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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2019)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 16, 2019 How to make money farming? It’s complicated W ith all due respect to Sonny Perdue, there’s more to farming than size. The U.S. agriculture secre- tary recently told folks at the World Dairy Expo in Mad- ison, Wisconsin, that some farms may have to get larger to survive. “Now what we see, obvi- ously, is economies of scale having happened in America — big get bigger and small go out,” he said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It’s very difficult on econo- mies of scale with the capital needs and all the environmen- tal regulations and everything else today to survive milking 40, 50, 60 or even 100 cows, and that’s what we’ve seen.” While that may be seen by many as a fact of agricultural life these days, we disagree. Farms producing commod- ities such as milk must be effi- cient, no doubt about it. Most often, those efficiencies are to be found in larger operations. That much is true. However, there is much more to farming — or any other business, for that matter — than producing the maxi- mum amount of a commodity at the minimum cost. Much more. Efficiency is important, but other factors also come into play. For example, the market is critical. A farmer produc- ing a commodity such as milk will receive a certain price. As a price taker, he or she makes money by being effi- cient, minimizing debt, keep- ing input costs down and hop- ing for the best. Niche marketers, how- ever, find a segment that they can target. For example, some dairies market organic milk. In addition to being efficient, minimizing debt, keeping input costs down and hoping for the best, farmers might be able to market their organic milk for a price premium. That could in turn increase the odds of a farmer clearing a profit. Another consideration is value-added products. Sup- pose that organic dairy farmer makes artisan cheese, ice cream or yogurt with his milk. That would potentially open the door to more income. Assuming those products can be made efficiently — there’s that word again — more income is possible. Choosing the right crops to grow is also a major fac- tor. For example, instead of growing forage for his cows, a farmer might be able to grow another crop such as hemp, which in many instances is bringing much higher prices. Yet there’s a possibility that, at some point, the hemp market could become saturated, forc- ing those prices down. It’s a matter of putting the resources a farmer has at his, or her, disposal to the high- est use. Still other factors include side products. Some dair- ies make money turning cow manure into compost, electric- ity or natural gas and selling it. Others lease land for wind turbines that produce elec- tricity. Others do custom field work on the side or grow feed instead of buying it. Still others sell rights-of- way or development rights to help them pay down debt and increase cash flow. Farmers need to know how to raise livestock and grow crops, but they also need to be entrepreneurs, marketers and innovators. Yes, Mr. Secretary, there’s more to farming profitably than size in the 21st century. A lot more. WHERE TO WRITE GRANT COUNTY • Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-575-2248. • Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@ centurylink.net. • Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net • John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-575-1721. Email: cityjd@ centurytel.net. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@ cityoflongcreek.com. • Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net. • Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ ortelco.net. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by OTHER VIEWS Vaping ban a wise course of action The fact that the Oregon Liquor Control Commission is moving ahead to formu- late plans to execute Gov. Kate Brown’s order that bans vaping products is good news. A spokesman for the agency said in a story in this news- paper this week that once the commission OKs the ban, its staff could begin inspecting retailers immediately. As many readers probably already know, Brown issued an executive order last week to ban flavored vaping prod- ucts for six months. The ban is a reaction to a mysterious vap- ing illness that has sickened more than 1,000 people across the nation, and two dead in Oregon. In our conservative part of the county, no one is particu- larly enamored when govern- ment steps in and proclaims the decision is for our “own good.” The Eastern Oregon mantra of live-and-let-live as long as injuries. What, exactly, is the cause is something the nation’s medical community — spear- headed by the Centers for Dis- ease Control — must discover. Granted, the ban will impact small businesses that sell the product. No one in our part of the state likes to see small business — or business of any kind, for that matter — suffer an economic hardship. Build- ing a prosperous business any- where in America is tough, but it is particularly difficult in Eastern Oregon. But in this case, a prudent course of action is far better than doing nothing and wait- ing for a medical solution that could take months or years to