VIEWPOINTS
Saturday, April 1, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 5A
Meadowlarks and mechanics
A
ccording to the calendar and the
thermometer, it appears as though
spring has sprung. I must confess
that even though I need to maintain a
somewhat callused demeanor to salvage a
modicum of respect from
the neighbors, I truly love
certain aspects of the time
near the Vernal Equinox.
My favorite flower is the
daffodil — some of whom
occasionally arrive on
the scene too early and
are rudely greeted by a
March snowfall — and my
favorite bird is the Western
meadowlark.
Though maligned
recently by a certain state
legislator who wants to
supplant him with the
osprey, I believe we
should leave the meadowlark in his position
of superiority as our state bird. His merits
include one of the prettiest songs of any
winged creature and a propensity for nesting
in grasslands that are far enough away from
my tractor seat that he doesn’t leave the
disgusting mess of his starling brethren.
Speaking of the tractor seat, the arrival of
spring also means that I need to shift gears in
my employment endeavors and go to work
(principally for my son) as a Catskinner.
For readers unfamiliar with the term, a
“Catskinner” is an operator of a crawler-type
tractor. Since Caterpillar more-or-less
invented the tracklayer, the name Cat
has largely been applied to describe most
crawlers (especially those with steel tracks)
whether they are Cletrac, John Deere,
Allis-Chalmers, International or Caterpillar.
The “skinner” portion of the term is a
left-over from the days when horsepower in
farming was a more literal
term. In our area, many
farms used mules to pull
their plows, harrows, seed
drills, wagons, combined
harvester-threshers or
other equipment; hence,
the driver was sometimes
referred to as a “mule-
skinner” (think of the old
Jimmie Rodgers song).
This year, we are
engaged in a farming
project to convert Conser-
vation Reserve Program
(CRP) grasslands back into
grain production. This land
has not been farmed for more than a decade
and has presented some challenges for us —
not the least of which is increased wear and
tear on our mostly antique equipment fleet.
Thankfully, Willie (my son) is very
mechanically inclined and recently
purchased an old farmstead that came with
many useful items, among which are a
functional privy, a great old barn, and a shop
full of tools that included a portable welder.
The welder had not run for a while, but after
a carburetor overhaul and a tuneup we were
ready to strike an arc and run a bead. Neither
of us is an expert in the craft, but we can
weld well enough to keep things together
most of the time.
I was fortunate
to grow up in
a household
where oil
changes were
the tip of the
iceberg for
maintenance.
Quick takes
EAS subsidy for airport
No, I’m sorry, I cannot support public
dollars for this air service. I would benefit,
both personally and professionally, but this
is not an area for federal tax dollars.
Bryant Jackson
Yes please keep the flight service. Our
family has flown into and out of Pendleton
many times.
Marcy McLemore
Eclipse beckons tourists
I’m getting about 100 “No Trespassing”
and informative signs ready so we alert
people that they are near private property
with cows roaming and that it is the middle
of what many call FIRE SEASON in
Eastern Oregon.
Elizabeth Pilling
Imagine back in the days before science.
The sky goes dark.
Richard Ryan III
Mega-dairy permit approved
While big dairy provides jobs and tax
revenues to the economy, it also comes with
the risk of groundwater contamination and
poor air quality.
Tammera Karr
I wish they could have left a tree buffer
along the highway. The peace and smell of
the trees vs the sights and smells of 30,000
cows.......
Tanya Collier
One of the great lessons of the Twitter age is
that much can be summed up in just a few words.
Here are some of this week’s takes. Tweet yours
@Tim_Trainor or email editor@eastoregonian.
com, and keep them to 140 characters.
A
s federal policymakers
begin debating the next
round of farm-focused
legislation, it is important
to recognize the values that
serve as a foundation of U.S.
agricultural strength. These
values not only support the
sustainability of Oregon’s
family farms but also the
communities that we live in.
Everyone knows the daily
trials of being a farmer, but
few recognize the long-term
gambles that farms make
when picking a commodity
to bring to market. Even after
solid, long-term planning,
natural and man-made factors
can dramatically impact
the bounty of a harvest and
whether commodity prices
will keep pace with costs.
In the end, the ability for
all farmers to be flexible,
to maximize yields, and
repurpose waste is critical
to our success as a farming
community.
One of the great green
energy revolutions of the
21st century has been the
partnership between the
agriculture and the energy
sectors in the creation of
biofuels, especially as
corn ethanol has matured
and become increasingly
eco-friendly thanks to
strong support from the U.S.
M att W ood
FROM THE TRACTOR
collar. Even our third president, Thomas
Jefferson, once experimented in designing
an improved moldboard plow. I highly doubt
that would be in the realm of expertise for
Donald or Hillary!
■
Matt Wood is his son’s hired man and his
daughter’s biggest fan. He lives on a farm
near Helix, where he collects antiques and
friends.
