An Oregon ranch is challenging federal management plans for a 63.5-mile stretch of the Rogue river, arguing they’ll impede stabilization of the volatile river channel.

The Double R Ranch of Eagle Point, Ore., filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for adopting plans to protectively manage the segment, which is eligible for designation as a “Wild and Scenic River.”

Aside from hindering permits needed to fortify the river, BLM’s decision will complicate changes to irrigation diversions and the development of water rights, the complaint said.

The lawsuit is joined by the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, which worries other ranchers will encounter such problems, as well as the Oregon Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association, which fears barriers to erosion control efforts.

Capital Press was unable to reach a representative of BLM as of press time.

In 2016, BLM determined the 63.5-mile segment is “suitable” for protection as a Wild and Scenic River, which is the final administrative step before Congress can make that designation.

However, this particular stretch has a long history of human manipulation, disqualifying it from designation because it’s not “free-flowing” as required by federal law, the complaint said.

“Throughout the proposed segment, streambanks have been extensively modified, armored, and engineered to stabilize the river channel,” the complaint said.

This segment of the Rogue river is prone to “extreme flood events” and channel migration, so further work will be needed to reinforce its streambanks with rip-rap rock and otherwise avoid undesirable upland impacts, the complaint said.

Gravel pits near the channel are susceptible to being inundated or “captured” by the river, which has occurred in the past, polluting the water with massive amounts of sediment, according to plaintiffs.

A coalition of landowners, government agencies and conservationists has rectified past problems, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would “almost certainly deny” future permits for such projects due to restrictions associated with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the complaint said.

“Thus designation of the proposed segment would effectively halt future bank and channel protection activities,” the lawsuit said. “That could result in further pit captures, severely degrading downstream fish habitat and frustrating the very purposes and policies the WSR Act was created to protect.”

The plaintiffs claim BLM’s own analysis found that state and county governments are already protecting the river, so leaving the segment undesignated wouldn’t threaten its wild and scenic values.

“Designation would duplicate local management and could easily undermine it,” the complaint said.

Upper and lower reaches of the Rogue river are already designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, but those sections flow mostly through public land, according to the plaintiffs.

“In contrast, the proposed segment comprises almost entirely private property, with insignificant land ownership by federal agencies,” the complaint said.

NYSSA, Ore. — The onion growing industry in Eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho has revamped how it promotes the 1.5 billion pounds of Spanish big bulb onions grown here each year.

Promotion and marketing of those onions has traditionally fallen mostly to the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee, which administers the federal marketing order that covers this region.

But the committee in 2015 opted to cut the region’s onion assessment in half, sharply reduce its promotions budget and let onion shippers use the resulting savings, if they chose, to do more of their own direct promotions and marketing.

The assessment was trimmed from 10 cents for each 100 pounds of onions produced to 5 cents. Growers pay 60 percent of that assessment and handlers the rest.

The assessment fee cut did not impact the committee’s research and export budgets.

But the IEOOC slashed the budget for its promotion committee from $635,000 to $250,000.

The 300 growers and 30 onion shippers in the region were left with the option of using the savings realized from the assessment reduction to do their own marketing.

The industry’s customer base has consolidated heavily over the years and because customer lists are much shorter now, it makes sense for individual shippers to more aggressively go after customers themselves, said promotions committee board member Grant Kitamura.

“This gives people more money to promote their own business,” said Kitamura, general manager of Murakami Produce in Ontario, Ore.

At the same time, the IEOCC still maintains a strong industry presence, including at trade shows and industry events, and continues to promote the famous Spanish bulb onions grown here as a regional brand.

The committee spent $61,000 on advertising last year, as well as $7,000 to print 1,000 glossy shippers directories.

“We think we’ve been successful in maintaining our visibility in the industry (even) with the reduced budget,” Kitamura said.

The promotions committee has also turned to the internet and social media more, a tactic designed to reach millennials.

“We are trying to reach out to the next generation of consumers and customers,” Kitamura said.

Malheur County farmer Paul Skeen, a member of the promotions committee board, believes reducing the committee’s budget and allowing shippers and growers to use the savings to do more of their own marketing was a wise move.

“I think we’re still getting the bang for our buck,” he said of the committee’s reduced budget. “We just cut the frills out and went with what’s working.”

Other industry members contacted by Capital Press agreed.

