P4 The SpokeSman • WedneSday, February 9, 2022
Redmond Senior
Center Launches
100/100/100 Challenge
From a press release
bill bartlett photos
Local meat packer, Cinder Butte, has been a processor to nearby ranchers since 1945.
Beef
Continued from P1
Now, though, he and others
like him are contending with
rising costs for just about ev-
erything while getting lower
and lower prices for his cattle
at market.
At the same time, beef prices
in the grocery store are up for
10 straight months, now about
9% higher than a year ago. Pro-
jections are for another 2% to
3% increase for the remainder
of the year.
Cinder Butte Meat Co. on
NW Oneil Way in Redmond
has never been busier, store
personnel tell The Spokesman.
They have both a kill truck
(mobile butcher) that will
come to the ranch to harvest as
well as receiving cows at their
plant. Ranchers like Huttinga
have survived selling their beef
to local stores, restaurants and
consumers. Taking their cattle
to auction is a money loser.
A year ago a 900-pound
steer brought $1.45 a pound at
auction and today it’s around
$1.28, all the while costing
families more for burgers and
steaks. Not much has changed.
In 2011 it was $1.49.
Locally grown preference
It’s a similar picture for Red-
mond Smokehouse on SE Rail-
road who are enjoying strong
sales. Once prices in the big
box store hit a certain point,
shoppers either reduce their
purchases or buy lower quality
cuts. Or they say to themselves:
“If I’m going to pay more, I’m
buying fresh and local.”
Folks like knowing that the
meat on their plate came from
just up the road, that it was
raised on high quality Oregon
grass or hay. What they don’t
know is the depth of the water
problem on beef.
Much has been written
about storage water being di-
verted for the Oregon spotted
frog. Hay farmers are feeling
the pressure from the eight-
year plan to restore the frog, an
endangered species. The recov-
ery effort is only in its second
year and is on top of a three-
year running drought (some
would say longer). Less water.
Less hay. Pay more for hay, a
lot more, at the same time you
get less for a cow, and one can
see why ranchers are selling off
or culling their herds. Or sell-
ing the ranch, lock, stock and
kaboodle.
Striking a water balance
What’s the answer apart
from a lot more snow and rain?
JoHanna Symons, co-founder
with her husband, Jeremy, of
The Symons Beef Company
in Madras believes the answer
is more balance brought on
by more education. She’s pas-
sionate and articulate when
making her case: “We can col-
lectively preserve water for our
The new executive direc-
tor of the Redmond Senior
Center, Todd Dickerson,
launched a community fund-
raising challenge Wednesday:
100 days, $100,000 raised,
100 miles.
Dickerson, a Redmond na-
tive, will run one mile for ev-
ery $1,000 the Senior Center
raises in the next 100 days, up
to 100 miles in total, accord-
ing to a press release.
Dickerson stepped into his
new role as executive direc-
tor in January and is eager to
support the community he is
from, he said. Both he and his
wife, Megan, are graduates of
Redmond High School (1992
and 1994 respectively), his
mother was a teacher in the
Redmond School District for
30 years, and his son is cur-
rently a student at Redmond
High School.
“Redmond runs in my
veins, and I will do anything,
including running 100 miles,
to support my hometown.
I’m in this for the long haul!”
said Dickerson.
Any amount donated will
help advance the mission of
the Senior Center and allow
increased needs to be met,
such as hot meals, more di-
verse programming, new ac-
tivities and facility upgrades.
The Redmond Senior Center
is at a pivotal time in its his-
tory and will provide even
greater support as the com-
munity continues to grow.
“By 2025, the population
of older adults, age 50 and
older, is estimated to grow
30 percent in Redmond,” he
said. “Thinking ahead, we
have a role in making sure
Enrollment
Continued from P1
• The RPA High School
Experience — Tuesday, Feb.
15 @ 6 p.m. How is RPA
different from other public
schools? Join to learn more
about the approach it created
and why graduation rates are
higher than local, state and
national averages.
• The RPA Middle School
Experience — Success and
Choice — Wednesday, Feb.
