than 2,500 cows should be
imposed:
• Water: Nitrogen from
lagoons and manure spread
onto fields can leach into
groundwater, while large dair-
ies draw enormous amounts
of water for cattle, operations
and irrigation, supporters said.
• Air: Dairies are sources
of methane and other green-
house gases that contribute to
haze, health problems and cli-
mate change, supporters said.
“The climate crisis is
already upon us and we have
no time to spare to curb emis-
sions,” said Amy Van Saun,
senior attorney with the Cen-
ter for Food Safety nonprofit.
• Economics: Overproduc-
tion from industrial dairies has
driven down milk prices to the
point that small farms can’t
cover their operational costs,
causing many to go out of
business, supporters said.
• Animal welfare: Cows
in industrial dairies may be
in stalls without access to the
outdoors or the opportunity
to move around, requiring
antibiotics to stave off udder
infections and other diseases,
supporters said.
Under such “intensive con-
finement,” cows are more
likely to be treated “like
machines than conscious
living beings,” said Jenni-
fer Hauge, legislative affairs
manager for the Animal Legal
Defense Fund.
Opponents of SB 583
pointed out that all dairies are
prohibited from discharg-
ing waste into groundwater
or surface waters and must
only apply manure at agro-
nomic rates that can be used
by plants. The bill’s critics
argued that dairies should be
judged by their environmen-
tal performance and regula-
tory compliance, rather than
an arbitrary standard such as
size.
Large
dairies
have
invested in covered lagoons
and anaerobic methane digest-
ers that trap gases for electric-
ity production, critics said. In
addition to those features, the
state’s biggest operation —
Threemile Canyon Farms —
has also set aside significant
acreage for habitat conserva-
tion and won awards for ani-
mal welfare.
Oregon has consistently
been ranked as a top-quality
milk producer, which indi-
cates that cows are kept in
good conditions, the bill’s
opponents said.
The trend toward bigger
dairies is driven by stricter
regulations and labor require-
ments, which have forced
companies to produce more
revenue to cover fixed costs,
critics said.
Dairies have also grown
to accommodate demand
for their products, much like
other private companies, said
Brandon Hazenberg, a Mar-
ion County dairy farmer.
“Nobody has a problem with
their growth but animal agri-
culture is an easy target.”
Smaller dairies would suf-
fer from a prohibition on
large operations because they
alone can’t sustain the live-
lihoods of veterinarians,
agronomists and other indus-
try experts, said Bobbi Har-
rold, a Linn County dairy
farmer.
“If you remove the large
operations, you remove the
opportunity for those profes-
sionals to have steady busi-
ness,” she said.
Easterday: Company formed in 2019 after the purchase of the former Lost Valley Farm
Continued from Page 1
made in 2017 and 2018 to
avoid scrutiny and disci-
pline, according to the CFTC
complaint.
Easterday allegedly ran
up more than $200 million
in losses over 10 years from
speculative trading in the cat-
tle and corn futures markets.
To meet margin calls, Easter-
day allegedly defrauded one
of the feedlot’s biggest busi-
ness partners of more than
$233 million, according to the
complaint.
The complaint does not
name the producer, and a
CFTC spokeswoman said the
commission could not iden-
tify the producer.
The complaint says the pro-
ducer is based in South Dakota
and operates a beef process-
ing plant in Pasco and is “part
of a family of companies that
together constitute one of the
largest food suppliers in the
world,” a profile that fits Tyson
Fresh Meats, which is based in
Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Tyson has previously said
that it led an investigation last
year and found that the misap-
propriation of funds had cost
the company more than $200
million.
Easterday had an agree-
ment with the company to
procure and care for 145,000
to 180,000 head of cat-
tle a year, according to the
complaint.
The complaint alleges that
from at least October 2016 to
November 2020, Easterday
submitted false invoices and
reimbursement requests for
cattle that it never purchased
or raised for the producer.
“Given the parties’ long
business relationship, the
producer justifiably relied
on the invoices submitted by
Easterday Ranches and paid
Easterday Ranches more
than $233 million to which
it was not entitled,” the com-
plaint states.
A producer’s represen-
tative confronted Easterday
with evidence of the fraud
last fall, according to the
complaint.
The commission seeks
restitution, civil monetary
penalties, and permanent
trading and registration bans.
According to the plea
agreement with the Jus-
tice Department in which he
pleaded guilty to wire fraud,
Easterday will have to set
aside no less than 10% of his
monthly income toward pay-
ing restitution.
Easterday Ranches filed
for bankruptcy in February,
and Cody Easterday resigned
as an officer of the business,
according to court records.
Dairy plans
Cody Easterday’s son,
Cole Easterday, said April 1
that other family members
still plan to reopen Oregon’s
second-largest dairy near
Boardman and that his father
is not involved in the project.
Cole Easterday and his
brothers, Clay and Cutter,
own Easterday Dairy LLC.
The company formed in early
2019 after the family pur-
chased the former Lost Val-
ley Farm for $66.7 million.
In a statement, Cole East-
erday said his father is not in
management or control of the
dairy enterprise.
Easterday Dairy LLC
has applied for a new Con-
fined Animal Feeding Oper-
ation, or CAFO, permit from
the Oregon Department of
Agriculture and Department
of Environmental Quality to
operate the farm with 28,300
cattle.
“I cannot comment on
the situation with Easter-
day Ranches, as neither my
brothers or I are involved in
that operation,” Cole Easter-
day said.
“Easterday Dairy LLC
will continue to comply with
our current permit, and will
continue with our CAFO
application. We are looking
forward to the operation and
success of our dairy.”
Lost Valley Farm started
in 2018 on 7,228 acres in
what used to be the Board-
man Tree Farm. The dairy
was shut down within a
year after racking up more
than 200 violations of its
CAFO permit and its owner
filing for bankruptcy.
The Easterdays bought the
property — excluding cattle
— at an auction and promised
to invest millions of dollars
upgrading wastewater facili-
ties to ensure environmental
compliance.
“We will invest what
we need to make the dairy
operational,” Cole Easter-
day said.