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CapitalPress.com
Friday, August 6, 2021
People & Places
Small-scale rancher raises small-scale cattle
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
KALISPELL, Mont. —
When Tami Riley decided to
start raising cattle, she wanted
a smaller breed to suit her 10
acres.
She found it in Dexter cat-
tle, which are native to Ireland.
Riley sells the beef, and
hopes to get into milking
them.
The average height of a
Dexter steer is 40 inches tall,
and 700-900 pounds. An
Angus steer is almost double
that weight.
“The Dexter, you can
raise on half the land, and
for half the expense,” Riley
said.
Riley raises the cattle
as part of her family’s Life
of Riley Ranch in Kalis-
pell. The overall operation
includes three generations
of farmers and ranchers.
Riley currently has 13
head, and hopes to grow to
20. She’d eventually like to
begin renting more land, but
doesn’t want more than 30
animals.
Her cattle are bred to
be unhorned, an extra
precaution.
“They’re very gentle —
for having children around,
they’re one of the gentlest
breeds,” she said. “They
have good temperaments,
and they don’t have calving
problems when they have
their babies.”
It’s common practice to
grass-finish Dexter cattle
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TAMI RILEY
Occupation: Owner, Life
of Riley Ranch
Age: 26
Hometown: Arlington,
Wash.
Current location: Kalis-
pell, Mont.
Education: High school
diploma, local expo
classes
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Tami Riley with her Dexter cattle on her ranch in Kalispell, Mont.
because there’s less excess
fat and more flavor in the
meat.
“It’s very tender meat,”
Riley said. “Part of that is
because we hold them a little
bit longer, about 28 months,
to full butchering age.”
Riley hopes the cat-
tle will sustain and pay for
themselves within the next
four years.
Dexter
cattle
are
dual-purpose animals, offer-
ing both meat and milk, said
Stefanie Millman, Region
2 director for the American
Dexter Cattle Association,
based in Auburn, Wash.
“They will lay down some
fat, and their milk is very
rich,” she said.
The association has
1,825 members and added
nearly 300 in the last year.
In response to the COVID-
19 pandemic, Millman said,
“people want to do their own
thing, raise their own beef
and milk their own cow for
products.”
Millman estimates the
average herd size is three
or four, but notes that some
breeders run up to 60 head.
Large-scale
ranchers
rejected the animals in 1970s
because they didn’t produce
the needed quantities of beef
and milk, Millman said, add-
ing that they are more suit-
able for a homestead or
hobby farm.
“Some of the heavy milk-
ers will do 5 to 6 gallons
a day, which is more than
enough milk for a family,”
she said. “If they have just
a couple acres, they’re able
to own a cow that they can
milk.”
Riley is in the growing
stage, so she’s balancing the
costs of getting established
by working two part-time
jobs, with the Montana Emu
Ranch and the Lasalle Equine
Clinic.
“She’s very responsible
and has a vision, and I think
Family: Single. “I have
a big family though,
surrounding me.”
Website: lifeofrileyranch.
org
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she’ll do well,” said Don
Collins, owner of the Mon-
tana Emu Ranch in Kalispell.
“Her character is impec-
cable,” said farmer Bruce
Riley, no relation to Tami
Riley. He sells hay to Tami
Riley and knows her from
church.
“She has great character,”
Bruce Riley added. “She’s
honorable, honest and trust-
worthy. Her heart is in the
right place. She’s a role
model, for sure.”
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Invasive jumping worms wiggle way across Oregon
Minimizing spread
By MIA RYDER-MARKS
Capital Press
After hitchhiking a ride from
Asia, jumping worms have been wig-
gling themselves across Oregon since
2016, said Sam Chan, an invasive
species specialist at Oregon State
University.
The Amynthas agrestis, known as
the “jumping worm,” gets its name
from erratic thrashing of its body.
They range from 1.5 to 8 inches long
and are a glossy brown or gray color
with a milky white band around its
middle.
“If you see this worm that looks
like an earthworm that has an unusu-
ally snake-like movement, and it
wiggles and it literally jumps off your
hand, then it’s very likely that it’s a
jumping worm,” said Chan.
Jumping worms thrive in climates
with hot summers and cold winters,
but in Oregon they are not as picky.
Populations can be found along the
Interstate 5 corridor in moist, warmer
weather and sprinkled along Pendle-
ton’s Interstate 84 section with its dry,
warm climate. They are commonly
found in home gardens and can live
in nurseries.
However, there have been no
reports of the worms in commercial
greenhouses in Oregon.
Adult jumping worms create
cocoons that are about the size of a
grain of rice. The eggs hatch in April
and May. The worms will grow into
Sea Grant Extension/OSU
adults in the summer until they are
ready to reproduce in August and
September. In late fall to early winter,
the adult jumping worms begin dying
off due to the cold weather. The cycle
picks up again in the spring.
The worms are extremely inva-
sive, and are unintentionally spread,
often by people in the agriculture
industry.
Fishermen also buy them as bait,
and they are used in compost bins.
However, Chan said this is not rec-
ommended as it continues the spread
of the population.
Despite looking relatively harm-
less, jumping worms are detrimental
to landscapes.
They live near the soil surface,
unlike other earthworms, which
inhabit the lower organic layer. This
allows the jumping worms to devour
the organic matter and leaf litter
that plants depend on to grow and
survive.
Unlike earthworms, they can
burrow deep tunnels in the soil and
release feces as they go. The cast-
ings resemble cooked hamburger,
said Chan. In their path, they leave
behind loose soil with a texture sim-
ilar to coffee grounds. The soil can
no longer retain moisture and lacks
nutrients.
