Capital Press
EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER
Friday, January 21, 2022
Volume 95, Number 3
CapitalPress.com
$2.00
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
B
OISE — Dave Krick
talks with his employ-
ees at his three con-
tiguous restaurants in
downtown Boise on a late
December afternoon during
the post-lunch lull.
“I don’t want to do the
same thing twice,” said Krick
of his restaurants, each of
which serves diff erent menus.
“I like the challenge of build-
ing something diff erent and
the spirit of things being
unique.”
Another challenge he has
overcome is getting more
local food to his customers.
Restaurateurs, farmers and
others are fi nding that food
hubs — which serve as clear-
inghouses for produce, meat
and other foods — along with
reimagined farmers markets
can help.
LEFT: Mathilde Aurélien Wilson, who owns the Haitian food business Mathilde’s Kitchen, brews hibiscus tea
in Community Co-Pack NW’s kitchen at The Redd, Portland. RIGHT: Regino Flores of Regino Farms.
Photos: Community Co-Pack NW ; Puget Sound Food Hub Co-op
Local FOOD
A FARE deal
Krick is president of the
board of the Idaho Inde-
pendent Food, Agriculture,
Restaurant and Beverage Alli-
ance, which formed in spring
2020. The nonprofi t, known as
FARE Idaho, helps local farm-
ers and independent food buy-
ers connect in new ways, and
identify challenges, such as
livestock processing delays, a
recent focus.
“We’ve created a trade
association that connects the
Hubs, markets spell success for small farms
See Local, Page 9
Come Thru Market, a
farmers market centering
on Black and Indigenous
vendors, has gathered at
The Redd Plaza in Port-
land summers since 2020.
Noah Thomas
Landowners fi ned for illegal
marijuana growers’ violations
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
EAGLE POINT, Ore. — Jackson
County Code Enforcement is fi ning a
Southern Oregon cattle and hay ranch-
ing couple $150,000 for land use viola-
tions committed on their farm by an illegal
marijuana grower who allegedly posed as
an industrial hemp grower when he leased
their land.
The couple, Jerry Wetzel, 78, and Glo-
ria Wetzel, 76, plan to appeal, saying they
did not know the tenant lacked licenses
and that the tenant claimed to be growing
legal hemp.
Land use experts say cases like this are
common statewide, especially in Southern
Oregon.
According to Jackson County Sheriff
Nate Sickler, the county is “fi nding many
land leasers have been less than honest
with the property owners about what they
are cultivating, as well as what permitting
and licensing have been obtained.”
Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press
See Violations, Page 9
Jerry Wetzel, 78, is a longtime cattle rancher and hay
grower in Southern Oregon.
What defi nes U.S. ‘waters’? EPA committee off ers its input
The Environmental Pro-
tection Agency’s Farm,
Ranch and Rural Commu-
nities Advisory Committee
on Friday submitted a list of
recommendations to admin-
istrator Michael Regan on
the intended revision of the
defi nition of Waters of the
United States.
“A clear and consistent
defi nition of WOTUS is crit-
ically important to Ameri-
ca’s farmers, ranchers, and
rural communities,” the
committee said.
The evolution of the defi -
nition of WOTUS has been
a source of confusion and
concern for American agri-
culture for several decades.
The “nexus” test in the 1986
rule made the defi nition elu-
sive as farmers and ranchers
attempted
unsuccessfully
to prove otherwise against
federal agencies that had
already determined jurisdic-
tion, the committee said.
The agencies signifi -
cantly expanded their inter-
pretation of the jurisdic-
tional authority provided
under the 2015 rule in a sys-
tem that was neither bene-
fi cial for farmers or ranch-
ers or the environment, the
committee said.
“American agriculture
appreciated the clarity the
2020 Navigable Waters Pro-
tection Rule provided. Many
features were retained within
federal jurisdiction, but it
was workable for farmers,
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OREGON
BOARDMAN
BURNS
CONDON
IONE
MADRAS
ENTERPRISE IRRIGON
MORO
HEPPNER
JOHN DAY
ONTARIO
HERMISTON LA GRANDE PENDLETON
MEMBER FDIC
ranchers and rural commu-
nities,” the committee said.
The committee submitted
four recommendations to the
agency.
• Adhere to Clean Water
Act and relevant Supreme
Court precedent in cases that
reinforce Congress-placed
limits on the scope of federal
See WOTUS, Page 9
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By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press