Friday, July 9, 2021
CapitalPress.com 5
Oregon berry, produce
farms seek emergency
aid for heat, drought
declare a state of emer-
gency and provide relief
funding for agricultural
losses.
“Our member farms
are seeing fields of crops
devastated by the heat,
especially those farms
growing native-Oregon
or
Northwestern-based
crops, which are not bred
to withstand high tem-
peratures,” the letter
states.
The immediate losses
are just the start of the
damage, the letter contin-
ues. The full extent of the
damage will not be known
until later in the year after
everything is harvested.
The governor’s office
did not immediately
respond to a request for
comment.
For Greg Unger —
who, along with his wife,
Kara, took over the farm
from his parents in Janu-
ary — blueberry harvest
began June 21. Black-
berry and raspberry har-
vest followed a few days
later.
In a stroke of bad tim-
ing, high temperatures
in the area hit triple dig-
its each day between June
26 and 30, including 117
degrees on June 29.
To keep ripe blue-
berries from shriveling,
Unger said they ran their
overhead irrigation sprin-
klers all day. While the
misting system in raspber-
ries did help, it could not
keep up entirely, result-
ing in the white-speckled
drupelets.
Everything at Unger
Farms is hand-picked for
fresh market. Since the
heat made it unsafe for
workers to pick during
the day, Unger said they
switched to nighttime har-
vest, renting three large
generator-lights and pur-
chasing head lamps for
the crews.
“That seemed to work
really well,” Unger said.
“The whole crew was
really happy with it,
because they could still
get their hours, and we got
our product picked.”
Capital Press File
Cows are milked at Vander Woude Dairy near Merced, Calif. A referendum to end the dairy quota was rejected by
a small margin.
California dairy referendum fails
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
California dairy produc-
ers voted by a slim margin
to keep the state’s contro-
versial quota program in a
referendum conducted by
the California Department
of Food and Agriculture.
The department released
the results of the refer-
endum July 1, stating the
Quota Implementation Plan
approved by producers
through a referendum in late
2017 will not be terminated.
The referendum was a
result of a petition to end
the program by March 1,
2025.
Passage of the referen-
dum required a “yes” vote
from 65% of voters produc-
ing 51% of the voting milk
or 51% of the voters pro-
ducing 65% of the voting
milk.
Of the 933 eligible pro-
ducers, 733 or 78.56%
voted in the referendum
with 49.25% voting in favor
of terminating quota, falling
short of satisfying the 51%
threshold. Those produc-
ers accounted for 54.47%
Farm seeks $600,000
for lost hemp under
hay insurance policy
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/12/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2017 NISSAN ROGUE UT
VIN = KNMAT2MV2HP505585
Amount due on lien $1575.00
Reputed owner(s)
CRAIG STEPHEN RUBIOLO
JP MORGAN CHASE BANK NA
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/12/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2015 TOYOTA CAMRY 4DR
VIN = 4T1BF1FK0FU896397
Amount due on lien $1555.00
Reputed owner(s)
MALCOLM LEE ASH
TOYOTA MOTOR CREDIT CORP
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/12/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2018 HONDA ACCORD 4DR
VIN = 1HGCV1F33JA072006
Amount due on lien $1515.00
Reputed owner(s)
ALLSTATE INSURANCE
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/12/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2018 HONDA CR V LL
VIN = 2HKRW2H88JH655281
Amount due on lien $1515.00
Reputed owner(s)
AN THUY & QUYNH NGOC NGUYEN
FIFTH THIRD BANK NATL ASSOC
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/12/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2017 FORD F 150 PU
VIN = 1FTEW1EP8HFA60570
Amount due on lien $1515.00
Reputed owner(s)
HAMMERSON ELECTRIC LLC
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/19/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2016 NISSAN SENTRA 4DR
VIN = 3N1AB7AP9GY334999
Amount due on lien $1555.00
Reputed owner(s) NATALIE
RENEE WING
SANTANDER CONSUMER USA
S251838-1
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/12/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2012 DODGE 3500 PK
VIN = 3C7WDTCL2CG265186
Amount due on lien $1515.00
Reputed owner(s)
NICHOLAS VILLASENOR VALENCIA
S251108-1
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/12/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2020 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE 4DR
VIN = ML32F3FJ0LHF08778
Amount due on lien $1435.00
Reputed owner(s)
SKYLEE BARCLAY & KODY KIRBY
SANTANDER CONSUMER USA
WSDA
A Washington State De-
partment of Agriculture
trap holds Japanese bee-
tles found June 29 in Yaki-
ma County.
