FOL'R The Heppner Caiette-Time. Hrppnrr, Oregon, Thursday. March 2, 19M
Dexter Miles with "friend " who models the "bunny boxes"
Iwhich can be put into cages for the nesting does.
Fuller canyon area rancher, design. They visited several
Bunny barns in Fuller Canyon
Area rancher, builder begin new enterprise
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Dexter Miles has expanded his
grain and hay ranch to include
an estimated 500 rabbits.
Miles, who has been in Mor
row Co. since 1951 and the
Fuller canyon area since 1971
says the reason for expansion
at this time is that a new
processing plant, Ore-Best,
opened up in Oregon City last
fall which hopefully will help
to stabilize the price and the
market for rabbit fryers.
Morrow Co. has some
"backyard operations" of 70 -100
does, but Miles plans five
bams, 12' x 150 which will
house 100 does and 12 bucks
each. This number was not
arbitrary, but based on rea
search which indicates the
amount of work to provide a
full time job and the size
return to support the payroll
for one man, reports Miles.
"And we hope this is true," he
continued.
He plans to raise primarily
New Zealand White rabbits
with a few Califomians. He
says the all white pelts are
preferred because they can be
dyed any color desired.
The pelts are secondary;
however, the low fat, low
cholestrol white meat is be
coming more in demand for
diet conscious people accord
ing to Miles. Four "working
does" are theoretically able to
produce the same amount of
meat as a beef cow in one
year.
Miles is building the barns
with the help of his sons.
Craig, Darrel; and Larry Dur-
fey and David and Mel Piper.
Miles says that Mel is prima
rily responsible for the barn's
bunny barns in the state and
then Mel modified the design
used at Oregon State Univer
sity to come up with the barns
now under construction.
Two of the five barns are
completed with the exception
of the wind vents which will be
needed to keep the heat in the
barns next winter. The build
ing design includes a white
plastic "windows" the height
of each cage and the length of
the entire barn allow outside
lightfor the rabbits. The barns
are insulated and Piper ex
pects the fertilizer buildup to
help provide adequate heat in
the winter for the rabbits.
Piper explains the the ven -filiation
system makes the
barns practically odorless.
The lower sides or wind vents
will be kept open in the sum
merto keep the barns at 85
degrees or less.
Construction began the first
of February and although only
two buildings are now com
pleted, Miles and Piper expect
to have the tin and insulation
on the other three frames in
three days after the rain stops.
After the operation is in full
swing Miles says he intends to
retreat to ranching. Mel Piper
will be the manager of the
rabbitry. Piper, who has been
in the building business in this
area for 30 years says he felt it
was "time for a change." He
enthusiastically describes
himself as "the cow boy who
will herd all the rabbits."
Piper says they nave pione
ered with the water system
which looks like a plastic pipe
running the length of the barn.
Each cage has a special valve
which allows the tub, ... .,
drink fresh water a drop at a
time. In the winter, Ihe w ater
will be heated to prevent
freezing.
The rabbits are fed four, six
or eight ounces of food each
evening, depending on which
stage they are in. says Miles.
The rationing is necessary for
economic reasons as well as to
control the growth rate of the
rabbits so that they reach the
optium fryer size. Larger rab
bits and "burned out" breed
ing stock must be sold as
stewers for a lower price. The
rabbits will be sold live to
Ore-Best which tentatively
will send a truck to the rab
bitry every week.
Piper predicts the first litter
about the middle of May. One
week before the does kindle,
he says they will be contained
in one-half of their cages
where a "bunny box" has been
placed, so that they will begin
building their nests. After the
does kindle, they may be bred
again in 14 days. This means
that a "working doe" should
produce a litter every 45 days.
Piper projects eight to ten
weeks as the time for a rabbit
to reach optimum fryer size.
When the doe is confined to
the nest half of the cage, the
first litter will remain in the
other half of the cage. Miles
points out, because rabbits are
territorial animals and tend
to become confused if they are
moved around too much.
Miles and Piper seem to
have done a lot of research
and preparation for this new
venture. Not only have they
designed cages which allow
them to haul a large number
of rabbits in a small space, but
also a lighting system and a
radio with speakers to settle
the rabbits and deter pred
itors. At this point. Miles says that
they have no plans for direct
sale to local markets, but they
will not turn down any as long
as it does not interrupt their
quota to their processor. Miles
says they are also interested
in cooperating with smaller
raisers in the area. He says
that he sees this not as com
petition but as a benefit to the
industry, and "only time will
tell..."