Fighting for the ‘American Dream’
budget Oregonians deserve
G
rowing up, my family was like a lot
generate property taxes — by $100 million
of Oregon families: My dad was a
this year alone, stripping from Oregon
millwright and my mom stayed at
counties critical funding for public safety,
home. At that time, a single working income social services, transportation and housing.
could buy a three-bedroom ranch
It decimates the community
house, an annual camping trip, and
development block grants, cutting
a dinner out a couple times a year.
the $3 billion program that has been
We had enough to have faith in
critical to revitalizing rural Oregon’s
the American Dream.
infrastructure and community
Life’s a lot tougher today for
services, housing, and economic
working families, and rural and
development.
small town communities are feeling
The budget would eliminate
it most.
the entire $175 million Essential
Jeff
Life’s going to get even tougher
Air Service program that is vital
if the Trump administration’s recent Merkley to keep small, remote airports
Comment
budget proposals get through.
operating. It would dramatically
At a time we need
defund programs to
creative ideas to build
get doctors and other
economic opportunity
health care providers
in rural America, the
to rural communities.
new budget proposes
It would end grants
an unprecedented
for rural transportation
26 percent cut to the
projects; cut off rural
U.S. Department of
entrepreneurs from
Agriculture, which
loans; and push huge
includes the Rural
costs onto rural water
Development Agency
system ratepayers.
and the U.S. Forest Service, in addition to
The Trump budget even seeks a
essential agricultural programs.
devastating $1.3 billion cut to the budget
This is an assault on rural communities’
of the U.S. Coast Guard, which just last
most basic needs. From slashing
weekend rescued three Oregonians.
investment in small business growth and
Millionaires and billionaires in big
job creation, to threatening access to clean
cities are doing great; they don’t need the
drinking water, to reducing funding to
government to invest in their success. Rural
prevent and fight wildfires, the cut hurts
communities are facing unprecedented
farmers, ranchers, children, and timber
challenges, and we need to crank up
communities.
investment in essential programs and
The Trump budget guts Payments In
infrastructure — that is, the opposite of
Lieu of Taxes — funding for counties that
Trump’s budget proposals.
have large tracts of federal lands that don’t
This month I partnered with bipartisan
Agriculture is changing,
its values are not
By KENT MADISON
I have great respect for welders,
machinists, and mechanics and attempt to
imitate them often — though seldom with
the degree of success they possess. Since
early colonial times in this country, there has
always been a need for a village blacksmith,
or similar individuals, to keep the wheels of
industry (including farming) moving forward
and fix whatever might be broken.
Our little town of Helix was fortunate to
have a welding shop for many decades that
had multiple proprietors, the last of whom
retired and sold out a few years ago. He
was a tremendous asset to our community,
and many others in the surrounding area,
and I am proud to say he is still a good
friend of mine. I was fortunate to grow
up in a household where oil changes were
the tip of the iceberg for maintenance. On
site repairs included carburetor rebuilds,
engine overhauls, and plenty of welding and
fabrication.
I was also extremely lucky to attend a
school where the Industrial Arts program
was the nonpareil. The instructor taught not
only woodworking, welding, and auto repair
but also life lessons concerning morality,
decency, and work ethic.
I think it is a colossal mistake to de-em-
phasize the “useful arts” in public school
(Matthew B. Crawford’s book “Shop Class
as Soul Craft” is, in my opinion, a must-read
on the subject). If I had any say in the
matter, I would recommend projects for kids
that have more to do with tools than video
games or texting. Not every student can or,
more importantly, should attend college and
pursue a career that is traditionally white-
Department of Agriculture.
It’s a partnership that
works for the farmer and
the consumer and one that
needs to be protected moving
forward. Support for biofuels
provides a vital market for
rural communities and, as
a co-product of ethanol
production, generates high-
quality animal feed for other
agricultural industries.
Best of all, these fuels
displace imports from hostile
foreign governments and
promote local investment in
our own renewable resources
here at home, key goals of
the Renewable Fuel Standard
(RFS). Biofuel alternatives
burn cleaner and, thanks to
greater efficiencies in U.S.
agriculture, farmers can grow
more biofuel on less land than
ever before.
Alternative commodities,
sustainability, new markets
— these are the values that
should drive federal policy.
As family farmers in a major
agricultural state, we hope that
leaders in Washington, like
Congressman Greg Walden
are listening. Long-term
stability in the RFS and other
federal farm policies are good
for all Americans and the
farmers that feed them.
■
Kent Madison is the retired
third generation owner of
Madison Ranches Inc. in
This administration’s
budget is an
enormous step
backward.
colleagues in Congress to introduce the
Timber Innovation Act, which would
support Oregon’s innovative uses of
wood for construction and manufacturing.
