NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Couple face big fine after leasing land to illegal pot growers
By SIERRA DAWN
MCCLAIN
Capital Press
EAGLE POINT — Jack-
son County Code Enforce-
ment is fining a Southern
Oregon cattle and hay ranch-
ing couple $150,000 for land
use violations on land they
leased to an illegal marijuana
grower who allegedly posed
as an industrial hemp grower.
The couple, Jerry Wetzel,
78, and Gloria Wetzel, 76,
plan to appeal, saying they
did not know the tenant
lacked licenses and the tenant
claimed to be growing legal
hemp.
Land use experts say cases
like this are common state-
wide, especially in Southern
Oregon.
According to Jackson
County Sheriff Nate Sickler,
the county is “finding many
land leasers have been less
than honest with the property
owners about what they are
cultivating, as well as what
permitting and licensing have
been obtained.”
“Sometimes landown-
ers know exactly what they
were doing and then try to
put all the blame on the grow-
ers. Other times, it’s clear the
landowners are clueless,” said
Roger Pearce, land use attor-
ney and Jackson County hear-
ings officer.
Whether landowners knew
they were leasing to an illegal
Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press
Jerry and Gloria Wetzel, longtime Jackson County cattle ranchers, drive in this undated photo
to a piece of acreage they own and leased out in 2021. The county’s code enforcement is
fining the couple $150,000 for land use violations on land they leased to an illegal marijuana
grower who allegedly posed as an industrial hemp grower.
frightened while handcuffed
for about four hours.
“They searched this place
from top to bottom,” said
Gloria Wetzel, eyes watering.
During the raid, the tenant
and his workers fled the
approximately 2-acre grow
site leased from the Wetzels
far from the couple’s resi-
dence.
Using equipment designed
to detect THC levels, Oregon
State Police determined the
operation or not, Pearce and
Sickler said they may be liable
for violations under state and
county law.
In the Wetzel case, accord-
ing to Jackson County public
records, on June 10, 2021,
Oregon State Police raided the
Wetzels’ home after obtaining
a search warrant.
Officers entered the house
with guns, searched for
evidence and seized property.
The Wetzels said they were
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
Mostly cloudy, a
shower or two
Sun and areas of
low clouds
47° 35°
42° 37°
47° 34°
44° 37°
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THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Cloudy with a
couple of showers
SATURDAY
Partial sunshine
Clouds and
sunshine
43° 30°
48° 31°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
54° 38°
44° 31°
52° 30°
OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
49/41
37/33
41/28
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
44/35
Lewiston
49/42
41/33
Astoria
49/42
Pullman
Yakima 38/28
50/40
42/36
Portland
Hermiston
49/41
The Dalles 47/34
Salem
Corvallis
49/41
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
38/31
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
50/42
49/37
43/37
Ontario
36/27
Caldwell
Burns
35°
32°
43°
29°
62° (1974) -21° (1930)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
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Last year to date
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Albany
49/43
0.00"
0.81"
0.65"
0.81"
0.34"
0.65"
WINDS (in mph)
39/31
40/24
0.00"
1.36"
0.87"
1.36"
0.44"
0.87"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 38/28
50/43
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
47/35
45/36
35°
29°
42°
28°
64° (1919) -17° (1930)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
48/39
Aberdeen
35/29
35/28
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
48/42
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
54/38
Wed.
WSW 4-8
W 6-12
W 3-6
WNW 4-8
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
47/29
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Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
7:30 a.m.
4:41 p.m.
5:23 p.m.
8:26 a.m.
Last
New
First
Full
Jan 25
Jan 31
Feb 8
Feb 16
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 80° in Zapata, Texas Low -14° in Crested Butte, Colo.
ward. In most cases, ulti-
mately the person who owns
land is responsible for compli-
ance with all laws that deal
with the use of that land,” said
Jim Johnson, land use and
water planning coordinator
for the Oregon Department
of Agriculture.
Pearce, the attorney, said
landowners may be held
liable for state and county
violations, potentially for
pollution, illegal water uses,
construction of unpermitted
structures and failure to regis-
ter farm labor camps.
Sickler, the sheriff, said
landowners should verify an
operation is legitimate “to
prevent a criminal organiza-
tion from setting up shop in
our county.”
The Wetzels said they
thought they had taken suffi-
cient precautions because
they were not business part-
ners of the tenant and had
worked with an attorney to
create a lease agreement in
2020 to protect the farm’s
interests. The lease stated
no illegal activities would be
allowed.
Now, the Wetzels said they
wish they had known to ask
for permits. They, along with
Taylor of the co-op, advise
landowners to check permits,
conduct a background check,
ask for an up-front security
deposit and engage a seasoned
real estate attorney before
leasing to hemp growers.
Northwest wheat stocks down 43%,
winter wheat planting up 3%
By MATTHEW
WEAVER
Capital Press
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
52° 37°
operation was growing mari-
juana.
Mark Taylor, founding
board member of the South-
ern Oregon Hemp Co-Op,
said he knows the Wetzels
to be “honorable people”
and said he feels it was inap-
propriate for officers to raid
the home of the landown-
ers rather than targeting the
tenant’s grow site.
Taylor said he also is upset
the couple is being fined for
violations committed by the
lessee.
“The whole case smells of
government overreach,” he
said.
