NAMPA, Idaho — Persistent winds for more than a month have created headaches for Treasure Valley growers in Idaho and Oregon, making it a struggle for them to spray their crops and keep the ground wet.

“The stinking wind blows every day,” said Nyssa, Ore., grower Paul Skeen, who said the winds have resulted in poor onion stands in some fields.

The wind also takes the wax off onions, which can be injured if they are sprayed before the wax builds back up, he said.

The wind is also creating problems in other crops, including sugar beets, corn and alfalfa, because farmers are struggling to find windows to spray.

“We always have wind in the spring but this year it just seems like it’s been non-stop for a month,” said Nampa farmer Kevin Tuckness. “We haven’t been able to spray very much because the wind’s been blowing non-stop.”

Richard Durrant, owner of Big D Ranch, which grows 1,100 acres of sugar beets, corn, wheat, beans and alfalfa near Meridian, Idaho, said he had to re-plant some sugar beets this year because the wind dried the soil out before there was water in the canals.

Trying to keep the ground wet has been a real challenge this year because of the wind, said Neil Durrant, Richard Durrant’s son.

“You couldn’t keep the ground wet enough,” he said. “It seemed like every time you would get it wet, the wind came and dried it all out again.”

The Big D operation wasn’t able to get its alfalfa sprayed this year and that crop has a lot of bug damage as a result, Richard Durrant said.

The farm’s biggest concern right now is trying to get its sugar beets and corn sprayed.

“I think we’ll suffer some on yields if we can’t get in and spray soon,” said Neil Durrant. “This year has been a lot worse than any year I can recount. You can’t spray when the wind is blowing 15 to 20 mph.”

Tuckness said the wind has made a lot of sugar beet fields in the area uneven.

“You have stuff that’s 4 inches and stuff that’s just coming up,” he said. “It dried out portions of the field so you have stuff that germinated and came up and other spots of the field where it’s dry (and) we had to water everything up.”

Some pre-emergent chemicals that growers were able to spray aren’t having their normal effect because of how dry the soil is, Tuckness said.

Bill Buhrig, an Oregon State University cropping systems extension agent in Ontario, said the wind has made it a challenge to apply some critical timing sprays.

He said it’s been a struggle for many farmers in the area, including himself, to spray their alfalfa fields for weevils this year.

If weevil spraying is pushed back a week, “That’s one more week that they’ve had the opportunity to damage your crop,” he said.

The prohibition against genetically engineered crops in Oregon’s Josephine County has been struck down by a judge who ruled the ordinance is pre-empted by state law.

Voters in the county approved the ban on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in 2014 even though state lawmakers disallowed local governments from regulating the crops the prior year.

Proponents of the GMO ban claimed that the pre-emption state was unconstitutional, but Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Pat Wolke has rejected that argument and held the county ordinance to be invalid.

“The state law says that the localities may not legislate in this area; and the voters of Josephine County have attempted to legislate in the exact same area. It is impossible to read the two enactments in harmony; so that the local ordinance must give way,” Wolke said in the May 16 ruling.

Farmers Robert and Shelley Ann White challenged the legality of the GMO ordinance last year, arguing it had prevented them from planting biotech sugar beets on 100 acres of leased property.

During oral arguments in the lawsuit, held in April, much of the debate focused on whether the Whites had legal standing to file the case.

Supporters of the GMO ban called them “hobby farmers” who filed a “manufactured lawsuit” on behalf of agribusiness lobbyists and didn’t have a valid lease to the 100 acres or a contract to grow biotech sugar beets.

Oregonians for Safe Farms and Families, a nonprofit, and Siskiyou Seeds, an organic seed producer, had intervened to defend the ordinance after the county government took a neutral position in the litigation.

The intervenors claimed the Whites had a “purely hypothetical” interest in growing GMOs, which isn’t enough to establish standing.

“They need more than their general disdain for this ordinance to get into court,” said attorney Melissa Wischerath, who represented the intervenors.

The judge disagreed with that characterization, ruling that “the plaintiffs have demonstrated that their conflict with the ordinance is not academic or speculative and that the determination in this case will have a practical effect on them.”

