Friday, September 2, 2022
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Pandemic’s aftermath still hinders ag shipping, experts say
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
PORTLAND — Though the
burdens imposed on transportation
workers have eased since the peak
of the COVID pandemic, the lin-
gering eff ects continue to bedevil
agricultural shipping, experts say.
Nurseries are among the farm
sectors that most depend on a
robust U.S. transportation system,
since they must quickly deliver
plants to consumers across the
country.
Apart from dealing with their
own labor shortages, nursery pro-
ducers also face shipping con-
straints caused by insuffi cient
numbers of transportation work-
ers, including truckers, experts say.
“It will be a long road back
until we get enough truckers,” said
Dale Parra, nursery specialist with
Truck Transportation Services, a
freight brokerage fi rm focused on
food and agriculture.
Hardships associated with the
coronavirus pandemic convinced
many truckers to retire or leave the
industry, aggravating a nationwide
shortfall that was already signifi -
cant, experts said Aug. 25 during
the Farwest Show, an annual
nursery industry conference in
Portland.
“Next time you see a truck driver,
thank them for staying in business,”
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
From left to right, Jana Jarvis of the Oregon Trucking Associations, David Anzur of Anzur Logistics,
Dale Parra of Truck Transportation Services, Teresa Carr of the Port of Portland and Jeff Stone of the
Oregon Association of Nurseries participated in an Aug. 25 transportation panel at the Farwest Show
in Portland.
said Jana Jarvis, president of the
Oregon Trucking Associations.
Coronavirus restrictions across
the country often prevented truck
stops from off ering anything but
fuel, leaving truckers with nowhere
to eat, sleep or even use the
restroom, she said.
“It was very adverse working
conditions,” Jarvis said.
Even before COVID, the U.S.
trucking industry had about 60,000
fewer drivers than it needed, she
said. Since the start of the pan-
demic, that defi cit has increased to
80,000 drivers.
Some companies exacerbated
their shipping problems by mis-
treating truckers, some of whom
remain reluctant to load and unload
at those businesses, Parra said.
“Truckers are under-appreciated
and without them, we would be in a
world of hurt,” he said. “Go out of
your way to be real nice.”
As many truckers retire, the
industry also has a recruiting prob-
lem due to outdated stereotypes
about the career, Jarvis said.
Many transportation companies
will pay for the training required
for a commercial driver’s license,
Calif. board drives EV
mandate in Northwest
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
A California state board voted Aug. 25 to
require all new cars, pickups and SUVs to be
electric by 2035, eff ectively setting the same
policy for Washington.
Gov. Jay Inslee said in a tweet that Washing-
ton will adopt the same regulations by the end
of the year. “This is a critical milestone in our
climate fi ght,” he said.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature in
2020 committed Washington to automatically
changing its vehicle-emission rules to match
rules adopted by the California Air Resources
Board.
The California board has 14-voting mem-
bers appointed by the governor, Senate and
Assembly. Board chairwoman Liane Randolph
called the unanimous vote “world changing.”
Inslee spokesman Mike Faulk said the
Department of Ecology will initiate rule-mak-
ing to adopt California standards. A public com-
ment period likely will open in early Septem-
ber, he said.
The Washington Legislature this year set a
“target” for all new passenger cars and light-
duty trucks to be electric by 2030. State agen-
cies were told to come up with a “scoping plan.”
California’s vote sets a mandate for
zero-emission vehicles. The board cited its
authority coming from an executive order
issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“We’ve basically given up our sovereignty,”
said Washington state Rep. Tom Dent, R-Mo-
ses Lake. “It’s absolutely wrong what’s happen-
ing here.”
OPB reported that Gov. Kate Brown’s offi ce
said Oregon regulators are also considering
similar rules.
According to the California rule, the electric
vehicles must be able to travel at least 150 miles
on a charge. Dent said 150 miles pass quickly
outside urban areas.
“It just doesn’t work for rural America, agri-
cultural America,” he said. “It’s not that unusual
to drive to Montana to pick up parts.”
The California Farm Bureau opposed the
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Washington will automatically follow a
mandate passed Aug. 25 by the Califor-
nia Air Resources Board. All cars, pickups
and SUVs sold in the states must be elec-
tric beginning with 2035 models.
mandate at a public hearing that preceded the
vote, warning that farmworkers will be hurt and
that farmers will be more dependent on an elec-
tric grid prone to blackouts.
The African American Farmers of California
and the Nisei Farmers League submitted com-
ments criticizing the mandate.
“As gas-powered vehicles become scarcer,
will used electric vehicles be aff ordable for
farmworkers?” asked Nisei Farmers, founded
by Japanese-American growers in California.