“We’re in favor of that decision and feel it’s working well for our company and our growers,” said John Wong, president of Champion Produce in Parma, Idaho.

Shay Myers, general manager of Owyhee Produce in Nyssa, Ore., was skeptical of the move at first because he worried having shippers do their own promotions and marketing could fragment the industry.

But he has since changed his mind and now believes the new direction is working well.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission issued its first recall of recreational marijuana after testing of a brand sold at a Mapleton, Ore., store showed it contained a level of pesticide residue that exceeds the state limit.

The OLCC , which oversees retail sales of recreational cannabis, said samples of Blue Magoo marijuana failed a test for pyrethin levels. Pyrethins are a mixture of six chemicals that are toxic to insects, according to the National Pesticide Information Center based at Oregon State University. Pyrethins are found in some chrysanthemum flowers, and in some cases can be used on organic products.

The recall points out some of the complications that accompany the legalization of recreational cannabis. Growers, like all other agricultural producers, now face a regulatory structure they may not have dealt with before.

Pesticide use has been particularly thorny, because the federal government still considers cannabis illegal and has not established allowable tolerances of pesticides in pot. As a result, states that have legalized cannabis are figuring it out themselves. Oregon tests cannabis for 59 active ingredients.

“It’s a big struggle, for sure,” said Sunny Jones, cannabis policy coordinator for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

The Oregon Health Authority oversees medical marijuana, OLCC oversees recreational marijuana, and ODA regulates aspects that range from food safety regarding cannabis edibles to pesticides, water quality issues and commercial scales used to weigh the product. The recalled pot was grown by Emerald Wave Estate, based in Creswell, Ore., and sold at Buds 4 U in Mapleton, a small town west of Eugene. The OLCC said people who bought the pot should dispose of it or return it to the retailer.

Mark Pettinger, spokesman for OLCC, said the retailer has fully cooperated in the recall. It sold 82.5 grams of Blue Magoo to 31 customers from March 8 through March 10. The store noticed the failed pesticide reading in the state’s Cannabis Tracking System on March 10 and immediately notified OLCC, Pettinger said.

“The retailer was great,” he said. “They get the gold star.”

Pesticide application would have been done at the grower level, which is the province of ODA. Pettinger said the distribution system breakdown occurred when a wholesaler, Cascade Cannabis Distributing, of Eugene, shipped the pot to the Mapleton store before pesticide test results were entered in the state’s tracking system. The testing was done by GreenHaus Analytical Labs, of Portland, which is certified by the state to test cannabis for potency, water content and pesticide residue.

The mistake might qualify as a violation under Oregon administrative rules, Pettinger said. Failure to keep proper records is a Class III violation; the first offense is punishable by up to 10 days of business closure and a $1,650 fine. Four violations within a two-year period can lead to license revocation.

The rest of the grower’s nine-pound batch of Blue Magoo marijuana flower has been placed on administrative hold, meaning it cannot be lawfully sold pending the outcome of additional pesticide testing. Pettinger said the pot is in the grower’s possession.

HALSEY, Ore. — The entire 350-member Central Linn Elementary School student body and their teachers participated in the Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom 10th Annual Agricultural Literacy Project Kick Off on March 16.

The assembly included shouting out answers to agriculture questions fielded by 2017 Oregon Dairy Princess Ambassador Kiara Single, listening to AITC volunteer Carolyn Jackson read from the book “Allison Investigates: Does Chocolate Milk Come From Brown Cows?” and cheering on fellow classmates running in a dairy relay race.

The book helps young readers understand how milk gets from cows to them.

The program concluded with hands-on butter- and ice cream-making activities in the classrooms.

The AITC Literacy Project goal is to improve both the reading and agricultural literacy of Oregon students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Among the sponsors are the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council, Oregon Dairy Farmers Association, NORPAC, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences.

Ag in the Classroom began in 2008 with 130 volunteers reaching 312 classrooms. Last year, more than 902 classrooms and 21,000 students were visited.

The 2017 Project, which includes giving each classroom a free book, will continue through June 9.

Each year, AITC staff recommends several agriculturally themed books to the AITC board of directors for approval. Once a book is selected, staff and volunteers develop a lesson plan to reinforce the message. Trained volunteers then take the book into classrooms.

