THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016
Business & Ag
BLM critized for project
— Weekly Hay Report —
Friday, August 5, 2016 — Eastern Oregon
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
Said landowner Keith
Jones, “If the Pedro fi re
last weekend had come
just over the next hill and
hit that juniper we don’t
see how it could have been
stopped.”
Firefi ghters had a dif-
fi cult time reaching the
Pedro fi re due to the ter-
rain and remote location.
A crew was dropped in by
air at one point, and the
Oregon Department of
Forestry crossed through
the Jones property, Devils
Canyon Ranch, in another
attempt to fi nd access.
Jones pointed out, “Our
criticism isn’t of the
fi refi ghters who put their
lives on the line—it’s of
policies and projects that
put both them and private
lands in danger when it
doesn’t have to be that
way. Can you imagine a
fi refi ghter trying to make
his or her way through that
mess there on the ground?”
Andersen added of his
own practices, “I fell 110
acres this April, but the
juniper was piled by the
end of May. I will not fall
anymore juniper until the
weather turns and fall rain/
snow occur.”
As reported by Arriola,
Fuels Specialist Scott
English, of the Vale BLM/
Baker Resource Area, said
the goal of the project was
to, “help maintain range
land, restore plant com-
munities, and improve
wildlife habitat diversity,
including elk, antelope,
deer, and birds.”
Prices trended generally steady compared to week
ago prices. Most demand lays with the retail/stable
hay. Many hay producers are selling or have al-
ready sold most of their fi rst and second cutting hay,
and are working on later cutting(s) resulting in
higher volumes of hay moving.
Tons Price Range Wtd Avg
Alfalfa — Large Square Supreme
400 130.00-130.00 130.00
Alfalfa — Large Square Premium
400 115.00-115.00 115.00
Alfalfa / Orchard Mix — Small Square Premium
15 185.00-185.00 185.00
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Cattle Market Report —
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Vale, Oregon
Cattle sold through the auction: 354
Submitted Photo.
Crews head out after mop-up the “China Fire” on Rooster Comb. Behind is
one remaining stand of junipers. To the left back, one edge of the lop and lay
project.
Planning of that project
began in 2006, but the
execution of it—the actual
cutting—didn’t happen
until June. 2,700 more
acres were still planned for
the project.
Said Jones’s wife Suzan,
“For a few weeks, the
crews had to drive up
Rooster Comb—right
past where the second fi re
started last weekend—and
hike down the hillsides
with their chainsaws to
reach the trees. It looks
like a bomb went off all
around the place now.”
English explained, “You
get rid of all of the juniper;
we’re not saving any. It’s
considered a weed tree. A
tree can suck up to 30 to
40 gallons of water a day,
and it will crowd out the
pine.”
Still others look at BLM
management decisions
such as this as a reason
to bring control of public
lands back to a County or
State level.
Utah State Representa-
tive Ken Ivory, who heads
up the American Lands
Council, said, “Our forests
are the living, breathing
lungs of our environment,
and the heart of our rural
economies. Imagine turn-
ing the care of your heart
and lungs over to someone
else, let alone someone
thousands of miles away
who suffers no personal
pain when your vital or-
gans are not well cared for.
Under distant, unaccount-
able bureaucratic manage-
ment, our forests are dying
and with them, the heart of
western communities. It’s
time to unlock our lands
for more effective local
care and management.”
“I just hope the BLM
plans to come clean up
this mess otherwise we’re
going to start getting the
impression they want to
burn us out. In the 40
years or so that we’ve been
paying attention,” said
Jones, “their land on the
three sides of our property
hasn’t been cleaned up.
We’d like to see that done.”
More motions filed in
Sunridge legal battle
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last week, several Mo-
tions were fi led in the
District of Oregon U.S.
Bankruptcy Court, in the
Townridge, Inc. (dba Best
Western Sunridge Inn)
Chapter 11 case. Among
those, a Motion to expedite
the hearing on the United
States Trustee’s Motion for
Entry of an Order Direct-
ing the Appointment of a
Chapter 11 Trustee was
answered with an Objec-
tion to both Motions, by
Townridge, Inc. legal rep-
resentation, Boise attorney
D. Blair Clark.
In the U.S. Trustee’s
Motion for an expedited
hearing, Trial Attorney
Carla G. McClurg made
the following claim, as
part of four key points, for
cause for the hearing:
“The debtor’s sole
shareholder and director,
Carl Town (“Town”), has
shown that he is unable to
act as a fi duciary due to his
demonstrated propensity
to elevate his own personal
interests above those of
the estate, creditors, and
employees.”
In Clark’s Objection,
he responded to that fi rst
claim as follows:
“Carl Town is not in-
volved in management of
this entity. The Court has
already removed his ability
to receive compensation.
