Friday, May 28, 2021
CapitalPress.com 3
Inslee denies plea to end
farmworker housing rules
ing absurd regulations or risk
being fi ned, Wafl a CEO Dan
Fazio said.
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay
The mask requirement
Inslee declined Monday to contradicts the governor’s
repeal COVID-related rules announcement May 21 that
for housing farmworkers, vaccinated employees can
requiring fully vac-
work without masks,
cinated farmwork-
Fazio said.
ers to wear masks in
“There is grow-
off hours even as he
ing anger in the farm
relaxes rules for other
community,” he said.
industries.
“We can’t go through
The governor for-
the harvest with these
mally rejected a peti-
rules. ... It’s beyond
Gov. Jay
tion from the Wash-
crazy.”
Inslee
ington Farm Bureau
The emergency
and Wafl a, a supplier
rules have been
of foreign farmworkers. The extended until at least Sept. 6.
groups appealed to Inslee to
Even with the CDC’s new
drop the year-old emergency guidance, the threat of infec-
rules.
tion remains, Inslee wrote,
The health emergency responding to the petition.
continues and repealing the
The Health Department
rules would be premature, and Labor and Industries have
according to the governor’s taken a “measured approach”
offi ce. Inslee and his cabinet to relaxing the housing rules,
will update COVID require- according to Inslee.
ments as the threat of the
“I have not wavered in my
virus wanes, according to his view that agricultural work-
offi ce.
ers living in worker hous-
The Farm Bureau and ing facilities are particularly
Wafl a contend the rules are vulnerable to the disease,
unreasonable,
especially although I am optimistic that
since nearly all workers are vaccination rates will con-
vaccinated. The groups sub- tinue to improve in the com-
mitted the petition May 14, ing months,” Inslee stated.
one day after the Centers
The farm groups con-
for Disease Control and Pre- tend the restrictions are coun-
vention announced that fully terproductive. With hous-
vaccinated people could ing capacity reduced, more
safely resume their pre-pan- employees must live in the
demic activities.
community, where work-
The farm groups said ers are more likely to get
Tuesday that Inslee is holding COVID, they argue.
agriculture to a diff erent stan-
Testing last year by the
dard than other businesses.
Health Department supports
“We were greatly disap- the farm groups’ position.
pointed in just a fl at-out dis- Employees at Gebbers Farms
missal of our concerns,” in Central Washington were
Farm Bureau CEO John three times more likely to
Stuhlmiller said Tuesday.
contract the virus if they lived
The emergency rules limit in the community, rather than
the use of bunk beds to shel- company housing.
ters housing no more than 15
Gebbers has appealed a
isolated workers. The restric- $2 million fi ne for not hous-
tion reduces capacity in com- ing or transporting workers
pany housing.
in numbers prescribed by the
Isolated 15-worker groups state.
can share restrooms, kitchens
Although the state has
and buses with other isolated issued new mask guidelines
15-worker groups if all work- for vaccinated workers, it
ers are fully vaccinated, but has not repealed COVID-re-
the fully vaccinated work- lated workplace rules for
ers must wear masks and be agriculture.
socially distanced.
Farms are struggling to
Farmers, who are respon- keep up with the rules, Stuhl-
sible for seeing that work- miller said. “It is so confus-
ers obey the rules, are being ing. Nobody knows what the
forced to spend time enforc- law is, frankly,” he said.
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
Idaho board
ponders an increase
in wolf harvest
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
BOISE — Contracting reg-
ulations are among the chal-
lenges the Idaho Wolf Depre-
dation Control Board will face
in carrying out a new state law
aimed at expanding harvest of
the predators.
The new law allows the
board to hire private contractors
to kill wolves. It also increases
funding to the board.
Comments at the board’s
May 19 meeting included
that the law could result in the
over-harvest of wolves and
have impacts on ecosystems.
The cost per wolf was also
mentioned, as well as using
non-lethal deterrence for reduc-
ing wolf-livestock confl icts.
Ranchers strongly sup-
ported the law, largely because
the wolf population has surged
well above federal targets
despite larger harvests in recent
years. The summer population
is about 1,500.
“There is a common mis-
conception that life is going to
be easier with contracting,” said
board co-chair Celia Gould,
director of the state Department
of Agriculture. The board must
comply with contracting rules
and accepted procedures, like
any state agency.
The board would be dealing
with more unknowns, at least
initially, in dealing with pri-
vate contractors, said Fish and
Game Director Ed Schriever,
Strong cherry demand forecasted;
Western crop size is ‘good’
By SIERRA DAWN MCCLAIN
Capital Press
Experts forecast a large
California cherry crop and an
about-average Pacifi c North-
west crop, according to the
second round of industry esti-
mates released this month.
Demand looks strong.
California is expected to
produce 9 million to 10 mil-
lion 18-pound boxes, near
the record volume produced
in 2017, according to the
California Cherry Advisory
Board.
Growers across the Pacifi c
Northwest — Washington,
Oregon, Idaho, Utah and
Montana — forecast 22 mil-
lion to 22.8 million 20-pound
boxes, in line with the 10-year
average. This is about 1 mil-
lion fewer boxes than indus-
try leaders originally esti-
mated the fi rst week of May.
“It’s a nice crop — not
huge, but good,” said B.J.
Thurlby, president of the
Washington State Fruit Tree
Commission and Northwest
Cherry Growers.
This year’s losses can be
attributed to frost, wind dam-
age and pollination chal-
lenges across pockets of Ore-
gon and Washington.
Growers say Oregon,
which produced about 40,000
tons last year, will only yield
30,000 to 33,000 tons in
Washington State Fruit Commission
Despite industry challenges, cherry growers across
the West say they’re generally optimistic about a good
crop and strong demand.
