THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017
Business / Agriculture
Education official visits
Baker High School
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On January 4, Deputy
Superintendent of Public
Instruction Salam Noor
visited the Baker High
School for feedback on Or-
egon’s State Plan under the
Every Student Succeeds
Act (ESSA). Students,
faculty members, teach-
ers, members of the school
board, and community
members were invited to
the forum.
Noor, accompanied by
South Baker Intermediate
Principal Nanette Lehman,
presented to those attend-
ing what ESSA is and how
it impacts schools and stu-
dents. ESSA replaces No
Child Left Behind (NCLB)
and gives states more
flexibility in providing a
well-rounded education to
all students.
Noor explained that
ESSA is a federal loan and
requires a submitted plan
of what education leaders
are going to do to apply
for the loan, but they ap-
proached it differently than
they did with NCLB.
“We basically have an
opportunity to re think the
way we do assessment, the
way we do accountabil-
ity, the way we do school
improvement and educator
effectiveness,” said Noor.
“So we started this conver-
sation back in April and
we said, ‘Let’s reimagine
education in the state of
Oregon.’ We then invite
communities to come talk
to us about the federal law
and federal plan. We’re go-
ing to submit one nonethe-
less but we want to make
sure that that plan truly
represents our values, what
we consider to be most
important.”
Noor explained through
a presentation that they
learned five main things
students, teachers, board
members, and community
members want.
Noor explained that they
loved hearing the students’
point of view and hearing
from them kept Noor and
his team on track.
Friday, December 23, 2016 — Eastern Oregon
(No new report due to holidays.)
Prices trended generally steady in a limited test
compared to week ago prices. Most demand lays
with the retail/stable hay. According to some
producers, horse owners prefer lower sugar, higher
protein hay. The recent snows slowed movement as
trucks couldn’t get to the farms to get loaded.
Tons Price Range Wtd Avg
Alfalfa — Large Square Good/Premium
30 140.00-140.00 140.00
Alfalfa / Orchard Mix — Small Square Premium
15 165.00-165.00 165.00
Timothy Grass — Large Square Fair
35 100.00-100.00 100.00
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Cattle Market Report —
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Vale, Oregon
Cattle sold through the auction: 305
Steer Calves
300-400# Bulk N/A Top N/A
400-500# Bulk N/A Top N/A
500-600# Bulk 126.00 - 142.00 Top 144.50
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Salam Noor visited the Baker High
School.
The five main things they
learned were making sure
education opportunities of-
fered to students are rigor-
ous, relevant, well rounded
and engaging. They want
it to be personalized and
individualized learning.
Equity was a large part
of the conversations. Noor
explained that students
who are English learners,
Native American, students
living in poverty, disabled
students, and others will be
served under this law.
Noor said that they want
establishing the conditions
necessary for educators to
provide effective and cul-
turally responsive services
to students, families, and
communities.
The last is to measure
student and school suc-
cess in multiple ways,
such as academic, social,
emotional learning, and
preparing students for their
next steps.
Noor talked about what
the law means for students.
It means that students
will have English, read-
ing, language, arts, and
writing classes. They will
also have science, technol-
ogy, engineering, math,
computer science, foreign
languages, music, govern-
ment economics, his-
tory, geography, and other
courses.
Noor also said what
it means for teachers. It
makes students’ state test
scores an optional part
of teacher evaluations
and provides additional
recourses to support ongo-
ing, meaningful, culturally
responsive professional
learning.
“We’re proposing that
a single rating is not the
most effective way to tell
the community about the
quality of the school or the
success of that school,”
explained Noor. “We’re
proposing to move away
from a single rating system
to what’s called Dash-
board. A Dashboard gives
you a lot more information,
more meaningful informa-
tion, and gives you a more
comprehensive picture of
what’s actually happen-
ing in that school. So, the
flexibility that we’ve been
given is to not use a single
rating but to use a different
system to give the commu-
nity what’s happening in
that school.”
Noor said that the law
requires the district to
consult with parents and
the communities. Noor
explained that he found
it to be a positive fea-
ture because it promotes
communication with the
community.
Noor then asked for
those attending to speak
in small groups and to ask
questions for him to an-
swer while he was there.
Noor said they are work-
ing on their initial plan and
between January and April
they will be finalizing the
state plan and will continue
their community forums.
The State Board of
Education will have a
work session on the 25 of
January regarding the state
plan.
The Governor will
also be involved with the
conversations and their
goal is to continue to vet
the recommendations and
get down to specific details
as much as they can to
submit their plan to the US
Department of Education
by April 3.
After finishing his
presentation, he then asked
the attendants to write their
feedback on provided pa-
pers he collected to review
for the plan.
Drought disaster benefits available
Producers in Baker
County are eligible to
apply for 2016 Livestock
Forage Disaster Program
(LFP) benefits on native
and improved pastures due
to drought.
LFP provides compensa-
tion to eligible livestock
producers who suffer
grazing losses for covered
— Weekly Hay Report —
livestock due to drought
on privately owned or
cash leased land or fire on
federally managed land.
County committees can
only accept LFP applica-
tions after notification
is received by the Na-
tional Office of qualifying
drought or if a federal
agency prohibits produc-
ers from grazing normal
permitted livestock on
federally managed lands
due to qualifying fire.
