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CapitalPress.com
Friday, January 7, 2022
People & Places
Garbanzos perfect crop for dry year
By JULIA HOLLISTER
For the Capital Press
RIVERDALE, Calif. —
Daniel Errotabere and his
brothers, Jean and Remi,
had an idea when they began
working on the family’s San
Joaquin Valley farm in the
late 1980s — what about gar-
banzo beans?
“This crop works very
well with our buried drip
crop beds for crop rotation
and improved profit,” he said.
“They are getting more pop-
ular with consumers. How-
ever, the price for the bean is
the real driver.”
Planting 640 acres of gar-
banzo beans — also known
as chickpeas — begins either
in November and December
or early spring, depending on
the varieties. Harvest takes
place in late June or July.
The brothers also grow
a diverse portfolio of other
crops such as almonds, pista-
chios, wine grapes, tomatoes,
cotton, garlic and cereals on
their 6,500 acres.
This region is especially
vital to the state’s agricul-
ture, because it has a Medi-
terranean climate, and much
of the nation’s fruits and veg-
etables are grown here.
The fresh garbanzos are
marketed through Mor-
gan Murray of Califresh in
Sanger.
“Garbanzos have been
in the Errotabere rotation
for three decades, due to
their agronomic benefits and
return,” Murray said. They
are harvested dry for their
canning quality and green for
Established 1928
Capital Press Managers
Western
Innovator
DANIEL
ERROTABERE
Hometown: Riverdale,
Calif.
Occupation: Manag-
ing partner, Errota-
bere Ranches with his
brothers, Jean and Remi
Errotabere
Courtesy of Dan Errotabere
Dan Errotabere, center, and his brothers, Jean, right, and Remi, left, grow garbanzo
beans and a wide variety of other crops in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
the fresh market.
The beans are harvested
with a combine and then
trucked to the Tracy-based
Rhodes-Stockton
Bean
Co-op processing warehouse
for sizing and cleaning.
Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of
the Fresno County Farm
Bureau, said Dan Errotabere
has contributed significantly
to the region’s agriculture.
“I have known Dan for
more than two decades
through his involvement
with Fresno County Farm
Bureau,” he said. “He served
26 years on our board, which
included a two-year stint as
president.
“Dan is a well-known and
respected agricultural and
water leader who has made
impactful contributions to
Central Valley farmers and
ranchers over his many
decades of service,” Jacob-
sen said. “He has been our
resident agricultural water
expert, being a trusted voice
on the issue.”
Errotabere
said
the
drought
has
definitely
impacted his operation, and
his main focus is getting the
most crop yield from the
water that’s available. Gar-
banzos fit in well because the
water used to grow the crop
is minimal. Typically, they
use only 1.5 to 1.75 acre-feet
of water per acre.
High-efficiency drip irri-
gation is also used on their
crops, further saving water.
The ongoing drought has
posed a huge challenge to the
Errotabere brothers — and
many other California farm-
ers and ranchers.
“In fact, 2021 is the driest
year I have experienced,” he
said. “Everything is so much
drier due to the lack of rain,
hence more water is applied,
and this usually comes with
little or no allocation.”
Irrigation water prices
are “through the roof,” he
said. Combined with higher
labor prices, the increased
costs will ultimately impact
the general food consumer
in the form of higher prices,
he said.
Water challenges are wait-
Quote: “We’re farming
in an urban state. … The
public doesn’t know all
about agriculture, and so
there’s a challenge to ed-
ucate them, and we also
have visits to our farm
to see, on our land, what
we’re doing — it’s better
than sitting in an office
and trying to describe it.”
ing in the New Year. Next
year could also be dry. In
addition, many regions are
going to implement ground-
water restrictions that could
mean more farmland has to
be fallowed.
But good news may be on
the horizon.
The wet winter — 3.4
inches of rain was recorded
at the Fresno Yosemite Air-
port in December — pro-
vides hope that there will be a
break in the region’s drought.
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Designer
Plans for OSU-managed coastal research forest move forward
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
Oregon State University,
after hosting a public budget
meeting last week, is a step
closer to potentially manag-
ing a 91,000-acre research
forest in Oregon’s south-
ern coastal range, spanning
Coos and Douglas counties.
The budget is another
milestone in the years-long
effort to transform the Elliott
State Forest into a publicly
owned state research forest.
The research vision is
also becoming clearer. Last
December, Oregon’s State
Land Board voted for OSU
to further explore how the
forest might be used as a
research hub. A year later,
OSU has a clearer outline
for what kinds of research
will take place in the forest.
The research forest,
experts say, could benefit
OSU researchers and stu-
dents, foresters, small wood-
land owners and scientists
worldwide.