S251106-1
An outbreak of Japanese
beetles, whose wide-rang-
ing diet includes fruit, hops,
grass and asparagus, has
been detected in Central
Washington.
The state Department
of Agriculture on Tuesday
found 145 of the invasive
bugs in eight traps in Grand-
view, Yakima County, the
state’s top producer of farm
goods.
It was the first day the
department checked traps
hung in the spring. The
department will put up addi-
tional traps to document the
spread, but more impor-
tantly to kill beetles, spokes-
woman Karla Salp said June
30.
The beetles are above
ground for about two months
in the summer. The depart-
ment probably won’t apply
pesticides this year because
it must do an environmental
assessment first, she said.
“We’re doing everything
we can this year without
an actual eradication,” Salp
said.
“The most important
thing now is to keep as many
as possible from repro-
ducing,” she said. “Every
S251107-1
female we trap this year is
potentially 130 fewer we
have to deal with next year.”
Japanese beetles are
highly destructive pests that
ens on her roses last year.
Her report tipped off the
department and led to more
intensive trapping in the area
this year. “Thank goodness
for that woman’s report,”
Salp said.
The insects are under-
ground in the larval stage
for about 10 months a year
and can spread in potting
soil. Live beetles have been
known to stow away on air-
craft or hitch rides in vehi-
cles. Interstate 82 passes
through Grandview.
The beetles have metallic
green bodies, bronze wings
and white spots on the side.
Traps scented to lure Jap-
anese beetles are commer-
cially available.
The agriculture depart-
ment is asking people to
report Japanese beetles online
at agr.wa.gov/beetles.
S251113-1
S251109-1
LEGAL
PURSUANT TO ORS
CHAPTER 87
Notice is hereby given that the
following vehicle will be sold,
for cash to the highest bidder, on
07/12/2021. The sale will be held
at 10:00am by
COPART OF WASHINGTON INC
2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR
2017 HONDA CIVIC 4DR
VIN = 19XFC1F97HE200468
Amount due on lien $1515.00
Reputed owner(s)
DAWN MARIE DINGMAN
versation about quota, and
its job is done, he said.
“The only thing left is for
the leadership structure —
the co-ops and trade orga-
nizations — to continue the
conversation,” he said.
That the referendum lost
by a hair “demonstrates to
me the industry is split right
down the middle. It’s clear
division in the industry still
exists,” he said.
Cooperatives have the
leadership to find compro-
mise, and it’s now their
opportunity to step up and
do it, he said.
“I’m sure the co-ops will
help their producers come to
a reasonable conversation.
The industry can’t push this
division under the rug for
very long,” he said.
The quota program was
instituted in 1969 to win
support for a state market-
ing order that more equi-
tably pooled milk and dis-
tributed payments for milk
across different utilizations.
It allowed producers with
existing Class I contracts to
receive a higher price for
their milk than the market
average, or blend price.
are difficult and expensive
to control, according to the
USDA.
The beetles infest the
eastern half of the U.S. They
have largely have been kept
out of the West, though Ore-
gon has been battling an out-
break for several years by
spreading a granular larvi-
cide on lawns and flower
beds in Portland and its
suburbs.
The Utah Department of
Agriculture and Food this
spring sprayed 300 acres
scattered over three counties
after trapping 89 Japanese
beetles, the Standard-Ex-
aminer newspaper in Ogden
reported.
Each year, Washington
traps for Japanese beetles,
but has never found many.
A Grandview woman, how-
ever, reported finding doz-
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
S251110-1
An Oregon farm is seek-
ing at least $600,000 for a
destroyed hemp crop that
it claims should be cov-
ered under an insurance
policy for hay.
Mike & JD Alley
Farms of Culver, Ore.,
have filed a lawsuit alleg-
ing breach of contract,
good faith and fair deal-
ing against The Ameri-
can Insurance Company
of Novato, Calif.
“It’s not produce,
it’s not a grain, it’s not a
fruit. What is it?” asked
Mike Alley, the farm’s
co-owner.
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture con-
siders hemp a form of
“forage or feed,” he said.
“It’s a plant material and
there’s lots of uses in the
livestock industry.”
