STATE
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
A7
USDA outlines market-based climate approach
of climate,” he said.
USDA will be laying out its efforts
in greater detail this week in Colorado,
and Vilsack hopes farmers will feel
USDA listened to their concerns and
needs.
USDA understands it’s about pilots,
partnerships, listening to farmers and
reducing the risks associated with cli-
mate-smart agriculture, he said.
Robert Bonnie, deputy chief of staff
and senior climate adviser at USDA,
said there’s a lot of alignment between
climate and agriculture.
“To take advantage of that, we
need to make sure that whatever we do
works for producers, works for agricul-
ture,” he said.
So it’s important to design incen-
tives and other opportunities in a way
that fits into producers’ existing oper-
ations, and USDA is looking for ways
to create more market opportunity, he
said.
Climate-smart agriculture isn’t just
about mitigation, it’s also about resil-
iency, he said.
“It’s making sure we provide good
information and help for producers
that help make sure their operations are
more resilient,” he said.
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
While the European Union is
mandating certain agricultural prac-
tices and prohibiting others to meet its
goals for mitigating climate change,
the U.S. is taking a different route.
“We think that a market-based,
voluntary, incentive-based approach
works best with our farmers,” USDA
Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a webi-
nar during the National Farmers
Union’s virtual legislative fly-in.
USDA has listened closely to
what farmers think and feel about
climate-smart agriculture and how
USDA can structure its approach to
be most beneficial to them, he said.
With more consumers wanting to
make sure their food decisions are not
contributing to greenhouse gas emis-
sion, USDA sees a market opportu-
nity for verifiable sustainable prod-
ucts, he said.
“We think there’s a value-added
proposition there, and we want farm-
ers to be able to take full advantage
of that value-added opportunity,” he
said.
Measuring and quantifying posi-
Courtesy of Bill Jepsen
No-till farming is one practice seen as climate-friendly. USDA is developing market-based incentives for such practices.
USDA wants to be able to reduce
the risk, he said.
“There are a lot of different ways
to do this, a lot of different practices
and a lot of different approaches. We
want to make sure that we are derisk-
ing all of those approaches,” he said.
USDA is already engaged in sev-
eral areas related to climate, such as
methane digesters, energy efficiency,
conservation programs, research and
technical support.
tive impacts will not only allow farm-
ers to take advantage of that market
opportunity but allow them to par-
ticipate in carbon and other markets
without necessarily incurring substan-
tial cost.
But there is a financial risk associ-
ated with certain practices or buying
certain technologies, he said.
“That costs money. And the reality
is that’s risky, especially when mar-
gins are so tight already,” he said.
ODFW: No new
wolf kills in
Baker County
There are roughly 45 agricultural
practices that work in mitigating cli-
mate change, and USDA wants to
make sure those practices are encour-
aged. It is also looking for other ways
to provide financial resources, verifica-
tion and credibility while giving farm-
ers the ability to voluntarily engage, he
said.
“I believe that when we do this, do
it right, agriculture will be at the fore-
front of real aggressive action in terms
Oregonians fear climate change unstoppable
By ZANE SPARLING
Pamplin Media Group
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
No additional wolves have been killed
from the Lookout Mountain pack in east-
ern Baker County since Sept. 17, and the
pack hasn’t been implicated in any recent
attacks on cattle.
Wolves from the Lookout Mountain
pack have killed at least six head of cat-
tle, and injured three others, since mid July.
On the morning of Sept. 17, employees
from the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW), firing rifles from a heli-
copter, shot and killed three wolves from
the pack, including its breeding male.
Michelle Dennehy, an ODFW spokes-
person, wrote in an email to the Herald
Monday morning, Sept. 27, that no wolves
have been killed since Sept. 17.
ODFW announced on Sept. 16 that
agency workers intended to kill up to four
wolves from the pack, not including the
breeding female.
Four ranchers who have lost cattle to
wolves are also authorized to kill up to
two wolves from the pack, not including
the breeding female. That permit continues
through Oct. 31.
ODFW employees shot and killed two
other Lookout Mountain wolves, both of
them pups born this spring, on Aug. 1.
The most recent confirmed wolf attack
on cattle happened on Sept. 16, according
to ODFW reports.
ODFW employees found the carcass
of a 450-pound calf on Sept. 17 on private
land near Daly Creek, north of Lookout
Mountain.
ODFW workers also confirmed on
Sept. 20 that wolves had injured a 450-
pound calf, also on private land, but biolo-
gists estimated that attack happened about
three weeks earlier.
The calf was found in the Timber Can-
yon area north of Little Lookout Mountain.
ODFW officials estimate the Look-
out Mountain pack consists of six wolves,
including the breeding female.
By killing the breeding male, ODFW
hopes to still allow the breeding female
to raise any remaining juveniles. Reduc-
ing the number of juveniles she will need
to feed increases the likelihood that some
will survive, according to a press release
from the agency.
Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash sent a
letter to ODFW Director Curt Melcher on
Sept. 13 asking the state to kill the entire
Lookout Mountain pack.
Three days later ODFW announced that
it would try to kill up to four wolves, cit-
ing the ongoing threat to livestock and the
evidence that the Lookout Mountain pack
has been targeting cattle despite significant
populations of elk and deer in the area.
MORE INFORMATION
We’re doomed.
That’s the pessimistic point of
view espoused by the two-thirds
of Oregonians who believe there’s
a slight chance, or no chance at
all, that humans can solve climate
change in time to stave off the worst
of its effects, according to a new
poll.