“This is a very rare oppor-
tunity to start a research for-
est of this size,” said Kath-
Oregon State University/Oregon Capital Insider
Elliott State Forest
leen “Katy” Kavanaugh,
associate dean for research
in OSU’s College of For-
estry. “This would be one of
the largest research forests
in the world.”
Research would include
experiments on the role
riparian areas play in the
recovery of endangered spe-
cies, exploration of potential
new timber harvest systems
and the study of steep forest
terrains, including geologi-
cal hazards.
Thomas DeLuca, dean of
Forestry at OSU, said exper-
imental plots — different
sections of forest organized
by watershed — will be
managed differently. When
a natural fire occurs in the
region, researchers will then
study which treatments were
most fire-resilient.
Shannon Murray, Elliott
State Research Forest direc-
tor, said the project pro-
posal includes construction
of research and laboratory
spaces, offices, classrooms
and living quarters for
erside Hotel, Garden City, Idaho. Pop-
ulation growth and its impact of the
water supply and the need for infra-
structure improvements are among
the topics that will be covered. Con-
tact: 208-344-6690 Website: www.
iwua.org/85th-annual-convention/
cial entertainment with a message.
The speaker will be Terry Tymchuck
from the Oregon Historical Soci-
ety. We will also recognize an out-
standing FFA student for leadership
in shaping the future of the indus-
try. Contact: 503-581-1466 Website:
https://bit.ly/3sJlPsS
researchers living in the for-
est on a temporary or long-
term basis.
“It’s exciting thinking
about the future of research
there,” said Murray.
But the project still has a
long way to go. 2024 is the
proposed research start date,
but several pieces of the
puzzle must snap into place
before that can happen.
The biggest piece is
ownership.
Initially, the plan was for
OSU to both own and man-
age the forest, but last fall
OSU backed out of the plan
to take ownership, saying
the financial risk was too
high.
The forest is supposed to
be financially supported pri-
marily by timber harvests.
According to OSU’s
models and data from
Mason, Bruce & Girard, a
consulting firm, harvests are
expected to start at a maxi-
mum of 1,300 acres per year
for the first five years, later
dropping as low as 500 acres
per year after most major
thinning is completed.
Although OSU officials
predict profitable timber
harvests, there are too many
uncertainties,
including
potential logging limitations
because the Elliott provides
prime habitat for federally
protected species. OSU has
decided not to shoulder the
risks.
The committee advising
OSU and the Department of
State Lands about the forest
is now exploring an alterna-
tive plan: having OSU man-
age the forest but another
entity own it.
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com or by
email to newsroom@capitalpress.com.
FRIDAY-WEDNESDAY
JAN. 7-12
American Farm Bureau Con-
vention: Georgia World Congress
Center, 285 Andrew Young Interna-
tional Blvd., Atlanta, Ga. This is an
opportunity to help set the agenda
for the leading voice of agricul-
ture in Washington, D.C., and much
more. Participate in educational
workshops to advance your lead-
ership skills, expand your business
acumen and gain insight into the
trends and realities impacting food
production. Website: https://www.
fb.org/events/afbf-convention/
The VISION Conference 2022:
Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel
and Spa, Glendale, Ariz. The confer-
ence engages leaders throughout
agricultural technology to address
the dynamic recent advances in
technology, systems and platforms
enabling interconnected solutions
from farm to retail. Website: http://
www.thevisionconference.com
WEDNESDAY- FRIDAY
JAN. 12-14
WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY
JAN. 19-20
Northwest Agricultural Show:
9 a.m-5 p.m. Wednesday and Thurs-
day and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Ore-
gon State Fair and Exposition Cen-
ter, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem. Join us
at the fairgrounds for an ol’ fash-
ioned farm show. We’ll also have
a full slate of exhibitors, presenta-
tions, seminars and events. Website:
https://northwestagshow.com/
SUNDAY-TUESDAY
JAN. 16-18
NFU Women’s Conference:
Holiday Inn and Suites Nashville
Downtown Convention Center. Top-
ics will include business manage-
ment, leadership, community build-
ing and more. Website: https://nfu.
org/womensconference/
MONDAY-THURSDAY
JAN. 17-20
IWUA Annual Convention: Riv-
TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY
JAN. 18-19
2022 Northwest Hay Expo:
Three Rivers Convention Center,
Kennewick, Wash. Sponsored by
the Washington State Hay Growers
Association, this is a one-stop infor-
mation center for all things hay.
Website: www.wa-hay.org
2022 Idaho Potato Confer-
ence: Idaho State University, stu-
dent union building, Pocatello. The
conference includes educational
presentations and a trade show.