I’ve helped preserve and reopen small
airports and save small-town post offices,
both of which are essential in today’s
interconnected economy. I’ve pushed to
bring bipartisan sense to our wildland
firefighting. I’ve used my position as
the ranking member of the Agriculture
Appropriations Subcommittee to fight for
research that helps our farmers fight off
pests and improve their yields.
There is so much to do to move our
smaller communities forward. But instead,
this administration’s budget is an enormous
step backward.
The American Dream is one of equal
opportunity for the child of a middle-class
millwright and the child of a wealthy CEO.
But this administration’s budget takes us
even further from this most fundamental
ideal, eviscerating the programs that create
that opportunity and level the playing field
in our rural communities, where they are
needed most.
We need to move closer to the American
Dream. I will work with the true champions
for rural America in both parties to fight
for the programs that give Oregonians the
opportunity to share in the economy they
help create, and ensure future generations
have the chance to thrive.
■
Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, was
elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008. He
previously served in the Oregon House of
Representatives since 1999 including as the
Speaker of the House in his last term.
All bodies better off with less lead
By BETTE KORBER
Writers on the Range
W
hen Interior secretary
Ryan Zinke rode Tonto,
a handsome bay roan
horse, through the busy streets of
Washington, D.C., into work his
first day on the job, he was making
a statement: Secretary Zinke is a
Westerner, a Montanan, a sportsman.
But beautiful Tonto was an
unwitting accomplice to a nefarious
deed: Zinke’s very first act on the
job was to break trust with the wild
lands of the West that he has sworn
to protect, by repealing an order that
blocked the use of lead ammunition
in national parks, federal wildlife
refuges and other public land
involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. The order he revoked had
been put in place during the last days
of the Obama administration and was
a step in the right direction towards
protecting hunters and their families
from unintended exposure to toxic
lead in their meat.
The problem with lead bullets
is that they fragment, leaving
microscopic traces in animals that have
been shot. Lead is extremely toxic, and
residual lead from bullets is a serious
issue for endangered condors, other
birds and animals — and very likely
for people. Venison donated to food
banks by hunters frequently contains
lead, and people who eat wild game
have more lead in their blood.
While we know with certainty that
lead is toxic and that microscopic
residual lead from shattered bullets
can be found in hunted meat, studies
are just beginning to explore at what
point the levels of residual lead in
game pose a human health risk.
Still, even very low levels of lead
can harm children and developing
fetuses, and no level is considered
safe, so a better-safe-than-sorry
attitude seems like good horse sense.
Hunters are proud of their chosen
sport and consider the meat they
obtain to be much healthier than the
store-bought kind. Maybe so, but
these folks need to rethink the use of
lead bullets if they plan to feed their
kids elk-burgers.
In the wild, birds are particularly
sensitive to lead toxicity, and when
they feed on gut piles left behind
by hunters who use lead bullets, it
can kill them. Lead poisoning is the
leading cause of death for California
condors, which were very near
extinction, with only 22 left in the
world in 1987. All were captured
for a breeding program, and their
descendants have been re-released
into the wild in the Grand Canyon,
Utah and Big Sur. Their numbers
are growing, but the survival of the
species remains precarious.
As the big scavengers widen their
range, what takes place on the land
becomes important throughout the
West, not just near release sites. A
condor named N8, known as Nate,
flew into Los Alamos, New Mexico,
last year, near my home — the whole
town hoped he was house-shopping.
These birds are a wonder, with up
to a 10-foot wingspan. Condors can
reach speeds of 55 mph in flight, and
soar 15,000 feet above the Earth.
They can live for up to 60 years,
and they mate for life. These highly
intelligent birds are an integral part
of Mother Nature’s cleanup crew.
They deserve to survive, but with
the continued use of lead bullets for
hunting, they may not make it.
Residual lead is also a frequent
cause of death for bald eagles. My
hunting friends all share a love for
the wild and are thrilled whenever
they look up to see an eagle soaring
overhead. Not one of them would
want to inadvertently kill one of these
majestic birds.
Copper bullets, a good alternative
to lead, do not fragment like lead. It
is true that they are more expensive,
but friends who hunt, and who
have switched to copper, tell me the
change was no problem, the cost
difference really minor, and the
switch didn’t impact ballistics.
One New Mexican hunter raised
an interesting concern: Animals that
have been shot but survived can carry
an old bullet in their bodies. Hunters
typically cut out their own bullet
around the fresh wound, but could
undiscovered bullets increase the risk
of lead contamination?
In California, using lead bullets
for hunting is illegal, but as Secretary
Zinke demonstrated, there will be
few if any regulations coming from
the current administration to protect
hunters and their families, let alone
wildlife. Still, hunters can make their
own informed choices. Most hunters
I’ve spoken with say they simply
weren’t aware of this issue, but after
they read up on it, most opted for
safer ammunition. In a way, it is a
simple choice that’s good for the wild
and good for people.
■
Bette Korber is a contributor to
Writers on the Range, the opinion
service of High Country News (hcn.
org). She writes in New Mexico.