“Will they withstand the dirt roads and
neglected roads that California farmworkers
drive to reach job sites?” the league asked.
Senate Bill 5811, passed by the Washington
Legislature in 2020 on mostly party-line votes
in the House and Senate, committed the state to
mirroring California’s vehicle-emission laws.
Democrats said the bill was necessary
because climate change is a crisis. Republi-
cans complained that letting California dictate
changes in Washington law was fundamentally
wrong.
According to the Washington Department
of Licensing, the most-popular electric car reg-
istered in the state is the Model 3 Tesla. The
retail price of the 2022 model starts at $48,490,
according to Kelley Blue Book.
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but it’s still diffi cult for people to
fi nd time for this education, she
said.
The industry needs to fi nd
ways to become more attractive to
younger workers, Jarvis said.
Financial incentives are part of
the answer to the trucker shortage,
she said. “How do we solve that?
We off er more pay.”
Other transportation sectors
have also encountered recruitment
problems, experts say.
Railroad companies are like-
wise struggling to fi ll positions as
workers retire, said David Anzur,
founder of Anzur Logistics, a
freight services company focused
on rail.
“That has plagued moving prod-
uct across the system,” he said.
The Port of Portland, which
handles several transportation
modes, has about 750 employees
and 60 open jobs that it’s com-
peting to fi ll, said Teresa Carr, its
director of business development
and commercial properties.
The port doesn’t directly
employ the dock workers who
operate its container terminal,
which is running again after los-
ing ocean carrier service several
years ago, Carr said. The facil-
ity is also encountering a wave of
retirements among members of the
International Longshore and Ware-
house Union.
Members of ILWU are hired by
the Pacifi c Maritime Association,
whose board of directors includes
major ocean shipping fi rms, she
said. “We’re trying to convey to
them that more labor is needed in
this region.”
Infl ation has been challenging
for the port’s investment in airport
upgrades, increasing the cost from
about $2 billion to $2.5 billion, due
to the rising price of steel and other
materials, Carr said.
“The big projects came right
online just as COVID was hitting,”
she said.
Beef Northwest purchases
family-owned Carlton Farms
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
CARLTON, Ore. —
Two of Oregon’s best-
known meat companies
have combined. Beef
Northwest Feeders, based
in North Powder, has pur-
chased Carlton Farms,
makers of high-end pork
and beef products, in a
merger of two longtime
family-owned companies.
Financial terms were
not disclosed.
Zach Wilson, a part-
ner and co-owner of Beef
Northwest, said the two
families have known one
another for 30 years, and
have a history of doing
business together.
Carlton Farms was
founded in 1956, and
works with approximately
five Northwest farmers
raising pigs without hor-
mones or antibiotics. For
the last 15 years, Wilson
said Beef Northwest has
also provided finished
cattle for Carlton Farms’
line of beef products.
The sale ensures that
Carlton Farms will remain
local, Wilson said. It will
also allow Beef North-
west to diversify and
expand its footprint into
the Willamette Valley.
“They have a very
strong team there,” he
said. “We look forward to
working with them, and
going forward with them.”
Rita
Duyn,
presi-
dent and CEO of Carl-
ton Farms, said in a state-
ment that she is confi dent
Beef Northwest “has the
resources and core val-
ues that will take Carlton
Farms to a new level.”
“It is a great fi t for all,”
Duyn said. “I take com-
fort knowing this com-
pany will continue in
their hands and be part
of the Wilson family
legacy.”
Beef Northwest was
established by Wilson’s
father, John, and John’s
cousin, Jim, in 1991. The
company has grown from
one initial feedlot in
Nyssa, Ore., to six loca-
tions across Eastern Ore-
gon and one in Quincy,
Wash., with 300 employ-
ees and a collective one-
time capacity of 110,000
cattle.
Carlton Farms has
a slaughterhouse and
retail store in the city of
Carlton, about 45 miles
southwest of Portland.
Wilson said they do not
plan to make any imme-
diate changes to Carl-
ton Farms’ products or
operations.
“Consumers
can
expect the same qual-
ity products that they’ve
been seeing for 60
years,” he said. “Nothing
is going to change in that
regard.”
Julian Garcia, Beef
Northwest CEO, said
the acquisition “reflects
our continued commit-
ment to investing in local
agriculture.”
Wilson said Carl-
ton Farms represents
Beef Northwest’s first
foray into the pork busi-
ness, which he described
as a unique challenge.
However, he said what
won them over was the
high quality and val-
ues of the Carlton Farms
employees.