The data comes from the non-
profit Oregon Values and Beliefs
Center, which surveyed 1,154
adult state residents in mid-August
to map Oregonians’ perception of
climate change. Survey respon-
dents were selected to match state
demographics. The margin of error
ranges from 1.7% to 2.9% per
question.
A majority of residents think
there’s only a small chance (45%)
— or no hope at all (21%) — of
stopping climate change, the results
show, or about 66% total.
Interestingly, a similar slice of
the state says human-caused cli-
mate change is fact (64%), com-
pared to just 8% who believe that
carbon emissions’ role in global
climate is fiction. Democrats (85%)
far outpace Republicans (27%) in
describing climate change as real-
ity, a trend also seen comparing
college graduates (77%) to those
with a high school diploma or less
(57%).
“People are more pessimistic
The Oregon Values and Beliefs
Center is committed to the
highest level of public opinion
research.
To obtain that, the nonprofit is
building the largest online re-
search panel of Oregonians in
history to ensure that all voices
are represented in discussions
of public policy in a valid and
statistically reliable way.
Selected panelists earn points
for their participation, which can
be redeemed for cash or donat-
ed to a charity. To learn more,
visit oregonvbc.org/about-the-
panel and join the panel.
Oregon Capital Insider
about forest fires and the climate
crisis than about solving communi-
cable diseases like COVID (33%),
voting rights and secure elections
(40%), racial discrimination (58%),
or population growth (62%),” poll-
sters said in a briefing memo.
Here are a few more highlights
from the survey:
• Despite the dramatic photos of
wildfires and flooding that inundate
social media, a majority of Orego-
nians say climate change has had
no (22%) or little (40%) impact on
their life. That said, the impact has
been significant (27%) or dramatic
(11%) for the remainder.
• Oregonians aren’t eager to pay
more at the pump, either. A third
(35%) wouldn’t support any sort
of fossil fuel tax, and another 13%
wouldn’t want to pay more than a
quarter per gallon in tax. A skimpy
majority (51%) would pay as much
as 50 cents. Only 15% would OK a
tax of $4 or more, if that’s what it
takes to halt climate change.
• While research shows that
Americans generate, on average,
15 to 25 tons of greenhouse gas
emissions annually — compared
to a global average of four tons
per year — most Oregonians think
their own lifestyle is below the
mean. Some 42% of respondents
said their emissions are extremely
low, 40% said their emissions are
low, while just 3% admitted to
average levels of pollution.
What about the solutions?
Oregonians largely favor gov-
ernment interventions that promote
tree planting (81%) and incentivize
renewable energy sources (80%),
pollsters wrote. A healthy major-
ity also approve of strengthening
regulations on industrial emissions
(73%), as well as implementing
tougher fuel efficiency standards
(69%).
“Nearly half of Oregonians say
they aren’t sure about geo-engi-
neering strategies, like reflective
artificial clouds (47%),” pollsters
say. “Strategies like this will need
more media attention before peo-
ple have strong opinions.”
Women having impact on agricultural economics
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
An influx of women over the
past four decades has increased the
relevance of the topics that agricul-
tural economists study, a recent arti-
cle says.
Susan Offutt, a retired chief
economist at the U.S. Govern-
ment Accountability Office, and Jill
McCluskey, director and regents
professor in Washington State Uni-
versity’s School of Economic Sci-
ences, recently published an article,
“How Women Saved Agricultural
Economics.”
The article was in the Agricul-
tural & Applied Economics Associ-
ation’s journal Applied Economics
Perspective and Policy.
“We were just thinking about all
of the impacts women have made in
agricultural economics,” McCluskey
said. “I feel like many of them have
Blazing Fast
Internet!
doesn’t have a job, McCluskey said.
“If a woman has a child during
her time on the faculty, she should
be supported,” she said. “With these
types of programs, we’re supporting
people to work and be successful.”
Once critical mass is achieved,
it’s easier to recruit more women
into the field, McCluskey said.
Some of the topics that women
study the most have the highest cita-
tions in published articles, which
is “the currency of academia,”
McCluskey said. “People are inter-
ested and it’s having impact.”
Offutt and McCluskey also point
to the contribution of women in lead-
ership roles. Both are former presi-
dents of the Agricultural and Applied
Economics Association.
Women need more examples of
women economists or in high policy
positions, Offutt said — “just hav-
ing visibility to say, ‘Oh, yeah, that
is something women do.’”
as relevant to national policy.”
Consumer research is vital for
farmers, McCluskey said. It helps
growers choose the best crops to
grow and in which traits to invest
breeding research.
“Before you do something, you
need to know the impact on consum-
ers,” she said. “If no one’s willing to
pay for it, then it’s worth nothing.”
The authors say women are
under-represented in the field.
They’re often discouraged from
entering fields that are math-inten-
sive, McCluskey said.
“We can tackle it with mentor-
ing and high expectations, we can
tackle it with work-life programs
(and) dual-career hiring programs,”
she said.
Many people meet their part-
ners in graduate programs, lead-
ing to dual-career academic cou-
ples. Women are more likely to turn
down or leave a job if their husband
been unrecognized. We also wanted
to point out that adding diversity
to the field can make it more cre-
ative, more relevant and even more
rigorous.”
Women primarily broadened the
topics that agricultural economists
consider to include food and con-
sumer issues, social safety nets and
the environment, the authors said.
Women tend to be more inter-
ested in social policies such as labor,
education and health, including con-
sumer nutrition and international
market development, Offutt said.
They’re not necessarily as interested
in finance or farm management.
“The women who joined wanted
to study those topics,” Offutt said.
“We argue that without the momen-
tum the discipline gained by hav-
ing a significant number of students
that wanted to look at those issues,
it would have remained much more
narrowly focused, and we think not
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