Repairs at the Little Goose Dam navigation lock have delayed its reopening until April 11, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The dam was originally slated to reopen March 20 with the rest of the Columbia and Snake river system locks. Its reopening has been delayed twice.

Operational testing of the north gate revealed that the pintle heel was not replaced in the correct position under a previous contract, the corps said in a press release. The north gate’s quoin blocks will need to be machined to correct the deficiency.

Surveying was performed on the south gate, confirming the south pintle heel was also installed out of position under the previous contract. Corrections were made, and the gate is being moved into place to verify the alignment, according to the corps.

The pintle heel is a part of the bottom hinge component, said Gina Baltrusch, corps spokeswoman. Quoin blocks are the thick, vertical pieces of metal on the outside of the gate that run from top to bottom, creating the water-tight seal between the gate and the wall.

The corps will shave roughly one-sixteenth of an inch off the quoin block so it will seal properly, Baltrusch said.

“We regret the impact to our navigation stakeholders caused by this additional delay in reopening the lock at Little Goose,” project manager Jason Williams said in the press release. “We are doing all we can to restore safe, reliable lock service as quickly as possible.”

Columbia Grain in Clarkston, Wash., is one of the companies that uses the river system to ship grain to Portland for sale to overseas customers.

Assistant vice president Randy Olstad said he supports and trusts the corps to make sure the repairs are done right.

“It’s frustrating at this point, but the river system is extremely important for our business,” he said.

His company had time to prepare for the downtime, but is eager for the dam to be repaired, Olstad said.

Customers have been understanding so far, he said.

“We’ve done our job, I believe the corps is doing their job,” he said. “This is just an unforeseen circumstance we wish they would have caught earlier, but did not. That’s water under the bridge. We’ve just got to deal with it.”

Olstad declined to estimate how much the delay will cost the company.

“It’s more of our reputation, saying what we’re going to do and doing what we’re going to say,” he said. “I think that’s more on the line than anything.”

SALEM — Neonicotinoid pesticides, which critics blame for death and illness among pollinators, would be subject to new restrictions and labeling rules under two bills proposed in Oregon.

Labels would be required for pesticides containing neonicotinoids, as well as seeds and raw crops treated with the chemicals, under Senate Bill 928.

The entire class of neonicotinoid insecticides would be restricted under Senate Bill 929 to only be available to licensed pesticide applicators, farmers and veterinarians.

These measures are necessary because neonicotinoids have been implicated in large-scale die-offs of pollinators, as well as long-term health problems for these species, according to proponents.

A March 27 hearing on the two bills before the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee attracted an overflow audience, including some supporters adorned with insect antenna headbands, wings and striped black-and-yellow outfits.

Proponents of the bill argued that studies have linked neonicotinoid pesticides to the decline of honey bees and other pollinators, adversely affecting their biological processes even when the exposure isn’t lethal.

“When exposed, an entire plant becomes toxic, including the pollen and nectar,” said Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, a sponsor of the bills.

It makes sense to limit neonicotinoid availability to farmers and others who are trained to use them judiciously, since many retail buyers don’t carefully read pesticide instructions and often assume more is better, she said.

“We have to take action and we have to do it now,” Marsh said.

Opponents of the bill argue the threat of neonicotinoids to pollinators is overstated, since they’re unlikely to come across the chemicals in the field at the same high concentrations they would in laboratory experiments.

Raw agricultural and horticultural commodities would be labeled under SB 928 as being treated with neonicotinoids even if they contain no residue of the chemicals, said Scott Dahlman, policy director of the Oregonians for Food and Shelter agribusiness group.

“They do break down over time,” he said.

An exemption in SB 929 allows farmers to use the insecticides but doesn’t explain who meets that description, Dahlman said. “There’s no such thing as a farmer card to prove you’re a farmer.”

Neonicotinoids do pose a risk to pollinators, but restricting their usage would likely have unintended effects, said Paul Jepson, director of Oregon State University’s Integrated Plant Protection Center.

Jepson said he’s neutral on the bill but asked lawmakers to consider the trade-offs of the legislation.

Without access to neonicotinoids, many backyard gardeners would probably substitute organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides that also kill insects but are more toxic to humans, he said,

“I urge you to consider the consequences of using a blanket approach,” Jepson said.

MERIDIAN, Idaho — An unusually harsh winter, followed by a string of rainstorms, has left farm fields soggy and delayed planting at least two weeks in many parts of the Treasure Valley area of southwestern Idaho and Eastern Oregon.