“We know agriculture must be taught today because too many people are too far removed from the farm,” Jackson said. “We have to get the word out to contradict the people who say, ‘Why should I worry about farms when I can get my food from the store?’”

As a way of extending the life of the literacy project, past literacy project books, activities and supplies for a classroom, can be checked out through AITC’s free loan library, said Jessica Jansen, executive director of AITC.

AITC was founded in 1981 by a group of volunteers and hired its first full-time director in 1999. It is funded solely by the agriculture community.

Online

Visit www.oregonaitc.org

SALEM — With the help of a specialty crop block grant and the expertise of agriculture professionals and volunteers, the state Department of Agriculture is launching a pilot Oregon Bee Project to help improve and ensure the health of 500-plus native species of bees that help pollinate many crops.

Project goals include field research, public outreach and education, and the creation of an Oregon Bee Farm Certification to reward farmers who adopt bee-friendly practices.

“We’re fortunate to have such a wealth of human capital standing by to help us with this project,” Sarah Kincaid, an entomologist with ODA, said. “We will be holding a series of meetings around to state to get input from farmers, conservationists and other agencies and organizations who would like to contribute to the project. We recently held our first advisory meeting in Portland, and plan to hold others in Myrtle Point, Central Point, The Dalles, Hermiston and the Willamette Valley.”

In addition to the meetings, she will be working with six flagship farms across the state operated by farmers already providing for pollinators, she said.

In Kincaid’s illustrated ODA Guide on Common Bee Pollinators, she details the preferred crops and nesting habits of Oregon’s most common of bees. Unlike social honeybees, which need many individual bees to maintain the hive and care for the young, most native bees are solitary, meaning only a single female builds a nest (or nests) and lays eggs. The native species are remarkably different in their size, appearance, habitat, life cycle, flowers visited and overall behavior.

The social ground-nesting bumble bee, she points out, prefers crops such as blueberries, cranberries and red clover grown for seed, while the solitary leafcutter bee that nests in cracks and crevices of wood or rock, in beetle holes and occasionally on the ground, prefers alfalfa, onions, carrots and sunflowers.

“We decided to launch this program because we don’t know enough about our native bees,” Kincaid said. “We will be looking at bee habitat including over-winter nesting sites and the value of planting pollinator hedgerows along edges of fields to provide wind breaks and wintering habitat.

“The program begins doing the research we need to begin filling our knowledge gaps. We are looking forward to working with growers who are already providing native bee habitat as well as with new people who are eager to learn. The last component of the program is to develop a logo and a bee friendly farm certification that could help growers market their products.”

Online

For more information about meeting dates for the project, email oregonbeeproject@oda.state.or.us

SALEM — New lawsuits over trespass by genetically engineered crops would be authorized in Oregon under proposed legislation that would hold biotech patent holders liable for damages.

Supporters of House Bill 2739 say it’s a common sense strategy to remedy problems caused by genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, similar to consumer lawsuits over defective products.

“This is not a wild legal grab. We will not be compensated for our angst. We will only be compensated for provable legal damages,” said Sandra Bishop of the Our Family Farms Coalition, which supports HB 2739.

Jerry Erstrom, a Malheur County farmer, said he supports the bill even though he’s planted genetically engineered corn on his property.

“If you do something that messes up my livelihood, you should be held accountable for it,” Erstrom said at a March 16 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee.

Creeping bentgrass that’s genetically engineered to tolerate glyphosate herbicides escaped control in Eastern Oregon, and the crop’s patent holder should be responsible for control costs as it spreads, he said.

“It’s coming to the Willamette Valley. Say what you want, it’s going to be here,” Erstrom said.

Proponents of HB 2739 say there’s nothing new about holding companies liable for their products hurting people or property, but organic and conventional farmers must currently bear the financial burden from GMO crop contamination alone.

“We’re not coming to you from a level playing field. Harm is only coming one way,” said Amy van Saun, legal fellow with the Center for Food Safety, which supports the bill.

Supports say the legal mechanism of HB 2739 is simple and fair because the liability rests with companies that profit from GMO patents.

Complicated searches for a culprit won’t be necessary, since biotech traits can be determined with genetic tests, said Elise Higley, director of the Our Family Farms Coalition.

“It’s super easy to track it back to who is responsible,” Higley said.

Opponents of the bill argue that pollination among related crops isn’t limited to GMOs, but neighboring farmers have long found practical ways to avoid unwanted crosses.

