A8 STATE Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 13, 2021 Research explores dry farming possibilities crops that researchers weren’t aware could be grown without irrigation. Crops include winter squash, tomatoes, dry beans, orchards, zucchini, melons, carrots and corn. “As soon as you say, ‘These are the only crops you can dry farm,’ there’s always going to be somebody innovating...,” Garrett said. More than 50 farmers are participating in research eff orts Oregon State University involving crops ranging from Oregon State University Dry Farming Project student research as- vegetables to wheat. Most of them are using sistants Kelly Andrus, Asher Whitney and Meaghan Herlihy host a small parcels, some as small as dry-farmed tomato tasting at the Corvallis Farmers Market. 1,000 square feet, Garrett said. Water availability in the soil, the more likely it is to pro- yields in California, Stone said. soil is the most important fac- duce a higher yield, she said. “You don’t have the irriga- tor, said Alex Stone, OSU veg- Some dry-farmed tomato tion expense and you can have etable specialist. The more yields on some sites in Oregon lower weeding costs,” she said. water-holding capacity in the were comparable to irrigated Researchers are also ana- By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press SALEM — Northwest farmers and researchers are exploring how to expand the use of “dry farming.” Dry farming is a low-in- put approach to farming. Some farmers draw a distinction between “dry farming” and “dryland farming,” while oth- ers use the terms interchange- ably. Those participating in the research use the defi nition of “irrigated once or not at all.” Dry farming was more prevalent before farmers turned to irrigation, said Amy Garrett, president of the Dry Farming Institute and Oregon State Uni- versity Extension small farms programs instructor. She’s met longtime dry farmers raising USDA stands by killing of wolf pups By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press They claimed killing pups is not biologically sound or socially acceptable. They also referred to an Idaho law that took eff ect July 1 to allow more wolf harvest and more methods of killing wolves. Moreover, “wolf pups pose no threat to domestic livestock — in Idaho or anywhere in the Western United States,” they said in the letter. The letter was from the International Wildlife Coexis- tence Network, Western Water- sheds Project, Living with Wolves, Friends of the Clear- water, Predator Defense, Wil- dEarth Guardians, conservation educator Christine Gertschen, and the Center for Biological Diversity. SALEM — USDA has rejected environmentalists’ request that its Wildlife Services unit stop killing wolf pups on all public lands. The agency’s hunters and trappers in some states are called upon to cull wolf packs when they attack livestock, costing ranchers thousands of dollars. The environmentalists in an Aug. 4 letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said they were “dismayed” to learn Wildlife Services in Idaho was involved in killing wolf pups on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service is a part of USDA. lyzing profi tability. Yields are lower, so the cost of dry- farmed produce tends to be higher, according to the Dry Farming Institute. One goal is to entice cus- tomers to pay more for dry- farmed products than for irri- gated products, said Emily Dick, project manager at the Washington Water Trust, a nonprofi t dedicated to improv- ing and protecting stream fl ow and water quality. A pilot project involving 11 farmers developed a label for dry-farmed produce. Benefi ts of dry farming for farmers can include lower weeding costs by 50% and lower input costs. For consumers, benefi ts can include enhanced fl avor and better storability, Garrett said. The researchers have con- ducted taste tests comparing dry-farmed tomatoes, melons and berries to their irrigated counterparts. About $1 million has been devoted to research so far. The researchers hope to fi nd more funding for research, said Lucas Nebert, an OSU post-doctoral student. He hopes to start mapping sites where dry farming is likely to be successful. Garrett thinks more recog- nition in the marketplace will lead to more demand. “This year, especially with temperature extremes, water issues and the backdrop of the fi res, people are thinking about how to adapt,” she said. “It’s not the solution (by itself), but it can be part of an adaptive strategy.” Prudential seeks millions more from Easterday By DON JENKINS Capital Press Jenny Lester Moffi tt, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said in an Oct. 1 response letter that it’s important that Wildlife Ser- vices managers have access to all available tools to eff ectively respond to depredation, and that lethal çontrol methods are necessary in some situations. “As such, we cannot stop using any legal, humane man- agement options, including the lethal removal of juvenile wolves,” she wrote. Wildlife Services personnel work carefully to remove “only those animals necessary to pro- tect livestock, other agricultural resources, natural resources, human health and safety, or property,” she said. Conservation groups said their request was prompted by Wildlife Services killing pups in response to complaints from a public lands rancher. The rancher had experienced dep- redation more than a year ear- lier. They said Wildlife Ser- vices started pursuing the pack in May, when an agent killed three pups at the den, and that the agency killed fi ve more pups over the next two months. SALEM — Prudential Insurance Co. claims the bank- rupt Easterday estate owes it more than $9 million, a demand opposing lawyers call unreasonable and if paid will come “out of the hide” of other creditors. Eastern Washington cattle- man Cody Easterday borrowed $50 million from Prudential in 2020, about one year before he fi led for bankruptcy as he was being investigated for defraud- ing Tyson Fresh Meats. Prudential recovered with interest the loan out of the $209 million that Farmland Reserve Inc. paid to buy East- erday farms in Benton County. The New Jersey-based lender, however, says it’s still due nearly $7 million because the 10-year loan was repaid early and $2.1 million because Easterday’s bankruptcy trig- gered a 12% default interest rate. Attorneys for the bank- rupt Easterday businesses say there is no evidence early pay- ment harmed Prudential and have asked U.S. Bankruptcy TOM CHRISTENSEN CHRISTENSEN TOM CONSTRUCTION Judge Whit- man Holt in Yakima to deny the prepayment penalty and default Cody interest. Easterday T h e attorneys called the formula used to calculate the early payment penalty “unconscionable” and that every dollar paid in default interest is “a dollar that comes out of the hide” of other creditors. On Wednesday, Pruden- tial fi led a brief responding to accusations it was being unreasonable. Cody Easter- day — along with his wife and parents — were sophisticated borrowers who understood the nature of Prudential’s business, according to the brief. “At its core, the prepay- ment formula employed by Prudential is ubiquitous in the real estate fi nance industry,” according to Prudential. The two sides are due to appear in front of Holt on Oct. 20. The resolution will aff ect how much money is left for other creditors, including Tyson, who was defrauded out of $233 million. Easterday pleaded guilty to billing Tyson for buying and feeding some 200,000 head of cattle that didn’t exist. The Commodity Futures Trading (541) 410-0557 • (541) 575-0192 Commission says Easterday used the payments to cover losses from trading in cattle futures markets. In a plea deal, Easterday promised to make restitution. His sentencing for wire fraud has been postponed until Jan- uary to give him time to help sell Easterday assets and raise money for Tyson and other creditors. Prudential is at the head of the line because its loan was secured by three Easterday farms. Prudential and Easterday temporarily set aside their dif- ferences this summer to allow Farmland Reserve, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, to buy the farms without liens. Prudential contends the prepayment premium was part of an eight-fi gure commercial loan and not “anything close to conscience shocking.” Prudential and Easterday farms and ranches also are arguing over whether Pruden- tial should be reimbursed for $377,000 in legal fees and for a $41,000 title report it obtained to make sure it knew every- one who had an interest in the farms in case of a lawsuit. Equitable Life Insurance Co. made a similar claim related to loans it made to Easterday in 2015 and 2020. Equitable argued it was due $3.2 million in prepayment premiums. Sponsor: CCB# 106077 REMODELS • NEW CONSTRUCTION • POLE BUILDINGS CONCRETE EXCAVATION • SHEET ROCK • SIDING ROOFING • FENCES • DECKS • TELESCOPING FORKLIFT SERVICES S262603-1 Monument School District is seeking applicants for the district secretary. 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