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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2015)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, March 18, 2015 N ATIONAL A G D AY Local producers do their part in critical industry N othing is more thrilling to a farmer than planting a seed and waiting to see what happens, or a rancher, watching a newborn calf wobble to its feet in the ZLQWHUILHOGV(YHU\\HDU DERXWPLOOLRQ86 farmers and ranchers do just WKDW Some do their work DFURVVWKRXVDQGVRIDFUHV others sow patches of land the size of a small EDFN\DUG6WLOORWKHUVWDNH former industrial sites in places such as Detroit and Philadelphia and convert WKHPLQWRXUEDQIDUPV All are participating in a 12,000-year-old ritual that has allowed humans to escape the role of hunter-gatherer and create a society where big ideas FDQEHSXUVXHG2QFHFURSV could be grown efficiently and animals could be domesticated for milk and meat, humans were free to think beyond their next PHDO It’s an historic, and LQWHUQDWLRQDOSKHQRPHQRQ In China, farmers have cultivated rice for more WKDQ\HDUV,Q Bolivia, another ancient FURSTXLQRDDWWUDFWV extraordinarily high prices among so-called foodies in WKH86,Q%UD]LOUDQFKHUV raise beef cattle similar to those first brought to South America from ,QGLD Agriculture is important everywhere, but nowhere is it more important than LQWKH8QLWHG6WDWHV,WZDV agriculture that helped a handful of colonies blossom into a booming economic powerhouse and world OHDGHU/DVW\HDU86 farmers raised more than $400 billion in crops and livestock on slightly more WKDQPLOOLRQDFUHV 86IDUPHUVIHHGWKHLU fellow Americans — and PXFKRIWKHZRUOG86 wheat, for example, can be found in noodles sold by a 7RN\RVWUHHWYHQGHULQIODW bread baked in a stone oven in Algiers or in a steamed bun sold in a Jakarta UHVWDXUDQW Other crops and products fill the shelves of shops and stores around the world, helping to feed 7 billion SHRSOH In Grant County, as examined in this issue of the Eagle, agriculture has deep roots in the history of the FRPPXQLW\2XUUDQFKHUV and farmers have long plied a land suited to cattle and livestock, hay production, and in certain areas, fruit RUFKDUGVDQGURZFURSV 7KHLUZRUNFXOWLYDWLQJ while also conserving, is a keystone for our local HFRQRP\ So who is the American IDUPHU"7KRXJKVWDWLVWLFV tell us that the average age is about 58 and the average farm is a little more than 400 acres, no farmer is W\SLFDO-XVWDVHYHU\IDPLO\ is different, so too is every IDUPHU6RPHIDPLOLHVKDYH IDUPLQJLQWKHLUEORRG they have tilled the land IRUJHQHUDWLRQV2WKHUVDUH QHZWRLW6WDUWLQJVPDOO WKH\DGGHTXDOSDUWVRI inspiration and perspiration in an effort to grow new life and a livelihood from the ODQG Ours is a society that UHYHUHVKLJKWHFKQRORJ\ Smart phones, electric cars and all manner of computer-enhanced gizmos are seen as the wave of WKHIXWXUH<HWZLWKRXW agriculture, without food and fiber, none of that ZRXOGH[LVW%HIRUHWKHUH could be iPhones, there had to be plows and tractors and FRPELQHV National Ag Day is March ,WLVDGD\WRWDONDERXW how food is produced, and about the integral role farming and ranching play LQVRFLHW\ And to celebrate an industry that can be called the most important in our ZRUOG Blue Mountain EAGLE 195 N. Canyon Blvd. • John Day, OR 97845 541-575-0710 • Fax 541-575-1244 Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper USPS 226-340 John Day, Oregon MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR A DMINISTRATIVE A SSISTANT E DITORIAL A SSISTANT C OMMUNITY N EWS S PORTS M ARKETING R EP C USTOMER S ERVICE R EP Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Scotta Callister, editor@bmeagle.com Kristina Kreger, kristina@bmeagle.com Cheryl Hoefler, cheryl@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Lindsay Bullock office@bmeagle.com PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY: EO Media Group 3HULRGLFDOV3RVWDJH3DLGDW-RKQ'D\DQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County