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CapitalPress.com
Friday, August 19, 2022
People & Places
Dona Lacayo’s team runs
a different kind of port
By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN
Capital Press
PORT HUENEME, Calif.
— Dona Toteva Lacayo and
her coworkers at the Port of
Hueneme run a tight ship.
Born in Bulgaria, Lacayo
moved to the U.S. as a young
woman to study at South Car-
olina’s College of Charleston.
While there, she was
exposed to Charleston’s bus-
tling mari-
time trade
e c o n o m y,
which cap-
tivated her
interest,
prompting
her to major
Dona
in interna-
Lacayo
tional busi-
ness
with
minors in German language
and global logistics and
transportation.
Today, alongside a crew of
other innovators, Lacayo, 40,
helps manage Southern Cali-
fornia’s Port of Hueneme —
pronounced why-nee-me — a
small, deep-water cargo port
about 60 miles northwest of
the Los Angeles metro area.
Agricultural exporters say
Hueneme stands out from
other ports because of its
timely operations and lack of
congestion, even during the
global supply chain crisis.
“Our services are very
much on time,” said Lacayo,
the port’s chief commer-
cial and public affairs officer.
“We’re not congested.”
Ocean transport data show
that charter vessels traveling
between Asia and America
often cut transit time for ship-
pers by at least 15 to 20 days
by using Hueneme versus the
other more congested ports.
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Entire contents copyright © 2022
Western
Innovator
DONA LACAYO
Born: Stara Zagora,
Bulgaria
Hometown: Sofia,
Bulgaria
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is
published weekly by EO Media Group,
245 Commercial St. SE, Suite 200
Salem OR 97301.
Age: 40
Port of Hueneme
The Port of Hueneme.
Truckers also have shorter
wait times at gates, and
cargo moves quickly through
Hueneme.
“As a user of this port,
we have found that Dona
(Lacayo) and the operation of
this port has been as smooth
as possible,” a representa-
tive from United Cargo Man-
agement, a cargo and freight
company, said at the Agri-
culture Transportation Coa-
lition’s recent conference in
Tacoma, Wash.
Peter Friedmann, execu-
tive director of the Agricul-
ture Transportation Coalition,
agreed, saying he appreciates
Hueneme’s efficiency. He
called Lacayo “a big hero.”
“One-stop shopping: Dial
D-O-N-A, Dona,” Fried-
mann joked. “She gets (the
exporter) to the carrier, she
gets them to the terminal …
gets a trucker there, and it’s
just terrific. I mean, that’s an
operating port.”
The Port of Hueneme is
growing in popularity. From
2017 to 2021, the port’s fresh
fruit exports have increased
285%, and in the past year
alone, general exports have
increased 136%.
What is the Port of Huen-
eme’s secret sauce?
There are many pieces that
enable smooth operations,
according to Lacayo.
“It’s like an orchestra,” she
said.
The first factor is that,
rather than transporting every
kind of cargo imaginable, the
port’s leaders have chosen to
be experts rather than gener-
alists, specializing in just two
categories: automotive and
refrigerated cargo.
Another factor is that the
Port of Hueneme has part-
nered with other entities that
own 550 off-port acres within
about an 8-mile radius of the
port. These sites are used for
inspections and as terminal
space, allowing Hueneme to
quickly move cargo off port.
To prevent a shortage of
chassis — trailer frames that
carry shipping containers
— from slowing operations,
Hueneme requires carriers to
provide their own.
Shipping experts say the
port’s success may also be
attributable to its size, because
it operates at a smaller, more
manageable scale.
“We can’t handle the large
ships L.A. or Long Beach can
handle,” said Lacayo. “But
we’re not trying to be L.A.,
Long Beach or Oakland. We
are the Port of Hueneme,
and we’re just trying to help
as much as we can with the
sizes of vessels that we can
handle.”
Education: Bachelor
of science in interna-
tional business; minors
in German language
and global logistics and
transportation, College
of Charleston in South
Carolina. Master of
Business Administration,
Saint Mary’s College of
California in Moraga
Occupation: Chief com-
mercial and public affairs
officer for the Port of
Hueneme, which handles
$11.39 billion in trade
annually
Top trade partners
include: South Korea,
Germany, the United
Kingdom, Japan, Mexico,
Sweden, Guatemala,
Nicaragua, China, Peru,
Austria, Brazil, Canada,
Costa Rica, Ecuador
Top agricultural ex-
ports: Potatoes, cotton,
fresh apples, pears,
cheese and curd, citrus
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Tradition will continue after sale of Kruse farm market stand
By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
ROSEBURG, Ore. — The agri-
cultural tradition established by the
Kruse family in Douglas County
over the past century will continue
even after the recent sale of the fam-
ily’s farm market stand and bakery
and 93 adjoining acres of river bot-
tom ground.