Jerry Wetzel said when
he and Gloria started leas-
ing acreage to someone they
thought was a hemp grower
in 2020, they knew hemp
was legal in Oregon but did
not know operations required
permitting. Thus, they didn’t
ask to see permits.
The illegal grower, at his
own expense, constructed
54 greenhouses and installed
electricity, also without
permits. The lessee, Jerry
Wetzel said, told him the
structures were temporary.
“We weren’t told to ask
for a license to prove it’s legal
hemp or legal greenhouse(s),”
he said.
When the growers fled,
the Wetzels were stuck with
the fine.
The Wetzels said they
believe laws that punish land-
owners regardless of intent for
the actions of their lessees are
unjust.
Annick Goldsmith, the
hemp co-op’s small farms
adviser, said she believes the
county shouldn’t “cast such a
wide net that (it) victimize(s)
people like Jerry and Gloria.”
Land use experts, however,
say liability laws placing the
burden on the property owner
are standard.
“It’s pretty straightfor-
SPOKANE — Pacific
Northwest wheat stocks are
down about 43% compared to
the same time last year, accord-
ing to the USDA. Regional
wheat industry representatives
say that’s to be expected.
“The overall decline of
43% is about on par with the
fact that we had a 47% drop in
production,” said Glen Squires,
CEO of the Washington Grain
Commission. “There is just
less wheat out there to start
with so the decline in stocks is
not unexpected.”
According to the USDA,
Washington wheat stocks
totaled 82.6 million bushels,
down from 147 million bush-
els the previous year, nearly a
44% decline.
Idaho wheat stocks totaled
48.8 million bushels, down
from 84.7 million bushels the
year before, a 42% decline.
Oregon wheat stocks
totaled 21.1 million bushels,
down from 38.2 million bush-
els the previous year, nearly a
45% decline.
“We did not come into
the year with a lot in the bins
carried over,” said Amanda
Hoey, CEO of Oregon Wheat.
“The 2021 crop suffered due
to combined drought and heat.
With the lowered production
levels last year, the reduced
stocks on and off farm are to
be expected.”
Nationally, wheat stored
in all positions totaled 1.39
billion bushels, down from
1.70 billion bushels a year ago,
an 18% decline.
Washington winter wheat
growers seeded an estimated
1.80 million acres of winter
wheat for harvest in 2022, up
3% from 1.75 million acres
seeded in 2021 but the same
as 2020.
“The increase in Washing-
ton winter wheat acreage is
not a big surprise given much
higher prices,” Squires said.
Soft white wheat this week
ranged from $10.20 to $11.25
per bushel on the Portland
market.
USDA’s National Agricul-
tural Statistics Service occa-
sionally adjusts seeded acreage
numbers later in the year,
Squires noted.
“For spring wheat, we will
have to wait and see,” he said.
“There are quite a few vari-
ables ... rotations, other crops
and their prices and the wheat
price itself. Certainly we are
hoping that moisture continues
to come.”
Idaho growers seeded
760,000 acres of winter wheat
for the 2022 crop, up 7% from
710,000 acres in 2021, and 6%
above 720,000 acres in 2020
crop.
Oregon farmers planted
730,000 acres, up 1% from
720,000 acres in 2021 but
down 1% from 740,000 acres
in 2020.
Based on seed sales, Hoey
expected to see planted acre-
age increase in Oregon this
year, but anticipated acres
closer to the 740,000 acre
range, not lower than 2020.
“The increase in planted
acreage over last year was
expected, in part due to
response to price but also
largely in response to the
concerns stemming from
extreme drought conditions
last year,” Hoey said. “For
irrigated areas, wheat is a low
water intensity crop option, so
(it is) a good alternative for a
rotation year in which produc-
ers may be concerned about
the impacts from the drought
to water supply.”
Hoey also pointed to an
increase in grass seed prices,
which likely kept fields in high-
value grass seed production.
Nationally, wheat farm-
ers seeded nearly 34.4 million
acres, up 2.23% from 33.6
million acres in 2021, and up
nearly 13% from nearly 30.5
million acres in 2020.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
IN BRIEF
John Day man guilty
in child rape case
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CANYON CITY — A Grant County jury
on Thursday, Jan. 13, convicted a John Day
man of committing sex crimes against a child.
The jury found Philip Joseph Rodriguez,
41, guilty of first-degree rape and first-degree
sexual abuse, both Measure 11 offenses.
But the jury found he was not guilty of
first-degree sodomy, and the state early in the
trial dismissed a charge of first-degree unlaw-
ful sexual penetration.
The crimes were committed between late
January and early April 2019, and the victim
was a girl under the age of 12 who was known
to Rodriguez.
The 12-person jury deliberated for a
little more than three hours in Grant County
Circuit Court before returning the verdict the
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$1.50 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
afternoon of Jan. 13, the ninth day of the trial.
Rodriguez was taken into custody and
lodged at the Grant County Jail to await
sentencing.
Under Measure 11, the rape conviction
carries a presumptive mandatory minimum
sentence of eight years and four months in
prison. Because of the victim’s age at the
time of the offenses, the judge could choose
to impose a mandatory minimum of 25 years
under a statute known as Jessica’s Law.
Malheur County Circuit Judge Lung S.
Hung presided more than the case.
Prosecuting attorneys Tobias Tingleaf of
the Oregon Department of Justice and Riccola
Voigt of the Grant County District Attorney’s
Office represented the state.
Kathleen Erin Dunn of Strawberry Moun-
tain Law represented Rodriguez.
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