--'.i'".a'3l
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Mel Piper modified several barn designs to come up with
the result ho has built here
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This row of young does is now being cared for in one of the
completed barns.
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Two bucks peek out from behind their feeders. The pipe in
the foreground is their fresh water supply.
The
IFiff tfa Quarte?
Sports by Mike Oths
Allow ine at least one more week on the college basketball
scene before I turn my crystal ball toward the baseball
diamond. As always, the NCAA Tournament has had Its
share of "stories," and Its share of non-stories. Some
seasons, we have what I would refer to as "Coach"
tournaments. The year that Ray Meyer finally made it to the
Final Four, the year that Marquette won the title for a
retiring Al McGuire, John Wooden's last season, and Dean
Smith's first title (two yean ago) were all "Coach"
tournaments. Some years we have "Individual" tourna
ments. Last year was a good example, as we all watched to
see if Ralph Sampson could get his title. Another "Indivi
dual" tournament was the year that matched Larry Bird and
Indiana State against Michigan State with Magic Jonnson.
There are also "power team" tournaments, "upset"
tournamente, "Cinderella" tournaments, etc.
The labels that get attached to the NCAA are mainly the
work of the networks, which need to add some continuity to
their rather lengthy telecasts. Nevertheless, the themes are
very real for those of ui who follow the tournament carefully.
This year's NCAA blowout hasn't really fallen into a neat
category, yet. The obvious first candidate to dominate the
media during the month of March was Ray Meyer's
swansong at DePaul. Had the Blue Demons stayed alive, the
Coach's retirement party would have undoubtedly oversha
dowed the games themselves. The Kentucky-Louisville
rematcha very hot Item last year has become old hat,
drawing little recognition beyond the fact that it was a power
match-up in the Mideast Regional.
The Cinderella theme was very close to grabbing the Brent
Musburger Emmy award. The Dayton Flyers, with a lineup
about the size of Parkrose High School, very nearly crowded
their way into the party in Seattle. I could write about this
topic for several days, so suffice it to say that Patrick Ewing
and his Beasts from the East put a decisive capper on the
Cinderella story (Virginia is sort of Cinderella, but not
really.) Maybe we can call this one the "Bit-Time
Wrestling -Macho" tournament. With the aforementioned Mr.
Ewing and his noto-merry men, the Kentucky gang of
overgrown tight-ends, and Akeem the Dream and his
bonecrushing slam-dunk artists from Houston, this tourna
ment might break the record for broken heads, broken
backboards and George Foreman-type stares.
A clue: if the Coaches mix it up, make NCAA Observa
tions: Those who are screaming for Ralph Miller's hide are
the purest example of fair-weather, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately
types. Fortunately for Beaver fans, Ralph won't
listen to a word they say. Take it from a pure Duck fan, I'll
contribute the first ten bucks if Ralph will retire tomorrow.
Unless, of course, O.S.U. fans expect John Wooden to come
out of retirement to take up residence at Gill Coliseum.
Lefty Dnesell sure went from Renaissance man to mere
mortal in a hurry. Ditto for Jim Valvano at N.C. State.
Finally, all those whose favorite team in the NCAA is now
"Anybody except another ACC team," please join me in line.
Additionally, North Carolina's ouster means that Dick Vitale
on ESPN will only talk about Mich ael Jord ann, about 67,000
more times.
Vitale's ability to work Michael Jordan's name into every
basketball statement reminds me of the way Howard Cose 11
used to inject Muhammad Ali commenU into every
conceivable boxing situation.
(NEXT WEEK: The fearless predictor of pennant races
calls the shots).
Sheriffs Report
The Morrow County She
riff's Department at the Mor
row County Courthouse in
Heppner handled the following
calls, cases and reports during
the past week:
On March 19, a Bourdman
ambulance responded to U &
I In regards to an Injured
female. She was transported
to Good Shepherd Community
Hospital in llcrmiston
On March 20, the Morrow
Co. Sheriff's Department ar
rested Ted Sampson, 30, of
Irrigon on an Irrigon Justice
Court warrant for Failure to
Appear on a charge of Permit
ting Livestock to Run at
Large. He posted bail and was
released.
On March 22, Don McElli
gott of lone, reported to the
Marrow County Sheriff's Of
fice the theft of an electric
fence control from the circle
on S K. Farms, Uoardman.
