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East Oregonian
Friday, August 18, 2017
FARM: Automated equipment already becoming a staple on some farms
Continued from 1A
took to the sky. After landing,
he displayed infrared images
taken by the drone showing
where plants may be stressed
due to uneven irrigation,
pests or disease.
“The data has such high
resolution that you can get out
and investigate very specific
areas in the vineyard,” Gould
said.
Consider Bob Tyhuis,
farm and vineyard manager
at Echo West, a fan. Aerial
imaging has led him to
revamp portions of the farm’s
irrigation system, making
sure he is delivering water
at the right place at the right
time.
“The more efficient you
can be, the better off you are
in terms of quality,” Tyhuis
said. “Quality is what you do,
and that’s what you’re trying
to sell.”
Future Farm
At the intersection of
farming and automation,
Pendleton is working to place
itself at the epicenter of new
development.
Following the creation
of the Pendleton Unmanned
Aerial Systems Range, the
Oregon UAS Future Farm
program was established
to facilitate a connection
between agribusiness and
tech firms. The program was
aided by a $150,000 grant
from SOAR Oregon, a state-
wide UAS nonprofit.
The Future Farm Expo is
the program’s showcase, with
a trade show and multiple
panel talks from industry
leaders. More than 250 people
registered for the event,
which took place largely at
the Pendleton Convention
Center. Some attendees came
from as far as South America
and Africa to attend.
Jeff Lorton, Future Farm
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Kevin Gould, founder and CEO of Hawk Aerial, brings an Aqweo QR-200 drone in for
a landing during a demonstration flight Wednesday during the Future Farm Expo at
Echo West Ranch & Vineyard outside of Echo.
manager, has been bullish on
agricultural technology since
2013 when he was hired to
focus on economic devel-
opment for Yamhill County
in the Willamette Valley. He
has since crossed the state
to Pendleton, and describes
the Columbia Basin as “the
perfect proving ground for
the coming era of intercon-
nected technology.”
“We’re on a march of
progress, and agriculture
is on that march as well,”
Lorton said.
The global demand for
food production is only
increasing, Lorton said,
yet there is no American or
global strategy for filling
the need. He sees the Future
Farm as an industry-led,
grassroots effort to drive
automated farming forward.
“Now is the time to do
this,” Lorton said.
Labor scarcity
Future Farm has already
brought Yamaha and Digital
Harvest, a Virginia-based
UAS company, to Pendleton
where they are working on
research and development.
One of Digital Harvest’s
latest projects, the Remote
Operated Vineyard Robot,
recently received a $100,000
state grant from Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown.
Young Kim, Digital
Harvest CEO, said the
prototype is meant to address
the issue of labor scarcity for
wine grape harvest. To hear
Kim explain it, there is no
shortage of workers — just
a shortage of workers phys-
ically present in the vineyard.
The ROVR, or “Project
Yamhillis,” was inspired
by medical equipment that
allows doctors to meet
remotely with their patients.
It can be operated by workers
anywhere in the world using
virtual reality goggles, and
mimics human movements
to prune clusters of wine
grapes.
Kim presented a proto-
type of the machine during
the expo Wednesday — basi-
cally a robot arm attached
to a driverless golf cart. The
ROVR is a dumb robot made
smart by humans, Kim said,
designed to open a global
workforce for farm labor.
“We believe there is plenty
of labor for agriculture, if you
remove the requirement they
have to be physically present
where the labor is needed,”
Kim said.
Labor scarcity was a
common issue raised at the
Future Farm Expo. George
Kellerman, founding member
and chief operations officer
of Yamaha Motor Ventures
& Laboratory Silicon Valley,
said automation is what will
ultimately save agriculture in
the 21st century.
“A lot of people think
robots are going to take jobs.
In agriculture, it’s just the
opposite,” Kellerman said.
“What we really need to do is
figure out how to get money
into the hands of people who
are innovating.”
Mel Torrie, founder
and CEO of Autonomous
Systems Inc. based in
Mendon, Utah, said the
challenge developers have
is proving to farmers that the
technology can be trusted
and provide a return on
investment.
“Farmers are not stupid
people. They’re not going
to pay for something that
doesn’t do anything for
them,” Torrie said. “Until
they develop trust in the
system, they’re less likely to
make use of it.”
Automated equipment is
already becoming a staple on
some farms, with GPS-driven
tractors and robotic pruners
more or less the norm.
Zach McBride, equipment
manager for Mercer Ranches
in Prosser, Washington, said
labor shortage has made
advanced technology a
necessity.
“If you don’t have the
people or the advances in
technology, it’s tough to stay
in the ballgame,” he said.
Forging relationships
Reports from UAS advo-
cates suggest there could
be significant economic
development to come out of
the industry.
According to the Associ-
ation for Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles International, drone
pilots received 108 govern-
ment exemptions to fly vehi-
cles in Oregon between fall
2014 and summer 2016. Of
those, agriculture was among
the top three industries, along
with real estate and construc-
tion.