Proponents of the GMO ban also claimed the ordinance should not be pre-empted by state law because Oregon has a “regulatory void” in regard to biotech crops.

Because lawmakers had barred local restrictions on GMOs without establishing a statewide system to protect organic and conventional farmers from cross-pollination, the pre-emption statute is unconstitutional, the invervenors argued.

Wolke found that Oregon law doesn’t require a “replacement regulatory scheme” for a statute to pre-empt local rules.

He also rejected the argument that the pre-emption statute only applies to packaged seeds and not plants, calling this an “absurd interpretation” of the law.

Oregon’s Jackson County was allowed to prohibit GMO crops in 2014 because the initiative was already on the ballot when lawmakers passed the pre-emption statute.

Supporters of Josephine County’s ordinance claimed the limit was arbitrary, but Wolke said it was a “legislative prerogative” to set the cut-off date.

Wolke likewise refused to disregard an Oregon Supreme Court precedent dealing with conflicts between state laws and county ordinances, saying he lacked the authority to do so.

PARMA, Idaho — Stripe rust in wheat has been detected from Eastern Idaho to Eastern Oregon and growers are being advised to check their fields closely for signs of the disease.

The disease, which can cause significant yield and quality losses, has arrived in the region early this year and likely over-wintered here, researchers said.

Stripe rust in wheat typically is blown into Idaho from other states, said Juliet Marshall, University of Idaho cereals extension specialist.

Its presence this early in the season, coupled with symptoms on the lower leaves, is a strong indication that it over-wintered here, she said.

In years with serious stripe rust outbreaks caused by the disease over-wintering, it usually doesn’t spread until after Memorial Day, Marshall said.

“We’re already seeing pretty good infections in both” dryland and irrigated wheat, she said.

Stripe rust has been found in susceptible spring and winter wheat varieties from Bannock County in Eastern Idaho to Malheur County in Eastern Oregon.

Marshall found stripe rust in two Southeast Idaho fields on April 4, one in a commercial field south of Aberdeen and the other in a field of volunteer wheat between Pocatello and American Falls where stripe rust was found in November.

Stripe rust was also reported in a wheat field east of Wendell in Southcentral Idaho in April and it was detected this week in winter wheat nursery plots at UI’s Parma research center in Southwestern Idaho, as well as in fields between Nyssa and Ontario in Oregon.

The fungus proliferates well in the cool, wet conditions prevalent in many areas across Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon this spring, she added.

“Conditions are good for the fungus this year,” she said. “I’ve been worrying about having a really big outbreak this spring.”

People with susceptible wheat varieties should check their fields weekly and closely, Marshall said. “It’s really critical that people scout for the fungus.”

Stripe rust in wheat has been an intermittent problem in Eastern Oregon and the last two years it arrived late enough in the season that most growers decided not to treat for it, said Bill Buhrig, an Oregon State University Extension cropping systems agent.

But he said there’s concern that its early arrival this year may mean growers will have to spray for it, which costs about $20-25 an acre total.

Stripe rust in barley has also been detected in one field at low levels. Stripe rust in wheat does not cause stripe rust in barley and vice versa, but the detection of both is an indication that conditions are ripe for the fungus, Marshall said.

Marshall encouraged growers to report any occurrence of either wheat or barley stripe rust to her at jmarshall@uidaho.edu

She strongly recommended growers plant one of the many resistant wheat varieties available, a recommendation seconded by Filer grower Jerry Mai.

“We do grow resistant varieties as much as we can,” he said. “It’s really the only thing we can do. It’s kind of silly not to.”

SATURDAY, MAY 14

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man who joined the security team during the takeover of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon has pleaded guilty to stealing government property.

Scott Willingham was with occupation spokesman Robert “LaVoy” Finicum on Jan. 15 when Finicum took down surveillance cameras at a substation near Burns.

Willingham’s the first refuge defendant to enter a guilty plea, but he’s not one of the 26 people scheduled to go to trial later this year in the larger conspiracy case stemming from the 41-day takeover.

