A8
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
Thursday, January 20, 2022
March:
Continued from Page A1
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File
Rancher Riley Martin feeds his cattle April 5, 2021, from the back of a tractor at the family’s
North Powder farm.
Meat:
Continued from Page A1
Secretary, and one of the
federal officials who met with
Biden recently in a virtual
meeting to discuss the situa-
tion.
The resulting plan, which
was announced on Jan. 3, has
among its goals enforcing
existing competition laws and
making the machinations of
the cattle markets more trans-
parent.
That new federal focus is
welcome news for Martin,
who has been concerned for
many years about what he
considers an unfair manipu-
lation of beef markets by the
four companies that control
about 85% of the country’s
cattle processing — Cargill,
Tyson Foods, JBS and
National Beef Packing.
While retail beef prices
have risen by 21% during the
past year, according to the
U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture, that trend hasn’t been
reflected in what ranchers
are receiving for their cattle,
Martin said.
Tom Sharp, the Oregon
Cattlemen’s president,
addressed the rise in beef
prices in an October 2021
interview with the Pacific
Northwest Ag Network.
“Those profits have largely
gone solely to the major beef
packing companies that
dominate boxed beef produc-
tion here in the United States,”
Sharp said. “There’s really
four multinational compa-
nies that produce 83% of the
total boxed beef for retail
consumption here in the
United States.”
Martin said he believes
one way to reduce the domi-
nance those four companies
have is to encourage more
local and regional processing
of beef.
That also would give
ranchers more options for
marketing their cattle, and
boost consumer choice,
potentially affording them the
option of buying beef raised,
and butchered, in the same
county where they live.
Martin said there is a suffi-
cient number of beef cattle in
Eastern Oregon and West-
ern Idaho to support process-
ing plants with a capacity to
handle 250 to 500 head per
day.
But now, he said, “we have
absolutely no competition in
the Northwest. There’s no
negotiation. You take what
is given to you (in terms of
prices).”
Martin pointed to Agri
Beef’s construction of a beef
processing plant in Jerome,
Idaho. It’s expected to open
by the end of 2022, and will
have a capacity of about 500
head per day.
“That’s a great thing, but
I still see the need for more
competition,” Martin said.
Smaller processing plants
also would benefit rural econ-
omies by creating jobs, he
said.
Increasing options
Martin said he’s encour-
aged Attorney General
Merrick Garland also partic-
ipated in the recent virtual
meeting.
Martin has been advocat-
ing for years to have the U.S.
Justice Department investi-
gate what he believes consti-
tutes “price manipulation” in
the beef industry.
Matt McElligott, who
raises cattle between Haines
and North Powder, said he’s
glad issues in the beef indus-
try are being acknowledged at
the federal level.
“The good thing is that it
is being talked about,” said
McElligott, who is chair-
man of the public lands
committee for the Oregon
Cattlemen’s Association and
current president-elect. “It’s
something we in the industry
have been talking about for a
long time, the need to have a
more vibrant and competitive
industry.”
McElligott said although
details of the Biden adminis-
tration’s $1 billion campaign
have yet to be determined, a
preliminary draft called for
spending $375 million, over
two phases, to “jumpstart
independent processing” for
beef and other meat.
The first phase could
include $150 million
earmarked for 15 specific
local processing projects,
which could potentially help
ranchers market beef to local
consumers, McElligott said.
Prospective processors would
compete for the dollars under
the proposal.
The second phase would
designate the remaining $225
million to expand the capacity
at existing processing plants
across the nation, he said.
McElligott said boosting
independent processing, and
thus reducing the dominance
of the four leading processing
companies, would be bene-
ficial to both ranchers and
consumers.
“The more processing you
have, the more opportunities
we have for different markets
for the cow-calf producer,”
he said. “That gives produc-
ers more options and it gives
consumers more options.”
Now, only about 5% of the
beef cattle born in Oregon
are actually butchered here,
McElligott said.
Both he and Martin
pointed out that building a
processing plant is no small
undertaking.
“To say it’s complex is
an understatement for sure,”
Martin said.
Complying with federal
food safety rules and other
regulations is neither simple
nor inexpensive, and Martin
said he hopes the Biden
administration’s $1 billion
campaign also includes
resources to help potential
entrepreneurs negotiate the
regulatory labyrinth.
Among other things, he
advocates for the federal
government to eliminate or
streamline regulations that
deter people from pursuing
regional or local processing
plants, and to assign a coor-
dinator to work with prospec-
tive owners to help them with
all aspects of the endeavor,
including financing.
McElligott said a signifi-
cant obstacle in the industry
for ranchers who want to sell
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beef directly to local custom-
ers is that packaged products
must be inspected by some-
one certified by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
He said he can sell a half of
beef “on the hoof” to a neigh-
bor, but not a single pound of
packaged hamburger unless
it’s been inspected.