Many areas of the valley received record or near-record amounts of snowfall this winter, which left soils saturated when it melted.

Coupled with persistent and untimely rainstorms, many farmers have been prevented from planting crops that would normally be in the ground by now.

“It just keeps raining and raining and that’s pushing everybody back,” said Meridian farmer Richard Durrant. “We hope the rest of spring treats us OK and we can catch up in May and June.”

Middleton, Idaho, farmer Sid Freeman is already two weeks late planting his onions and because of more rain in the immediate forecast, that’s likely to turn into three weeks.

“We should be finishing up planting our onions by now and we’re not,” he said.

Don Tolmie, production manager for Treasure Valley Seed Co. in Homedale, Idaho, said many farmers are 20-25 days behind.

“There is so much (ground) work that still has to be done and the rain keeps delaying it,” he said. “There is still a lot of moisture to get rid of and we haven’t had any real drying weather.”

Tolmie and others said the delay in planting is something they can deal with, for now.

“But you delay us another two weeks, and it’s going to be really damn serious,” Tolmie said. “It can be lived with today but if it gets much later, people are going to be panicking.”

Nyssa, Ore., farmer Craig Froerer had all his sugar beets and onions planted by this time last year but hasn’t been able to get them in the ground yet in 2017.

He said he will end up planting his onions at least on the second latest date since he started farming in 1978.

Froerer said the delay will likely reduce his sugar beet yields but isn’t serious at this point. However, “If we get to the 15th of April and we still aren’t going, then we’ll start getting nervous.”

For fall planted crops, the heavy snowfall was a blessing, area farmers said, because it insulated those crops from temperatures in December and January that averaged about 10 degrees colder than normal.

“All the crops we planted in the fall fared pretty doggone well because of the snow cover, which acted as insulation against the frigid temperatures we ended up having,” Freeman said.

“My mint came through the winter better than I’ve seen it in a long time,” said Meridian farmer Drew Eggers. “And my winter wheat seemed to green up right after the snow melted.”

Snow mold damage to winter wheat and triticale that east Oregon farmer Bill Buhrig worried about several weeks ago has mostly vanished.

“Now you have to look diligently to find it,” he said. “Things seem to be rebounding real well.”

SALEM — Dairy Day at the Oregon Capitol on Tuesday offered generous portions of dairy products — along with continued educational and lobbying efforts on legislative measures important to the industry.

Three FFA Chapters, members of the Oregon Dairy Princess Ambassador program, Oregon State University Dairy Club members and others pitched in to help distribute information and treats in the Capitol Galleria.

But the main purpose of the event was to give a higher profile to measures currently being debated in the Legislature — about 350 of them that are important to the dairy industry, said Tammy Dennee, legislative director of the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association.

March 26 through April 1 is Oregon Ag Week, and this year is “the 20th anniversary of the designation of milk as the official beverage of Oregon,” said Tami Kerr, executive director of the association. A toast to that milestone was held in the Galleria to mark the occasion.

The event was created to be fun and informational for visitors and staff, but also a reminder to legislators to be aware of the impact of bills they are considering have on the lives of dairy producers and family farms.

“We want to make sure that our producers can come in and share information (with legislators) about their farms and how various measures will positively or negatively impact their businesses,” she said.

One measure important to the dairy industry is Senate Bill 197, “which is about air quality and only targets the dairy industry,” Kerr said. The bill would require monitoring and regulation of the air quality at dairy operations.

“It’s still in the Senate Energy Committee right now,” Dennee said. “Fortunately, it is not moving out of committee right now, which is a very good sign for us because we feel our industry has done a great deal to be very progressive and responsive” by following voluntary best practices.

More than 55 pounds of cheese, 400 servings of milk, 25 servings of yogurt and 40 gallons of ice cream were served during the event.

Dennee said the event raises awareness of the dairy industry and helps the public learn about the way the 228 dairy farm families in Oregon manage their 125,000 cows.

SALEM — Hemp would be brought further into the mainstream of Oregon agriculture under two bills that create a commodity commission and seed certification process for the crop.

“Industrial hemp has a huge potential in Oregon, we just need a few tweaks to help move it forward,” said Matt Cyrus, who grows hemp in Deschutes County, during a March 28 legislative hearing.

Under House Bill 2372, Oregon’s hemp industry would join 23 other crop, livestock and seafood sectors to have a state commission aimed at promoting and researching a commodity through fees raised from producers.