Under a plea agreement, Willingham’s expected to face six months in prison. He’s agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation and spend up to several months at a residential re-entry program.

The Oregonian/Oregonlive reports that Willingham said “absolutely, without question” when a federal judge asked Thursday if entering the guilty plea was the right decision.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A recall petition has been filed against a Harney County official who did not support the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Petitioners say they have gathered 566 signatures, more than enough to compel Judge Steve Grasty to resign or face a recall election.

Though his title is judge, Grasty’s position is essentially chairman of the county commission. He tells The Oregonian/Oregonlive he’s not going to resign.

Ammon Bundy and others occupied the refuge this winter to protest the imprisonment of Dwight and Steven Hammond, two ranchers sent to prison for starting fires. They blame Grasty for not offering to protect the Hammonds from the federal government.

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office is working to verify the petition signatures.

A llama found dead and partially eaten May 9 was killed by one or more wolves, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The attack occurred on private land in the Buford Creek drainage of Wallowa County in northeast Oregon.

The stockowner found the llama with muscle tissue from the flank and abdominal area consumed, and most of its internal organs were on the ground next to the carcass.

An ODFW report indicated the attack probably occurred several hours before the carcass was discovered.

The location and size of bite marks indicated wolves were responsible, according to ODFW. Investigators also found fresh wolf tracks 200 yards and 10 yards away.

Tracking collar data showed OR-23 was 1.5 miles from the carcass site six days earlier.

The attack was attributed to the Shamrock Pack.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — One of the defendants involved in the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge has been allowed to represent himself in the case.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports U.S. District Judge Anna Brown allowed Jason Patrick to be his own lawyer Wednesday, but not without questioning his ability to act appropriately without legal counsel to guide him. She appointed Andrew Kohlmetz to be his standby attorney.

In previous court appearances, Patrick has been scolded for making outbursts and speaking out of turn.

The 44-year-old roofer from Georgia is now the third co-defendant in the case to represent himself. A request from a fourth defendant, Duane Ehmer, is pending.

Patrick has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and weapons charges related to the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge earlier this year.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12

CHARLESTON — Alseny Yansane will be returning to the Southern Oregon coast to offer fabulous drum and dance workshops excellent for all levels on May 21-22. Yansane's workshops haven't been offered locally for several years. So take advantage of one…

Thursday, May 12

On a quick tour of Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon this past week, Farm Service Agency Administrator Val Dolcini said there was tough competition for federal Conservation Reserve Program funding this year, praised the impact of loans to new and beginning farmers, and said producers and regulatory agencies are finding ways to collaborate.

Dolcini, appointed FSA administrator by President Obama in 2014, also said he hopes to accomplish more in the final six months of his appointment, saying he’ll “run through the tape” at the finish line of the president’s term.

Dolcini, the former state executive director of the California Farm Service Agency, didn’t rule out staying on if asked by the next president. Dolcini said he wants to remain engaged in agricultural issues at the national level.

The administrator toured county FSA offices, viewed CRP sites and talked with farmers and ranchers in Eastern Oregon and Washington. On May 11 he planned to present the agency’s Harvest Award to FSA Harney County, Ore., Executive Director Kellie Frank for dispersing her staff and continuing work during the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters earlier this year.

Dolcini’s visit coincided with the FSA’s anouncement that it enrolled more than 800,000 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program in the most recent signup period.

The program takes environmentally sensitive land out of production for 10 to 15 years, paying farmers a rental fee and sharing the cost of planting trees or grasses that can stabilize stream banks, improve water quality, stop erosion and provide wildlife habitat.

An Oregon State University research paper estimated 11 percent of U.S. crop land accounts for 53 percent of the soil lost to erosion on non-irrigated ag land. The finding bolstered the argument that taking erosion-prone land out of production and replanting it with native trees, shrubs and grasses could have a major impact.

The 2014 Farm Bill capped CRP acreage at 24 million for 2017 and 2018, and Dolcini said competition was tight for designation and funding this year. As of March 2016, 23.8 million acres were enrolled in CRP nationally, with contracts on 1.64 million acres set to expire Sept. 30.