“It’s one of the greatest risks I face, but it’s a manageable risk,” said Kevin Richards, who grows seeds and other crops near Madras, Ore.

Under a provision in HB 2739, plaintiffs are entitled to triple the amount of economic damages caused by the unwanted presence of GMOs, which is clearly meant to be punitive, according to the bill’s detractors.

“It would single out and stigmatize biotech patents,” said Barry Bushue, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau.

Critics also questioned the logic of making patent holders liable for unauthorized GMOs, since the problem may be caused by irresponsible practices of neighboring landowners or factors beyond human control, like birds.

“They sell the seed but they have no control once that happens,” said Roger Beyer, a lobbyist for the Oregon Seed Council and other crop groups.

Apart from the immediate impacts of the bill, imposing new liability on patent holders may discourage seed companies from offering innovative products in Oregon, said Scott Dahlman, policy director of the Oregonians for Food and Shelter agribusiness group.

If companies face the threat of additional lawsuits, “they will reconsider whether they sell things here,” Dahlman said.

Pete Postlewait, a farmer near Canby, Ore., said he’s disturbed by the precedent of punishing patent holders for the actions of end users, since that logic could be extended to non-GMO cross-pollination.

“By weakening plant patent laws in this way, it will surely stifle innovation in plant breeding,” he said.

The bill’s language also encompasses new methods, such as gene editing, that are used by university breeders who often hold their own patents, said Steve Strauss, a professor who studies biotechnology at Oregon State University.

“Wheat breeders and others would love to use this gene editing technology,” he said.

SALEM — Nearly four years after barring local governments from regulating genetically engineered crops, Oregon lawmakers are thinking of reversing that policy.

The Oregon Legislature pre-empted all local ordinances over seed in 2013 but is now considering House Bill 2469, which would create an exception allowing local restrictions for genetically engineered crops.

Critics of the bill worry it will pave the way for outright bans on genetically modified crops, or GMOs, such as the prohibition passed in 2014 by Jackson County voters.

Jackson County’s GMO ban was allowed to go forward because the initiative was already on the ballot when the state pre-emption policy was enacted.

Barry Bushue, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau, said it’s unfortunate that some people would rather forbid farmers from growing certain crops rather than letting them resolve conflicts with neighbors amicably.

“I urge you to reject the notion that one grower should be prioritized by the government over another,” said Bushue said at a March 16 hearing before the House Agriculture Committee.

Fewer than 1 percent of organic farmers have reported losing crop value due to GMOs and none of them were in Oregon, Bushue said, citing a nationwide USDA survey.

Also, no growers have taken advantage of a mediation program aimed at resolving conflicts among conventional, organic and biotech crops, passed by Oregon lawmakers in 2015, he said.

Steve Strauss, an Oregon State University professor who studies biotechnology, said lawmakers should ask themselves whether they want Oregon agriculture to be known for innovation or for exclusion.

Scientists are developing new crops with gene editing, which doesn’t involve transferring DNA from one organism to another but could nonetheless be restricted under HB 2469, he said.

Opponents of HB 2469 argue the possibility of local restrictions on genetically engineered crops will create uncertainty for farmers, particularly if they cultivate crops in multiple jurisdictions.

Tim Winn, who produces biotech sugar beets in Benton County, said proponents of GMO bans see farmers like him as “necessary collateral damage.”

“I urge you to please not take my options away,” he said.

Supporters of the bill claim that local governments should again be permitted to set their own rules because the state government has taken no action on GMOs since the 2013 pre-emption policy was approved.

“We were led to believe cross-contamination would somehow be addressed through the Department of Agriculture,” said Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, who sponsored HB 2469.

The USDA has acknowledged that damages from GMO contamination occur but claims it lacks the authority to prevent such problems, said Amy van Saun, a legal fellow at the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit that supports greater biotech regulation.

It would be great if the state government tackled the problem, but it’s shown no such intention, she said.

“It’s not coexistence when only one side bears the burden and the costs,” van Saun said.

Growers of conventional and organic seed would be unreasonable to ignore the potential legal liability of selling crops contaminated with patented biotech traits, said Elise Higley, director of Our Family Farms Coalition, which supports HB 2469.

Contaminated seed would also be rejected by buyers who want a GMO-free product, ultimately making it more expensive as it becomes more rare, she said.