Breeders of new hemp varieties could also get the purity of their seeds certified under House Bill 2371, similarly to other crop species, through a system overseen by Oregon State University.

“It’s truly about a certified seed, one we know Oregon can count on,” said Jerry Norton, a hemp grower.

To comply with federal provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill that allow hemp research, HB 2371 would also create a hemp pilot program at OSU, among other changes to Oregon hemp statutes.

Commercial hemp production is illegal under federal drug laws that lump hemp, a form of cannabis, in the same category as its psychoactive cousin, marijuana.

Aligning Oregon’s hemp laws with the 2014 Farm Bill provisions will likely ease financial transactions for hemp growers, since many banks are otherwise leery of dealing with the crop, Cyrus said.

“The banks are looking for specific language in statute,” he said.

If there’s ever a change in federal law regarding cannabis, Oregon’s seed certification process would let hemp breeders patent their varieties, said Jay Noller, head of OSU’s crop and soil science department.

Because cannabis is illegal under federal law hemp varieties can’t be protected, he said.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has authorized Noller to import high-quality hemp seeds from Canada and elsewhere.

At this point, though, foreign companies are reluctant to export hemp seed into Oregon due to a provision in state law allowing growers to save and plant it, he said.

Under HB 2371, that provision would be struck from Oregon law, hopefully opening the way for new hemp genetics to enter the state, Noller said.

Oregon’s hemp statutes are already setting an example for other states and the proposed changes will let growers “get off the airstrip and into the air,” said Norton.

“We feel that hemp in Oregon is going to be the new crop of the decade, if not the century,” he said.

Capital Bureau

SALEM — After a sustained outcry from environmental groups, Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read appeared to signal his intent Tuesday to side with the governor in her evolving plan to stop the impending sale of an expanse of coastal forest in Southern Oregon.

Read said Tuesday that he sees a “path forward” for public ownership of about 82,500 acres of the Elliott Forest in Coos and Douglas counties.

Last month, though, the treasurer voiced qualified support for a proposal to sell the forest to a partnership between a Roseburg timber company and a Native American tribe.

Read announced Tuesday that he would work with the Department of State Lands to develop a plan for the forest that would end its obligation to generate revenue for the Common School Fund, which is essentially an endowment for K-12 education.

In 2015, the State Land Board — then comprised of Gov. Kate Brown, then-Treasurer Ted Wheeler and then-Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins — decided to sell the land after litigation challenged the state’s management of areas occupied by protected species. The state said lawsuits prevented it from harvesting enough timber to generate money for the fund.

But a year later, only one entity — the partnership between Lone Rock Resources, a Roseburg timber company, and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians — had submitted an acquisition proposal, which drew fire from the state’s environmental groups.

And Brown has said she no longer wants to sell the forest.

Environmental activists have been lobbying the board for months, and of late have focused on Read.

They warn that the sale of the Elliott to a private company would realize fears that under the administration of President Donald J. Trump, states will follow the president’s lead and privatize public land.

In a statement Tuesday, Brown alluded to those concerns, saying public ownership was “critical” to sustainable timber harvests and protecting the environment for future generations.

“I remain committed to exploring a path toward public ownership of the Elliott that continues to honor the Common School Fund,” Brown said. “I am heartened that Treasurer Read shares this vision and I appreciate his unwavering commitment to the state’s fiduciary responsibility to Oregon schools.”

Brown has proposed using the state’s bonding capacity to buy a portion of the forest. Read said Tuesday that the governor had worked to drum up support for that strategy.

“I have made it clear to all sides that if Gov. Brown brought forward a viable alternative I would consider it,” Read said. “The Governor and her team have continued to refine her framework, and most importantly she has worked to build support for key bonding components among legislators, including the Senate President.”

Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, has suggested using revenue bonds payable from revenues generated by the forest — whether through timber harvests or other activities.

The lone Republican on the land board, Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, voted in favor of moving forward with the sale in February. His office did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment on Treasurer Read’s announcement.

On Sunday, the Democratic Party of Oregon passed a resolution that urged the state Land Board to work with the governor on the public ownership option.

The move puts newly elected party chair Jeanne Atkins in the position of advocating against a concept she signed off on when she was secretary of state and member of the land board in 2015. Read, who was elected treasurer in November, is a Democrat, as is Brown.

The land board meets again May 9 in Salem, Until then the Department of State Lands is both preparing a sale agreement and a report on public ownership options.