The John Blodgett family pur-
chased the property that includes the
produce stand, bakery and gift shop,
a cold room, three greenhouses,
covered storage, a hay barn and the
ground that lies next to the South
Umpqua River. The sale was final-
ized and recorded Aug. 2 at the price
of $1.5 million.
“We bought it as a family invest-
ment,” John Blodgett said. “We
don’t have a concrete plan for the
property, but we want to carry on the
agricultural legacy of Don Kruse.”
The farm market had provided
locally grown fruits and vegeta-
bles to local consumers since that
property was purchased in 1987,
expanding the Kruse family’s pro-
ductive ground to several hundred
acres. Kruse farmed for about 70
years before health issues limited his
mobility. He died in 2018 at age 87.
Blodgett, a long-time lumberman
and co-owner of Douglas County
Forest Products, and Kruse, a long-
time farmer, were friends. They
served together on the Douglas
County Fair Board for several years.
Kruse’s son, Jeff Kruse; daughter,
Karen Kruse Corpron; and grand-
son, Evan Kruse, were co-owners of
the property. They decided last year
to put the property up for sale in
early 2022. Jeff Kruse, 70, and Cor-
pron, 65, were wanting to retire from
the business and Evan Kruse, 42, the
family’s fourth generation to farm
the ground, wanted to concentrate on
just a few crops rather than the many
crops that are needed to operate the
produce stand.
Jeff Kruse had been farming in the
family business since he was a youth.
Corpron had managed the farm’s pro-
duce market and bakery for the past
13 years.
While Blodgett is considering
agricultural options for his invest-
ment, Evan Kruse is continuing
to farm a couple hundred acres,
including the original 15 acres his
great-grandfather, Bert Kruse, first
farmed in 1923.
Evan Kruse is focusing on grow-
ing alfalfa and grass hay for long-time
Douglas County and coastal custom-
ers. He’s also growing specialty grass
seeds, the golf industry being the
main consumer of that product. He’ll
continue to maintain an established
cherry orchard and a blueberry field
for community U-pickers.
Evan Kruse said he has heard of
concerns from community members
that the property that sold would be
developed into houses. He empha-
sized that the ground is zoned as
exclusive farm use.
“The likelihood that it would be
anything except farm use is exceed-
ingly slim,” he said. “It’ll have to stay
in farming.”
Blodgett agreed.
“The success of what Don (Kruse)
did here was in part due to his ability
to grow food,” Blodgett said. “It’s a
nice piece of ground that can be irri-
gated. When the right person comes
along, we’ll continue its agricultural
legacy.”
Evan Kruse said being part of
the Kruse Farms market was “an
extremely fulfilling activity” but with
Jeff Kruse and Corpron wanting to
retire, it was a time for change. He
said he wants to continue farming,
extending the Kruse family’s tradi-
tion in that industry to 100 years in
2023 and then beyond.
“Direct market farming, where
you grow and sell what you grow, is
a very satisfying form of farming,”
he said of the Kruse Farms market.
“But I figured I had to go in a dif-
ferent direction so I could continue
to farm.”
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News: Contact the main office
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send the information to
Craig Reed/For the Capital Press
John Blodgett, left, and Evan
Kruse discuss details of the Kruse
Farms Market property that the
Blodgett family recently pur-
chased. Blodgett says he has “no
concrete plans” for the property,
but plans to continue its agricul-
tural tradition.
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CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com. All times reflect the local
time zone unless otherwise noted.
AUG. 19-28
Western Idaho Fair: 11 a.m.
Western Idaho Fairgrounds, 5610
Glenwood St., Boise. Western Idaho
gets together annually for this cel-
ebration of country living. Website:
https://idahofair.com
WEDNESDAY
AUG. 24
Oregon State University Mal-
heur Experiment Station Onion
Variety Day: 9 am.-1 p.m. OSU Mal-
heur Experiment Station, 595 Onion
Ave., Ontario, Ore. 97914 Website:
https://bit.ly/3PDBkLb
AUG. 26-SEPT. 5
Oregon State Fair: 10 a.m. Ore-
gon State Fair & Exposition Center,
2330 17th St. NE, Salem. The Ore-
gon State Fair continues through
Sept. 5. Website: https://oregon-
statefair.org/
SEPT. 2-10
Eastern Idaho State Fair: East-
ern Idaho Fairgrounds, 97 Park St.,
Blackfoot, Idaho. It’s fair time in
Idaho. Website: https://funatthefair.
com/general-info/
SEPT. 2-25
Washington State Fair:
10:30 a.m. Puyallup Fairgrounds,
110 9th Ave. SW, Puyallup, Wash.