The complaint alleges
that a severe wind storm in
May 2020 damaged about
20,000 pounds of “hemp
hay
foliage,”
which
equated to 10,000 pounds
of salable processed mate-
rial, and 100,000 pounds
of “thrashed hemp bio-
mass straw.”
remain competitive where
expansion isn’t possible.
The issue has divided
families and friends and led
to the formation of United
Dairy Families of California,
which has sought an equita-
ble resolution and unity in
the industry. The group sub-
mitted the petition to sunset
the program based on pro-
ducer meetings and an eco-
nomic analysis of the situa-
tion but had no stake in the
outcome of the referendum.
The referendum was a
test to determine if the indus-
try could come together on a
compromise or continue to
fight it out, said Dino Gia-
comazzi, one of the organiz-
ers of United Dairy Families.
The organization’s mis-
sion was to get producers to
vote on what they wanted
to do with quota, and it suc-
ceeded, he said.
United Dairy Families
“was formed because we
recognized the co-ops and
trade organizations had a
conflict over the issue,” he
said.
UDF took a leadership
role to bring the feuding fac-
tors together to have a con-
Japanese beetles found in large numbers in C. Washington
The “foliage” included
hand-picked hemp flowers
with a higher oil content,
while the “biomass straw”
consisted of raw hemp that
was combined in a field
but not processed, Alley
said.
Though the farm hoped
to salvage the hemp, it
was ultimately unable
to sell any because the
crop was too damaged by
rain. At the time, the pro-
cessed “foliage” would
have been worth $250
per pound and the “bio-
mass straw” would have
been worth up to $8 per
pound, the complaint
said.
While
the
insur-
ance company paid out
$200,000 for the lost
hemp as general personal
property, it refused to pay
$600,000 under a policy
specific to hay stored in
a barn building, the com-
plaint said.
The insurance com-
pany claimed the farm’s
policy had a “CBD/THC
exclusion,” referring to
chemical compounds con-
tained in hemp, but the
farm claims that exclusion
doesn’t exist, according
to the lawsuit.
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
of the voting milk, falling
short of satisfying the 65%
threshold.
The program, which
assesses all Grade A milk
producers to pay a premium
to quota holders, has been
a contentious battleground
since producers joined the
federal milk marketing order
system in 2018. The mar-
keting order has no quota
provision.
Language sponsored by
Rep. David Valadao, R-
Calif., in the last farm bill,
however, allowed Califor-
nia to maintain a stand-
alone quota program if it
joined the federal order
system. Maintaining that
program was crucial in
securing producer votes
to join the federal order
system.
The program has stuck
in the craw of those who
don’t own quota or don’t
own enough quota to get
any benefit. But it is con-
sidered a valuable asset by
those who do benefit. They
say they have either inher-
ited it or invested in it to
augment their milk check,
save for retirement or
S251112-1
CORNELIUS, Ore. —
Greg Unger and his father,
Matt, leaned in to inspect
a row of ripe raspberries at
the family’s 160-acre farm
in Cornelius, Ore., follow-
ing a brutal heat wave that
gripped the Willamette
Valley in late June.
Red fruit was flecked
with white, a sign of sun-
burning in the relentlessly
hot weather. If not for an
overhead misting system
set up to keep the ber-
ries cool, it is possible the
entire crop may have been
destroyed.
“There’s only so much
you can do in 115 degrees,
but we did what we
could,” Greg Unger said.
Unger Farms, about 25
miles west of Portland,
grows fresh strawberries,
raspberries,
blackber-
ries and blueberries that
are sold at New Seasons
grocery stores and local
farmers markets around
the metro area, as well as
some U-pick.
Between
severe
drought and heat, 2021 is
so far proving a painful
year at the farm. Straw-
berry yields took an esti-
mated 80% hit due to dry
conditions in May, and
early raspberry yields
may be down by as much
as 40%.
They are not the only
ones reeling from Mother
Nature.
Bell’s Orchard, a
nearby farm in Beaver-
ton, Ore., predicts it lost
25-30% of its apple and
cherry crops to the heat.
Hoffman Farms, about 3
miles to the south, reports
an 80% loss in its black
raspberries and 40% loss
in its blueberries, the
equivalent of 400,000
pounds of fruit.
Tri-County Farm Fresh
Produce, an organization
that represents 43 pro-
duce farms in Washing-
ton, Clackamas and Mult-
nomah counties, sent a
letter July 5 to Gov. Kate
Brown asking her to
S251111-1
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