SALEM — Filing lawsuits over alleged pesticide damages would be easier in Oregon under a bill that would eliminate a plaintiff’s responsibility to first notify farm regulators.

Currently, anybody who claims to be harmed by pesticides must submit a report within 60 days to the Oregon Department of Agriculture before taking legal action against the landowner or applicator.

Senate Bill 500 would remove this requirement, which is characterized by proponents as an unfair impediment to justice and by critics as a reasonable barrier to frivolous litigation.

“Keep things the way they are,” urged Denver Pugh, a farmer near Shedd, Ore., during a March 22 legislative hearing.

Pugh said pesticide spraying at his family’s operation was blamed for injuring the trees and shrubs of a nearby organic grower, who filed a “report of loss” with the ODA.

After an investigation, ODA determined the damage was actually caused by hail, not pesticides, which prevented an unnecessary lawsuit, said Pugh.

Critics of the bill argue the reporting requirement allows ODA to gather facts substantiating or repudiating the claims of pesticide loss, thus avoiding litigation based on weak or nonexistent evidence.

The 60-day window also ensures that accused farmers have an opportunity to collect their own evidence, which may not be possible if a lawsuit is filed long after an alleged incident, opponents say.

Greg Peterson, a tree farm owner, said ODA officials determined that his pesticide usage had no connection to the death of fish at a nearby property, contrary to the neighbor’s accusations.

“It was very good they were able to act as an intermediary,” Peterson said. “To unravel that would have been horrendous for us as landowners.”

Supporters of SB 500, on the other hand, say the “report of loss” requires submitting specifics that are difficult for people to obtain, such as the type of pesticide applied and who sprayed the chemical.

“Most people have to work with a state agency to get that information and it takes more than 60 days,” said Lisa Arkin, executive director of Beyond Toxics, which supports the bill.

Gary Hale, a resident of Lane County, said rural residents who are exposed to pesticides often won’t realize they must submit a report to ODA.

“There’s a very small percentage of Oregonians who expect that to be a requirement,” he said.

Once they find out about the 60-day deadline, it may be too late to submit the report of loss, permanently blocking the possibility of legal recourse, Hale said. “There is no justice after that.”

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A judge has sided with two environmental groups in a ruling that halts a timber sale in southern Oregon’s Umpqua National Forest.

The Statesman Journal reported Monday that Judge Jolie Russo ruled that the forest must conduct a more comprehensive study of environmental impacts caused by the proposed logging project near Crater Lake National Park.

The timber sale calls for 1,400 acres of commercial thinning and construction of nearly 6 miles of temporary roads near popular recreation sites.

Russo’s ruling last week marks the second time the project has been delayed in court.

Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild brought the lawsuit against the timber sale, which was first halted in 2014.

Lawson Fite, with the American Forest Resource Council, disagreed with the ruling, saying the project will have “negligible or beneficial” environmental impacts.

REDMOND, Ore. — When 18-year-old Kourtney Lehman made the nearly five-hour trek from Baker City to Redmond for the 89th Oregon State FFA convention last week, she never imagined she would return as the organization’s state president.

“You always dream to get to this point, but it’s hard,” said Lehman. “It definitely feels like I’m in a different world right now.”

Lehman, a senior at Baker High School, was named president of the 2017-18 Oregon State FFA officer team on Monday, the final day of the convention held at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center over the weekend of March 24-27. More than 2,000 FFA members and hundreds of other attendees, judges and sponsors flocked to the event — along with a few horses, ducks and sheep.

During the weekend, thousands of students decked out in blue-and-gold corduroy participated in events ranging from debates on hot-button agricultural topics to marketing contests. Depending on how they fared, they were hand-picked by judges to lead the organization for the next year.

“My biggest goal is just serving the members,” said Lehman. “They’re all so passionate about making a difference in their communities.”

Just minutes after Lehman was named president, her social media accounts exploded with congratulatory messages and blue-and-gold heart symbols. Even though she won the state job interview contest and placed third place in a public speaking competition earlier in the weekend, she was shocked to learn she’d been named the state’s FFA leader.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” said Lehman, whose father, brother and sister were also FFA members.

Over the next year, officers such as Lehman will be responsible for holding events including educational workshops and leadership camps, as well as governing thousands of members statewide.

Emma Rooker of the Bend FFA Chapter was selected as state vice president, while Wade Rynearson of the Union FFA Chapter was named treasurer.

