REGION
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
East Oregonian
Page 3A
HERMISTON
Company provides ‘cutting-edge’ bovine IFV treatments
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
An international com-
pany pioneering new tech-
niques of in-vitro fertil-
ization for cows has its
headquarters in Hermiston.
The company has been
operating in Hermiston
since 2015 but in August
re-branded from Cogent
IVF to Vytelle. The com-
pany provides services to
the region from its Herm-
iston headquarters but also
has sites in Idaho, Califor-
nia, Texas, Paraguay, Uru-
guay and South Africa.
Business
director
Luciano Bonilla said Vytelle
is unique in several ways,
including its “cutting-edge”
hormone-free
collection
process for unfertilized
eggs. The lack of stimu-
lating hormones is eas-
ier on the animals, allows
for weekly collection and
requires no shot schedule.
Farmers and dairies
using in-vitro fertilization
can benefit from multiple
calves born per year that
are the biological offspring
off their highest-producing
milk cows, or animals that
are superior in other ways.
“Naturally, one cow can
give one calf per year,”
Bonilla said. “If they use
this technique, they can get
hundreds.”
Farmers and dairies
using Vytelle’s services
choose their best cows for
harvest of unfertilized eggs,
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Aline, left, and Luciano Bonilla of Vytelle are pictured in the company’s lab. The screen above them shows lab-
grown cow embryos ready to implant.
known as oocytes, which
can be done by Vytelle tech-
nicians on the farm or at
a collection location they
have on GT Land & Cat-
tle property. The process
takes 10 to 15 minutes, after
which the oocytes are taken
to the Vytelle lab at 80383
N. Highway 395 and com-
bined with sperm from a
bull of the farmer’s choos-
ing, using human-grade
IVF equipment.
Vytelle technicians then
STANFIELD
3D Idapro Solutions factory catches fire
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Crews were called on
Monday to a Stanfield fac-
tory for a fire, one of sev-
eral the business has had in
the past two years.
The 3D Idapro Solutions
factory in Stanfield, which
processes potatoes primar-
ily to make dog food, had
its scrubber catch fire on
Monday morning.
Umatilla County Fire
District Battalion Chief
Corey Gorham said the
factory had not been oper-
ating when the fire started,
and he thinks it was closed
for routine maintenance.
He said no one was
injured.
Gorham said the fac-
tory had recently installed
a new fire suppression sys-
tem, which was successful.
“The fire suppression
system is reactive to a
fire,” he said. “It caught
fire, and they turned it on.
We didn’t spray a gallon of
water.”
The factory has had at
least three other fires so
far in 2018, as well as a
few the previous year. The
scrubber, which caught
fire, is a piece of equip-
ment that was installed to
mitigate the smells that the
factory emits.
Vehicle thief crashes near Boardman
A car allegedly sto-
len from Boardman was
involved in a police pursuit
that ended in a crash Sunday
night.
According to the Mor-
row County Sheriff’s Office,
a deputy attempted to make
a traffic stop in Boardman
about 7:45 p.m. The driver
did not stop, and the deputy
pursued the vehicle west-
bound onto Interstate 84.
During the chase a res-
ident called to report the
vehicle stolen, and deputies
determined it was the same
vehicle.
The car crashed and the
driver, Jeffrey Scott Con-
nors, 41, was ejected. Life
Flight was called but was
unable to respond due to
weather conditions, and
Connors was transported
to Good Shepherd Med-
ical Center by ground
ambulance.
Connors was convicted
in September of fourth-de-
gree assault and menacing,
which constituted domestic
violence. He was scheduled
for sentencing on Nov. 8.
That incident took place in
Clackamas County. Connors
had previously been living
in Arizona.
The interstate was closed
during cleanup near the rest
stop outside of Boardman at
mile marker 161. Boardman
Police Department and Ore-
gon State Police assisted.
Icy conditions were
reported on roads in Mor-
row County on Monday
morning.
grow the embryos in special
incubators and a rotation
serums over a seven-day
period before freezing the
embryos using a process
Cutsforth to
discuss Bryant
foundation
HEPPNER — Kim
Cutsforth will provide an
update on the Howard and
Beth Bryant Foundation
during the upcoming Hep-
pner Chamber of Com-
merce meeting.
The
Heppner-based
foundation was recognized
earlier this year for its ded-
ication and efforts in creat-
unique to the company, or
immediately impregnating
the desired number of cows.
Eight people total work
out of the Hermiston office.
Aline Bonilla, the research
and development laboratory
manager, said clients of the
Hermiston lab come from
all over Oregon, but they
serve an especially high
number of dairies from the
Tillamook area.