16 at 6 p.m. Middle School
can be a challenging time in
a person’s life — that’s why it’s
important to be supported
and cared for, while being
given options to deeply en-
like Cinder Butte and Red-
mond Smokehouse who are
limited by size to a small num-
ber of animals per week. The
goal is to get consumers closer
to the source of their food both
for food security and better nu-
trition.
She is realistic that ideas as
those don’t materialize quickly.
Just like droughts rarely disap-
pear in one season.
Compact cattle option
Huttinga’s Dexters are an
Irish breed averaging around
700 pounds as compared to
the much larger black and red
angus weighing in at 1,100 to
1,300 pounds. The smaller
breed can do well on a just a
few acres and at harvest time
they don’t require a full-size
freezer.
“You will see more smaller
lots, some closer to town, with
a cow or two or three,” Hut-
tinga predicted.
Like the Symons he sees a
growing movement in Red-
mond and environs for health-
ier, more sustainable food to
table living.
e
The redmond Senior Cen-
ter was launched by vol-
unteers over 70 years ago
(1949) when the population
in redmond was less than
3000 residents. It contin-
ues to operate as the “hub”
and sole resource in red-
mond focused entirely on
seniors. It is a stand-alone
nonprofit solely supported
by membership, public and
private grants, businesses,
occasional special events,
donations, and countless
volunteer resources. It does
not receive tax revenues nor
is it operated by the City of
redmond or the redmond
area parks and recreation
district.
The redmond Senior Cen-
ter continues to provide
essential services for older
adults in the community,
through meals on Wheels,
Congregate dining, regu-
lar activities, and support
services. For more informa-
tion contact the redmond
Senior Center 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. weekdays at 541-548-
6325 or at info@redmond-
seniors.org and check the
website at www.redmond-
seniors.org.
every business and organi-
zation benefits from an en-
ergized and vibrant aging
community that is engaged,
connected, and thriving.”
To donate and increase
the mileage Dickerson has to
run, visit the Senior Center’s
donation page: Redmond
Senior Center 100/100/100
Challenge.
gage in learning new things.
RPA provides that space
and delights in opening new
doors for students to explore.
• The RPA Collegiate
Model — Tuesday, Feb. 22
at 6 p.m. Learn more about
the innovative and person-
alized proficiency-based
collegiate model and how
the school provides dy-
namic pathways to success
for all students.
• Fine and Performing
Arts at RPA — Wednesday,
Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. RPA has al-
ways made the arts a priority.
Join in a conversation about
what it offers and how stu-
dents benefit from fine and
performing arts at RPA.
Ways you
can support
Thelma’s Place:
Scottish Highland, known for their shaggy looks, are growing in popularity with ranchers in Redmond.
ecosystems, endangered spe-
cies and farmland.”
“By collaborating together,
we can find a balance between
continuing to grow and pro-
duce food, and responsibly
preserving water and land,
without threatening wildlife
habitat, recreation or agricul-
ture,” Symons said.
She believes that Washing-
ton state, also facing the spot-
ted frog issue, has done a better
job than Oregon in balanc-
ing the needs of farmers and
ranchers with the goals of envi-
ronmental activists.
Symons holds out hope that
the recent undertakings of the
Biden administration to lessen
the stranglehold she believes
the “big four” meat packers
have on the U.S. will produce
results on the sell side. Cargill,
JBS, National Beef Packing
and Tyson Foods are estimated
to control as much as 80% of
packaged meat market.
Part of that thinking would
dramatically increase the num-
ber of meat packing operators
More Information
• Vehicle donations
• Cash donations
• Sponsorships
• Volunteer
CHILD CARE
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Baptist
Non-Denominational
Highland Baptist Church
Seventh Day Adventist
3100 SW Highland Ave., Redmond
541-548-4161
Barry Campbell, Lead Pastor
945 W. Glacier Ave.,
Redmond, OR
541-923-0301
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Roman Catholic
St Thomas Roman Catholic
Church
1720 NW 19th Street
Redmond, Oregon 97756
541-923-3390
Father Todd Unger, Pastor
Mass Schedule:
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(Except Wednesdays)
Wednesday 6:00 pm
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