Elsewhere in Oregon Continental U.S., Outside Oregon Outside Continental U.S. 1 year $40.00 $48.00 $55.00 $60.00 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery See the Blue Mountain Eagle on the Internet www.MyEagleNews.com POSTMASTER — send address changes to Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 Copyright © 2015 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. C OMMENTARY Frohnmayer: Our last progressive Republican By Steve Forrester EO Media Group /LNH WKH GHDWK RI 6HQ 0DUN +DW- ¿HOG'DYH)URKQPD\HU¶VSDVVLQJODVW week reminds us of when Republicans were the mainstream, progressive par- W\RI2UHJRQ +DW¿HOG DQG )URKQPD\HU DUH DQ LQ- teresting pair, because both retooled uni- YHUVLWLHV +DW¿HOG IXQQHOHG PLOOLRQV LQ federal appropriations into the University of Oregon Medical School, making it into the research giant we know as Oregon +HDOWK DQG 6FLHQFHV 8QLYHUVLW\ 'XULQJ his years as president of the University of Oregon, Frohnmayer raised around $1 ELOOLRQ±DMDZGURSSLQJ¿QDQFLDOMROWWKDW WUDQVIRUPHGWKDWLQVWLWXWLRQ In Frohnmayer’s 1990 campaign for governor, one sees the undoing of the Ore- JRQ 5HSXEOLFDQ 3DUW\ A religion-based Re- publican splinter candi- date, Al Mobley, took 13 percent of the vote in Frohnmayer’s race DJDLQVW%DUEDUD5REHUWV Dave We’ve not had a GOP Frohnmayer governor in the 25 years VLQFH 1R 5HSXEOLFDQ KROGVVWDWHZLGHRIILFHWRGD\ Oregon is poorer because it’s a one-par- W\VWDWH:HPLVVWKHULFKQHVVRIOHJLVODWLYH experience that produced landmark legis- lation such as the Bottle Bill and Senate Bill 100, establishing statewide land use SODQQLQJ A less observed aspect of Frohnmay- er’s legacy was his 10 years as Oregon DWWRUQH\JHQHUDO Clatsop County District Attorney Josh 0DUTXLVVD\VWKDWOHJDF\ZDVSULQFLSDO- ly two things: “Frohnmayer remade the &ULPLQDO 'LYLVLRQ PDNLQJ KLJKTXDOLW\ DVVLVWDQFH DYDLODEOH WR GLVWULFW DWWRUQH\V He also created a really elite appellate XQLW´ $UJXLQJ EHIRUH WKH 86 6XSUHPH Court, the winning percentage of that unit was very high, with Frohnmayer himself ZLQQLQJVL[RIVHYHQFDVHV In describing Dave Frohnmayer and SD\LQJ WULEXWH WR KLV YHU\ FRQVHTXHQWLDO OLIH ZH ¿QG RXUVHOYHV VRXQGLQJ TXDLQW using words that are out of fashion in our SRLVRQRXVO\SDUWLVDQSXEOLFDUHQD&KDU- DFWHULVRQHVXFKZRUG Steve Forrester is president and CEO of EO Media Group, which publishes 11 newspapers in the Northwest, including the Blue Mountain Eagle. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Fully fund FVO job To the Editor: A tribute to our veterans: “During the time when many fled, so many more stayed and raised their hands when their coun- WU\ QHHGHG WKHP 7KDW VHUYLFH VKRXOG EH FHOHEUDWHG 7KHLU VDF- rifices should never be forgot- WHQ´ 5ROOLQJ 7KXQGHU :DVK- LQJWRQ'& Grant County needs an ac- credited Veteran Services Offi- FHU 962 WR PHHW WKH QHHGV RI RXU YHWHUDQV :KDW LV UHTXLUHG is an appointment minimum of 1,000 hours per year and an op- portunity to receive training and WHVWLQJ IRU WKH DFFUHGLWDWLRQ$Q accreditation allows a VSO to function as an attorney-in-fact to represent a veteran to the Veter- DQV$GPLQLVWUDWLRQ Without the authority exer- cised by an accredited VSO, the VA can ignore veterans’ claims on a whim or minor technical- ity and a veteran’s claim will IDLO PRUH RIWHQ WKDQ QRW ,Q WKH opinion of many VSOs and any- one dealing with the VA, it is the largest bureaucracy in the United States with predominantly unmo- tivated and underpaid employees who would just as soon not ex- tend the effort to help veterans JHW WKHLU HQWLWOHPHQWV 7KH 9$ has plenty of highly paid attor- neys representing them, always looking for ways to cut costs to WKHGHWULPHQWRIWKHYHWHUDQV It is vital that the local VSO be a well-trained advocate to as- VLVW YHWHUDQV 7KH *UDQW &RXQW\ Court needs to be made aware that a potential VSO needs more than 19 hours per week to meet the 1,000-hour goal and be fully trained to meet the needs