The program is attractive to some producers because it can provide a buffer and revenue stream when commodity prices are low. The USDA said it makes $2 billion in CRP payments annually.

Oregon landowners received $556 million in CRP rental and cost share payments from 1995 to 2014, according to the Environmental Working Group.

The USDA calculates that in 30 years the program has removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere equivalent to taking 9 million cars off the road. The program has prevented 600 million dump trucks of soil from eroding over the past three decades, according to a USDA news release.

Dolcini said CRP appears to have broad support. On other agency work, he expressed pride in the micro-loan program, which he said has been a “great tool” for new and beginning farmers, returning veterans, farmers of color and others seeking opportunity in agriculture.

“We’ve made 20,000 loans of $50,000 or less since 2013 and it has been a game-changer,” Dolcini said. The USDA has made a conscious effort to support the next generation of farmers, including urban farmers and alternative operations in addition to large Midwest commodity growers, he said.

Although grumbling about federal “overreach” is common, Dolcini said he sees examples of producers and regulatory agencies working jointly to solve problems.

“I think government agencies at every level understand it’s easier to collaborate with effected stakeholders than to issue dictates from on high,” he said.

BEND, Ore. (AP) — Federal agencies have started filling an open, grassy area near Dillon Falls like a bathtub.

“If all goes well, this will all be underwater,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Field Supervisor Bridget Moran.

About 65 acres of flood plain on the Deschutes River, Ryan Ranch was privately owned until the 1940s when the U.S. Forest Service got it in a land exchange and leased it as a cattle ranch until 1989. Since about the 1920s, it has been disconnected from the river by a berm.

“They took it from wetland to a dry-farming meadow, and now we’re trying to bring it back,” Moran said.

Forest Service officials say that under its natural conditions, the river would feed the area with water when it rises and take water from it when levels fall. But management of the river’s flow for irrigation has helped make the river’s levels very low in the winter and very high in the summer. Those flows, along with the berm blocking the water from the land, have helped erode the river’s banks.

The goal of the project is to reconnect the river to the flood plain, restoring the natural connection between the wetland and the river — the way they feed one another — and restoring about a third of a mile of badly eroded river banks, said Jason Gritzner, a hydrologist with the Deschutes National Forest.

“We’re not, obviously, fixing the flows with this project,” Gritzner said.

The project involves piping water from the river to the wetlands for stretches of time and will later entail removing the berm and re-establishing vegetation. If part of the site drains water quickly, that section can be isolated and restoration work can continue in the other parts.

“This is still filling up,” Gritzner said, as water bubbled from the Deschutes River through the pipes that run under a berm and into the site.

The Forest Service plans to keep the pipes open for about another month as the river continues rising, then close the pipes to see what happens without input from the river. That process of opening and closing the pipes will repeat later in the summer to see what happens — if the water level drops quickly or not.

“The trend’s been good,” said Deschutes National Forest soil scientist Peter Sussman. The surface water has spread from 15 acres to 35 acres since mid-April, and Sussman wants to see the full 65 acres fill with water, with depths of about 3.5 feet.

“We know that this landscape can hold water,” Gritzner said, noting the soil and monitoring wells that have checked water levels. “We know it has the capability to hold water.”

Monitoring will continue through the winter, and after determining the level of restoration that will occur, the agencies will take out the pipes, remove the berm and lower the river banks.

“We expect to see water year-round here,” Gritzner said.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Jennifer O’Reilly noted that when the land fills with water, a whole food base forms for animals like cranes.

“You’re gonna have a whole smorgasbord,” O’Reilly said. And the chances are good for the Oregon spotted frog to use the site; it needs to spend its whole life in water, and a population of the frog — listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act — is known to be at a site nearby.

“I can’t wait to see what pops up here,” O’Reilly said. “Maybe toads, salamanders.”

Cranes and ducks already visit the site. Gritzner expects various animals to forage for food and rear their young there. Birds could stop by while migrating, followed by their human observers.

“The bird-watchers are gonna love this place,” Moran said.

Gritzner is also interested to see the types of vegetation that arise — possibly willows and tules, a tall marsh plant.