McElligott said he’s
encouraged that a draft
plan for spending the
$1 billion includes $100
million to pay overtime to
USDA-certified inspectors,
which could expand inde-
pendent processing markets.
Truth in beef labeling
Mark Bennett, a Baker
County commissioner who
also owns a cattle ranch in the
southern part of the county
near Unity, agrees with
Martin and McElligott that
the Biden administration’s
announcement is promising.
“I think it’s a worthy
undertaking,” Bennett said.
“Any time you have concen-
tration it limits competition
and the opportunity for inno-
vation. This whole discussion
is really crucial.”
Bennett said one of the
most common topics that
come up in his conversations
with other ranchers is manda-
tory country of origin label-
ing.
Although some meat sold
in the U.S., including chicken,
is required to be labeled to
show where the animal was
raised, that’s not the case with
beef.
Beef can be labeled as a
product of the U.S. even if the
cattle were raised in another
country but were butchered
in the U.S.
(Retailers also can include
details about where animals
were born and raised; they’re
just not required to do so.)
Ranchers and industry
groups have been pushing
for beef, which has not been
subject to mandatory country
of origin labeling since 2016,
to be reinserted into the label-
ing law along with chicken
and other meats.
“American consumers
want to know where their
beef comes from,” Bennett
said.
There has been some
interest in Congress in reinsti-
tuting mandatory labeling for
beef. It ended after officials
from Mexico and Canada
vowed to impose tariffs on
American beef if the manda-
tory labeling continued.
A group of U.S. sena-
tors introduced legislation in
September 2021 calling for
the U.S. Trade Representa-
tive and U.S. Department of
Agriculture to come up with a
plan to improve beef labeling
transparency.
McElligott said country of
origin labeling “really needs
to be addressed.”
He pointed out that Amer-
icans’ demand for beef has
continued to grow even with
rising retail prices.
He considers this evidence
that people recognize the
value of beef.
“If you look at everything
beef gives you from a nutri-
tional standpoint, it’s still
an economical part of your
plate,” McElligott said.
spoke next, focusing on King’s
optimism, his confidence that
people could work together
for a better world. Smith chal-
lenged listeners to be like
King. He also said we should
take the example of organi-
zations such as The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and the National Asso-
ciation for the Advancement
of Colored People, who united
in a partnership to further
causes of justice and progress.
Prior to the MLK march,
Smith expressed modesty at
his inclusion.
“I don’t know if I bring
anything extra special” to
the event, he said, but he had
reflected on King and his
legacy.
“I think he did a tremen-
dous job in bringing things to
our country that needed to be
addressed,” he said.
King’s message, especially
as it relates to unity, is partic-
ularly important and relevant
these days, Smith added.
“He was not trying to draw
lines between different races
or different peoples,” Smith
said of King. “He was trying
to show that we need to come
together.”
Smith in his speech
expressed confidence that
we, as a nation, can unify,
even during a time in which
many of us are divided. In a
discussion in the week prior
to the MLK march, he said he
wishes many of our nation’s
leaders could express similar
messages of togetherness.
Following Smith in his
speech, Carol Jefferies,
HCAC member, spoke briefly
to encourage community.
Also, she introduced Jessica
Chavez, high school scholar-
ship winner.
Chavez, who plans to
Bentz:
Continued from Page A1
burning before thinning puts
at extreme risk the very rivers
and watersheds the designation
is supposed to protect. It is like
dropping a match in a tinder-
box. It is impossible to contain
these types of fires once they
start.
“The River Democracy
Act, if passed, would threaten
watersheds, homes, busi-
nesses, farms, ranches, live-
stock and, most importantly,
human lives.”
Bentz also denounced the
bill for not containing “explicit
protections” for uses of the
land, including, “sustainable
timber harvests, hunting, graz-
ing, fishing and mining.”
“Regardless of legislative
intent, the applicable agen-
cies will have broad authority
to restrict these activities,” he
said.
Local, regional
disapproval
The RDA, introduced last
year by Sen. Ron Wyden and
backed by Sen. Jeff Merkley,
both Oregon Democrats, has
been condemned by several
county commissioners in East-
ern Oregon. Union County
Fire:
Continued from Page A1
further to include vacation
rentals, a service station and
more were next on the list, but
Bennett said they needed addi-
tional funds to make up for the
unanticipated costs of earlier
phases of the project.
The commission was ulti-
mately unanimous in approv-
ing the additional funds.
Commissioners didn’t act on
the original request to expedite
reimbursement payments, but
the city previously admitted it
become a high school teacher,
said King’s message is “a
guide” as she and others strive
for a better world. Peaceful
protest, she said, is key, in
efforts toward racial equality.