of our YHWHUDQV /LNH PDQ\ DFFUHGLWHG VSOs in neighboring counties, such a person could also extend the helping hand to those outside our county if the need arose and time DOORZHG,QVWHDGRISURYLGLQJIXQGV to assist the federal government in rewriting their failing forest plan as Commissioner Britton proposes, that money should be budgeted to RXU LQFRPLQJ QHZ 962$V LW DS- L pears, our County Court is selling RXUYHWHUDQVRXWFKHDSO\ Judy Kerr Canyon City The three Cs To the Editor: A recent front page article has stirred some spirited conversa- tions in the county, so I’m guess- ing there are others out there who don’t understand the impor- tance of proper terminology when talking about contracts and legal REOLJDWLRQV Collaboration and cooperation both imply that one party is going to do the work that is prescribed E\ DQRWKHU SDUW\ ,W LPSOLHV VXE- mission by the party that agrees to FRRSHUDWHRUFROODERUDWH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV &RGH 7LWOH Chapter 36, Subchapter I, Section RXWOLQHV WKH UHTXLUHPHQWV regarding forest management plans and states that the Forest 6HUYLFH PXVW FRRUGLQDWH RQ DQ HTXDO EDVLV ZLWK WKH ORFDO JRY- ernment’s forest management SODQ ,Q RWKHU ZRUGV WKH DFW RI Congress that created the Forest 6HUYLFH DOVR UHTXLUHV WKH )RUHVW Service to check with local gov- ernment plans before implement- ing any plan or regulation of it’s RZQ All the County Court has to do is come up with their own plan for managing our forests and the Forest Service is already bound by ODZWRFRRUGLQDWHZLWKWKDWSODQ When someone asks about your involvement, would you rather be a collaborator or a coordinator? Larry Maplesden John Day Board too hasty To the Editor: I am disappointed with the report- ing by the Blue Mountain Eagle, and dismayed by the lack of transparen- F\E\WKH*UDQW6FKRRO'LVWULFW1R 6FKRRO%RDUG 7KH (DJOH UHSRUWHG RQ 3DJH March 4 that Mark Witty had ac- cepted the superintendent position at Baker School District 5J, and on Page 10 gave a notice of a spe- cial meeting of the District 3 school ERDUG 7R EH GLVFXVVHG ZDV WKH DFFHS- WDQFH RI 0U:LWW\¶V OHWWHU RI UHVLJ- nation and options for hiring a new VXSHULQWHQGHQW7KHDUWLFOHIDLOHGWR mention who was being considered, how the board was going to act, what the board was going to consider and WKHWLPHWDEOHIRUWKHFRQVLGHUDWLRQV At the meeting, Chris Cronin rec- ommended hiring Curt Shelley as WKHQHZVXSHULQWHQGHQW ,WHPRIWKHDJHQGDZDVWRGLV- cuss the hiring of a new superinten- GHQW6HYHUDOQHZSHRSOHZHUHWKHUH and spoke highly of Curt Shelley DQGZK\KHVKRXOGEHKLUHG%\WKHLU attendance, it appeared they had in- formation the general public did not KDYH I told the board I had personally contacted three individuals about their willingness to serve as an in- WHULP VXSHULQWHQGHQW 2QH ZDV QRW TXDOL¿HG RQH ZDV ZLOOLQJ EXW KDG SULRU FRPPLWPHQWV WKH WKLUG GLG QRW JHW EDFN WR PH , VXJJHVWHG WKH board consider Grant County super- LQWHQGHQWV¿UVWDQGFRQWDFWWKH2($ WR ¿QG UHWLUHG VXSHULQWHQGHQWV ZKR FRXOGVHUYHWHPSRUDULO\7KLVZRXOG save money while allowing the ERDUGWRFRQGXFWDWKRURXJKVHDUFK One board member agreed a rushed GHFLVLRQZDVQRWJRRG ,WZDVDOOHJHGWKDWLI0U6KHOOH\ was not hired then, he would accept a position at another district, and he QHHGHGWRPDNHDGHFLVLRQE\7KXUV- GD\ 7KH ERDUG QHYHU GLVFXVVHG WKH TXDOL¿FDWLRQV IRU D VXSHULQWHQGHQW QRU GLG WKH\ DVN 0U 6KHOOH\ DERXW KLVTXDOL¿FDWLRQVRUJRDOV 7KHERDUGYRWHGWRKLUHKLP SHQGLQJVDODU\QHJRWLDWLRQV , DP GLVDSSRLQWHG WKDW QR TXDOL- ¿FDWLRQVZHUHGLVFXVVHGDQGQRDS- SOLFDQWVZHUHFRQVLGHUHG7KHSXEOLF ZDV PLVOHG WKH ERDUG IDLOHG WR EH transparent about how they were going to go about hiring a superin- WHQGHQW 7KHERDUGVKRXOGQRWEHVRKDVW\ and be more transparent with the cit- L]HQVRI'LVWULFW Charles G. Amling Mt. Vernon etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Send letters to editor@bmeagle.com, or Blue Mountain Eagle, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845; or fax to 541-575-1244.