Aline
and
Luciano
are originally from Bra-
zil and came to the United
States for Ph.D. study and
work. While they previ-
ously worked in Wisconsin
for Vytelle’s parent com-
pany WheatSheaf Group,
Aline said there were part-
nerships the company had
in the Columbia Basin area
that made sense for them to
start what was then Cogent
IVF in Hermiston instead of
Wisconsin.
She said while most
bovine IVF companies use
a complicated pricing struc-
ture that charges at differ-
ent junctures, Vytelle’s pro-
duction rate is so high that
it only charges farms and
dairies for the number of
embryos it successfully
creates.
“They pay for what they
get,” she said.
For more information
about Vytelle, visit vitelle.
com or call 866-689-3477.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
ing an attractive environ-
ment for the community.
The no-host luncheon is
Thursday, Nov. 15 at noon
at Heppner City Hall. The
meal, which is catered by
Breaking Grounds Coffee,
is $10 each.
Those planning to attend
need to RSVP by Tuesday,
to ensure there’s adequate
seating and enough food.
For more information or
to reserve a meal, contact
541-676-5536 or heppner-
chamber@centurytel.net.
FREE CAR SEAT CHECK
Walmart Parking Lot
Nov. 14th, 2018 • 3:00PM - 5:00PM
Umatilla County upgrades big equipment
PENDLETON — The
Umatilla County Pub-
lic Works Department is
upgrading some big pieces
of equipment.
The county board of
commissioners on Wednes-
day gave its approval for
the department buy a new
motor grader and two dump
trucks.
Tom Fellows, public
works director, in a memo
explained the department
tries to turn over graders
every five years or at 5,000
hours of use to have the best
possible maintenance equip-
ment for the county’s gravel
roads. The new John Deere
grader from Pape Machin-
ery, Pasco, costs almost
$312,000.
The county is selling
its old Cat grader to Har-
ney County for $125,000,
according to Fellows, and
those proceeds plus the dif-
ference from money in the
budget for capital outlay
equipment and miscella-
neous expenses will cover
the price.
The county is buying
the two dump trucks from
Woodpecker Truck and
Equipment Inc., Pendleton,
for about $147,600 each to
replace older trucks. The
county will sell the old ones
at auction.
Commissioner George
Murdock noted the pur-
chases were local. Fel-
lows said in future months
the department will look to
buy another dump truck and
two transport vehicle from
Woodpecker, which makes
equipment available on
Sourcewell, a cooperative
purchasing organization.
11/12-13
Cineplex Show Times
$5 Classic Movie
11/14 • 12pm
The Big Heat
DR. SEUSS' THE GRINCH (PG)
4:30 7:00
DR. SEUSS' THE GRINCH 3D (PG)
9:30
For a complete listing
of regional events, visit
easternoregonevents.
com
comfort and cheer
Give the Gift of
H amley’s
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (PG13)
3:50* 6:50 9:50
THE NUTCRACKER AND
THE FOUR REALMS (PG)
4:40 7:10 9:40
HUNTER KILLER (R)
4:00 6:40 9:20
G I F T C A R D S AVA I L A B L E
for all occasions, in any amount
HALLOWEEN (R)
4:50 7:20 10:00
BAZAAR
Gifts, Crafts
and Bake Sale
1350 NW Carden Ave,
Pendleton. OR.
November 16 & 17, 2018
9AM to 6PM
Seeking Vendors
$25 per table.
Call Gann 541-561-3024
DID YOU KNOW…
7 out of 10 children are improperly restrained
for car travel? Let us help you make sure your
child is as sate as possible!
Our Fully trained Child Passenger safety
Technicians are ready to help you. We off er our
services free of charge. Come visit us at one
of our Car Seat Check Events, or call to make
a private appointment. To learn more or to
schedule a visit, call (541) 278-2627
* Matinee Pricing
H amley S teakhouse & S aloon
wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850
8 S E C O U RT, P E N D L E T O N • 5 4 1 . 2 7 8 . 1 1 0 0
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
FREE
HELP WITH MEDICARE
The Hermiston SHIBA
(Senior Health Insurance Benefits
Office has certified volunteers to help with
Medicare questions. FREE service is available to
people with Medicare, (or eligible for Medicare)
& their families and caregivers.
Assistance)
CAR SEAT AGE GUIDELINES:
• Rear facing = Birth to age 2+
• Forward-Facing with Harness = Ages 2 to 5+
• Booster Seat = Age 5+ until child is 4’9” or
age 8 and adult belt fi ts properly
• Children ages 12 and under should never
ride in the front seat.
One on One Consultations:
SHIBA office located in the Good Shepherd
Medical Group Lobby Area.
Call 541-667-3507 to schedule an appointment
with a certified SHIBA volunteer
2801 St. Anthony Way
Pendleton, OR 97801
www.sahpendleton.org