Pastor Marlando Jordan
of Sozo Church in Kenne-
wick spoke at the event and
said King was a man of God,
a man of vision, a man of cour-
age and a man of love.
Quoting King, the Kenne-
wick preacher said, “Hate is
too great a burden to bear.”
Instead, he said, people
should choose to love one
another. When people follow
the path of love, instead of
bigotry and hate, they can
unite.
There is a lot of work
left to do if we are to move
forward together in a just
world, according to Rome in
a discussion before the event.
The Hermiston Cultural
Awa re ne ss Coal it ion ,
formerly the Black Interna-
tional Awareness Club, is one
of the longest existing cultural
diversity organizations within
the Hermiston and surround-
ing communities, he said.
He added the purpose of the
committee is to promote the
teachings of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. and to support diver-
sity and equality in the greater
Hermiston Oregon commu-
nity.
“It was started as a grass-
roots movement in 2000 with
community members from all
walks of life — clergy, small
business owners, farmers,
educators, community advo-
cates and concerned commu-
nity members that wanted to
raise awareness and concern
around the need for more
diversity and equality within
rural Eastern Oregon,” Rome
said.
Specifically, he said he
takes to heart the following
quote from King: “Life’s most
persistent and urgent question
is ‘What are you doing for
others?’”
Rome credited HCAC’s
advocacy for encouraging the
city of Hermiston to formally
recognized MLK Day in 2000.
He said he believes his nation,
state and local community
have made progress toward
equality, but “we still have a
long way to go for equal rights
and equality for all” and he
keeps King’s words in mind.
“I truly believe if we take
Dr. King’s words to heart and
reach out to all our neighbors,
and not just to the neighbors
that look and talk like us,”
Rome said, “we are one step
closer in seeing Dr. King’s
dream come true.”
commissioners voted in Octo-
ber 2021 to send a letter to
Wyden asking him to remove
the roughly 135 miles of water-
ways in their county from the
act. Part of their issue with the
RDA, they claimed, was that
methods in place for designat-
ing rivers as Wild and Scenic
were not adhered to.
“This failure to follow the
guidelines that have been in
place since 1968 as a well-vet-
ted system for designation is
resulting in waterways that
do not meet the criteria, spirit,
intent or letter of the Wild and
Scenic Act,” according to the
letter sent to Wyden.
Wallowa County commis-
sioners have opposed the RDA
on multiple occasions, and
have said about 404 miles in
their county would fall under
the new designation.
They also wrote an Octo-
ber letter to Wyden voicing
their disapproval of a lack of
detailed maps outlying the
affected waterways.
“The maps your office
provided were not clear so the
county went to the expense
of having maps made that
included half-mile buffers,”
they wrote. “These maps gave
a visual of the buffers, affect-
ing economic viability for our
timber and grazing econo-
mies, public access and forest
management on an estimated
240,000 acres of public lands
and 16,000 acres of adja-
cent private land in Wallowa
County.”
Grant County commission-
ers also sought out of the RDA.
“Prohibiting access to
minerals that are necessary
for creating green energy runs
counter to the principles of
conservation,” they wrote in a
November letter opposing the
RDA. “In this respect, Sena-
tor Wyden’s proposal is funda-
mentally anti-environmental.”
The River Democracy Act
also came under criticism in
June for including waterways
that were “completely dry
upon inspection.” The Amer-
ican Forest Resources Coun-
cil, which represents the timber
industry, said just 15% of the
waterways are designated as
rivers.
Senate Bill 192, which was
introduced Feb. 3, 2021, has
been before the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources
Subcommittee on National
Parks, according to congress.
gov. It has yet to receive a vote
on the House or Senate floor.
———
This report used Informa-
tion previously published by the
Capital Press, The Observer,
Wallowa County Chieftain and
Blue Mountain Eagle.
had fallen behind on what Hart
and Bennett were owed. The
facade and second story grants
are reimbursements grants,
meaning recipients spend the
money up front and then are
reimbursed a percentage of
their costs based on the grant
amount.
Corbett proposed the
commission begin making
reimbursement payments on a
monthly basis instead of split-
ting up payments into thirds
based on the project’s prog-
ress.
Bennett told the commis-
sion the owners are nearly
done with the facade and
second story projects. She esti-
mated the facade will be done
in six weeks and the second
story in four months.
The commission also unan-
imously approved the creation
of the Jump Start business
competition. The program will
solicit downtown retail busi-
ness proposals from the public
and then pick three winners.
The winners will then
receive a $20,000 forgivable
loan to open their business.
The loan will be forgiven in
phases over the next two years
as long as the winning busi-
nesses follow the guidelines
of the contest.
Continuing the work
in Hermiston
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Marchers carry signs Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, along East Main
Street in downtown Hermiston during the annual Martin Lu-
ther King Jr. Day Peace March.
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