The Washington State Fair is the
largest single attraction held annu-
ally in the state of Washington.
Closed Tuesdays and Sept. 7. Web-
site: https://www.thefair.com/
THURSDAY SEPT. 8
Farm & Ranch Succession
Planning and Working Lands
Easements: 12:30- 4 p.m. OSU Mal-
heur County Extension, 710 South-
west 5th Ave., Ontario, Ore. Attor-
ney June Flores will present on the
topics of succession and estate
planning, and how to prepare your
operation to be resilient for future
generations. Easement special-
ist Marc Hudson will answer your
questions about working lands con-
servation easements —what they
are, what they aren’t, and how they
may be helpful in executing your
agricultural business plans. These
in-person events are part of a free
6-workshop series in Lake, Har-
ney and Malheur counties. All are
welcome, and the events are free.
RSVP for these or any of OAT’s other
events and refer any questions
about the event to diane@orego-
nagtrust.org 503-858-2683
FRIDAY SEPT. 9
Farm & Ranch Succession
Planning and Working Lands
Easements: 12:30- 4 p.m. Burns Elks
Lodge, 18 N. Broadway Ave., Burns,
Ore. Attorney June Flores will pres-
ent on the topics of succession and
estate planning, and how to pre-
pare your operation to be resilient
for future generations. Easement
specialist Marc Hudson will answer
your questions about working lands
conservation easements —what
they are, what they aren’t, and how
they may be helpful in executing
your agricultural business plans.
These in-person events are part of a
free 6-workshop series in Lake, Har-
ney and Malheur counties. All are
welcome, and the events are free.
RSVP for these or any of OAT’s other
events and refer any questions
about the event to diane@orego-
nagtrust.org 503-858-2683
SATURDAY OCT. 1
Free Waste Pesticide Collec-
tion Event in White City: Rogue
Transfer and Recycling, 8001 Table
Rock Road, White City, Ore. The
Oregon Department of Agricul-
ture through the Pesticide Stew-
ardship Partnership is sponsoring
a Free Waste Pesticide Collection
Event. This event is an opportunity
for landowners, farmers and other
commercial pesticide users to rid
storage facilities of unwanted or
unused pesticide products. Con-
tact: Kathryn Rifenburg, 971-600-
5073, kathryn.rifenburg@oda.ore-
gon.gov Registration for this event
is required by Sept. 16. Website:
https://bit.ly/3FIoyFE
WEDNESDAY-
THURSDAY OCT. 5-6
National Cooperative Busi-
ness Association IMPACT Con-
ference (in person and online):
National Press Club, Washington,
D.C. The conference provides a plat-
form to re-energize the cooperative
movement. Website: http://ncba-
clusa.coop
WEDNESDAY-
SUNDAY OCT. 5-9
Trailing of the Sheep Festi-
val: Ketchum, Idaho. The five-day
festival includes activities in multi-
ple venues and culminates with the
big sheep parade down Main Street
in Ketchum. Website: https://www.
trailingofthesheep.org
FRIDAY OCT. 14
Federal Milk Marketing Order
Forum: 12:30 p.m. local time Kan-
sas City Marriott Downtown, Kansas
City, Mo. Hosted by American Farm
Bureau Federation, the forum will
explore solutions to FMMO short-
falls. Registration closes at noon
on Sept. 23. Website: https://bit.
ly/3QCo8Xp
Capital Press ag media
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facebook.com/FarmSeller
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SATURDAY OCT. 15
Index
Free Waste Pesticide Collec-
tion Event in Roseburg: Douglas
County Fairgrounds, 2110 Frear St.,
Roseburg, Ore. The Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture through the
Pesticide Stewardship Partnership
is sponsoring a Free Waste Pesti-
cide Collection Event. This event
is an opportunity for landown-
ers, farmers and other commercial
pesticide users to rid storage facil-
ities of unwanted or unused pes-
ticide products. Contact: Kathryn
Rifenburg, 971-600-5073, kathryn.
rifenburg@oda.oregon.gov Regis-
tration for this event is required by
Sept. 16.
Markets .................................................12
Opinion ...................................................6
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staff and to our readers.
If you see a misstatement, omission or
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