Lee Wesenberg of the Sutherlin FFA Chapter was chosen as state reporter and Gaby Santa Cruz of Hood River Valley High School is sentinel.

After three long days of interviews with judges, Jensen Kemble of Ontario High School was picked for state secretary. Kemble, 17, said he was overwhelmed by the “whirlwind” that came before the announcement of the new officers — especially on Monday morning, when the judges’ votes were tallied.

“The process leading up to the announcement is very intense,” said Kemble. “It takes several minutes to calculate the votes and the entire time you just grab onto the other candidates for support and hope for the best.”

The convention’s theme was “Don’t Back Down,” a concept that was weaved into many of the weekend’s events ranging from debate challenges to marketing competitions.

On Sunday, Sevana Patrick, a senior from the Hermiston FFA Chapter, spent the entire morning preparing materials for the convention’s marketing competition finals.

The 18-year-old said her favorite part of participating in the organization is learning leadership skills and being supported by peers. After high school, she plans to enlist in the U.S. Navy, where she wants to further hone her skills as a leader and team member.

“It’s about being accepted and having that family, and having something that’s greater than yourself,” said Patrick, whose team placed third in the marketing competition.

The weekend was 18-year-old Sebastian Powers-Leach’s second time attending the FFA convention. The North Marion High School senior raises market sheep and wants to work in agriculture, but his favorite part of the FFA is competing in debate contests.

Powers-Leach and his peers were tasked with researching and debating agricultural issues that ranged from whether to label genetically modified foods to the perks of state farm-to-school food programs. Last year, the students debated immigration issues — a heated topic — in addition to less controversial ones such as whether to hold the convention at a single location each year, Powers-Leach said.

“A lot of it is opinion-based to an extent,” said Powers-Leach. “But there are others where you really need the facts to back it up with research.”

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon says that beginning next year, the government must spill more water from dams on the lower Columbia and Snake rivers to improve the chances that protected salmon will survive.

U.S. District Judge Michael Simon said in a ruling Monday that the salmon continue to be imperiled and that the Army Corps of Engineers must spill more water for the fish at eight dams.

However, he declined to require the Corps to do so immediately, as conservationists requested.

Instead, he told the government to spend the next year studying how best to release the right amount of water without creating strong eddies or other conditions that could further endanger the fish.

Conservationists say the extra water will help young salmon migrate out to sea.

Simon is the same judge who last year urged the government to consider breaching the four dams on the Lower Snake River.

SALEM — Eggs that haven’t been graded for size or quality are commonly sold directly to consumers in Oregon, but the custom doesn’t strictly adhere to state law.

Though the Oregon Department of Agriculture isn’t likely to drop the regulatory hammer on ungraded eggs, proponents of farm-to-consumer marketing nonetheless want to reconcile the statute with convention.

Under House Bill 3116, ungraded eggs could be sold roadside stands, farmers’ markets and other direct marketing venues as long as they’re labeled as such and are examined with a candling light for inner defects.

“This is closing the gap between the intent of the law with real world practice,” said Lynne Miller, a small egg producer from Benton County, Ore., during a March 27 legislative hearing.

Ungraded eggs haven’t caused food safety problems in Oregon and would still be subject to temperature controls and other regulations, said Rebecca Landis, policy adviser for the Oregon Farmers’ Market Association.

Grading isn’t required by federal law and grade standards developed for chicken eggs aren’t applicable for farmers who sell duck or turkey eggs, she said.

Unless they’re following very exacting recipes, consumers generally aren’t troubled by the lack of uniformity in cartons of ungraded eggs, Landis said.

“The size differences are not considered a minus,” she said.

The bill is intended to prevent a burden on small egg producers, in light of the Oregon Department of Justice advising ODA that ungraded egg sales aren’t currently allowed, said Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, who sponsored HB 3116.

“It adds unnecessary complexity to the process,” she said.

Enforcing the grading requirements isn’t a priority for ODA, but HB 3116 would clarify state policy regarding egg sales, said Stephanie Page, the agency’s food safety and animal health director.

Direct marketing is valuable for small and mid-sized farms in Oregon, which is among the top 10 states in farm-to-consumer sales, which generate about $44 million annually, said Ivan Maluski, policy director for the Friends of Family Farmers nonprofit, citing USDA data.

ONTARIO, Ore. — It will cost between $1 million and $2 million to fix the Malheur Siphon, which carries irrigation water to thousands of acres of farmland in the northern part of the Owyhee Irrigation District system.