Website: www.uidaho.edu
FRIDAY
JAN. 21
SAIF Agri-Business Banquet:
6-9 p.m. Salem Convention Center,
200 Commercial St. SE, Salem. The
SAIF Agri-Business Banquet is a cel-
ebration of the agricultural commu-
nity and its impact on the mid-Wil-
lamette Valley. This rich and proud
history is honored through spe-
SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY
JAN. 23-26
Dairy Forum 2022: J.W. Mar-
riott Desert Springs Resort & Spa,
Palm Desert, Calif. Presented by
International Dairy Foods Associa-
tion, the forum will feature what’s
new, now and next for dairy foods.
Website: www.idfa.org
THURSDAY
JAN. 27
USBI Biochar in the Woods
Seminar (online): 9 a.m.-4 p.m. At
the day-long, online seminar and
the following field day events in
Butte County, Calif. (free), you will
learn how to make and use biochar
onsite to increase the water hold-
ing capacity and resilience of forest
soils. Website: https://bit.ly/3q1Ejli
Uses and Benefits of Collab-
orative Robots in Manufactur-
ing (online): 10-11 a.m. Is your
manufacturing facility undergo-
ing a workforce shortage? Attract-
ing, hiring, and keeping workers is
one of today’s key workforce chal-
lenges. In this free webinar, we will
discuss how collaborative robotics
may be able to help. We will include
demonstrations and examples of
cobots. Website: https://techhelp.
regfox.com/20221robotics
TUESDAY-THURSDAY
FEB. 1-3
Cattle Industry Convention
& NCBA Trade Show: George R.
Brown Convention Center, Houston,
Texas. The convention will include
industry speakers and educational
events. Website: http://www.ncba.
org
TUESDAY-THURSDAY
FEB. 8-10
World Ag Expo: 9 a.m. Interna-
tional Agri-Center, 4500 S. Laspina
St., Tulare, Calif. One of the world’s
largest ag shows returns this year
to Tulare, Calif. With hundreds of
exhibitors, presentations, semi-
nars and other events, the World
Ag Expo attracts attendees from
around the nation — and the world.
Website: http://www.WorldAg-
Expo.org
WEDNESDAY
FEB. 9
Intro to Hazard Analysis Crit-
ical Control Points: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Con-
trol Points (HACCP) is an interna-
tionally recognized method of
identifying and managing food
safety-related risk. Participants will
receive an International HACCP
Alliance seal and certificate. Web-
site: https://techhelp.regfox.com/
introhaccp2022
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY
FEB. 9-12
Organic Seed Growers Con-
ference: Oregon State Univer-
sity Campus. The Organic Seed
Growers Conference is the largest
event focused solely on organic
seed in North America, bringing
together hundreds of farmers,
plant breeders, researchers, certi-
fiers, food companies, seed com-
panies, and others from across
the U.S. and around the world.
Farm tours and short courses
are held prior to the full two-
day conference. Website: https://
seedalliance.org/
SATURDAY
FEB. 19
Oregon State University Small
Farms Conference: OSU campus,
Corvallis, Ore. More information to
come. Everything you ever wanted
to know about succeeding as a
small-scale farmer. Website: https://
bit.ly/3IA8jx9
THURSDAY
FEB. 24
Virtual classes for pesti-
cide applicators (online): 8 a.m.-
noon. There will be virtual classes
for pesticide applicators’ recertifi-
cation, offered by Oregon OSHA
and the Oregon Farm Bureau
Health & Safety Committee. The
virtual training will provide con-
tinuing education credits for any
pesticide applicator licensed in Ore-
gon. Participants will receive pesti-
cide recertification CORE credits to
maintain an applicator’s license. The
four CORE credit hours provided
are approved by the Oregon Dept.
of Agriculture’s “Worker Protection
Standard: What You Should Know.”
Website: http://www.OregonFB.
org/pesticideclass
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
FEB. 24-25
USDA Agricultural Outlook
Forum (virtual): The forum will
include more than 30 breakout ses-
sions on climate, innovation, trade,
commodity outlooks and supply
chains. Website: https://www.usda.
gov/oce/ag-outlook-forum
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Markets .................................................12
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CORRECTION
An obituary for Eric Gordon
Stritzke that ran last week
included the wrong address
for the informal open house
celebrating Eric’s life. It will
be Jan. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m.
at Smith Bros. Farms, 30736
Peoria Road, Shedd, Ore.
Correction policy
Accuracy is important to Capital Press
staff and to our readers.
If you see a misstatement, omission or
factual error in a headline, story or photo
caption, please call the Capital Press news
department at 503-364-4431, or send
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We want to publish corrections
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