2021.
Thurlby said because of
“Our crop is defi nitely recent warm weather, picking
not as big as last year,” said may start at the end of May
Brenda
Thomas,
— again in line with
grower and pres-
2020.
ident of Orchard
A slight overlap in
View Cherries in the
California and Pacifi c
Dalles.
Northwest crops is
Compared to last
expected. Too much
year, California is
overlap could result
picking more fruit,
in an oversupply that
Brenda
and later. In 2020,
drives down prices,
Thomas
California fi nished
but Tate Mathison,
shipping
around
director of sales and
June 9. This year, shipping is a fi fth-generation farmer at
expected to last through June Stemilt, said he thinks the
20.
overlap will probably be a
In contrast, Washing- good thing and will help “fi ll
ton may start picking sooner the supply gap” that some-
than expected. Growers ear- times occurs in June.
lier in May forecasted pick-
Industry leaders across the
ing would start June 1, but region say they expect strong
demand this year.
E-commerce in cherries
last year “exploded,” experts
say, with 42% of cherry buy-
ers purchasing at least some
cherries online during 2020.
The industry will continue to
push online sales alongside
brick-and-mortar avenues.
Fruit sales in general have
been strong this spring, a
good market predictor for
cherries.
James Michael, vice pres-
ident of marketing at North-
west Cherry Growers, said
the industry this year will
focus on promoting cherries’
health benefi ts. Michael said
the industry will tout cher-
ries as anti-infl ammatory,
anti-cancer, low-glycemic
and good for blood pressure.
But the cherry industry
also faces some challenges.
China still imposes a 25%
tariff plus a 9% value-added
tax on U.S. cherries. They are
expected to continue.
Domestically,
retailers
and shippers are struggling
with a shortage of trucks and
drivers.
High lumber prices have
led to a palette shortage,
which could also present
logistical diffi culties.
India is facing another
wave of COVID-19 cases,
forcing the cherry industry to
scale back its India marketing
campaigns.
Dairy farmer, seed producer appointed to Oregon Board of Ag
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
A dairy farmer and a
seed producer are the new-
est members of the Ore-
gon Board of Agriculture,
which advises regulators at
the state’s Department of
Agriculture.
Chad Allen of Victor
Dairy has worked in the
Tillamook dairy indus-
try his entire life and
was appointed by Gov.
Kate Brown to replace
Marty Myers, manager of
Threemile Canyon Farms,
who died last year.
Randi Svaty of R&R
Seed Farms in Ontario
operates the farm with her
husband, Ryan, and serves
as the local branch man-
ager for Northwest Farm
Credit Services. She was
appointed to replace Grant
Kitamura, an onion pro-
ducer who moved out-of-
state earlier this year.
board co-chair.
The wolf board now con-
tracts exclusively with USDA
Wildlife Services, and “they
have been responsive to the
livestock industry,” he said.
Though Wildlife Services may
not be as cost-eff ective as a
private contractor, “they are
responsive, a known entity and
available.”
Schriever said the new law
doesn’t mandate that the board
use private contractors and “we
want to go into that with our
eyes wide open.”
Talasi Brooks, staff attorney
with the Western Watersheds
Project, told Capital Press the
law amounts to the Legisla-
ture wresting authority from
the state Fish and Game Com-
mission, a part of the executive
branch created by 1933 voter
initiative to be nonpartisan.
“Not only will this legisla-
tive interference spell a death
sentence for wolves in Idaho,
but it also sets a dangerous
precedent for the Legislature
interfering in fi sh and game
management to achieve its own
political ends,” she said.
Wildlife Services in Idaho
from January through March
conducted 12 depredation
investigations related to wolf
complaints from livestock pro-
ducers, State Director Jared
Hedelius said. Eight were con-
fi rmed wolf depredations, two
were potential wolf depreda-
tions, and two were determined
to be non-wolf.
Chad
Allen
Randi
Svaty
Allen said the new role
will help him communi-
cate the realities of farming
to the urban community,
clearing up misunderstand-
ings that can lead to bad
policy such as a ballot ini-
tiative that seeks to restrict
animal agriculture.
“I’m trying to edu-
cate Oregonians about the
importance of agriculture in
Oregon,” he said.
Talking
with
peo-
ple about the challenges
of farming creates posi-
tive connections and often
elicits comments such as,
“I didn’t realize that,” or,
“That makes sense now,”
Allen said.
As far as specifi c policy
advice for ODA, Allen said
it’s not possible to “know
what’s around the next
bend” but he expects water
and land use to remain
perennially important top-
ics for the agency.
Allen said he has a “per-
sonal passion” for pro-
tecting exclusive farm use
zones and the “right to
farm” in Oregon, and hopes
to “bring common sense to
the table” regarding con-
troversies over the dairy
industry.
Conservation projects
are often adjacent to dairy
farms in the Tillamook area
and the region has shown
that agriculture doesn’t
need to be eliminated to
improve water quality and
environmental conditions,
he said.
“I believe we can accom-
plish a lot of things if we
work together on it,” Allen
said.
Svaty said that between
growing up on a ranch, mar-
rying a farmer and working
at an agricultural bank, “ag
is just who I am, it’s all I
know.”
By serving on the Board
of Agriculture, Svaty hopes
to inform the state’s farm
regulators about how reg-
ulatory policies will aff ect
growers on the ground.
“The ODA has a lot to do
with how we farm and raise
our animals,” she said.
Irrigation
availability
and other water issues are
likely to remain a key issue
for the agency, she said.
“It’s a topic that’s always
been there but it needs to be
on our radar all the time.”
In light of Oregon’s
higher tax and regulatory
burden, the state’s farm-
ers must also seek ways to
add value to their crops and
livestock to remain compet-
itive, Svaty said.
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