Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2016)
A8 Agriculture %OXH0RXQWDLQ(DJOH :HGQHVGD\-XO\ Ag opponents plan attacks on water, climate issues U.S. House passes bill that prevents a Malheur County national monument By Sean Ellis EO Media Group Ore. BAKER 26 Proposed national Ontario conservation area Nyssa R Ow 78 U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon Jordan Valley Burns Junction Idaho Ore. An Interior Department funding bill passed by the U.S. House of Representa- tives includes a provision that blocks a proposed national monument in Malheur Coun- ty that is strongly opposed by local ranchers and farmers. 7KH ELOO SDVVHG -XO\ DQG LV KHDGHG WR WKH Senate. It includes a proposal by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, that prevents funds from being used to create a national mon- ument in Malheur County. Oregon Natural Desert Association, a Bend-based environmental group, has proposed creating a nation- al monument on 2.5 million acres in an area of the county known as the Owyhee Can- yonlands. ,WZRXOGFRYHUSHUFHQW of the county and encompass about 33 percent of the coun- ty’s total grazing land. County UHVLGHQWVYRWHGDJDLQVWWKH idea during a special election in March. Ore. Idaho Area in detail 95 Ore. McDermitt Nev. N 95 20 miles Alan Kenaga/Capital Press Walden said in a news release that the House vote sends “a strong message to the president that the over- whelming majority of local residents and the People’s House oppose a monument.” “The people of Malheur County have already spoken on this issue and they’ve come out adamantly opposed to a proposed unilateral nation- al monument declaration on the Owyhee River canyon,” Walden said. “Now the U.S. House has also voted on my proposal to block a monument in Malheur County.” Walden’s communication director, Andrew Malcolm, said Walden will do everything he can to stop the proposal. “We’re going to continue to speak out against it and use ev- ery tool available to try to stop this monument,” he said. The vote was applauded by Jordan Valley rancher Mark Mackenzie, vice president of the Owyhee Basin Stew- ardship Coalition, which was formed this year to represent ranchers, farmers and others who oppose a national monu- ment designation. By John O’Connell Regardless of what hap- pens to the bill in the Senate, “it’s sending a loud message ... that, hey, we’re not happy with this proposal,” Macken- zie said. He said if a monument is created, a completely new set of rules would have to be drawn up for it and that un- known is concerning to ranch- ers. “It’s very, very upsetting for the industry because we don’t know what we’re going to get,” he said. Malheur County is Ore- JRQ¶V 1R FDWWOHSURGXFLQJ FRXQW\ ZLWK DERXW PLO lion in farm-gate receipts an- nually. Livestock sales yards in Idaho and Oregon recently GRQDWHGWRWKH2%6& to support its campaign to op- pose a national monument. Producers Livestock Mar- keting Association donated LWUDLVHGGXULQJFDWWOH auctions in June in Vale, and Treasure Valley Livestock do- nated $5,700. Opponents of the national monument proposal worry WKDWKDYLQJSHUFHQWRIWKH county’s land designated as a national monument would restrict grazing and access to these lands and harm the local economy. The national monument proposal “is a huge concern over here,” said Paul Skeen, president of the Malheur County Onion Growers Asso- ciation. “That’s why we voted SHUFHQWµQR¶RQLW´ EO Media Group Future attacks on conven- tional agriculture will focus on water and climate, an ana- lyst who tracks activist groups predicts. Jay Byrne, president and CEO of the intelligence-gath- ering agency v-Fluence Inter- active, told the National Pota- to Council’s summer meeting that agriculture’s opponents are working together more closely than ever and spend- ing large sums to convey their messages. Byrne said their campaigns are beginning to shift from la- EHOLQJ JHQHWLFDOO\ PRGL¿HG organisms to water quality concerns — especially algae blooms and “dead zones” in water bodies. “This is the most intense advocacy period we’ve seen in over 20 years of tracking,” Byrne said. “Today in the U.S. it’s GMO labeling. Very quickly, that’s going to turn around and be issues associat- ed with water, and it’s going to affect every aspect of con- ventional production.” Byrne said a “trial bal- ORRQ´ ODZVXLW ¿OHG LQ ,RZD alleges farming is creating downstream environmental challenges, and opponents are already lining up litigants for future cases. Byrne estimates the groups tracked by v-Fluence have in- FUHDVHGVSHQGLQJE\WR SHUFHQWDQQXDOO\VLQFH ,Q RSSRQHQWV LQ North America spent $2.5 Jay Byrne billion campaigning against GMOs and conventional agri- culture, v-Fluence estimated. Globally, advocacy groups targeting agriculture are likely