surface. Until a definitive answer to the vaping illnesses can be found and proper steps created to deal with it, a ban makes sense. On this one the governor made the right move. —East Oregonian OTHER VIEWS Vaping warnings wise, but ban is excessive Several hundred people have damaged their lungs by vaping, and around 20 have died in the United States recently, includ- ing two in Oregon. The trend is troubling. And given the popularity of vap- ing as a safer alternative to smoking tobacco, government health officials had an obli- gation to issue warnings and even, as many have, to urge people to stop vaping alto- gether until more evidence is available about which prod- ucts pose the greater risk. But Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s decision last week to ban for six months the sale of flavored vaping products in Oregon, despite the absence of definitive proof that those products are hurting people, is excessive. Elected officials should not ban the sale of legal products when the link between those products and illness is less than conclusive. There’s evi- dence, although again it’s not absolute, that the biggest dan- ger might lie with black-mar- ket products rather than the legal ones affected by Ore- gon’s temporary ban. The analogy is not perfect, to be sure, but food recalls, most of which are initiated voluntarily by a manufacturer rather than imposed by the government, are limited to a well-documented, lab test-con- firmed risk, usually contam- ination of a specific list of items. In any case, it’s not as if Oregon’s temporary ban is the only way to significantly reduce the number of peo- ple who use flavored vaping products. It’s beyond question that the vast majority of people who vape are aware of the situation, and of the poten- tial risk. Some retailers acted quickly to pull products until they could confirm whether they contained an additive that has been linked to the ill- nesses. And it’s reasonable to believe that when the gover- nor says “Until we know more about what is causing this ill- ness, please, do not vape,” she will have an influence. California officials issued a similar statement urging resi- dents to avoid vaping. But unlike Brown, Califor- nia Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t temporarily ban any prod- ucts. Newsom instead directed health officials to start a pub- lic awareness campaign to emphasize the potential health risks of vaping. As is typically the case when the government seeks to deprive citizens of a product based on its potential hazards, Brown’s ban on flavored vap- ing items likely will have neg- ative effects that partially off- set its intended benefits. Because vaping is an alter- native to smoking, it’s likely that some vapers, denied access to the product, will revert to smoking tobacco. And there’s nothing uncertain about the health risks associ- ated with that. Brown’s decision to tempo- rarily ban products that might not prove to be implicated in the recent spate of illnesses isn’t the only problematic part of her executive order, though. The document shows that Brown’s motivation isn’t lim- ited to the recent illnesses. The order also cites surveys showing that more teens are using flavored nicotine vap- ing products, which can’t be legally sold to anyone younger than 21 in Oregon. Brown’s order blames this trend on advertisements for the flavored products. It’s perfectly reasonable for the governor to worry about minors using products which are supposed to be available only to adults. But that prob- lem, it hardly needs to be said, is not limited to flavored vap- ing products. Teenagers smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol as well. Gov. Brown has not taken any action to temporarily ban either of those products. Nor did she ban all vaping liquids, only the flavored ones. —Baker City Herald L 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. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. 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. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Community News .................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Administrative Assistant ..................Makenna Adair, office@bmeagle.com Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION you are not breaking the law remains vibrant. If you want to smoke, that’s your personal decision. But in this case Brown made the right move. That’s because flavored vap- ing products are extremely popular and right now the product appears to be caus- ing serious illnesses. The rea- son why people are apparently harmed by using the flavored vaping products is unknown. That makes it a general health hazard. When the health of the greater community — whether in small town Eastern Oregon or other parts of the nation — is at risk, government has a duty to act. Public health isn’t a once- in-a-while issue, but one that centers on our very way of life and our collective pursuit of happiness. So, the governor’s decision was a prudent one. A lot remains unknown about what is causing these vaping Online: MyEagleNews.com 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Phone: 541-575-0710 Copyright © 2019 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. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