Also, worm activity eliminates
insulation around plants and allows
heat to penetrate the soil.
Another notable characteristic of
the worm is its giant mouth, which
opens like a mechanical excavator.
“It’s a little bit like that from the
horror movie,” said Chan. The worms
have insatiable appetites and can out-
compete other native organisms.
It is impossible to tell just how
many jumping worms are in the state,
said Chan. However, they occur at
higher densities than other earth-
worms. In one square yard of soil,
thousands of jumping worms can be
found.
Right now, there are no biologi-
cal controls or certified pesticides that
can be used to eradicate the jumping
worm. Some early work looked into
fertilizers containing saponin, which
is plant-derived glucose that can repel
the worms.
“The best way to minimize their
spread right now is just be able to rec-
ognize them,” said Chan. If detected in
gardens or crops, he advised contact-
ing the Oregon Invasives Hotline and
submitting a photo for identification.
If there is a contained population
in a landscape, jumping worms can
be placed in plastic bags and exposed
to the sun. This will generate a tem-
perature of up to 160 degrees, “which
is more than enough to be lethal to the
worms,” said Chan.
To stall the spread when gardening
or cultivating crops, tools and work
gear such as boots should be cleaned,
as cocoons can stick to them and
spread. Despite the vast population in
Oregon, there are still opportunities
to stop the population from growing
further.
“We still have a chance to keep
them contained, because they’re not
everywhere,” said Chan.
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Huge antique tractor collection to be auctioned
By MIA RYDER-MARKS
Capital Press
HERMISTON, Ore. — In the
early 1980s, Tony Amstad bought a
John Deere Model R diesel tractor,
and his collection only grew from
there.
“That was always kind of my
favorite tractor,” Amstad said.
“After I bought that one, I got the
disease.”
Amstad has collected more than
100 John Deere and Caterpillar trac-
tors — most of which he personally
restored with the help of his nephew,
Todd.
With his wife, DeAnn, Tony Ams-
tad owns a 2,400-acre farm in Umatilla
County, where they grow potatoes.
Courtesy of Booker Auction Co.
Tony and DeAnn Amstad with a
portion of their tractor collection
at their Hermiston, Ore., farm.
For the past two years, Ams-
tad has been toying with the idea of
parting with his tractors and “trying
to get the courage to do it.”
Now, he is ready to pass his col-
lection on.
On Aug. 21, the Amstads will
auction their collection and a hand-
ful of classic automobiles.
Booker Auction Co. is in charge
of the auction, which will be at the
Amstad farm in Hermiston, Ore.
Booker Auction is a multi-gener-
ational company based in Eltopia,
Wash., and has been doing busi-
ness with the Amstads for years.
“We’re super excited about
being able to showcase his legacy,”
said Camille Booker, a third-gen-
eration auctioneer.
An auction preview will be
from 9 a.m to 6 p.m Aug. 20 and
from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 21 at the
Amstad farm, 79480 Canal Road,
Hermiston.
A band will play in the after-
noon, and food and beverages
will be provided for visitors, said
Booker.
The collection will also be
available for online preview on
Aug. 20. More information can be
found about registration at www.
bookerauction.com.
The auction will begin at noon
Aug. 21 on-site and online.
“I’ve enjoyed them over the years
and I just feel it is kind of time for
me to get rid of them,” Tony Amstad
said. “I mean, I got good health, but
I still think it’s time for somebody
else to enjoy them.”
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Index
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com.
TUESDAY-THURSDAY
AUG. 10-12
2021 Cattle Industry Conven-
tion & Trade Show: Gaylord Opry-
land Resort, Nashville, Tenn. The
convention will include educa-
tional seminars, exhibits and net-
working. Website: http://conven-
tion.ncba.org
WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY
AUG. 11-12
Soil Health Institute Annual
Meeting (virtual): The two-day
event will cover soil health topics
with a lineup of agricultural lead-
ers, scientists and practitioners.
Website: www.soilhealthinsti-
tute.org
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
AUG. 12-13
Idaho Milk Processors Asso-
ciation Annual Conference:
Sun Valley Resort, Sun Valley,
Idaho. The conference will focus
on issues facing processors and
include an industry leader panel
discussion. Website: www.impa.us
MONDAY-TUESDAY
AUG. 16-17
Idaho Water Users Associa-
tion Water Law & Resources Issues
Seminar: Sun Valley Resort, Sun
Valley, Idaho. The seminar will pro-
vide updates on important issues to
water users, including wildfire, water
supply and the future of irrigation
Markets .................................................12
systems. Website: www.iwua.org
TUESDAY AUG. 17
Intro to Experimental Statis-
tics: 8:30 a.m. This course will teach
statistical thinking concepts that
are essential to learning from data
and communicating key insights to
your organization, clients, or suppli-
ers. Join Catherine Cantley, exten-
sion professor at the University of
Idaho and TechHelp processing spe-
cialist, as we explore the fundamen-
tals of “storytelling with data” in a
practical industry-based approach.
Website: https://bit.ly/3AF17f3
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY
AUG. 18-20
Farwest Show: Oregon Conven-
tion Center, 777 NE Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd., Portland. The Farwest
Show, the biggest green industry
trade show in the West, is produced
by the Oregon Association of Nurs-
eries, a trade organization that rep-
resents and serves the interests of
the ornamental horticulture indus-
try. For more information, go to
www.FarwestShow.com
Opinion ...................................................6
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