“We haven’t seen that here in decades,” he said. And he expects the site to benefit the river’s water quality as it returns water to the river.

“Wetlands are kind of a natural filter for water on the landscape,” Gritzner said.

The project aims to see whether the site, long cut off from the river, can still hold water like a sponge and function as a wetland.

“That’s sort of what the test is all about, to prove that,” O’Reilly said.

The project uses a limited license held by irrigators to account for and measure the water used. That permits the Forest Service to use the water on a limited basis, from some of the water that irrigation districts use, Gritzner said.

Craig Horrell, district manager of Central Oregon Irrigation District, noted the project marks the first such restoration effort in the Upper Deschutes and could serve as a model.

“This will give us the road map for other projects,” Horrell said, noting that it offers a chance for the different agencies, irrigation districts and other groups to work through such issues as water rights. “We’re gonna learn what everyone’s hot buttons are.”

Eric Beck, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher at Rimrock Expeditionary Alternative Learning Middle School, has brought his seventh-grade students out to monitor the site for five years. They check soil types and moisture levels, the density of different tree species and other conditions. They also write about the site, do artwork on it, graph their collected data in math class and learn how to display it — then try to make sense of patterns they see.

“(We’re) trying to think holistically about that whole ecosystem,” Beck said, noting students’ excitement about the wetlands restoration work that has begun.

Scientists expect others to also enjoy it.

“Sixty-five acres of wetlands as a freshwater marsh habitat are invaluable to a lot of species,” Sussman said, pointing to aquatic, avian and mammalian species that use wetlands. “And here we are, finally seeing it like we would 100 years ago.”

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Humans aren't the only victims of the water crisis in Flint, as pets also may have been exposed to the toxic lead. An effort coordinated by Michigan State University is now helping dogs get tested.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Ammon Bundy intended the takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge to lead to a civil court taking up the constitutionality of federal land-management policy, according to court documents filed Monday.

The 40-year-old leader of the occupation didn’t expect arrests and indictments, documents said. Instead, Bundy thought the government would issue a refuge eviction claim, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

Bundy is now asking in documents for the indictments to be dismissed, arguing the federal government lacks jurisdiction over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

His lawyers in the 33-page motion say Bundy isn’t an extremist or a member of any militia and doesn’t hold anti-government views.

“Defendant Ammon Bundy organized his fellow citizens in protest of the expansive and unsupported interpretation of the Constitution that purports to allow the federal government to own and control more territory, and exercise jurisdiction over more land in the Western States, than the States themselves,” lawyers Lissa Casey and Mike Arnold wrote in the motion.

Bundy is one of more than two dozen people facing federal indictment after a 41-day armed protest at the sanctuary in eastern Oregon. During the occupation that started Jan. 2, they demanded the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned for setting fires.

A Jan. 26 traffic stop led to Bundy’s arrest and the shooting death of occupier Robert “LaVoy” Finicum.

Bundy has entered a not guilty plea to charges of conspiring to impede federal officers from doing work at the refuge through intimidation, threats or force, possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon at a federal facility and using and carrying a firearm in the course of a violent crime.

The new court documents also claim Bundy and others decided to take over the refuge at an impromptu Jan. 2 meeting after a rally in the town of Burns.

Prosecutors disagree and have said Bundy and co-defendant Ryan Payne visited the local sheriff last fall, warning of “extreme civil unrest” if the ranchers were returned to prison on federal arson charges.

The Bundy motion is among legal motions in the pending federal conspiracy case that are set be argued in court starting May 23.

Corvallis, Ore. — The Oregon State University Dairy Club hosted its second bi-annual Beaver Dairy Youth Day at the OSU Dairy Center on April 16.

The event was organized by co-chairs Emma Miller and Alicia Torppa for youths in grades 4-12, according to a club press release.

The morning clinics included a session on reading pedigrees, led by Allan Hanselman, and the session on dairy judging and oral reasons was led by Hayden Bush.

A group of 29 students from across the state participated in the day’s events.

In the afternoon, the OSU Dairy Club members, along with Bush, who was the official judge, conducted a judging competition.

