REGION
Friday, December 8, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
PENDLETON
Farm Bureau president addresses national issues
Discusses labor,
trade, regulations
By GEORGE PLAVEN
EO Media Group
Driving from Portland to
Pendleton on Wednesday,
American Farm Bureau
President Zippy Duvall said
he was amazed by the change
in scenery and even more
surprised by the productivity
of agriculture among the sand
and sagebrush of Eastern
Oregon.
“I thought a desert was a
desert, and it wouldn’t grow
anything even if it had water,”
said Duvall, a third-gener-
ation farmer from Georgia.
“But I’ve seen some beautiful
crops right out in the middle
of nowhere.”
Duvall arrived Thursday
morning at the Pendleton
Convention Center to address
the Oregon Farm Bureau
annual meeting, where he
discussed a host of national
agricultural issues including
farm labor, international trade
and what he described as
over-regulation by the federal
government.
The trip also satisfied
Duvall’s goal of visiting all
50 states in his first term as
president of the American
Farm Bureau, which advo-
cates for policies on behalf of
farmers nationwide.
“This is a beautiful state,
and you should be proud of
it,” Duvall told the Oregon
delegates.
The number one issue
George Plaven/EO Media Group
Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau president, spoke about national agricultural
issues including farm labor and international trade Thursday morning during the
Oregon Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in Pendleton.
facing American agriculture,
Duvall said, is labor. When
asked later about legislation
that would replace H-2A
visas with a new H-2C
program — which passed the
House Judiciary Committee
in late October — Duvall
said there are still some
problems to work out with the
proposal, but added that “we
want a workable program
that not only deals with
seasonal workers but year-
round workers to bring some
stability to our workforce.”
Duvall went on to talk
about “burdensome” environ-
mental regulations, though he
was pleased with the Trump
administration’s decision to
revoke the contentious Waters
of the U.S. rule. Landowners
worried that WOTUS would
give the Environmental
Protection Agency and Army
Corps of Engineers regulatory
authority over virtually any
waters, creating uncertainty
for farmers and ranchers.
While the rule has been
scrapped, Duvall said farmers
need to keep up the pressure
on lawmakers to ensure new
regulations are clear and
workable.
“We all know the other
side that opposes us on our
effort to rewrite the rule,
they’re going to be ready to
challenge the next rule that
comes forward,” he said.
Unlike the previous
administration, Duvall said
current federal leadership is
much more receptive to the
Farm Bureau’s concerns and
interests. He praised fellow
Georgian Sonny Perdue,
President Trump’s secretary
of agriculture, as someone
who relies on sound science
and data to make decisions.
“I’ve got high expectations
for him doing the right thing,”
Duvall said.
Along with Perdue, Duvall
said he has seen plenty of
promise from EPA Admin-
istrator Scott Pruitt and
Secretary of the Interior Ryan
Zinke. Together, Duvall said
the three men are committed
to putting federal land, timber
and grazing back to work for
rural America.
Duvall
specifically
mentioned Zinke’s recent
proposal to shrink a number
of national monuments,
including the Cascade-Sis-
kiyou National Monument in
Southern Oregon.
“The bottom line is we
want to go back to using
common sense,” Duvall
said. “As they create those
monuments, it becomes a
huge burden on our farmers
and ranchers who have been
there for generations, using
those federal lands to graze.”
On the trade front, Duvall
said renegotiation of the
North American Free Trade
Agreement, or NAFTA, has
made for some concerns,
though he remains confident
the right people are in place
to minimize the risk to agri-
culture.
“(President
Trump)
swings a big stick,” Duvall
said. “He’s a businessman.
We probably really know his
techniques. We’re just scared
of who’s going to call his
bluff.”
Finally, Duvall said the
BRIEFLY
PENDLETON
In a three-peat, Round-Up wins
large outdoor rodeo of the year
Community Christmas
tree to be lit Saturday
PENDLETON — The first
Pendleton community Christmas tree
in quite some time will light up the
corner of Court Avenue and Main
Street starting this Saturday.
As a part of the Pendleton Holiday
Stroll, the Pendleton Downtown
Association is holding a tree-lighting
ceremony in front of Hamley Steak-
house.
Approached by community
member Marcy Willingham about
reviving the tradition, association
Executive Director Molly Turner said
the nonprofit teamed up with several
local businesses and organizations to
purchase a blue spruce pine from a
Walla Walla nursery.
Turner said the tree is 12 to 14 feet
tall.
The event will be kicked off by
local musician Murray Dunlap, who
will play Christmas tunes from 4:30
to 5 p.m. At 5 p.m., Pendleton City
Councilor Neil Brown will give a
short speech before the tree is lit.
After the holiday season is over,
Turner said the tree will be relocated
to a Pendleton city park.
Dance camp benefits
‘Anson Strong’
PENDLETON — The Rhythmic
Mode dance team is using its annual
winter dance camp as a fundraiser for
the Anson Fairbank family.
The Christmas Dance Camp
is Saturday from 10-11:15 a.m.
Participants of all ages are invited to
learn a routine that will be performed
during the Pendleton High School
girls’ basketball game against
Wilsonville.
