Friday, March 25, 2022
CapitalPress.com 7
R-CALF Another year of record-breaking sales for Wilco
Hazelnut Growers of
launches
Oregon sees improvement,
magazine, but still in the red
podcast
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
Capital Press
In an effort to continue present-
ing the organization’s views on cur-
rent cattle industry issues and better
serve its membership, R-CALF USA
has added a podcast and magazine to
its communications efforts.
“The inception of the podcast and
magazine was truly member-driven,”
said Karina Jones, R-CALF field
director.
“We knew we needed more con-
temporary communication chan-
nels to reach cattle producers and our
members. Once it was decided that
we would execute these ideas, the
response has been overwhelmingly
positive,” she said.
The “Round Up” podcast,
launched in October, features
biweekly episodes with guests from
around the cattle industry. The pod-
cast focuses on real conversations
with cattle producers and beef con-
sumers, said Jaiden Moreland,
R-CALF marketing coordinator.
“The podcast has given R-CALF
USA a platform to share these real
and powerful conversations we are
having concerning issues affect-
ing cattle producers and consumers
around the country,” she said.
The “True Grit” magazine will
be delivered quarterly to R-CALF
members. The magazine will include
features on R-CALF members’ cat-
tle operations, made in the USA
featured products, R-CALF event
recaps, notes from the R-CALF pres-
ident and vice president, Q&A with
R-CALF region directors, legisla-
tive and lawsuit updates, short stories
written by members and more.
“The magazine will help pro-
vide rural America an opportunity to
show the rest of the world who grows
their food and cares for the environ-
ment,” said Brett Kenzy, R-CALF
president.
“True Grit is being created to
inspire and empower, but also to
bring positivity and something new
to our members,” said Moreland,
who will serve as editor-in-chief of
the magazine
SALEM — For the sec-
ond year in a row, Wilco posted
record-breaking profits in 2021
while navigating pandemic-re-
lated stresses and continued red
ink in its hazel-
nut operation.
The agricul-
tural
coopera-
tive, based in
Mt. Angel, Ore.,
held its annual
member meeting
Sam
March 17 at the
Bugarsky
Salem Conven-
tion Center where
executives announced $329 mil-
lion in total sales for 2021, up $54
million or 19.6% over the previ-
ous record set in 2020.
Wilco also earned $13.8 mil-
lion in net income, up $5.6 mil-
lion over the previous year.
The co-op’s board of directors
approved $3.7 million in patron-
age and revolve cash payments
back to members, which was
another record and up nearly 50%
over 2020.
“We are financially strong
Wilco
Wilco CEO Sam Bugarsky speaks to co-op members during the
annual meeting Thursday at the Salem Convention Center. Board
Chairman Glenn Goschie is standing behind him.
and improving,” said Bart
Walker, chief financial officer
of Wilco. “It’s been two very
strong back-to-back record years
in a row.”
Each of the co-op’s busi-
ness divisions — including retail
stores, energy, Valley Agronom-
ics and Hazelnut Growers of Ore-
gon — posted year over year
financial gains in 2021.
Though HGO remains over-
all unprofitable, it too improved
upon its performance from 2020.
Wilco acquired HGO in 2016.
Members invested $20 million in
a new hazelnut processing facility
in Donald, Ore., which opened in
2018 serving HGO’s roughly 200
growers.
By itself, HGO ran a deficit of
$4.48 million in net income last
year. That, however, was still an
improvement of $2.2 million over
the 2020 losses.
“It’s still a net loss at HGO, but
we’re showing some improve-
ment,” Walker said. “We have
high expectations that will con-
tinue in 2022.”
A year ago, Wilco announced
it was looking for a minority
business partner for HGO. Sam
Bugarsky, the co-op’s CEO,
said there was “quite a bit of
interest,” though ultimately a
deal never materialized.
“We’re still open to consider-
ing relationships, but we’re com-
mitted to moving forward on our
own,” Bugarsky said.
Bugarsky said there are rea-
sons to be optimistic about the
hazelnut business going forward.
He said HGO remains “a work
in progress,” though they have
made strides in reducing produc-
tion costs at the processing plant
through greater efficiency and
automation.
HGO’s marketing team is also
working to grow its brand of
Oregon Orchard hazelnut prod-
ucts. Bugarsky said the goal is to
offer Oregon Orchard at 50,000
points of distribution. Currently,
the brand is available at 15,000
points of distribution.
“We have a chance at profit-
ability in 2023,” Bugarsky said.
The vast majority, about 79%,
of Wilco’s total sales come from
its farm retail stores in Ore-
gon, Washington and California.
Those stores accounted for more
than $260 million in sales last
year, including two new stores
that opened in Yakima, Wash.,
and Sonora, Calif.
Wilco plans to open its 25th
retail store this year in Pasco,
Wash., after purchasing the loca-
tion from Bleyhl Co-op. Bugarsky
said the store will officially transi-
tion to Wilco on April 4.
Oregon OSHA plans to revise COVID-19 workplace guidelines
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
Oregon OSHA is updating its
COVID-19 workplace guidelines.
In an email to the Capital
Press, agency spokesman Aaron
Corvin confirmed that changes to
workplace rules are coming.
“We expect to initiate rulemak-
ing to make changes to the
COVID rule for all workplaces
this week,” he said.
Asked about farm-specific
workplace rules, Corvin said,
“As for the COVID rule regard-
ing employer-provided housing,
including on farms, it remains in
discussion.”
An agency memo states
that, with the exception of first
responders, firefighters, emer-
Capital Press File
Oregon OSHA is revising its
COVID-19 rules.
gency medical services and
non-emergency medical trans-
port sectors, Oregon OSHA “will
repeal all other remaining indus-
try-specific and activity-specific
workplace guidance.”
Workplace
requirements
for “exceptional risk work-
places” — defined by OSHA
as workplaces involving direct
patient care and similar activi-
ties — “will generally remain in
place,” according to the memo,
until OSHA has had discussions
with stakeholders and Oregon
Health Authority. OSHA plans
to repeal the remaining require-
ments “as they become no lon-
ger necessary.”
Until the new rulemak-
ing is announced, the memo
says that Oregon OSHA will not
enforce provisions of COVID-
19 workplace rules except for the
following:
• In general workplaces, the
memo says that employers must
allow workers to voluntarily
use facial coverings and pro-
vide facial coverings at no cost to
workers.
• Employers also must
cover the costs associated with
COVID-19 testing if the testing
is “conducted at the employer’s
direction.”
In the memo, Oregon OSHA
recommends general workplaces
should continue to use ventila-
tion systems, follow current quar-
antine recommendations and give
notice to workers who have poten-
tially been exposed to COVID-
19 within 24 hours. These rec-
ommendations are denoted in the
memo with the word “should”
rather than “must.”
More information will be
available from OSHA as the
rulemaking unfolds.
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