Notification of drought
has officially been received
for Wallowa County.
Eligible livestock pro-
ducers must complete an
application (CCC-853)
and the required support-
ing documentation no later
than January 30, 2017 for
2016 losses.
For additional informa-
tion about LFP and to
set up an appointment to
participate in the 2016 pro-
gram, contact the Baker-
Grant County FSA office
at 541-523-7121 x 2.
Heifer Calves
300-400# Bulk N/A Top N/A
400-500# Bulk 122.00 - 133.00 Top 135.00
500-600# Bulk 117.00 - 129.00 Top 130.00
600-700#
700-800#
800-900#
900-1,000#
Yearling Heifers
600-700# Bulk 109.00 - 121.00 Top 122.00
700-800# Bulk 102.00 - 106.00 Top 107.50
800-900# Bulk N/A Top N/A
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Thin Shelly Cows 35.00 - 49.00
Butcher Cows 51.00 - 58.00
Butcher Bulls 51.00 - 61.00
Pairs Young N/A
Hfretts. 64.00 - 79.00
Stock Cows Young - 865.00 - 1175.00
ProducersLivestock.com
541-473-3136
— Log Price Report —
Prices are based on the majority of saw mills in
Northeastern Oregon and Central Idaho. The prices
listed below are a composite prices of various saw-
mills willing to visit with me about this topic.
Ponderosa Pine—small diameter class 8-11 inches
diameter class $250 per mbf. Only one sawmill was
willing to buy small diameter pine at this time.
Ponderosa Pine—medium diameter class 12-17
inches diameter class $300 to $350 per mbf
Ponderosa Pine-large diameter class 18 plus inches
diameter class $380 to $410 per mbf
The Pine prices are still approximately $40 per mbf
below average lumber/log market due to 2017 fire
salvage
Doug Fir & Western Larch—$380 to $420 per
mbf. Normal prices typically ranged between $425
to $475 per mbf.
White Fir-$300 per mbf. Normal prices typically
ranged between $340 to $360 per mbf.
Engelmann Spruce—$350 at one Idaho sawmill,
other sawmills including with White fir prices.
In general, the log prices still impacted from 2015
fire season and fire salvage that resulted. Sawmills
are starting to get log yard inventory in line with
sawmill production needs. With a new Administra-
tion as of 1/20/2017, a more normal economic envi-
ronment should result and hopefully a more healthy
housing situation will result in a better climate for
Northeast Oregon Sawmill and private forest land-
owners.
BLM issues timber payments in
western Oregon counties
The BLM announced
the distribution of over
$19 million to 18 coun-
ties in western Oregon.
These payments follow a
formula established in the
1937 Oregon and Cali-
fornia (O&C) Lands Act
and the Coos Bay Wagon
Road (CBWR) Act, both
of which authorize timber
receipt-based payments to
western Oregon counties,
and both of which remain
in effect following the
expiration of the Secure
Rural Schools and Com-
munity Self-Determination
Act.
Payments made through
the authority of the O&C
Lands Act and CBWR Act
are essential to O&C coun-
ties and help offset county
timber and tax revenue not
generated by Federally-
managed forests.
The counties use these
funds for county services
such as law enforcement,
road maintenance, health
services, schools, libraries,
and other county services.
The O&C Lands Act
provides that 50 percent
of receipts from the sale
of timber on O&C lands
are distributed among the
18 O&C counties includ-
ing Benton, Clackamas,
Columbia, Coos, Curry,
Douglas, Jackson, Jose-
phine, Klamath, Lane,
Lincoln, Linn, Marion,
Multnomah, Polk, Til-
lamook, Washington, and
Yamhill counties.
Coos and Douglas coun-
ties have Coos Bay Wagon
Road and O&C lands
within their boundaries, so
payments to those counties
are covered by both the
1937 and 1939 statutes.
The Oregon and Cali-
fornia Railroad Revested
Lands, known as the O&C
Lands, lie in a checker-
board pattern through
eighteen counties in west-
ern Oregon.
These lands contain
more than 2.4 million
acres of forests with a di-
versity of plant and animal
species, recreation areas,
mining claims, grazing
lands, cultural and histori-
cal resources, scenic areas,
wild and scenic rivers, and
wilderness.
Yearling Steers
Bulk 118.00 - 125.00 Top 126.00
Bulk 107.00 - 116.00 Top 117.00
Bulk 104.00 - 111.00 Top 112.00
Bulk 97.00 - 106.00 Top 108.00
Courtesy of Arvid Andersen,
Andersen Forestry Consulting
— Precious Metals Report —
Price per ounce, USD
Gold: $1,191.40
Silver: $16.76
Platinum: $972.95
Palladium: $754.72
Bloomberg.com
— Ag Commodities —
Corn: $357.25/bu/USD
Wheat: $418.75/bu/USD
Soybeans: $1,011.50/bu/USD
Oats: $231.75 bu/USD
Rough Rice: $9.61/cwt/USD
Canola: $498.10 CAD/mwt
Live Cattle: $119.13//lb./USD
Feeder Cattle: $129.63/lb./USD
Lean Hogs: $65.60/lb./USD
Bloomberg.com