“GE farmers end up winning by default and our traditional seed supply diminishes,” Higley said.

Proponents of HB 2469 also discounted arguments against local GMO ordinances, such as the possible confusion from various county-by-county rules.

“So what if there’s a patchwork? There are all kinds of patchworks with different policies and they’re working just fine,” Higley said.

Counties that have enacted GMO bans also haven’t been saddled with additional costs, as predicted by opponents, said Barbara Richard, a Rogue Valley resident.

“None of them have encountered any enforcement issues. They’re self-enforcing,” she said.

It’s one of the conundrums of U.S. agriculture. Demand for organic products continues to surge — sales grew by 11 percent in 2015 — but production is flat.

Researchers at Oregon State University and at Oregon Tilth, which certifies organic producers, tried to find out why.

Glimmers of answers came in a survey returned by 615 farmers nationally. Among other things, they identified obstacles that are holding back organic production. Chief among them, many said they would welcome farmer-to-farmer help, need help with weed and pest management and believe the cost of certification and required paperwork are major obstacles.

Farmers transitioning to organic said they would welcome mentoring from experienced producers and one-on-on technical help. Surprisingly, “yield drag” — reduced crop production from fields that no longer are treated with synthetic pesticides or fertilizers — was not an issue with survey respondents. Only 17 percent listed it as a major obstacle; 32 percent said it was a minor obstacle and 51 percent said it was not an obstacle at all.

Beyond technical issues, organic producers have passion on their side.

In the survey, 91 percent of respondents said organic production fits their personal or family values and nearly 87 percent it matches up with their environmental concern. More than 86 percent said organic production enhances farm sustainability and coincides with their concerns about human health.

“It’s an interesting marketplace thing,” said Garry Stephenson, director of Oregon State University’s Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems. “Demand for certified organic products has continued to grow in the U.S., and yet the businesses involved are having a problem sourcing organic crops — food, cotton, or whatever. For some reason, U.S. farmers are not responding to the demands of the marketplace.”

Stephenson said the report may shape the university’s approach to transitioning farmers.

“There has not been an organized OSU initiative to educate farmers on transitioning to organic certification,” he said by email. “Hopefully, this report may have some influence.”

Sarah Brown, education director for Oregon Tilth, said the certification agency is developing a mentorship program that will match beginners with producers who have successfully transitioned to organic. The survey results also provide justification for weed management research, she agreed.

Stephenson, of OSU, said the consistent identification of weed management as a major obstacle will motivate the university to adjust the focus of some of its programming and applied research. OSU is researching innovative “degree day” modeling as a weed management approach for vegetable crops, he said.

“The challenge of weed management in organic farming is not surprising and other studies have similar findings,” Stephenson said by email.

Surveys were sent to farmers who had taken part in Natural Resources Conservation Service’s organic programs. The majority who responded were small-scale vegetable farmers with less than 10 years experience.

Stephenson said the data gave researchers access to producers they don’t often talk to: farmers who are in the process of transitioning. Researchers broke respondents into four groups: Those who have transitioned; those who have started but not finished; those whose operations are split between conventional and organic; and those who began the organic certification process but quit.

Online

The report, “Breaking New Ground: Farmer Perspectives on Organic Transition”

https://tilth.org/resources/breakingground/

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In Oregon’s ultra-liberal city of Portland, where protest is a way of life, the new mayor is taking on the sacrosanct.

Mayor Ted Wheeler and the City Council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance Wednesday that would allow city leaders to eject disruptive protesters from meetings and ban them from council chambers for up to 60 days in some cases.

As they voted, commissioners said months of protests by a small group of people have shut down meetings, disrupted government business, caused stress to city staff, undermined projects and prevented other residents from appearing before the council.

“I don’t know why you’ve decided that your voices are more important than anyone else who comes to this chamber to give testimony,” said Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who was elected to the Council last fall and called the interruptions “toxic.”

“The fact that I can’t singlehandedly and immediately satisfy your demands does not mean that we are not listening to you.”

The American Civil Liberties Union immediately condemned the ordinance as unconstitutional and protesters tried to prevent the vote by shouting down commissioners as they were polled.

People in the chamber held up posters with an image of Wheeler’s head that read “Gas the Peaceful, Let the Poor Freeze.”