The association predicted
in 2013 that, once the vehi-
cles were integrated into
U.S. airspace, there would
be $82 billion in economic
impact within the first 10
years, including $486 million
in Oregon. But there is still
work to be done.
Clark Hymas, mainte-
nance manager for Watts
Brothers
Farms
near
Paterson, Washington, said
he has flown a drone over
fields of potatoes for the
last two years, and while
the vehicles are useful for
spot checking, it would take
12-hour days, seven days a
week to fly the entire farm
— not including the time it
would take to upload and
interpret all that data.
“The processing is not up
with even being able to fly
right now,” Hymas said. “It
actually works like it should,
but getting through the acres
is not possible.”
Erin Hightower, an agron-
omist for RDO Equipment
based out of Pasco, said the
integration of new high-tech
farm equipment varies oper-
ation by operation.
“With any technology,
you have early adopters and
late adopters,” Hightower
said. “What it drives down to
is how quickly an operation
can experience a return on
investment.”
Future Farm has the
potential to accelerate the
process, Lorton said.
“We’ve developed a
community here,” he said.
“We all have a shared interest
in producing food.”
Kim, with Digital Harvest,
teared up as he discussed the
positive momentum he’s
seen for his own business.
“The relationships we
forge, in this community and
throughout, is what’s going
to drive Yamhillis forward,”
he said.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
MARCH: A few out-of-towners joined
Continued from 1A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Kolby Currin, 18, of Heppner shows a feeder hog for a friend on Thursday at the
Morrow County Fair in Heppner.
FAIR: Moved to Heppner 55 years ago
Continued from 1A
“The population difference from when
we were growing up, it’s probably a third
of what it used to be,” Blake said.
But they noted that programs like FFA
and 4-H were still going strong, thanks to
the parents and teachers who keep them
going.
One of those 4-H students is Heppner
resident Faith Futter, 11, who entered
two pigs in the fair. This year was her
first experience showing animals, and she
said she had learned quite a bit from the
experience.
“I decided to show to start saving
money for college,” Futter said. “And I
just love (pigs). They’re cute.”
Futter’s two pigs, Bubba and Lily, won
red ribbons at the fair. Futter said she was
hoping for blue, but was OK with the
outcome.
She said she learned a lot about the care
of the animals, and that they often have a
mind of their own.
“I like how they have different person-
alities,” she said. “They can be very
playful, or rude.”
Ashley Price, 16, had been showing
animals for a few years, but hoped this year
would net her some top prizes for her steer,
Midnight. The Boardman resident was
busy spraying her animal with medium
adhesive and pro gloss, as he stood
patiently in a blocking chute.
“I love it,” Price said. “It’s a bigger
animal, so it’s more challenging, but gives
you a step into the real world.”
Price said she hopes to continue raising
steers once she graduates.
People sat in the shade and ate lunch
provided by the Bank of Eastern Oregon,
which volunteers to cook burgers and fries
each year for fairgoers.
Joycekay Hollomon sat with her
great-grandchildren, who were visiting
from Alaska, and took in the scene playing
out in her hometown.
She, too, noted the changes in the fair
since she moved to Heppner 55 years ago.
“The people here work very hard to hold
it together and make it work,” she said.
“A lot has changed,” Hollomon said.
“It’s diminishing, for one. We don’t
have nearly the interested population to
keep the displays up. When I first started
coming here, we had a carnival.”
She commended the fair organizers for
what they’ve done in the last few years,
with exhibits like a reptile show and a
bounce castle to keep kids entertained.
Hollomon said the fair has its own
unique touches that keep people coming
back. One, she said, is the rodeo.
“Friday and Saturday night is the big
rodeo,” she said. “But Sunday is strictly
county. You have to be related or gradu-
ated from a school in the county to take
part. It’s kind of unique, and very laid
back. They start with the little-bitty kids.
It’s kind of interesting if you have lots of
people participating, which I’m lucky to
have a lot of.”
Hollomon said throughout the years,
she had helped out with various aspects
of the fair, from 4-H sewing to super-
vising different events.
Fair secretary Ann Jones said the
fair had undergone some changes in the
last few years with board members and
technology, but the overall event was
consistent.
“We have a few new people, but it’s
mostly returning vendors,” she said.
Jones said there were about 30 vendors
this year, including a woman selling
waffles on a stick from Portland, and a
lemonade stand from Curlew, Wash-
ington.
Deputies from the Morrow County
Sheriff’s Department said they’d be
patrolling the grounds all weekend, but
this year would be unique.
“It’ll be interesting to see people
coming in from the eclipse crowd,
looking for something to do,” said
Deputy Glen Diehl. But he said so far,
there had been no issues.
“It’s a nice, quiet family atmosphere,”
he said.
–——
Contact Jayati Ramakrishnan at
541-564-4534 or jramakrishnan@
eastoregonian.com.
I want to draw your thoughts to
the last six words of the pledge
of allegiance: ‘With liberty and
justice for all.’ Not just liberty
sometimes. Not just circum-
stantial justice sometimes for
a few people whatever the
facts might be. But liberty and
justice for all, all the time.”