The theft allegedly occurred
between March 14 and 19, 1984.
The approximate value of the
control is $70.
On March 24, an ambulance
responded to Second Street
in lone and transported a
female with unknown probl
ems to Pioneer Memorial Hos
pital in Heppner.
On March 25, the Morrow
County Sheriff's Office arres
ted Joseph E. Ramos, 22, of
Echo for allegedly Driving
Under the Influence of Intoxi
cants. He was released on his
own recognizance.
Electrolysis &
Thermolysis
Permanent
Hair' Removal
Anna Schwarzih,
Certified
Electrologist
676-9248'
Open Tues. - Wed.
Or by appt.
Sifting through
the TIMBSjS
(Editor's note: This revi
ved, sometimes weekly
column will be an attempt to
highlight a portion of the more
interesting and newsworthy
in the judgment of this writer
stories from the pages of
Gazettes past.;
10 YEARS AGO
A record school budget of
$1,071,178 (amount outside the
six percent tax base support)
passed by a vote of 409 to 191.
The tax increased 15.1 percent
over the previous year. The
budget passed by a wide mar
gin in every precinct of the
county except lone where the
levy passed by only four votes.
The Office Tavern of lone
was robbed of $1,000 between
1 a.m. and noon of Sunday
before the paper's publication.
Bob Oswalt, then owner, re
ported no forced entry, stating
that a strong box and two
money bags had been taken.
He surmised that someone
had hidden inside before
closing time and waited for
everyone to leave or that he
had forgotten to lock the door.
Joseph L. Williams, vice
president of Portland General
Electric of Portland reported
that P.G.E. had filed an Ap
plication with the Atomic en
ergy Commission for a con
struction permit for eastern
Oregon's first nuclear gen
erating plant.
Reo J. Russell and his son,
Ronald, were reunited in Lex
ington after no communica
tion with each other for 25
years. Ronald and his mother
had moved to California after
his parent's divorce. Russell
wrote a letter to and was aided
in locating his son by the
Governor of California,
Ronald Reagan.
A.S.C.S. Executive Director
Sherwood M. Nicholas warned
farmers to plan ahead with
bulk fuel suppliers to receive a
100 percent allocation of the
fuel they used the previous
year for spring work.
25 YEARS AGO
Hehisch, Heppner High
School's newspaper received
first place award from the
National Scholastic Press
Competition. The newspaper
was one of four mimeograph
ed papers to receive this
award nationally.
Heppner cable TV added a
third channel, KPTV from
Portland. The two channels
previously available in Hep
pner were KEPR from Pasco
and KGWr from Portland.
A front page story clarifies
that the consolidation of
Boardman and Irrigon high
schools was ordered by the
Morrow Co. School Board in
February. An account from
the previous week had been in
error.
50 YEARS AGO
It was announced by Lucy
E. Rodriguez, president of the
Heppner Public Library As
sociation, that the library
would be open in its new
quarters at city hall.
Wheatland Baseball league
whhich included the town of
Hepppner, lone, Condon,
Fossil, Arlington and Umatilla
was preparing for the opening
game of the season. The
season included, 10 games. A
new rule this year stated that
each team could have one
"hired" player which was
different from the previous
year's rule which allowed no
"hired" players.
The first annual Morrow Co.
Homemakers conference was
held at Cecil Grange Hall. It
was attended by 126 women
representing all parts of the
county.
W. Smith arranged the meet
ing, the theme of which was,
"Can food and clothing change
the personality?"
The "lone News" column
reported that a fire had des
troyed the Murray barr. north
of lone.
Over the Tee Cup
Over the tee cup
Willow Creek Country Cluti
will begin the golf season with
Ladies Day, April 3. Accord
ing to a spokesperson for the
event, cotlee will tie servea at
9:30 and play will begin at 10
a.m.
ZSkv
Gczette-Times
PRINTING
i
'estimates gladly given '
676-9228
oall types business forms
O envelopes
O wedding invitations
O business cards
O rubber stamps & other
marking products
The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
P.O. Box 337 Heppner, OR. 97836
Ol O
LrLniLI uJ
Sale prices good March 28 - April, 8, 1984
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20 lb. bag covers 5,000 sq. ft. (572084)
M.C.C.C.
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P. O. Box 367
Lexington, Oregon 97839
Ph. 989-8221 1(800)452-7396