4 CapitalPress.com Friday, August 5, 2022 USDA approves Oregon for state meat inspection program By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN Capital Press USDA on July 28 approved a regulatory plan that allows Oregon to revive its state meat inspection program. The goal is to expand opportunities for small- scale processors who can’t sell commercially because the meat they process is not federally inspected. Ore- gon has just 13 USDA-in- spected facilities statewide; the new program will allow the state to also do inspec- tions, though state-inspected meat can only be sold within Oregon. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has finalized a cooperative agreement with the Ore- gon Department of Agricul- ture, giving ODA authority to inspect meat produced for shipment within the state. Lauren Henderson, ODA’s deputy director, has been talking for decades about re-establishing the state inspection program to increase Oregon’s slaugh- ter and processing capac- ity. ODA’s previous state inspection program ended in 1971 due to budget cuts. When the pandemic hit and producers struggled to move meat due to a short- age of inspection services, officials started talking more seriously about re-instituting state inspections. In 2020, Oregon legis- lators passed a bill approv- ing the state meat inspection program, and later approved $2 million in grants to help processors get started. Thursday’s approval from USDA was the final puzzle piece needed. “I am so proud of our Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press Carcasses at a meat plant. state, our partners and the many ODA staff that helped make Oregon’s State Meat Inspection Program a real- ity,” ODA director Alexis Taylor said in a statement. USDA’s deputy under- secretary Sandra Eskin said she anticipates the program will strengthen the food sys- tem and help prevent supply chain bottlenecks. “This program is espe- cially helpful to small meat and poultry processors in building their local and state marketplaces,” said Eskin. Oregon is now among 28 states with meat inspection programs. Though Thursday’s move was applauded by many, some meat experts are skep- tical the program is all it is chalked up to be. At the Oregon Cattle- men’s Association conven- tion last November, some ranchers and meat proces- sors expressed concern that the program may not be the best use of taxpayer dollars. Outfitting a plant to meet inspection requirements is no small feat, they said, and the $2 million is just a drop in the bucket. Henderson, of ODA, told cattlemen at the event that he fully anticipates going back before the Legislature in the future to secure more funding for the program long-term. To meet the new state standards, processors will have to meet requirements “at least equal to those imposed under the Fed- eral Meat Inspection Act,” according to USDA. Some experts say that if a processor is going to shoul- der the effort and expense to meet federal standards any- way — including installing fully washable walls, tem- perature controls and waste- water disposal systems — why wouldn’t it just become a USDA-inspected plant that can sell meat nation- ally rather than a state-in- spected plant that can only sell within Oregon? If a place is going to go through the trouble of coming under inspec- tion, most of them will just go USDA-inspected, or they already are USDA-in- spected, said Rebecca This- tlethwaite, director of Ore- gon State University’s Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network. Thistlethwaite said she doesn’t expect many pro- cessors to utilize the state program. Potato crop catching up after cold start By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Idaho’s potato crop has caught up well after wet, cold weather during planting and emergence seasons delayed its start. Declo-area grower Mark Darrington liked what he saw during recent test digs: tubers, in contrast to the “big crop of vines” of one variety that produced poorly in last year’s drought and early, prolonged high heat. In the south-central region, “compared to last year, this crop looks fabulous,” he said. “As compared to a five-year average, it is a good, solid, average crop.” “It was slow on emergence, but once it emerged, it performed well,” Darrington said. Nearby to the south and west, Randy Hardy said the crop had been 10-14 days Idaho Farm Bureau Federation behind before the recent momentum gain in Idaho produces about one-third of U.S. mostly warm, clear conditions. “We’re not seeing the tuber development potatoes. we normally would this time of year, but it’s “We plan to give the crop around an close,” said Hardy, who produces south of Burley. “The (tuber) set looks really good extra week or so to mature as long as the plants continue to look good as we get and the canopy looks really good.” He said July 27 that the region so far close to that date,” she said. hasn’t seen wildfire smoke, which hindered East-region grower Bryan Searle of the ’21 crop substantially. Smoke interferes Shelley said many tubers are smaller than with photosynthesis and can keep night- usual now but potatoes are benefiting from time temperatures higher than is ideal for the good conditions. plants. The next four to five weeks will be crit- Hardy said daytime and nighttime tem- ical, he said. peratures have been good