The 4.3-mile steel pipeline, a landmark in the valley, delivers up to 325 cubic feet of water per second from the Owyhee Reservoir.

The 78-inch diameter pipeline was built in 1935 and an about three-quarter-mile-long section of it east of the Malheur Butte is starting to fail.

OID Manager Jay Chamberlin said that if the pipeline failed in the middle of growing season, it would result in about $18 million in crop losses.

“If we lose this pipe in July, that’s the worst-case scenario,” he told OID patrons March 21 during the district’s annual meeting. “That’s why we feel the urgency to do what we’re doing.”

The district last year hired MWH Americas, a Boise engineering firm, to perform a structural analysis of the pipeline and design a fix.

MWH civil engineer Gary Clark told OID patrons that most of the pipeline is in fantastic shape and should last until about 2060.

“The pipeline is worth fixing,” he said.

The problem section is in an area with bentonite clay, which, along with spikes and dips in temperature, can cause the pipe to move as much as 9 inches up and down and several inches sideways throughout the day.

“It goes through an expansion and contraction process during the day,” Chamberlin said. “It’s quite a living structure.”

Clark said the structural supports on the pipeline are starting to fail in that section because of the constant movement. Expansion joints, where the pipe slides inside itself, can also move several inches a day and are also close to failing.

These weak points have received band-aid fixes over the years, he said.

“In my opinion, it’s very close to failing at this point,” Clark said.

OID patrons this year will pay a special assessment of $1.50 per irrigable acre, which will raise about $101,000 to help fund the engineering work.

“This is going to help us get this process started,” said OID Assistant Manager Harvey Manser.

He said the district’s board of directors will seek grants and loan opportunities to help fund the project and OID employees will do as much of the work as possible to keep the cost down.

MWH’s proposed fix will involve new legs that will be designed to move relative to the pipeline and allow movement from side to side and vertically.

“This will be a lot cheaper than ... having to replace this thing,” Clark said.

Work on the project, which will occur over two to three years, will take place outside irrigation season and could begin this fall, Chamberlin said.

Wolves killed at least eight chickens and a goose March 23 in a pack attack that left feathers, chicken parts and “hundreds” of wolf tracks around the site, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The flock owners told ODFW they heard wolf howls about 4 a.m. and later found piles of feathers and fresh internal bird parts near their chicken hutch. According to ODFW, the owners reported they had 16 chickens and eight geese the evening of March 22 and were “missing 16 chickens and seven geese the next morning.”

An ODFW investigator found hundreds of wolf tracks around the open chicken hutch entrance and at “feeding sites” that were marked by piles of feathers. ODFW identified parts from at least eight of the chickens and one of the geese.

Data from a GPS tracking collar worn by OR-41, a wolf from the Shamrock Pack, showed it was about 300 yards from the attack site at 6 a.m. on March 23.

The attack happened in the Flora area, at the northern edge of Wallowa County. The Shamrock Pack previously injured a calf about 24 miles to the southeast in November 2016.

ALBANY, Ore. — Sheep producers from across the U.S. and Canada attended the 31st annual Howard Wyman Sheep Industry Leadership School held March 13-14.

The school was moved from July to March to showcase Oregon’s unique lambing operations that include rye grass field grazing. Oregon lamb producers participated by either hosting the group on their farm, being tour guides on the motorcoach or participating in panel discussions.

Tour stops included the Kalapooia Grass Fed Lamb Processing Plant in Brownsville, Snow Peak Fiber Mill in Hubbard, Hubbard Roselawn Hampshire Sheep in Monroe and area seed companies and various ewe and lamb operations.

Denise Bartlett, a 40-year commercial sheep veteran, current president of the Michigan Sheep Producers Association and participant in this year’s school, was particularly interested in the way the sheep industry worked in the Willamette Valley.

“It was such a fast and furious two days that I really didn’t sort out what I had learned until after I got back home,” Bartlett said from her home in Traunik, Mich. “I saw a very unique, symbiotic relationship between the huge grass seed industry in the valley and the generations of sheep raisers who rely on the forage produced, really as a by-product of grass seed production. Many of these sheep producers live in the valley and actually own very little land in comparison to the large acreage operations of the seed farmers.”