Turner highlighted his
nearly 30 years in the U.S.
Marine Corps., retiring as a
colonel in 2003.
Turner said the military was
a meritocracy and the “giants
amongst men” he served with
valued an individual’s contri-
butions and their ability to
work as a team over their skin
color or religious affiliation.
“The values of the hate
groups that converged last week
in Charlottesville, Virginia has
no place in the America that I
love,” he said to applause.
Karen Wagner, the Eastern
Oregon field representative for
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, also
shared a prepared statement
from the state’s junior senator
expressing solidarity with the
march.
Before the march started,
organizer Ashley Jones told
the audience that she feared
that only five people would
show up to the march, which
ultimately swelled to more than
100 people.
By the time the march
reached its end at Brownfield
Park, she wiped away tears
before addressing the audience
again.
Jones said she frequently
saw hateful comments on
Facebook from people she
grew up with in the commu-
nity. She urged the crowd not
to be intimidated by these kinds
of comments.
“We can’t be afraid
anymore,” she said.
The group marched a
mile-long route that started
down Main Street, detoured
down Dorion to the courthouse
and back via Court Street,
ultimately ending with a few
verses of “Come Together”
by the Beatles in Brownfield
Park’s amphitheater.
A few out-of-towners joined
the mix, here for Monday’s
eclipse and the Pendleton
Center for the Arts Rock &
Roll camp.
Together, they chanted “no
hate, no way, racism is not
OK,” waved to honking cars
and carried homemade signs
boasting slogans like “no hate
allowed,” “love not hate will
make America great” and “we
only hate Mondays.”
“Future President 2045”
beamed out in pink letters from
a sign carried by Violet Hall,
7, of Pendleton. Her mother,
Rachael Owen, painted the
sign for Violet to carry during
the Women’s March in January.
Owen felt it was important
that she bring her daughters to
march.
“With the political unrest
in the nation, it’s important to
publicly show we’re against
that,” she said. “The country
has gotten to the point where I
don’t even recognize it.”
While Hall and her sister,
Ava, 9, were a little hesitant
to march such a long way in
the heat, Owen said, “they’re
always glad in the end.” Violet
confirmed she’d go through a
lot of marches before starting
her 2045 campaign.
Paul Collins carried a sign
that read “Black Lives Matter”
on one side and “Love Wins”
on the other.
“When I was a kid, there
was a complete lack of diver-
sity. The discussion on race
was really poor,” he said. The
former Pendleton resident
moved to New York, where
he said his eyes were opened
to racial disparity. “But it’s not
about New York or Pendleton.
We all have to acknowledge
this. It’s part of us, and we
won’t get anywhere unless we
start talking about it.”
Other marchers agreed
with that sentiment, noting
that small steps line the path to
change.
“As a part of an interracial
family and a person of mixed
heritage, it’s important to
march,” said Sascha McKeon
of Pendleton. “I feel like it’s
one of those things where if
one person says something
— either with a smile or an
act — people will be reminded
that this place is safe.”
MABBOTT: ‘She will have her hands full’
Continued from 1A
her county capacity to help
them create a “vision plan”
for downtown. In her new
position she will oversee the
planning, building, parks and
recreation, code enforcement
and Geographic Information
Systems for the city.
“She will be busy,” City
Manager Russ Pelleberg said.
“She will have her hands
full, but not all of this will be
handed to her on day one.”
Mabbott starts Sept. 1, and
Umatilla County is adver-
tising her position.
Pelleberg said the city was
excited to have someone with
her experience, integrity and
accomplishments take the
new position.
He said he has wanted to
create a “community devel-
opment director” department
head for about a year now
to help implement new
initiatives for the city such
as creation of a recreation
program, and to focus on
development of the city
in general. He said he and
Mabbott have been working
together behind the scenes on
a few economic development
projects he hopes to announce
soon, and he has been trying
to recruit her for a while.
“A lot is about to happen,”
he said. “The timing is just
perfect.”
Pelleberg also announced
that Jason Barron, who
has worked for the city of
Umatilla’s public works
department for 16 years, is
now Umatilla’s public works
director.
Pelleberg was public
works director prior to
becoming Umatilla city
manager in early 2016. At that
time he agreed to continue to
oversee public works while
serving as city manager, but
promoted Barron to public
works supervisor to share
some of the administrative
workload.
“Over the last year I’ve
been kind of grooming him to
make that step up,” Pelleberg
said.
He said Barron will be a
key player in the city’s orga-
nization as they move forward
on some “very exciting and
important infrastructure and
development projects.”
In a third staff shake-up, the
city is looking for a new city
planner. Pelleberg said former
city planner Bill Searles left of
his own accord to take a job in
another city. In January Searles
filed a complaint against
Pelleberg with the city’s
human resources department,
which he declined to discuss
publicly, after Pelleberg gave
him a disciplinary letter criti-
cizing his performance.
Mabbott will oversee the
new city planner and planning
commission.
———
Contact Jade McDowell at
jmcdowell@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4536.