Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - THREE
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Letters to the Editor ~
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following
criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name
o f the sender along w ith a legible signature. We are also requesting that you
provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The
address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be
printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the
right to edit. The GT is not responsible for accuracy o f statements made in
letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under
“Card o f Thanks” at a cost o f $10.
Tyranny by the minority
Letter to the editor:
If you are on a fixed or limited income you should
really take some time to let environmental extremists know
what you think about their role in stopping logging and new
energy productions efforts. For most o f us the cost o f gas,
food, housing, fuel, roads and law enforcement are getting
out of hand and the environmental extremists are primarily
responsible. You should take the time to recognize these
people and give them your “special” blessing because they
have allowed you to give up so much on behalf o f their
extremist beliefs.
Environmental extremists have discounted the
guiding principles o f conservationist Gifford Pinchot
when he helped to create the US Forest Service. Gifford
Pinchot understood values o f nature and how to protect
the forests w ith a balance of economics and management
of our resources. Integrated forest management strategies
look at the health o f the forest within an adaptive manage
ment context. Plans call for the development o f a variety
o f stand structures across the landscape. This will, in turn,
benefit local and regional economies while providing
ample opportunities for forest recreation such as hunt
ing, berry picking, wildlife viewing and hiking. Healthy
forest ecosystems with varied stand structures also have
an added benefit as a deterrent against forest fires. Plans
also have strategies for properly functioning aquatic and
riparian habitats which will benefit the recreational and
commercial fisheries.
Because environmental extremists have success
fully blocked almost all federal timber sales through our
legal system, we now have densely stocked, unhealthy
forests resulting in catastrophic annual forest fires.
Don’t blame Nancy Pelosi (US Speaker o f the
House) for not renewing the legislation to obligate money
for federal timber payments. Activists have been pressur
ing and suing governments and agencies for decades now.
Activists are excluding science and proven safe practices
to scare people into paying more for fuel that is not safer
for the environment. The result is a system o f government
that is bowing to special interests. It’s called tyranny by
the minority and the rest o f us are paying the price.
Charles J. Hurliman
Tillamook County Commissioner
Kennedy promoted at
Bank of Eastern Oregon
Cindy Kennedy, new accounts
representative in Heppner, was promoted
to branch operations supervisor. Ken
nedy joined the bank most recently in
2006. She had previously worked at the
bank from 1996 to 2000 and took some
time off to raise her family. Cindy and
her husband, Sid, live in Lexington and
have two grown children.
“Cindy brings a positive, cus
Cindy Kennedy
tomer-oriented, can-do attitude to her
work. Customers and employees alike
get great respect and service from her,” said Koffler.
DA’s Report
Morrow County District Attorney Elizabeth Bal
lard has released the following report:
-Kyle Don Mcbride, 45, was convicted o f driving
under the influence o f intoxicants, a class C felony, and
was sentenced to three years supervised probations, 160
sanction units with 90 jail units, com pletel60 hours of
community service, other numerous conditions, and pay
$5,296 in fines, fees and assessments.
Estate
REALTOR
FIRST-TIME BUYER
Most first-time buyers are
renters. As such, the best time
to close on a house is when
your current lease ends. Don’t
sign another year-long lease
if you expect to buy a home
before the lease period expires.
Doing so will end up with a
dent in your pocketbook from
writing rent and mortgage
checks. If you can’t time your
closing correctly, approach
your landlord about a shorter
lease - say, three to six months
in length. One alternative
is a month-to-month lease.
You may be able to ask your
landlord to include an escape
clause in your new lease that
will allow you to get out o f
your lease with 30 or 60 days’
notice.
Coming from a cramped
rental, almost any home will
look good. Try to avoid jump
ing at the first house you see.
Look at many to see what’s on
the market. Inspect different
types o f homes including con
dos, duplexes, townhouses and
single-family homes. Some ob
jectivity should have returned.
Now make your choice.
Buy-in waiver for supplemental agricultural disaster
assistance programs underway in new farm bill
Darcy Vial, County
Executive Director for US-
DA’s Farm Service Agency
(FSA) in Morrow County
announced that the agency
will allow producers who
would otherwise be ineli
gible for the new disaster
assistance programs to be
come eligible by paying a
fee as required by the 2008
Farm Bill.
The 2008 Farm Bill
requires producers who wish
to participate in the new di
saster programs to have crop
insurance or non-insured
crop d isa ste r a ssistan c e
(NAP) coverage for all of
the land for which assistance
is being requested, and for
all farms in all counties in
which they have an interest.
Since the 2008 Farm Bill
was enacted after the ap
plication periods had closed
for those programs, produc
ers who did not have such
coverage could not comply
with this requirement in or
der to be eligible for the new
disaster programs. However,
the Farm Bill authorizes a
waiver that allows producers
to pay a fee, called a “buy-
in” fee, to be eligible for this
new disaster assistance.