Howard Wyman, NLFA’s legendary lamb feeder for whom the school is named, went into the sheep business in Kansas City Missouri in 1938. He started the NLFA’s Sheep Industry Leadership School in 1986 to educate growers about what happened to their sheep after they left the farm. Since that time, schools have been held in Colorado, California, South Dakota, Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Oregon’s debut came about when Tom Nichols, a school veteran, president of the Oregon Sheep Growers Association and owner of Nichols Livestock, decided it was time the industry saw how Oregon producers manage to grow, harvest and market quality grass fed lamb.

“One of the overall highlights of the school seemed to be our lamb industry culture here in the valley,” Nichols said. “Most of the participants came from areas where there are great distances between growers and the number of operations we were able to visit in a 70-mile radius around Albany amazed them. The one thing they all went home with was the desire to have a facility near them that equaled the Kalapooia Grass Fed Processing Plant.”

Bob Harlan, a veteran sheep grower and lamb feeder from Wyoming and current president of the National Lamb Feeders Association, had high praise for the job Nichols did directing the school.

“I’ve been attending these schools for many years and this one was as good as possible,” Harlan said. “We had 33 people here from 19 states and Canada eager to learn everything they could to improve their operations at home. The presenters were excellent and getting a first-hand look at the Willamette Valley’s unique grass fed system was an opportunity not to be missed.

“As NLFA board members, we ask ourselves if this program as run its course,” Harlan said. “After the Oregon school, we know it hasn’t.”

Online

For more information, visit http://www.nlfa-sheep.org

Life was sweeter in Idaho in 2016 but took a dip in Oregon and Washington, according to honey production figures released by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

NASS said Idaho’s 2016 honey production was 3.3 million pounds, about 16 percent more than 2015. Washington produced 2.9 million pounds, about 8 percent lower than the previous year, and Oregon produced almost 2.6 million pounds, down 4 percent from 2015.

The number of hives in Idaho and Oregon increased in 2016 over the previous year, but dropped by 11,000 in Washington.

Generally, beekeepers report continued problems with colony collapse disorder and illnesses caused by mites and parasites.

Beekeeper Kathy Porter of Salem said colony collapse is particularly vexing. Research is continuing on the phenomena, in which adult worker bees simply disappear from the hive.

“You can have a perfectly healthy hive, and go back two weeks later and there’s not bee one in it,” Porter said.

Here’s the statistical breakdown from NASS:

• Idaho: 97,000 colonies producing an average of 34 pounds of honey per colony, selling at $1.72 per pound. Total value $5.7 million.

• Washington: 84,000 colonies yielding 35 pounds per colony, selling at $1.88 per pound. Total value was $5.5 million.

• Oregon: 74,000 colonies yielding 35 pounds per colony, selling at $2.06 per pound. Total value was $5.3 million.

Proposed notification requirements for aerial pesticide sprays in Oregon forests are intended to enhance communication with neighbors, but opponents say they’re unnecessarily onerous.

Timber companies would have to notify the Oregon Department of Forestry within 15 days of an aerial spray application under Senate Bill 892, then perform the operation within two days of the scheduled date.

Information about the operation, including which pesticides were applied and under what conditions, would also be submitted within five days of its completion.

The Oregon Department of Forestry would disseminate that information to interested neighbors through an online tracking system that’s already being built by the agency.

Proponents argue the notification system would help neighbors anticipate pesticide sprays and improve the medical response if drifting chemicals harm them.

“I would argue their concern is real and legitimate,” said Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, sponsor of SB 892 and chairman of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee, where the legislation is under review.

Several representatives of the timber industry testified against the bill at a March 23 hearing, arguing that such reporting would greatly complicate on-the-ground operations.

The Seneca Jones Timber Co. voluntarily notifies interested neighbors about expected pesticide sprays, but only about 12 percent of them request the information, said Ted Rice, a forester for the company. The remaining 88 percent of landowners are other timber companies that don’t ask for the notifications.

“ODF would be tracking a whole lot of applications that, quite frankly, we’re the only ones who care about them,” Rice said.

Because the right weather conditions for aerial spraying are often fleeting, timber companies would be forced to change the anticipated operation dates again and again, he said.

“That would cause more confusion and anxious neighbors than we really want,” Rice said.

Barry Bushue, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau, noted that Oregon lawmakers had already created a “pesticide use reporting system” in the 1990s but then defunded the program in 2007.

Stakeholders involved in creating that original system agreed not to substantively alter it until the law sunsets in 2019, he said. “I’m concerned about re-inventing a well-thought-out and already workable wheel.”

