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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2017)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7 COMMENTARY Leadership class tours agriculture facilities sion Center. At Dow-DuPont (formerly DuPont-Pioneer) we learned about the hy- Although I stifle the fact bridization of corn seeds, like many bury family se- which are shipped to test- crets, I was born and raised ing teams across the U.S. At a city kid. Worse, Madison Ranch- actually — a sub- es in Echo, we urbanite. I’ve got bits of Aaron Madison’s ency- spent and loved the last three years clopedic knowl- in rural Oregon, edge about farm- but still approach ing, from how parts of rural life fields are irrigated with the eyes of an to ways technol- outsider. ogy has made farming more ef- That was never Jayati clearer than last Ramakrishnan ficient. At Shearer’s Tuesday, when I went with my Leadership Foods (a new stop for the Hermiston class to its first class this year), we learned themed session of the year, about the production and “Ag Day.” Our class went to packaging sides of making five places in the region, all potato, kettle and tortilla of which make some con- chips. I overstayed my wel- tribution to the agricultural come at the chip sampling station, but also learned industry. We heard from Craig about the distribution of Reeder, VP of Hale Compa- those products, some to ma- nies. Phil Hamm found time jor chains around the region. We ended the day at Bell- in between making cracks about my Oregon Ducks inger’s, where we learned sweatshirt to talk about the that the storefront many of work at the Hermiston Agri- us had already visited was cultural Research and Exten- one component of a hun- By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER dreds-acre farm that grows more than just the signature watermelons. It was an educational day for me, partly because it revealed how much I didn’t know. Growing up in the suburbs, you don’t see a farm every day, and when you do, it’s superficial enough to get the idea that farming is unskilled labor, or that anybody can do it. I suppose once I moved here, I sort of realized that’s not true, but it didn’t really reg- ister until Tuesday. As Craig Reeder spoke, my head spun trying to keep up with his all-encompassing knowl- edge of the Columbia Basin water system. When Aar- on Madison started talking about soil nutrient analysis, I already knew I’d be look- ing that one up at home. What’s clear to me, and what should be clear to any- one who’s not in agriculture, is how much planning, work and institutional knowledge goes into farming, as well as a need to be flexible for the changing world they’re feeding. It challenged my idea of local food. “Raw product and a 20 minute drive,” Reeder told us, describing how all of the steps in the supply chain can be completed in the region, and how much money is generated from those steps. Though it may not say so on the packaging, there’s a good chance if you’re eating a potato product, or corn, or onion, it is, in fact, from around here. I’m not gushing. I’ve still got plenty of questions. There’s quite a lot of food waste, something I noticed at several places we went — and I would have liked to hear more about how it’s handled, or how to reduce it. “What about GMOs?” Shane Clayson of DuPont dared us to ask, a glint in his eye. He wasn’t the only one. Reeder talked about the different ways to handle a problem in agriculture, us- ing weeds as an example. You can pull it out, but that requires labor. Spray it, but then you’re using chemicals. You can learn to live with it but your yield will suffer. “GMOs are another po- tential tool,” he said. “You as a consumer have to de- cide between those things.” The Portlander in me still isn’t fully convinced, but I am convinced that Phil Hamm was (cringe) right. It’s worth caring about, and it’s important to understand. Whoever you are, whether directly or indirectly, agri- culture affects us all. Ag Day tidbits • Dow-DuPont grows and hybridizes rice, sorghum, alfalfa and cotton, but only corn, soybeans and wheat are grown in Herm- iston. • In addition to watermel- ons, Bellinger’s grows several crops including alfalfa, wheat, cantaloupe, tomatoes and pumpkins. • Shearer’s Foods’ cus- tomers include Kro- ger, Win Co, and Food Should Taste Good. • Madison Ranches is home to 18 wind tur- bines, which generate about 34 megawatts. • Hermiston Agriculture Research and Extension Center is one of 12 ag- ricultural experiment stations in the state, but every county has an ex- tension office. WORSHIP COMMUNITY SMARTPHONES AS LOW AS First United Methodist Church Hermiston 191 E. Gladys Ave , Hermiston OR Sunday Worship 11am • 541-567-3002 Nursery available • Check us out on Face Book Worship Livestream at herfumc.com Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church The Full Gospel Home Church 565 W. HERMISTON AVE. 235 SW 3rd Phone 567-7678 Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker Sunday: Sunday School........10:00 am Worship...................11:00 am Evening Service........7:00 pm Wednesday Service..7:00 pm “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7 DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday ...............................English 7:00 am Thursday...............Spanish 6:00 pm SATURDAY:.........English 5:00 pm ...............................Spanish 7:00 pm SUNDAY:..............English 9:00 am ..........................Bilingual 11:00 am ..............................Spanish 1:00 pm Offi ce..............................567-5812 Seventh-day Adventist Church Saturdays Sabbath School........9:30 a.m. Worship Service......11:00 a.m. English & Spanish Services 567-8241 855 W. Highland • Hermiston St. Johns Episcopal Church Join Us On Our Journey With Jesus. Scripture, Tradition and Reason Family service 9am Sunday N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston t. PH: 567-6672 We are an all inclusive Church who welcomes all. $ 1 PER MONTH NO TRADE-IN REQUIRED. LANDMARK BAPTIST CHURCH 125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232 Pastor David Dever Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm www.hermistonlmbc.com Grace Baptist Church 555 SW 11th, Hermiston 567-9497 Nursery provided for all services Sunday School - 9:30 AM Worship - 10:45 AM 6:00 PM Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM “Proclaiming God’s word, growing in God’s grace” First Christian Church “Proclaiming the Message of Hope, Living the Gospel of Love” 1255 Hwy. 395 S. • 567-5834 oasisvineyard.us Sunday School 9:15am Worship Gathering 10:30 am Children’s Church 10:30 am Worship 10:00 AM 567-3013 “come as you are” 775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston NEW BEGINNINGS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Worship Service 10:30 AM Sunday School 9:00 AM Pastor J.C. Barnett Children’s Church & Nursery Available 700 West Orchard Avenue P.O. Box 933 Hermiston, Oregon 541-567-8441 1520 W ORCHARD AVE Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE, SERVING PEOPLE www.hermistonnazarene.org Echo Community Church 21 N. Bonanza Street, Echo OR Phone: (541) 376-8108 Sunday School • 9:30am Worship • 10:45am Children’s Church • 11:15am Potluck & Communion ~ First Sunday of the Month To share your worship times call 541-278-2678 OFFER ENDS 10/26 Postpaid Plan, 0% APR, $0 down, 30-month Retail Installment Contract and credit approval required. Prices vary. Additional terms apply. Things we want you to know: Postpaid Plan, 30-month Retail Installment Contract and credit approval required. A Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee (currently $2.02) applies; this is not a tax or government required charge. 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