BUSINESS & AG LIFE B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022 WEEDS Continued from Page B1 But it wasn’t neces- sarily intentional. “A lot of the ways things like this get spread is through equipment,” Marcum said. “Who knows where they were working before, and that’s why there’s been a big push with a lot of these big corporations and nox- ious week managers across the state who are working with power companies and ditch companies.” Marcum said he can’t be sure just how it arrived in the county. “It’s hard to say,” he said. “It looks like someone just threw a bunch of seeds right there in the ditch and that’s where they started.” Why a problem? “It’s a Carduus thistle and that family is one in North America that is invasive,” Marcum said. “In every state across the entire country, the Car- duus family is an invasive species.” The Carduus family includes welted thistle, musk thistle and plumeless thistle. “Others (thistles) are invasive, but they’re not nearly as problematic as the Carduus family,” he said. “It’s the way they grow and spread. They just absolutely kill out every- thing else around them, like native grasses along ditch banks. They can just come in and create these massive bare spots and choke out everything else around. They create a mat so that nothing else will grow there.” He emphasized that the thistles choke out crops, alfalfa and grass hay and are poor for erosion con- trol and soil sustainability. EO Media Group, File A “private timber accord” was negotiated with help from Gov. Kate Brown’s offi ce. It is anticipated to receive a “rubber stamp” from lawmakers in 2022. SESSION Continued from Page B1 The “private timber accord” was negotiated with help from Gov. Kate Brown’s offi ce. It is antici- pated to receive a “rubber stamp” from lawmakers in 2022. “This is a legislative priority and has all the ingredients to pass,” said Cooper, adding that the Oregon Farm Bureau is still studying the proposal. “I have a hard time seeing a situation where it doesn’t go forward.” Certain aspects of the accord, such as increased regulations for beaver removal in forests, have made the Farm Bureau ner- vous about the implications for agriculture. “It could be a reason to adapt that policy to other lands,” said Lauren Smith, the group’s director of government aff airs. The Farm Bureau also plans to advocate for the resumption of a program under which private land- owners pay an assessment to raise money for predator control by USDA’s Wildlife Services. The program was allowed to sunset during the previous legislative ses- sion after animal advocates opposed extending it. “There doesn’t seem to be an avenue for our com- munities to manage preda- tors,” Smith said. Climate legislation There’s likely to be action on climate legisla- tion, if Democratic law- makers try to enshrine an emissions reduction plan from the state’s Depart- ment of Environmental Quality in law, said Stone, of the Oregon Association of Nurseries. “I expect there will be a bill to codify what- ever the Climate Protec- tion Plan rules say,” he said. “I’d be surprised if the majority did not try to push something through legislatively.” Other issues Farm groups will prob- ably lay the groundwork for future legislative pro- posals by initiating discus- sions about real estate tax reform and water storage. County tax assessors some- times diff er in what they consider taxable real prop- erty, such as stationary equipment for greenhouses and seed cleaning, Stone said. The goal would be to make those rules uniform. As for water supplies, a grant program created sev- eral years ago is largely focused on effi ciency and hasn’t been used to develop water storage facilities, as intended, he said. “That needs to be taken down to the studs and rebuilt.” In light of the politi- cally charged atmosphere and the governor’s race, it’s likely that agriculture will have to fend off “just plain stupid” proposals intended to score points with certain voters, Stone said. “I would hope it would be boring, but I fear it may not be,” he said of the ses- sion. “I just don’t want anything truly harmful to get any oxygen during a short session.” Mark Porter, Oregon Department of Agriculture/Contributed Photo Welted thistle has a pink blossom as seen this past summer along a wheelline below Alder Slope. A limited stand of it has been discovered in Wallowa County and is targeted for eradication. Still running unsupported Windows 7? We’ll help you avoid critical issues by installing Windows 10! 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