Proponents of SB 892 claim that off-site pesticide drift has exposed people in forested areas to hazardous chemicals and caused illnesses, which justifies better notification.

“Voluntary notification is not dependable and rural residents should not be left guessing whether a timber company will contact them,” said Laurie Bernstein, who lives in Tiller, Ore.

DALLAS, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon woman pleaded guilty to animal neglect after authorities say she didn’t provide sufficient care for her goats, horses and llamas.

The Statesman Journal reports prosecutors dropped felony charges against Donna Dovey in exchange for her pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges Thursday at Polk County Circuit Court.

The 50-year-old kept the animals on rented farmland south of Dallas, Oregon.

Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton said a neighbor tipped authorities that animals were being neglected.

Deputies found 16 horses, three llamas and three goats. Some had large abscesses and were underweight.

Garton says the animals that survive will soon be put up for adoption. Volunteers with the Polk County Sheriff’s Posse have been visiting the farm at least every day to feed and care for the animals.

PENDLETON, Ore. — Morning dew gleamed in the sun Thursday along Duff Road north of Pendleton, where James Harri prepared to scout one of several large wheat fields on his Honda 4-wheeler.

The vehicle is essentially his second office, Harri joked, as he scanned for weeds hidden among rows of young green wheat. It will take him roughly an hour to ride all 314 acres, noting potential trouble spots on a map loaded to his computer tablet.

Winter wheat is finally coming out of dormancy, and the decisions farmers make now will determine the health of the crop leading up to harvest. As a certified crop advisor for the McGregor Company in Adams, it is Harri’s job to be the eyes on the ground and figure out what kind of fertilizer and chemicals are needed for clients to maximize their yield.

High yields are especially important this year, given the global downturn in wheat prices. The crop is currently fetching less than $5 per bushel in Portland.

Diseases like stripe rust and snow mold can easily thwart yields if they are not managed properly, along with invasive weeds that rob moisture and nutrients from the field. That is why springtime is so crucial for growers, Harri said.

“The healthier we can keep these plants earlier in the season, and the cleaner we can keep the field from invasive weeds robbing moisture and nutrients, the better,” Harri said.

Unlike the past few years, drought will not be an issue. Harri said Adams recently experienced its second-wettest February on record, and has received a whopping 15 inches of precipitation since August. Normally, the area clocks in at 16.5 inches for the entire water year.

All that moisture is a blessing for dryland farms, Harri said, but isn’t without its own set of challenges. Stripe rust, for example, thrives in cool, soggy environments, and the fungus can cut into wheat yields by 40-80 percent if left untreated.

Harri said he is expecting heavy rust pressure this year, as well as snow mold, another fungal disease that can flatten wheat stands with sickly patches that resemble spider webs.

“It just feeds on that plant tissue,” he said.

As the name suggests, snow mold develops under extensive snow cover that prevents the plant from getting enough air and sunlight. Harri said he expects farmers will start applying fungicide to treat the problem within a week or two.

For farmers like Don and Tom Lieuallen, they depend on people like Harri to help identify issues early and come up with a quick management plan. By the time they see stripe rust in the field, it is already too late.

“We’re talking a potential train wreck,” said Don Lieuallen, who runs the farm on Duff Road with Tom, his son.

That being said, Lieuallen added he would rather deal with too much moisture than not enough.

Don Wysocki, an extension soil scientist for Oregon State University in Pendleton, said wheat stands were already well established going into fall and most are still looking good.

“The water year is well above what we’ve been seeing,” Wysocki said. “That, to me, is an optimistic outlook.”

Tim Watts, regional commercial manager for Monsanto WestBred, said he has also been busy with wheat stand assessments across the Columbia Basin. His clients range from Pendleton and La Grande to Wasco and Madras.

The snow cover isn’t all bad, Watts said. Snow can act as an insulator against the cold air and shield from debris in high winds. But like Harri, he advises growers to keep a close watch for diseases early this season.

“Anytime we have a heavy winter, those disease issues tend to be a little more prevalent,” Watts said.

In addition, Harri said the plethora of moisture has also flushed many nutrients deeper into the soil — in some cases as much as 4 feet down, where the roots of young wheat plants cannot reach.

Harri recommended the Lieuallens spread additional fertilizer over the topsoil to make up for that deficiency. It may still take a while before things are dry enough to start bringing heavy machinery on to the fields.

“Most growers are just anxious to get done what they need to get done,” he said.