The camp is open to all ages. The
cost is $20 per dancer, which includes
a T-shirt. All proceeds will benefit
Farm Bureau will be shifting
its focus next year to the 2018
Farm Bill in Congress. The
top priority will be to main-
tain federal subsidies for crop
insurance.
The Farm Bill is not a
safety net, Duvall insisted,
but rather a food security
act. “Hungry countries
and hungry armies are not
very strong,” he went on to
explain.
Barry Bushue, Oregon
Farm Bureau president, said
the group was pleased to have
Duvall on hand to talk about
national agricultural interests.
Closer to home, Bushue
said they anticipate a fight
heading into the 2018 Legis-
lature against the proposed
cap-and-invest energy policy,
which he said could dramati-
cally increase fuel and energy
costs for Oregon farmers.
“When you’re hauling
product and you’re running
equipment, those costs add
up,” Bushue said.
The
annual
Oregon
Farm Bureau meeting is a
chance for delegates from
each county farm bureau
to get together and set their
policies for the coming year.
The meeting began Tuesday
and wrapped up Thursday
evening with a reception and
banquet.
Duvall said local engage-
ment is critical moving
forward, as state and county
voices eventually echo their
way back to Washington,
D.C.
“We have people willing
to listen now,” he said.
East Oregonian
Photo by Antonio Sierra
Before being decorated later that evening, the Pendleton community
Christmas tree stands in front of Hamley SteakHouse Thursday.
the “Anson Strong” project. The
2-year-old, who is fighting leukemia,
is the son of Matt and Adrienne
Fairbank of Pendleton.
The performance is at halftime
Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. at
Warberg Court. Dancers need to report
at 6:45 p.m.
For more information, contact
Debbie at 541-377-0411 or Lora at
lora_franks@yahoo.com.
Deadline looms for
grant applications
The fourth quarter deadline for
the Umatilla County Economic and
Community Development grant
program is Wednesday, Dec. 20.
Revenue for the program is
received from Oregon State Lottery
funds. Their purpose is to stimulate
economic development, promote
tourism and support community
development. Both economic
development and community
development grants can be applied for.
Economic development grants
focus on supporting efforts that
increase jobs and economic growth.
They can include assisting a new
business in Umatilla County or
existing businesses wishing to grow
with success in the county.
The community grants are focused
on projects that enhance a community
rather than simply being a donation
sponsoring an event, cause or activity.
The result should be something
tangible with lasting value beyond the
end of the project.
The committee meets Wednesday,
Dec. 27 to review applications. For
more information or an application,
visit www.co.umatilla.or.us/BCC/
grants.html. For questions, call
Commissioner Bill Elfering at
541-276-7111.
The
Pendleton
Round-Up is on a roll.
For the third year in a
row and fifth time overall,
the Professional Rodeo
Cowboys
Association
awarded the Round-Up
Association
its
Large
Outdoor Rodeo Committee
of the Year award at its
annual awards banquet
Wednesday in Las Vegas.
The Round-Up Board
of Directors have become
a familiar sight on stage at
the banquet, its 17 members
and several former members
crowding onto the platform,
prompting the emcee to
remark that they needed to
make more room for the
“guys in the red ties.”
“We’re going to have
to get grandstands to get
everyone up here,” he said.
If there was a theme to the
board members’ comments
after their victory, it was
their
appreciation
for
Round-Up volunteers.
“We’re really up here
receiving this honor on
behalf of our volunteers. ...
We just wouldn’t be able to
accomplish this if it wasn’t
for our volunteers and the
committee members and
board members before us,”
said Bill Levy, the recently
retired Round-Up president.
“That’s who really deserves
a round of applause.”
In a press release distrib-
uted after the event, newly
elected President Dave
O’Neill echoed Levy’s
sentiments.
“We have such dedicated
volunteers, staff and loyal
supporters,” O’Neill said in
a statement. “We are very
proud to bring this award
home to our community.”
Chosen by its peers in
the PRCA, the Round-Up
beat out four other large
outdoor rodeos for the prize
— Caldwell, Idaho; Chey-
enne, Wyoming; Dodge
City, Kansas; and Ogden,
Utah.
Other Round-Up profes-
sionals were also honored
at the PRCA banquet. Gary
Rempel won Pickup Man
of the Year, Justin Rumford
won Clown of the Year,
Bobby Kerr won Dress Act
of the Year and Dusty Tuck-
ness was named Bullfighter
of the Year.
Additionally, the board
credited some of its newer
features like the 1910 Room
and new “watering holes”
like the Double D Bar. All
of these factors combined
for the Round-Up to set
records in sales for tickets,
retail items and beverages.
“It is wonderful to be
acknowledged by your peers
for excellence,” Round-Up
Publicity Director Randy
Thomas said in a statement.
“However, the Round-Up
story is one of family and
friends who give extrava-
gantly to make our commu-
nity a better place.”
Local loan officers bring Guild
Mortgage to Northeast Oregon
“Unmounted” Band
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Christmas
Concert
Saturday,
December 9th • 2PM
Elizabethan Manor
44882 Mission Road,
Pendleton
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Hermiston Branch
Katie Johnson
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112 S. Main Street
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O: 541.304.2069
C: 541.429.5029
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