WRVSHQGPRUHWKDQELOOLRQ this year, he said. Charlie Cray, research spe- cialist with Greenpeace USA, agrees water and climate will undoubtedly be key issues heading into the future. He TXHVWLRQV %\UQH¶V ¿QDQFLDO estimates, however. “I don’t think the entire environmental movement has that much money,” Cray said. “I would love to see him break (his estimates) down.” Supported by “black mar- keters” seeking to increase organic sales by discrediting conventional competitors, Byrne said opponents have relied on a relentless “ghost army” of baseless research claims published in “pay-to- play” journals. Cray agrees the organic sector supports campaigns to SRLQW RXW WKH EHQH¿WV RI WKH production system relative to conventional agriculture, but he disagrees that they’re be- ing covert. Biochar conference explores its use in forestry, agriculture By Eric Mortenson EO Media Group Every other Monday in John Day at Blue Mountain Hospital 170 Ford Rd. • 541-575-1311 The status and future of biochar is the subject of a four-day conference in Au- gust. The conference, titled “The Synergy of Science and Fair Update The Fair Guide has the incorrect divisions listed in the Fair Premiums. The correct divisions are listed below. W E APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED . DIVISIONS ARE THE SAME IN ALL DEPARTMENTS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. DIVISIONS: 1 PROFESSIONAL (sell or get paid for services) 2 SENIOR (OVER 62) 3 ADULT (OVER 18) 4 YOUTH SENIOR (14-17) 5 INTERMEDIATE (9-13) 6 JUNIOR (0-8) Division 1 will receive ribbon only. Industry: Biochar’s Connec- tion to Ecology, Soil, Food and Energy,” happens Aug. 22-25 at Oregon State Univer- sity in Corvallis. Registration costs $375 for the full confer- ence; $250 for students and QRQSUR¿WV IRU RQHGD\ attendance. Biochar is essentially char- coal produced by a pyrolysis process of heating biomass in a low-oxygen environment. The biomass fuel can in- clude such things as logging VODVK RU ¿HOG VWUDZ ZKLFK LV why it draws interest from the timber and ag industries. Researchers and industry advocates say biochar has multiple uses in agriculture and forestry. It can provide a TXLFN ¿[ WR GHSOHWHG VRLO E\ reducing acidity, retaining moisture and storing carbon. Conference Chair Tom Miles, founder of T.R. Miles Techni- cal Consultants Inc., in Port- land, said it’s already used by vineyards in drought-stricken California. In Japan, biochar devel- ops the strong root systems needed to transplant rice. A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS : Did you know there may be VA benefits available for you as a result of your spouses’ military service? See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Court House. Call 541-575-1631 for an appointment Open: Mon, Wed, & Fri 10am-4pm by appointment. Michael B. DesJardin Dentistry, PC Preventive, Restorative & Endodontics New Patients Welcome! 208 NW Canton John Day 541-575-2725 mbddental@live.com michaelbdesjardindmd.com TREAT YOUR FEET Commercial cannabis grow- ers favor biochar for the same reason, Miles said. In Eastern Oregon, OSU dryland cropping agronomist Stephen Machado is in the third year of researching bio- char’s use on Columbia Basin wheat and pea crops. One application of biochar continues to produce a “nice response” in test plots, Mach- ado said. Wheat yields increased 20 to 33 percent and pea yields increased at a similar rate, Machado said. Soil pH also improved. “I’m a true believer,” Machado said. He cautioned that not all biochar products are the same, however. The chemistry of the biomass material used to make biochar and the chemis- try of the soil on which it will be applied must be consid- ered, he said. Miles, the conference chair, said biochar increasing- O\LVXVHGLQELRVZDOHVWR¿OWHU stormwater or to capture pol- lutants, and has been shown to remove phosphorous from dairy manure. Research is progressing on multiple fronts, and en- trepreneurs are jumping into biochar production. The Cor- vallis conference is intended for farmers, foresters, policy makers, biochar producers and other industry profession- als and entrepreneurs. For more conference in- formation, including schedule and registration details, visit KWWSXVELRUJ $GGL tional information is available through the Northwest Bio- char Working Group: http:// nwbiochar.org. Our Services by a registered nurse include: • Pedi-Spa treatment for your feet • Particular attention to Diabetic Foot • Multifunctional massage chair • Skin Inspection • Callus Removal • Nail Cutting We also check your blood pressure, blood sugar level and oxygen saturation. Call 541- 575-1648 for an appointment $35 00 fee Blue Mountain Hospital FOOT CLINIC www.bluemountainhospital.org Services available at the Home Health Office, 422 W. Main, John Day.