Katie Sherer was the overall high individual. Following are the other award winners:

• Novice: 1st, Taysha Veeman; 2nd, Maggie Wheaton; and 3rd, Natalie Berry.

• Beginning: 1st, Austin VanHouten; 2nd, Ryan Porter; and 3rd, Scott Christiansen.

• Senior placings: 1st, Katie Sherer; 2nd, Jocelyn Sutton; and 3rd, J.D. Brownell.

“We were very pleased with the interest in our Youth Day and having 29 students participate,” Kalli Sherer, president of the OSU Dairy Club, said. “The Dairy Club works hard to promote the dairy industry through events that educate youth and the general public. It was a privilege to provide this opportunity to so many students throughout Oregon and Washington.”

The club provided T-shirts to all participants and served grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, compliments of the Tillamook County Creamery Association, which donated the dairy products.

ROCK ISLAND, Wash. — One night in June of 1981, Victor Hugo Vega approached two men in Tijuana, Mexico, and asked them if they’d ever been to the United States.

They said they hadn’t.

“Vamonos (Let’s go),” he said to them and a short while later they crossed into San Ysidro, Calif., at a spot where the border fence was down.

To their knowledge, no one saw them. They felt no danger.

“We started walking along the railroad tracks toward San Clemente,” says Hugo, who was then 23. “We were not afraid. We were young.”

Hugo and his two companions walked more than 60 miles to San Clemente during the next few days, sleeping in the hills.

In San Clemente, a friend a gave them a ride to Los Angeles. There they went their separate ways. Hugo found a cousin who pointed him to her brother-in-law’s place in Orosi, Calif., between Visalia and Fresno.

“There’s work there,” Hugo recalls her saying.

Soon he was picking nectarines and oranges, earning $350 a week. It was a lot of money compared with 3,000 pesos ($250) a week he’d made at a gasoline refinery in Vera Cruz.

He planned to stay just a short while. But the pay was good and so was the life, so he decided to stay five years.

Five years became a lifetime.

Hugo is one of millions of people who have illegally entered the United States from Mexico over the past several decades. Most say they did it for better-paying jobs.

Government and private sources say there are now 1 million to 3 million migrant farmworkers in the U.S. planting, cultivating, harvesting and packing fruits, vegetables and nuts. Besides California, Texas, Washington, Florida, Oregon and North Carolina have the highest populations of farmworkers, according to Student Action with Farmworkers.

Hugo was born in Apatzingan, near Zamora, in the state of Michoacan to Purepecha Indian parents in 1957. They didn’t speak Spanish but he learned it as a boy.

When he was 18 he became a featherweight boxing champion in Morelia, having trained in Mexico City.

After his trek across the border, he spent several years working the fruit crops in the San Joaquin Valley and began migrating seasonally to pick fruit in Orondo, Wash.

In 1987, he decided to move permanently to Orondo.

About that same time, he took advantage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, often called the Reagan amnesty, and got his green card. In 1997 he became a U.S. citizen.

On a trip home to see family in 1991, he met Guadalupe Campos. They married two years later in Mexico. She came to Orondo with him illegally but was able to become legal through their marriage and became a citizen in 2002.

They’ve spent their lives picking and packing fruit in the greater Wenatchee, Wash., area, eventually settling in Rock Island, where they’ve raised three daughters. The oldest is now 21 and studying political science at Washington State University. Her goal is to become a lawyer.

Hugo enjoyed picking apples more than any other orchard job. His best money on piece rate was $1,000 a week back in 1996.

He was a “fast picker and very good worker,” says Campos, 47, but he fell from a fruit tree while thinning branches in an Orondo orchard in 1996 and suffered a stroke the next year. They think the fall and stroke are related. The stroke left him without full use of his left hand and with an impediment to his speech.

Since then he’s done janitorial work at local packing sheds and, for a while, at the Wenatchee Post Office.

On May 2, 2016, at 58, Hugo turned in an application for cherry season janitorial work at Stemilt Growers’ 12th annual job fair in Wenatchee. He says he needs to keep working as long as he can.