A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016
Homegrown
Local farm wins
radish seed dispute
Favorable decision
may affect
other growers in
lawsuit with bank
By MATEUSZ
PERKOWSKI
EO Media Group
FILE PHOTO
Watermelons roll by on a conveyer belt on a melon sizing machine at Pollock & Son’s production facility outside of Hermiston.
Hermiston and watermelons:
BRANDING AND HISTORY
By SAM BARBEE
Staff Writer
Wander through Herm-
iston and there¶s no doubt
watermelon is king.
The water tower south
of town is marked with the
green and red fruit on its
north side. Signs welcom-
ing motorists to Hermis-
ton greet them with it. ,t¶s
on city letterhead, signs
for private businesses and,
come July, ¿lling the entry-
ways to grocery stores and
fruit stands alike.
Even its seeds play a
part in the long-running
seed-spitting competition at
the Umatilla County fair.
Why is the fruit such a
large part of Hermiston¶s
identity?
,t¶s
not
economic.
According to Assistant
City Manager Mark Mor-
gan, watermelon actually
makes up a relatively small
percentage of the area¶s
annual production. Onions
and potatoes, are were cul-
tivated on 25,000 acres of
land in Morrow and Uma-
tilla Counties in 2013, are
the lucrative crops. But
watermelon has latched
onto Hermiston, or vice
versa, not because of eco-
nomics, but because of its
uniqueness.
“<ou¶re not going to be
growing watermelons in
Joseph or Burns,” Morgan
said. “We can grow water-
melons better than anyone
else. They¶re a good posi-
tive to be known for even
if it isn¶t a direct economic
impact in itself.”
In terms of branding,
watermelons are a good
sell. They are attractive in
hot Hermiston summers,
and purchased and recog-
nized widely.
“The ¿rst reaction ev-
eryone has (about Herm-
iston) is, ‘Oh, watermel-
ons,” Morgan said. “The
biggest thing to overcome
in marketing is for people
to understand and know in
the ¿rst place ... Between
mid-90s and 2012 one of
big drivers for local jobs
was burning off chemical
weapons. <ou don¶t really
A favorable ruling won
by a Hermiston farm in a
legal dispute over radish
seed may have positive
consequences for other
operations involved in the
lawsuit.
Several farms in Or-
egon are ¿ghting a legal
complaint ¿led by 1orth-
west Bank of Warren, Pa.,
that claims it has a secu-
rity interest in radish seed
they grew in 2014.
The bank claims the
radish seed serves as col-
lateral for a $7 million
loan taken out by Cover
Crop Solutions, a seed
company that contracted
with Oregon growers to
produce a proprietary va-
riety.
Radish seed is used as
a cover crop in the Mid-
west, but weather in 2014
reduced demand among
farmers in that region and
resulted in an oversupply.
1orthwest Bank¶s law-
suit contends that its secu-
rity interest in the radish
seed has priority over that
of the growers, but a fed-
eral judge in Portland has
disagreed with that argu-
ment in regard to at least
one farm.
U.S. Chief District
Judge Michael Mosman
has found that Hawman
Farms of Hermiston
agreed to grow roughly
$180,000 worth of seed
and has a “possesso-
ry lien” on the crop that
takes precedence over the
security interest held by
the bank.
Under a possessory
lien, a party can retain
possession of property un-
til a debt has been paid.
1orthwest
Bank
claimed the contract be-
tween Hawman Farms
and Cover Crop Solutions
invalidated all such liens,
but Mosman decided that
it only barred liens against
the licensed radish cultivar
— which was owned by
another company — and
not the physical seed crop.
Sanford Landress, at-
torney for Hawman Farms,
said Mosman¶s opinion
may also be consequen-
tial for other farms, which
claim they have possesso-
ry liens on the seed.
Hawman Farms grew,
cleaned and stored the
radish seed, which puts
the company in a different
legal position than grow-
ers who had another ¿rm
clean and store the crop,
Landress said.
“People with contin-
uous possession of the
seed, like Hawman, are
going to beat the bank,”
he said.
FILE PHOTO
Walchli )arms has used an inÁatable giant Zatermelon on its
Áoat during the 8matilla &ounty )air Parade.
want to be known for that.”
Part of it, Patrick Wal-
chli of Walchli Farms ex-
plained, is that watermel-
ons have been a mainstay
of Hermiston farming for
decades.
“There are other things
here, there are other in-
dustries, but it¶s made its
name over several years
and people know who it
is,” he said. “Growing the
crop has been passed down
through generations. It¶s
been a generational thing.
<ou¶ve grown up in it.”
One reason the Colum-
bia Basin is such a good
area for growing anything,
including
watermelon,
is the hot days and cold
nights during growing
season. This creates the
uniquely sweet watermel-
ons that are shipped across
1orth America. Walchli
said most of his watermel-
ons are distributed with-
in the 1orthwest, but the
Midwest has recently been
a large buyer. They¶ve also
shipped to Texas and just
about everywhere in Can-
ada.
“I mean, if you go
around the area and it¶s no
different to me than saying,
‘the Pendleton Round-up¶
and they instantly recog-
nize it,” Walchli said. “And
Hermiston is recognized
for the watermelons, which
is a good deal for us melon
growers because it shows
we¶re doing our job.”
FILE PHOTO
Field hands collect
Zatermelons from a Àeld
oZned by %ellinger Farms in
2015 outside of Hermiston.
Watermelons
aren¶t
easy to grow. They require
speci¿c conditions, both
of the air and of the soil,
and require much care and
attention during its growth
period, which lasts about
80 days. Once ready to
harvest, the large fruits
must then be gathered
and stored, often by large
crews working 80-hour
weeks.
“It¶s labor-intensive,”
Walchli said. “It¶s a tough
crop to grow. It takes a spe-
cial kind of cat to want to
get involved in a crop like
watermelons.”
CELEBRATING 58 YEARS OF SERVING
AREA FARMS & RANCHES!
• Bulk Gas • Heating Oils • Solvents & Kero
• Lube Oils in Bulk Quantities • Diesel Fuel
• Off Road • On Road • Lubricating Oils
AN INDEPENDENT FRANCHISEE OF
PACIFIC
PRIDE
THE COMMERCIAL FUELING SYSTEM
Lube Oils: Chevron • Shell • Mobil
HELLER & SONS DISTRIBUTING, INC.
541-567-6582 • 1-800-698-6582 • 615 N. 1st • Hermiston
MEAT CUTTING &
CUSTOM PROCESSING
BEEF • PORK • SHEEP
• WILD GAME PROCESSING • CURING
SMOKING • JERKY • SMOKED SAUSAGE
E.O.M.S.
EASTERN OREGON MOBILE SLAUGHTER
253 Hermiston Ave., Hermiston, OR 97838
(541) 567-2011