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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 NORTH COAST 3A New Christmas tree checkoff fees fund promotion Growers will self-report assessment of 15 cents per tree By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press As the Christmas tree har- vest gets underway, leaders of a new promotional program are preparing to collect check- off fees from farmers for the ¿UVWWLPH While slumping partic- ipation doomed voluntary programs in the past, board members of the nationwide Christmas Tree Promotion Board expect most growers will comply with the mandato- ry assessment of 15 cents per tree. “It’s backed up by the USDA, so I think most peo- ple will take it seriously,” said Mark Arkills, a board member and production manager for Holiday Tree Farms, a major tree grower based in Corvallis. The program’s staff has been compiling a database of contact information for eligible tree growers around the U.S. and will soon send instruc- tions for paying the checkoff fee, said Tim O’Connor, the board’s executive director. “We’ve been scouring the industry to get every name we can get,” he said. Once the checkoff funds begin coming in, the board will begin reviewing proposals from advertising agencies for the most effective ways of pro- moting the crop, said Arkills. Investment in the industry Consumer focus groups of PLOOHQQLDOV DQG DUWL¿FLDO WUHH buyers show that the main challenge for real Christmas trees is they’re perceived to be PRUHGLI¿FXOWWRDFTXLUHWDNH home and set up, O’Connor said. However, real trees have an advantage in the family expe- rience that’s associated with picking and cutting them, he said. To compare, taking an ar- WL¿FLDO WUHH RXW RI WKH DWWLF RU basement isn’t much of a fam- ily event, he said. “It gives us VRPHWKLQJ WKH DUWL¿FLDO WUHH can never do.” While this year has fo- cused on building the struc- ture of the checkoff program, in 2016 experts will use such information to craft a message that will motivate consumers, said Malone. “It’s an activity that really does bring people together.” Most farmers will hopeful- ly view the payments — which will be due by mid-February — as an investment in the in- dustry, which is competing ZLWK DUWL¿FLDO WUHHV IURP &KL- na, board members said. “It just seems absolutely necessary for the long-term lifetime of our industry,” said Betty Malone, a board mem- ber and owner of Sunrise Tree Farm near Philomath. The board will conduct random and targeted audits to ensure growers are proper- ly paying their fees, since the program has the authority to subpoena and review business records, O’Connor said. “We have a lot to learn yet because we’ve never gone through our collection pro- cess,” he said. Farmers who don’t pay their fees are subject to civ- Real trees, family experience Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press Workers load Christmas trees onto a truck in this Capital Press file photo. Farmers will be assessed 15 cents per tree after the 2015 harvest to fund a national checkoff program aimed at promoting the crop, which competes with fake trees from China. il penalties, though the exact amounts have yet to be deter- mined, he said. The goal is to ensure every- one in the industry is paying their fair share, which is what distinguishes the mandato- ry program from past efforts, O’Connor said. “Free riders always bring down a voluntary program.” The board expects to raise about $2 million a year for research and promotion, but it’s currently operating on a line of credit and prepayments Josephson’s Smokehouse joins seafood recall Salmon, sturgeon and tuna affected The Daily Astorian Josephson’s Smokehouse of Astoria is voluntarily re- calling nine canned seafood products — salmon, sturgeon and tuna — it received from Skipanon Brand Seafood of Warrenton because the food may cause botulism, a form of food-poisoning that can cause life-threatening illness or death, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced. The decision continues the ongoing recall of canned Ski- panon Brand Seafood prod- ucts that began earlier this month when Mark Kujala, owner of Skipanon and mayor of Warrenton, initiated a vol- untary recall of all Skipanon products, after a routine FDA inspection noted a lack of doc- umentation and possibly un- derprocessed products. Bornstein Seafoods of As- toria and Ecola Seafoods of Cannon Beach recently re- called Skipanon’s products, as well. The recalled products had been distributed to wholesal- ers and retailers in Oregon, Washington state, Nevada and Michigan and sold over the Internet to customers nation- wide, Skipanon said. Kujala said the Skipanon recall is a precautionary mea- sure. No cases of illness asso- ciated with Skipanon’s prod- ucts have been reported. The FDA warned consumers not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled. Josephson’s is recalling products sold to consumers from the business’s retail store in Astoria and to mail-order customers through www.jo- sephsons.com and telephone orders, the FDA said. Mail-or- der sales went to individual customers and were not for resale. The business has identi- ¿HG DOO UHFLSLHQWV RI WKH UH- called products through in- house in-voicing and Yahoo shopping webstore invoicing system. These recipients are being contacted by email, tele- phone and mail with the recall information, which is pub- lished on Josephson’s website and displayed on placards in the retail store. Josephson’s will replace re- turned cans with products that have been produced at a dif- ferent processor location. The recalled cans for replacement can be brought to the retail store or mailed to Josephson’s Smokehouse; 106 Marine Dr., Astoria, Oregon, 97103. Customers who have pur- chased recalled canned sea- food products are urged to destroy them or return them to WKH¿UPIRUDUHSODFHPHQW For questions, call Joseph- son’s Smokehouse at 503-325- 2190 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Lewis and Clark Elementary on brief lockdown The Daily Astorian Lewis and Clark Elementary School in Astoria was in lockdown Tuesday morning after a report of a man walking toward the VFKRROZLWKDULÀH The man, of the Lewis and Clark area, was contacted by the Clatsop County Sheriff’s 2I¿FHRQDORJJLQJURDGWKDWUXQVEHKLQGWKH school. The man was walking on an early morning deer hunt. The man and his firearms were run through law enforcement databases and every- thing was in order, according to the sheriff’s office. 7KH VKHULII¶V RI¿FH DGYLVHG WKH KXQWHU of the current climate of concerns related to weapons near schools. Astoria Police and Oregon State Police re- sponded to assist on the call. Lewis and Clark Elementary was in lockdown for a short peri- od until the incident was investigated. of checkoff fees from some growers, said Jim Heater, a board member and owner of Silver Mountain Christmas Trees in Sublimity. “We have to watch our pen- nies, because we’re not going to be a real big checkoff,” he said. Astoria man arrested in heroin overdose case sponded to the scene. The exact cause of A 26-year-old Norris’ death is Astoria man was pending toxicol- arrested Saturday ogy results from for delivery of the Oregon State heroin in connec- Medical Examin- tion to an over- HU¶V2I¿FH dose death of a Also found at the scene was 26 24-year-old War- -year-old Caitlynn renton man. Walters, who was Sean Hill was arrested for an LGHQWL¿HG DV WKH Sean unrelated felony person who al- Hill arrest warrant. legedly provided Upon his arrest, Hill was heroin to Matthew Norris, who was found unrespon- also found to be in posses- sive Friday at a residence sion of methamphetamine on the 4600 block of Cedar and was charged with pos- session of methamphet- Street in Astoria. Astoria Police and Fire amine. Anyone with additional Departments and Medix Ambulance responded and information regarding the upon arrival found Norris case is asked to contact De- dead from an apparent her- tective Nicole Riley of the Astoria Police Department oin overdose. The Clatsop County at 503-298-2533 or by email Medical Examiner also re- at nriley@astoria.or.us. 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