Friday, May 14, 2021 CapitalPress.com 5 Ag pleased administration recognizes its role in conservation By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press The Biden administration has released a report outlin- ing its vision to conserve and restore land, water and wild- life with recommendations for locally led, voluntary eff orts to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. The 24-page report out- lining the administration’s “America the Beautiful” ini- tiative recognizes the contribu- tions of farmers, ranchers, for- est owners, private landowners and fi shers and commits to supporting those eff orts. Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation pres- ident, said he appreciates the report’s acknowledgement of his organization’s concerns and recognition of farmers’ and ranchers’ contributions to conservation. “That recognition must carry through implementa- tion,” he said. “The report is a philosoph- ical document that empha- sizes important principles such as incentive-based voluntary conservation, protecting per- sonal and property rights and continued ranching on public lands, but it lacks specifi cs,” he said. Farm Bureau will work with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and his colleagues Matuesz Perkowski/Capital Press File A new conservation proposal by the Biden administra- tion relies on voluntary, locally led eff orts. to ensure the details live up to promises made to protect American agriculture, he said. Rob Larew, president of National Farmers Union, said farmers and ranchers initially had a lot of questions about what the plan might mean for agriculture. “After sharing those con- cerns with the administra- tion, we are heartened that our feedback was taken seriously and incorporated into the fi nal principles,” he said. “Today’s report under- stands the valuable work that family farmers are already doing to improve soil, water and air quality and commits to advancing that work in the future. We are glad to have clarity on the matter and look forward to continued collabo- ration with the administration to ensure these principles are followed,” he said. Michael Crawford, pres- ident of the National Asso- ciation of Conservation Dis- tricts, said the association appreciates the report’s focus on support for locally led and designed conservation eff orts and the opportunities that are championed by conservation districts. “Conservation districts were created to work directly with landowners and local communities to implement conservation, and the goals of adding additional conser- vation across the country rep- resents a signifi cant opportu- nity to advance conservation on both private and public lands,” he said. Most places warmed in past decade, but not all By DON JENKINS Capital Press Annual average temperatures Some Northwest and California cities bucked the warming trend and became cooler in the past decade, according to new climate normals from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The new averages are based on temperatures over the past 30 years. The aver- age year-round temperature increased in most places in the U.S., according to NOAA. A sampling of 40 cit- ies in Oregon, Washing- ton, Idaho and California found the average tempera- ture increased in 27 of them, decreased in 12 and was unchanged in one, Idaho Falls. Washington State Cli- matologist Nick Bond said Thursday he wasn’t sur- prised some places cooled. Here are the annual average temperatures for 40 places in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California. Temperatures are based on the climate from 1991-2020. The plus or minus represents the change in degrees Fahrenheit from average temperatures from 1981-2010. Most places warmed, though some cooled. City Average temp Burley, ID Walla Walla, WA Arcata-Eureka, CA Hermiston, OR Bellingham, WA Yreka, CA Redding, CA Salem, OR Yakima, WA Bend, OR Rexburg, ID Grants Pass, OR Boise, ID 49 54.3 52.5 53.9 51.2 53.5 63.4 54.1 50.8 47.6 44.8 55.6 53.2 Change +1.8 +1.8 +1.4 +1.4 +1.3 +1.2 +1.1 +1.1 +1.1 +1.0 +0.9 +0.8 +0.7 City Average temp Klamath Falls, OR Fresno, CA Pocatello, ID Bandon, OR La Grande, OR Red Bluff, CA Quincy, WA Coeur d' Alene, ID Prineville, OR Roseburg, OR Corvallis, OR Moses Lake, WA Astoria, OR 47.1 65 47 53.2 49.4 63.3 51.1 48.8 49.4 55.9 52.9 50.9 51.4 Change +0.7 +0.6 +0.6 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.4 +0.4 +0.4 +0.3 +0.3 +0.1 City Average temp Wenatchee, WA Idaho Falls, ID Moscow, ID Centralia, WA Twin Falls, ID Chelan, WA Colville, WA Long Beach, WA McMinnville, OR Ellensburg, WA Elma, WA Sedro Woolley, WA Susanville, CA The Dalles, OR 52.5 44.2 46.4 51.5 49.1 50.1 48.9 49.8 52.9 47.7 52.3 51.3 50.2 53.5 Change +0.1 0.0 -1.5 -1.4 -0.8 -0.7 -0.3 -0.3 -0.3 -0.2 -0.2 -0.2 -0.2 -0.1 Capital Press graphic Short-term weather patterns and the varied eff ects of cli- mate change infl uence tem- peratures, he said. “We don’t expect a uni- form warming,” he said. “An important message is most places show that the last 30 years were warmer than the previous 30-year bloc, and that’s a sign of overall warming occurring.” NOAA updates what’s considered “normal” weather in the U.S every 10 years. The new norms are based on temperatures and rainfall recorded at thou- sands of weather stations between 1991 and 2020. The previous climate nor- mals were based on readings between 1981 and 2010, so two decades overlap. Climate normals date back to 1900. U.S. tempera- tures have increased an aver- age of 0.16 degrees Fahren- heit per decade since then, according to NOAA. The longer view gives a better picture of global warming, Bond said. “This is a sign that there is a real problem,” he said. “It’s not that the Northwest is going to be uninhabit- able. It’s going to be a dif- ferent place, and we have to mitigate for that and adapt to that.” The cities with a warmer year-round average tempera- ture include Moses Lake, Klamath Falls, Pocatello and Redding. Cities with a cooler average tempera- ture include Ellensburg, McMinnville, Twin Falls and Susanville. Angela Bailey takes reins as Oregon Farm Bureau president By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press Barb Iverson SALEM — Angela “Angi” Bailey, a fourth-generation family farmer and nursery owner in Gresham, Ore., has taken over as president of the Oregon Farm Bureau. Bailey stepped into the role eff ective April 15 after health issues forced former OFB president Barb Iver- son to resign. “I am ready to serve as OFB president alongside an amazing team of state offi cers, board and staff ,” Bailey said in a state- ment released by the Farm Bureau. “All are engaged, dedicated and give 100% to this organization.” Bailey and her hus- band, Larry, own and operate Verna Jean Nurs- ery in Gresham, about 15 miles east of Portland. The 17-acre nursery special- izes in growing ornamental and fl owering trees includ- ing Japanese maple, Euro- JEWETT Angela “Angi” Bailey pean beech, dogwood and magnolia. Bailey is a member of the Multnomah County Farm Bureau, and served as fi rst vice president of the state organization under Iverson’s leadership. “While nobody can ever ‘replace’ Barb, Farm Bureau members should know that we have a strong team in place to carry Ore- gon Farm Bureau for- ward,” Bailey said. Iverson, who owns the famous Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm near Woodburn, Ore., was elected OFB presi- dent in 2019. As fi rst vice president, Bailey will fi n- ish Iverson’s two-year term which continues through December. Brian Glaser, of Linn County, moves up to fi rst vice president, and Shane Otley, of Harney County, moves up to second vice president. The position of third vice president will be fi lled during a special election at the OFB board meeting in May. Iverson said her deci- sion to step down was diffi - cult but necessary, given a recent health scare that left her in and out of the hospi- tal for the better part of a month earlier this year. On Feb. 21, Iverson said she was taken to Oregon Health and Science Univer- sity in Portland, where doc- tors found she had a subdu- ral hematoma — a type of brain bleed. Though she has since returned home, a full recovery could take 8-9 months. “I thought it was prob- ably best for the Farm Bureau to just step aside,” Iverson told the Capi- tal Press. “There is just so much going on.” Bailey’s credentials include graduating from the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Partners in Advocacy Leadership Pro- gram in 2019. She was the fi rst member from the Ore- gon Farm Bureau invited to participate in the pro- fessional development course. Looking forward, Bai- ley said producers in Ore- gon continue to face new challenges to their liveli- hoods. She cited a bill in the state legislature that would require agriculture to pay higher overtime wages, and an initiative petition for the Novem- ber 2022 ballot that would remove exemptions for livestock producers under the state’s animal cruelty laws. “I’m proud to be part of an organization that fi ghts for the rights of our farm- ers and ranchers,” she said. S243635-1 Barb Iverson steps down after recent health issue Moisture Monitoring with agrinet.us Best Prices on Irrigation Supplies CAMERON SEED WHOLESALE PRICES TO THE PUBLIC! GRAIN SEED GRASS SEED CLOVER SEED ANIMAL FEED Contract Production Opportunities Available Open Monday to Friday 7AM to 3:30PM 503-647-2293 WWW.JEWETTCAMERONSEED.COM 31345 NW Beach Rd. 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