recently, and “Currently, the crop looks pretty good,” “if things stay together and it doesn’t get Joe Esta, vice president at Wada Farms excessively hot, I think we’ve got a pretty in Idaho Falls, said July 26. The business nice crop coming.” likes to see rows in the region close by Planted acres in the state are about July 4, “and they were trailing that a lit- 290,000, down 8% from 315,000 a year tle bit.” earlier, USDA’s National Agricultural Sta- The company in recent test digs found tistics Service reported June 30. Many some larger potatoes, though “not as many growers shifted to crops that use less water as we’d like to see,” he said. and other inputs. Esta said smoke and long stretches with Angie Rader, a partner in Wilder-based daytime temperatures above 95 degrees Doug Gross Farms, said many grow- can stunt growth, but those conditions ers in the southwest region planned for have not occurred. below-average supplies of irrigation water Darrington said he recently found good but now have enough thanks to the wet test weight and yield in fall-planted bar- ley, traditionally a sign processing pota- spring. “Growth got a little behind because of toes will show good specific gravity. A the moisture, but we’re happy to have the high measurement — heavy on solids and moisture,” she said. light on water — lets processors get more Rader said the farm’s crop at one point usable material from each potato and fry was about three weeks behind average it best. progress to date but recently lags by just “If we can finish out, it’s going to be a a week or so. really great crop,” he said. LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87  Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be  sold, for  cash to the highest bidder, on 08/08/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2018 HOND CIV 4D VIN = SHHFK7G42JU239055 Amount due on lien $1515.00  Reputed owner(s) ZACHARY RYAN TAVARES UNITUS COMMUNITY C.U LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87  Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be  sold, for  cash to the highest bidder, on 08/15/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2019 HONDA ACC 4D VIN = 1HGCV1F55KA091613 Amount due on lien $1515.00  Reputed owner(s) PEDRO SORIANO SANCHEZ Spokane County Fire District 2 A tractor and baler were total losses following a fire July 29 near Latah, Wash., said Devin Billington, deputy fire chief for Spokane County Fire District 2. Tractors total losses in two separate fires in Washington and Idaho By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Two tractors, a combine and a baler were total losses in separate fires in Washing- ton and Idaho on July 29, fire district spokesmen say. Fire crews responded to a fire at 6:24 p.m. east of Latah, Wash. “When we got there, it was about a 50-foot by 50-foot timothy grass fire,” said Devin Billington, dep- uty chief of Spokane County Fire District 2. “We were able to contain it to that size. There was a farmer there who helped with plowing the field to dirt to contain it there.” A John Deere tractor and baler were total losses, Bill- ington said. “There’s a lot of mov- ing parts on those machines, on the balers,” Billington said. “It was low-100 degree weather at the time of the call, with moderately high wind speeds, so kind of a rec- ipe for fire.” Eleven trucks and 19 per- sonnel responded to the call, Billington said. The fire was extinguished by 7:55 p.m., so crews moved to managing hotspots. By 10:38 p.m., everything was extinguished and cooled down. The cause of the fire is undetermined, Billington said. The insurance company is working with the farmer. Damage to the crop and land was not significant. In Idaho, firefighters from the Worley Fire Department joined other departments in responding to a fire off High- way 95 about 17 miles south of Coeur d’Alene. Scott Campos, the Worley Fire Department chief, said the fire occurred at roughly 6 p.m. “They arrived on scene and found several hay bales on fire that was spread across an area approximately an eighth to a quarter of a mile,” Campos told the Capital Press. Once they knew the com- bine was on fire, the opera- tors of the tractor and com- bine drove to a clearing in hopes of avoiding burning windrows, Campos said. “Unfortunately, he dropped some fire along the way that did get some bales involved,” Campos said. “There was a skid-steer on scene, so I would have recommended cutting a line around that and letting it burn in one place, rather than tak- ing it across the field,” he said. “It’s a judgment call, for sure.” Both pieces of machinery appear to be totaled, Cam- pos said. He speculated that the operator sacrificed them to get them to the clearing. There was some damage to the land, but “not much,” he said. The fire is being investi- gated by the Idaho Depart- ment of Lands, which will determine the value of the damage, Campos said. No further informa- tion was available from the department. There were no injuries at either incident, Billington and Campos said. One Japanese beetle found in Richland, Wash. By DON JENKINS Capital Press A single Japanese beetle trapped in Richland, Wash., has heightened concerns within the state Department of Agri- culture that the invasive pest is spreading in south-central Washington. LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87  Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be  sold, for  cash to the highest bidder, on 08/15/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2001 BMW 525I 4D VIN = WBADT43461GX25722 Amount due on lien $1535.00  Reputed owner(s) MARK L WYNER & NICOLE R BRANSON LEGAL NOTICE OF RYEGRASS COMMISSION ASSESSMENT CHANGE HEARING TO: ALL OREGON RYEGRASS GROWERS Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held pursuant to ORS 576.416 (5), on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 6:00 p.m., at the Cascade Grill Restaurant, 110 Opal St. NE, Albany, Oregon, upon a proposal to increase the assessment due the Commission on Oregon-grown Perennial Ryegrass seed from 15¢/cwt to three and one-half tenths of one percent (0.35%) of the purchase price per pound, clean seed basis, from the price paid to the producer thereof, to take effect beginning January 1, 2023. Annual Rye- grass seed will remain at 15¢/cwt. At this hearing any producer of Oregon-grown Perennial Ryegrass seed has a right to be heard with respect to the proposed assessment increase. For further in- formation, contact the Oregon Ryegrass Growers Seed Commis- sion business office, P.O. Box 3366, Salem, Oregon 97302, tele- phone 503-364-2944. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Please make any request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities at least 48 hours before the meeting be contact- ing the Commission office at 503-364-2944. An agriculture department employee was surprised to find the beetle Thursday during a routine check of a pest trap, according to the department. The beetle was more than 35 miles east of an infestation in Grandview. Earlier in the week, the department confirmed that a gardener had found three bee- tles in Wapato, 30 miles west of Grandview. “Finding two detections so far from the original grid in two separate directions suggests the Japanese beetle popula- tion is spreading very quickly,” Camilo Acosta, Japanese beetle eradication project coordinator, said in a statement. “The longer the invasive pest continues to thrive here, the more difficult and expen- sive it will be to control,” Acosta said. Japanese beetles, Popil- lia japonica Newman, for- age on more than 300 types of plants, including high-value crops such as hops and grapes, which are grown in south-cen- tral Washington. Beetles have now been found in a 65-mile corridor along Interstate 82. The depart- ment has set out more traps and checked area nurseries in response. The department asked growers and residents to watch for and report beetles, espe- cially in Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties. Japanese beetle adults are metallic green and brown and have tufts of white hair on their sides. The agriculture department began what it expects will be a multi-year eradication campaign last spring by applying pesticides to lawns in a 49-square mile area in and around Grandview. LEGAL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces a meeting of the Washington State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) on Thursday, August 18, 2022 from 9:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. This meeting will be held by virtual only. No face to face option will be available. For more information, contact Nick Vira at 360-704-7758. LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87  Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be  sold, for  cash to the highest bidder, on 08/08/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2015 TOYT CAM 4D VIN = 4T1BF1FK9FU954779 Amount due on lien $1415.00  Reputed owner(s) RUBEN ESCOTT VILLA 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 08/08/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2016 TOYT HIG LL VIN = 5TDDKRFH1GS342805 Amount due on lien $1415.00  Reputed owner(s) SAMIM NOORI & MOHAMMAD A MAULIKZADA 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 08/08/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2007 CHEV TIL ST VIN = 4KBC4B1UXJ803101 Amount due on lien $1435.00  Reputed owner(s) NORTHWEST LANDSCAPE SERVICES BANNER BANK LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87  Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be  sold, for  cash to the highest bidder, on 08/15/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2015 MERZ C300 4D VIN =55SWF4JB7FU090367 Amount due on lien $1515.00  Reputed owner(s) MILAGROS ELAIDE BARRIOS ALPIZAR GATEWAY INSURANCE CO LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87  Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be  sold, for  cash to the highest bidder, on 08/15/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2010 TOYT TAC PU VIN =5TETX4CN4AZ712472 Amount due on lien $1535.00  Reputed owner(s) GENE E SAMPSON 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 08/15/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  2015 MAZD 3 4D VIN = 3MZBM1L71FM225686 Amount due on lien $1515.00  Reputed owner(s) TAYLOR VIRTUE LEGAL PURSUANT TO ORS CHAPTER 87  Notice is hereby given that the following vehicle will be  sold, for  cash to the highest bidder, on 08/15/2022.  The sale will be held at 10:00am by  COPART OF WASHINGTON INC  2885 NATIONAL WAY WOODBURN, OR  1999 HONDA ACC 4DR VIN = JHMCG5649XC031044 Amount due on lien $1535.00  Reputed owner(s) ROBERT HENRY CLARK