Moreover, he had relin-
quished his management
before (underlined) the
case was fi led in the cor-
porate resolution authoriz-
ing this case fi ling, where
he executed the corporate
resolution designating Ms.
Tony's Tree
Service
Wilson as an offi cer and
General Manager, and with
the responsibility of the
Debtor in Possession. See
Docket 11 (fi led on June
27, 2016). Moreover, as
the Motion for Appoint-
ment of a Trustee alleges,
Ms. Wilson has done an
outstanding job in operat-
ing this Debtor during
the administration. The
Motion is full of praise for
her and Mr. Mendenhall,
the Maintenance Manager,
who is an employee of
approximately 24+ years
service to the company.”
McClurg stated the
following, as the second
claim:
“Town’s personal health
situation and personal
circumstances appear to
impair his judgment and
ability to effectively man-
age and control the affairs
of the debtor.”
Clark responded as fol-
lows:
“Mr. Town is not
involved in management.
Period. He is receiving
no salary or other income,
nor any distributions. He
is not ‘managing and
controlling the affairs of
the Debtor.’ He had sense
enough to remove himself
from that situation.”
In McClurg’s third
claim, she stated:
“Due to Town’s self-
dealing propensities and
personal health challenges,
Town has effectively
abdicated his role in the
day-to-day management
of the debtor to a General
Manager, Lisa Wilson,
which he could revoke at
any time to the detriment
of the estate, creditors, and
employees.”
SEE SUNRIDGE
PAGE 10
Steer Calves
300-400# Bulk 152.00 - 168.00 Top 170.00
400-500# Bulk 144.00 - 152.00 Top 154.00
500-600# Bulk 139.00 - 153.00 Top 156.00
Heifer Calves
300-400# Bulk N/A Top N/A
400-500# Bulk N/A Top N/A
500-600# Bulk 124.00 - 130.00 Top 135.00
600-700#
700-800#
800-900#
900-1,000#
Yearling Steers
Bulk 128.00 - 136.00 Top 138.50
Bulk 119.00 - 138.00 Top 141.50
Bulk 124.00 - 134.00 Top 136.75
Bulk 104.00 - 110.00 Top 112.00
Yearling Heifers
600-700# Bulk 126.00 - 134.00 Top 135.00
700-800# Bulk N/A Top N/A
800-900# Bulk 122.00 - 128.00 Top 129.75
900-1,000# Bulk 112.00 - 118.00 Top 119.00
Thin Shelly Cows 61.00 - 71.00
Butcher Cows 72.00 - 79.00
Butcher Bulls 74.00 - 91.00
Pairs Young N/A
Hfretts. 86.00 - 97.00
Stock Cows Young - N/A
ProducersLivestock.com
541-473-3136
— Log Price Report —
Price per 1,000 board feet: Northeast Oregon
Currently the local log market is fl ooded with
fi re salvage logs. The log buyer for Malheur
Lumber Co. stated they have all the logs they
need under contract and are not accepting any
new purchases. BCC/LLC of La Grande has
receive so many burned fi re salvage logs they
are no longer accepting logs at the La Grande
log yard. Any additional pine logs have to be
delivered to the Elgin Log yard cut in plywood
lengths and to a 8 inch top. For these pine
logs cut in plywood lengths, BCC is offering
$280.00/mbf. They are also paying $420.00/
mbf for Doug Fir & Western Larch. For White
Fir they are offi ng $325.00/mbf. At the Pilot
Rock Saw Mill BCC is offi ng $360.00/mbf for a
12 to 15 inch top, for 16 to 19 inch top $400.00/
mbf & offi ng $425.00/mbf for 20 inch plus top
Courtesy of Arvid Andersen,
Andersen Forestry Consulting
— Precious Metals Report —
Price per ounce, USD
Gold: $1,346.70
Silver: $19.93
Platinum: $1156.30
Palladium: $693.98
Bloomberg.com
Free evaluations for:
• Proper Trimming
• Safety
• Removal
•Disease Control
• Insect Control
• Tree Replacement
• Stump Grinding
— Ag Commodities —
Nearly fi ve decades of experience.
Corn: $332.50/bu/USD
Wheat: $417.00/bu/USD
Soybeans: $988.50/bu/USD
Oats: $184.00 bu/USD
Rough Rice: $9.70/cwt/USD
Canola: $459.70 CAD/mwt
Live Cattle: $115.00/lb./USD
Feeder Cattle: $148.85/lb./USD
Lean Hogs: $58.20/lb./USD
600 Elm Street, Baker City. 541.523.3708
Owners Tony & Lisa Constantine LCB 6271 • CCB 63504
Bloomberg.com
Licensed | Insured | 48 years experience.
Tony's Tree Service.
Accepting payment plans and credit cards.