“ I urge every pro
ducer whose crops, including
grazing lands, are not fully
covered by crop insurance
or NAP to take advantage of
this one-time opportunity,”
Vial said. “The buy-in fee
is due no later than Septem
ber 16, 2008, 90 days after
the date o f enactm ent, as
required by the Farm Bill.
If you miss this opportunity
you will not be eligible for
disaster assistance for 2008
crops. I also want to remind
producers that the payment
o f the applicable buy-in fee
does not afford the producer
crop insurance or NAP cov
erage; it only affords eligi
bility for the 2008 disaster
programs.”
The crop insurance
and NAP coverage require
m ents w ill be w aived in
2008 for producers who
did not obtain crop insur
ance or NAP coverage by
the applicable sales closing
date, if the producer files
an application for waiver
and pays a buy-in fee in an
amount equal to the 2008
applicable NAP coverage
or catastrophic risk protec
tion plan fee for the crop or
grazing lands.
Producers w ho meet
the definition o f “Socially
D isad v an tag ed , L im ited
Resource,” or
“Beginning Farmer
or Rancher,” do not have to
meet the Risk Management
Purchase Requirement, and,
therefore, are not required to
pay the buy-in fee, but must
come in to the county office
to apply.
The buy-in fee for
2008 eligibility is $100 per
crop, but not more than $300
per producer per administra
tive county, or $900 total per
producer for all counties less
any previously paid fees for
CAT and/or NAP. Producers
can contact their local FSA
C ounty O ffice to file the
application for waiver and
pay the applicable fees for
both the uninsured crops and
NAP crops.
The applicable buy-
in form must be completed
and applicable fees paid by
September 16, 2008. Pay
ment o f the applicable fees
will allow the producer to
be eligible for benefits for
losses under Supplemental
Revenue A ssistance Pay
m ents (SU R E) Program ,
Livestock Forage Disaster
Program (LFP), Tree As
sistance Program (TAP),
and Emergency Assistance
Livestock, Honeybees and
Farm-Raised Fish Program
(ELAP).
The Farm Bill au
thorizes funds to be used
to make payments to farm
ers and ranchers incurring
eligible crop production/
q u ality losses under the
SURE Program , grazing
losses under LFP, livestock
death losses under LIP, and
losses suffered by produc
ers o f livestock, honeybees,
and farm-raised fish under
ELAP. The 2008 Act also
a u th o rizes paym ents for
tree, bush or vine losses
under TAP.
To be eligible for
SU R E, TAP, and ELAP,
producers m ust m eet the
Risk Management Purchase
Requirem ent by purchas
ing at least the CAT level
o f crop insurance for all
insurable crops and/or NAP
coverage for non-insurable
crops. To be eligible for
LFP, producers must meet
the Risk Management Pur
chase Requirement by pur
chasing or obtaining for the
grazing land incurring the
losses where assistance is
being requested, a policy or
plan o f insurance under the
Federal Crop Insurance Act,
including pilot program s
such as the Pasture, Range-
land, Forage Program (PRF)
or NAP coverage by filing
the required paperwork and
paying the adm inistrative
fee by the applicable state
filing deadline. The Risk
Management Purchase Re
quirement does not apply
to LIP.
The SURE program
will be available to eligible
producers on farms in di
saster counties, designated
by the secretary, including
Senior Center Menu
Heppner Christian Church members will be serv
ing lunch on Wednesday, July 23. The menu will include
baked tilapia parmesan, rice pilaf, mixed vegetables, fruit
cocktail, peaches, and bread pudding.
(T
|\lew Items Arriving Pally!
Plus FUtfkY FEET & FLIP FLOPS
on sale now
Come in and see all
o f our new changes)
fW
^ Mumy'i D«i§
Property listings are available
at www.sykesrealestate.net
, inc .
Serving the Willow Creek Valley Heppner, Lexington, A lone
188 W. Willow • P.O. Box 337 • Heppner, OR 97836
(541) 676-9228 • Cell (541) 980-6674
Fax (541)676-9211
E-mail: david@sykesrealestate.net
\
217 North Mam St.. Heppner • Phone 676-9158 • Floral 676-9426
Monday - Friday 7 a m. - 6 p.m. / Saturday 9 a m. - 6 p.m.
Pharmacy Hours: 9 -1 and 2 - 6 Mon-Fri
*=
contiguous co u n ties that
have incurred crop produc
tion losses and/or crop qual
ity losses during the crop
year. It also will be available
to any farm where, during
the calendar year, the total
loss o f production on the
farm, because o f weather,
is greater than 50 percent
o f the normal production of
the farm.