The poster is a dual reference to Portland’s vast numbers of homeless and anger over how the Portland Police Bureau handled almost daily protests after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

In papers filed with the City Council, ACLU-Oregon’s legal director Mat dos Santos said city officials have the right to throw out disruptive individuals on a case-by-case basis, but banning a person from future meetings based on their current behavior is unconstitutional.

“People have the right to express unpopular, even offensive ideas,” he wrote. “The government cannot bar communicative acts ... based on the mere fear of disruption in reaction to those acts.”

The vote came after nearly four hours of a city agenda that was largely made up of members of the public taking the floor to criticize Wheeler. Several commenters preceded their remarks by calling the day “Unconstitutional Wednesday.”

“Locally, we’re going to have the war on protesters, backed up now by a City Council ordinance,” said Charles BridgeCrane Johnson, a local activist. “Shame on all of you. I know you can see our attempts to communicate with you and you ignore them.”

Before the vote, Wheeler said the provision allowing people to be banned from the council chambers won’t be used until a federal court rules on its constitutionality.

“There is a difference of opinion among informed attorneys as to whether this is constitutional or not. It may not be constitutional,” Wheeler said, adding that passing it would allow the court evaluation to start.

A federal judge in 2015 ruled that the city acted unconstitutionally when it threw out a protester and banned him for 60 days. But the judge left open a window for the city to revise its ordinance and bring it back for review, said Michael Cox, a spokesman for the mayor.

The revised ordinance contains an appeals process and specifies the types of behavior that can get a person banned, he said.

Weekly or even daily protests are nothing new in Portland, but in recent months even this city has had more than its share — and Wheeler has seemed more willing than previous mayors to push back.

That approach, plus a constellation of highly charged events, has created an atmosphere of anger and distrust for some.

Police shot and killed a 17-year-old black teenager on Feb. 9 and the ALCU and others have strongly criticized police for crowd control tactics during recent anti-Trump protests that included the use of pepper spray and rubber bullets.

The city has also been panned for its response to its homeless crisis during an especially harsh winter. Four people have died of exposure and a stillborn infant was found with his homeless mother at a street side bus stop earlier this year.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bryan Harper is a man of varied talents: a pilot, a former University of Oregon track athlete, and a fifth-generation Junction City farmer.

Harper’s great-great grandfather M.J. Harper moved to Oregon from Wisconsin and in 1891 began growing fruits and vegetables on a 120-acre farm off River Road in Junction City.

Now 125 years later, Bryan Harper, 28, still farms about 80 acres of that plot, along with nearly 400 more acres in the River Road area.

Last year Harper became vice president and director of operations of his family’s business, Harper Farms Inc. He manages about 470 acres of hazelnuts.

“The challenge of it is exciting — feeding the world,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to be one of the young guys in the group — in some cases, decades younger.”

Also last year, Harper started serving a four-year term on the 10-member Oregon Agriculture Board, which advises and recommends policy to the state Department of Agriculture.

He’s the youngest person on the board and its only African-American.

Harper’s dad, Warren, is a longtime Junction City farmer. His mom, Rose, is from Kenya.

“I’m the new generation,” Harper said. He said when he walks into a room of old-line Oregon farmers, “most people ask, ‘Who do you work for?’”

“I say, myself.” Harper said, smiling.

“People ask, ‘Who’s your dad?’?” Harper said. “I guess (I) don’t fit the expectation of what you’d see in Oregon.

“To me it’s just part of life,” he said. “When they see me, hear me talk, hear my story, people are usually pleased.”

A 21st century millennial, Harper said he appreciates the latest research and technologies that can help his family’s farm be more efficient and productive, but he also respects the wisdom and experience passed down by his long line of farming ancestors.

The Junction City High School graduate attended flight school in Florida, thinking he wanted a career in aviation, then he returned home and attended Lane Community College where he ran track as a sprinter. He transferred to the University of Oregon on a partial track scholarship and graduated from the university with a psychology degree in 2012.

Nearing college graduation, with the world wide open with career possibilities, Harper attended a family meeting with his dad, his grandma, Janet Harper — the family matriarch — and his aunts Eileen McLellan and Marilyn Rear. That set in motion the plan for him to be the next generation of Harpers to continue the family’s farming legacy.

“It was a motivator when my family said, here you go, if you want to,” Harper said.

He said he realized, “I really like flying, but I’d hate to have the farm dissolve, and there was nobody to take it over.”

Janet Harper died last November at age 97.

Harper said his grandma took a lot of pride in having seen four generations of family farmers.

“She wanted to see the farm continue,” Harper said. “She planted that seed early on — that there’s opportunity here if you want it.

“She was the biggest advocate for that.”

Harper said his grandma was his first boss.

“You’d grab your hoe, gloves and boots, and at 5 or 6 years old, you were on weed-pulling duty with grandma,” he said.

In recent years Harper’s sister Tiffany, and cousin, Katherine Rear, also have shown interest in the family farm.

“There’s opportunity for anyone to come back, Harper said.

Harper said he’s happy to take the baton for the next generation.

“Being a fifth-generation farmer there’s some legacy, some history and being that next generation is appealing,” he said.

The motivation to farm runs deep, Harper said.

“Part of it is having grown up with it,” he said. “I always had good memories growing up here — getting up in the middle of the night to cook peppermint oil with my dad, riding four-wheelers around to move (irrigation) pipe.

“You’re sort of your own boss,” Harper said. “You write your own schedule. There’s more freedom. “

There’s also a lot of uncertainty — whether it’s weather conditions or new regulations, he said.

And it’s a big responsibility, Harper said.

“You’re temporary stewards of the land, caring for it until someone else takes over,” he said.

“In agriculture you’re all in or all out,” Harper said. “You have to make your decisions quick. You have to find resources that could help out with that.”

Harper’s dad, Warren, said recently that he was never told that he had to farm. And neither was Bryan. They each decided for themselves to carry on the family business.

“In any family business the biggest compliment is if the next generation wants to come into it,” Warren Harper said.

An advocate of direct seeding and no-till farming hopes Northeastern Oregon wheat growers don’t give up the practice in wake of news that patches of Russian thistle, or tumbleweed, have developed resistance to glyphosate, the herbicide commonly used to control weeds in wheat fields.

Judit Barroso, a weed scientist at Oregon State University, recently published her research that confirmed what some growers have been worried about since they first reported trouble controlling Russian thistle with glyphosate in 2015. Barroso collected thistle samples from 10 locations in Morrow, Sherman and Umatilla counties; three from Morrow County turned out to be glyphosate resistant.

Barroso said those populations probably were treated much more frequently than others sampled, and had developed tolerance to the herbicide. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s widely-used Roundup weed killer. Farmers who grow on a summer fallow rotation typically spray their fields after harvest and while the field lies fallow. The practice kills weeds without tillage, which can cause erosion.

Russian thistle competes with wheat plants for water and nutrients, and can reduce yield. When it dries, breaks off the stem and tumbles with the wind, it can spread seeds across wide areas, meaning glyphosate-resistance could spread as well.

Barroso advises growers to delay the onset of glyphosate resistance by rotating the use of different herbicides or using other weed control methods.

Blake Rowe, CEO of the Oregon Wheat Commission, said dryland growers in Oregon and Washington are closely following Barroso’s work and are trying to figure out the next step in research. Possibilities may include revised chemical strategies or timing, or planting cover crops that would compete with Russian thistle and perhaps weaken it. A return to cultivation is possible, he said.

“We’re looking at this one pretty hard,” Rowe said.

The Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association, based in Colton, Wash., has been monitoring the findings as well. The organization is a non-profit that helps growers transition to no-till farming and direct seeding practices, in which seeds and fertilizer are planted into the stubble of the previous crop with minimal disturbance of the soil.

Executive Director Kay Meyer said a couple strategies have emerged to cope with glyphosate resistant Russian thistle. There’s no “silver bullet,” she said, but some farmers may be able to break the weed cycle by rotating in other cash crops rather than follow the grain-fallow-grain pattern year after year. Austrian peas may be an option for some, she said.

Cover crops may break disease cycles and build up soil, but some producers are worried they would take too much moisture from land that otherwise would lie fallow, she said.

Technology may hold an answer as well, Meyer said. New spot spray systems such as WeedIt and WeedSeeker can optically identify and spray only growing weeds, not bare ground. Such systems can reduce chemical use by 80 percent, Meyer said, and the savings might allow growers to use more expensive chemicals other than glyphosate.

The technology is expensive, but in some cases farmers might jointly purchase and share the system, she said.