The LFP program
will be available to eligible
livestock producers who
suffered grazing losses for
eligible livestock, because
o f drought on land that is
either native or improved
pastureland with permanent
vegetative cover or planted
to a crop specifically for
providing grazing. The LFP
program will also be avail
able to eligible livestock
p ro d u cers w ho su ffered
grazing losses for eligible
livestock, because o f fire
on rangeland managed by
a federal agency, if the eli
gible livestock producer is
prohibited from grazing the
normal permitted livestock
on the managed rangeland.
The LIP program
will be available to eligible
livestock producers on farms
that have incurred livestock
death losses in excess o f
normal mortality, because
o f adverse weather, as de
termined by the secretary
during the calendar year,
including losses because of
hurricanes, floods, blizzards,
disease, wildfires, extreme
heat and extreme cold.
The TAP program
provides assistance to or-
chardists and eligible nurs
ery tree growers who pro
duce nursery, ornamental,
fruit, nut or Christmas trees
for com m ercial sale that
lost trees, bushes, or vines,
because o f a natural disas
ter, as determ ined by the
secretary.
The ELAP program
w ill pro v id e em ergency
relief to producers o f live
stock, honey bees and farm-
raised fish, because o f losses
from adverse w eather or
other conditions, such as
blizzards and wildfires, as
determined by the secretary.
Because congress did not
provide a rulemaking ex
ception for these programs,
FSA must first publish a
proposed rule seeking pub
lic comment, followed by a
final rule. FSA is working to
develop detailed regulations
and software for these pro
grams. Sign up for the 2008
Crop Disaster programs is
not expected to be held until
this winter.
FSA’s news releases
are available on the Web at
FSA’s home page: http://
www.fsa.udsa.gov.
Corps reopens
John Day Dam
park facilities
T h e U .S . A rm y
Corps o f Engineers has re
opened LePage and Albert
Phillippi Parks at the mouth
o f the John Day Lock and
Dam, and Corps property in
Bigelow Canyon.
Wildland fires in the
area forced the Corps and
local fire and law enforce
ment personnel to evacuate
LePage Park and close Al
bert Phillippi Park and the
Bigelow Canyon property
on Thursday morning. The
Corps reopened the areas
late Saturday morning.
Although the threat
to Corps facilities near John
Day Lock and Dam has been
minimized, significant wild
land fire activity continues
in the region.
One month left
n Go Click!
jhoto contest
The Oregon Parks
and Recreation D epart
m ent (O PR D ) rem inds
state park adventurers to
pack their cameras along
with their camping sup
plies and picnic items.
That’s because amateur
photographers have one
month left to go play in
Oregon’s extensive sys
tem o f state parks and
to enter photos o f their
experiences. The dead
line to submit photos for
OPRD’s 2008 Go Click!
photo contest is August 1.
The OPRD is looking for
more pictures to be sent
in from Eastern Oregon
locations.
“ W e’ve already
received hundreds o f great
photos taken in our beau
tiful state parks, and we
want to see more,” said
contest organizer Jennifer
Deeder, OPRD. “We con
tinue to be amazed and
delighted at the quality
o f the photos w e’ve been
receiving and, like last
year, choosing 12 w in
ning photos is going to be
very difficult.”
Images submitted
may be from previous
years, but must be taken
in an Oregon State Park.
The winning photos will
be announced and dis
played at this year’s Or
egon State Fair in Salem
August 22 - September
1. The 12 winning photos
will be featured in a 2010
O PRD photo calendar
available for sale in spring
2009. The calendar will
include important dates
and special events in the
Oregon State Parks.
For complete con
test rules and inform a
tion about the O regon
Parks and R ecreatio n
2008 Go Click! photo
contest, v isit www.or-
eg o n statep ark s.o rg , or
call 800-551-6949.
Ladies Play
Day results
Ladies Play Day was
held on Tuesday, July 8, at
the Willow Creek Country
Club. R esults are as fol
lows:
July 8
Low g ro ss o f the
field was Lorrene Montgom
ery. Low net o f the field was
Jean Strange. Least putts of
the field was Luvilla Son-
stegard.
F lig h t A w in n e rs
were: low gross, Pat Ed-
m undson; low net, Betty
Christman; and least putts,
Corol Mitchell.
F lig h t B w in n ers
were: low gross, Pat Dough
erty; low net, Lynnea Sar
gent.
F lig h t C w in n e rs
were: low gross, Suzanne
Jepsen; low net, Joanne
Barbee.
KP: flig h t A w as
Betty Christman; flight B
was Lynnea Sargent; and
flight C was Joanne Bar
bee.
Long Drive: flight A
was Pat Edmundson; flight
B was Luvilla Sonstegard;
and flight C was Joanne
Barbee.
C h ip -in s: L u v illa
Sonstegard on # 11.
Best Ball: first place,
Corol Mitchell and Pat Ed
m undson; Second p lace,
Pat D ougherty and Jean
Strange; and third place,
Suzanne Jepsen and Lorrene
Montgomery.