Harney County rancher Travis Williams says he’s “riding the fence” on a recent anti-government proposal to stop paying fees for grazing on public lands.

Armed protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Southeast Oregon have urged local ranchers to tear up their grazing contracts with federal agencies to challenge the government’s control over the area.

Williams said he doesn’t support the protesters’ actions, such as removing fences at the refuge, but thinks the grazing fee proposal may be a legitimate form of protest.

“If there’s enough people involved, I think it would work,” he said.

On the other hand, Williams is concerned about how violating grazing contracts with the federal government would affect his two sons and daughter, who hope to run the family ranch someday.

“My actions right now are going to play over to their future,” he said.

The consequences of using federal grazing allotments without paying the required fees can be serious and long-lasting, said Scott Horngren, an attorney with the Western Resources Legal Center who has represented ranchers in grazing lawsuits.

While the penalties would not be criminal, serious breaches of grazing contracts may effectively end a rancher’s ability to release livestock onto public lands. It’s similar to a contractor who has previously defaulted on an agreement and is excluded from bidding on government projects, Horngren said.

“The real risk is they’ll be unable to graze on the allotment for which they’re not paying and it’s possible they could be disqualified from acquiring any allotments in the future,” he said.

Federal agencies may also come after ranchers to collect payments for unpaid grazing fees, he said.

Ranchers and federal agencies usually resolve minor contract disputes without actually voiding such deals, Horngren said. “Breaches happen on both sides.”

Federal officials may not treat one missed payment as a serious issue, but tearing up a contract and refusing to pay at all would probably be considered a material breach, he said.

Members of the armed protest group have cited examples of ranchers refusing to pay grazing fees without consequence, such as Cliven Bundy of Nevada, who continues to graze on public land even though the government claims he owes more than $1 million to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Federal officials backed off from seizing Bundy’s cattle in 2014 after an armed standoff, and his son, Ammon, is currently leading the occupation in Oregon.

Horngren said he’d advise ranchers against relying on that case in their decision-making and instead work through administrative and legal processes if they disagree with restrictions on grazing permits.

“Withholding payment is a risky strategy for a rancher to try to make the point the BLM is not managing the range appropriately,” he said.

Rancher Travis Williams said he’s considering the protesters’ proposal primarily because the money raised by the federal government from grazing fees doesn’t benefit Harney County tax revenues.

If he does withhold grazing fees, Williams said he doesn’t want to “freeload” and instead would make payments into an escrow account, with the money intended for the county.

Though he doesn’t want to jeopardize his ranch, Williams doesn’t believe that ranchers “collaborating” with federal agencies has produced needed changes in land management.

Refusing to pay grazing fees would likely be more effective, he said. “That’s the only way we’re going to get anything done.”

Shawn Mace, president of the Harney County Stockgrowers Association, said his organization does not endorse illegal activity against the federal government, which reflects the view of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.

Some ranchers may feel a need to stand against the federal government to protect their way of life, but Mace said it’s unclear what purpose refusing to pay grazing fees would achieve.

Mace said he prefers to concentrate on his job of ranching.

“Public grazing is vital to the survival of Harney County ranchers,” he said. “I don’t see this as a real issue. Why would we bite the hand that feeds us?”

SOUTH COAST — The South Coast Education Service District Board of Directors announces an opening on its board for position No. 4, Zone 1A (Curry County and the portion of Port Orford/Langlois that lies in Coos County) for a term…

SOUTH COAST — The South Coast Education Service District Board of Directors announces an opening on its board for position No. 4, Zone 1A (Curry County and the portion of Port Orford/Langlois …

The leader of an armed group who took over a national wildlife refuge in southeastern Oregon weeks ago joined hundreds of area residents at a tense community meeting — listening quietly as many loudly chanted at him to “go.”

Ammon Bundy, who has been trying to drum up support for his cause, didn’t speak at Tuesday night’s meeting in Burns where residents discussed the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge which began earlier this month.

Some of the several hundred community members spoke to Bundy directly. One woman thanked him for raising awareness around issues of public lands, but told him it’s time to go home to his family.

“Ammon, you need to go home to your family; thank you,” said local resident Jennifer Williams. “I’ve heard so many things I didn’t know before. Now I’m aware.”

Other speakers were less congenial and at times angry and emotional in comments directed at the armed group as well as at local government officials and federal government, in part for not doing more to end the occupation.

Harney County Judge Steve Grasty took the microphone over to where Bundy sat in the bleachers and told Bundy he’d drive him wherever he wanted to go, as far as Utah. He also offered to meet with him anytime.

Bundy and his small posse left after the meeting without incident.

Rallies also were held in Portland and Eugene, Oregon and in Boise, Idaho, Tuesday, with hundreds of people calling for Bundy to end the occupation and pointing out that federal management allows all kinds of people to enjoy public lands.

Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward reiterated in a statement before the Burns meeting that law enforcement wants the armed group to vacate the refuge.

He said police have arrested two men affiliated with the group and included a new report that Duane Kirkland of Hamilton, Montana, was stopped and arrested Thursday on a felon in possession of a firearm charge. Police arrested Kenneth Medenbach, of La Pine, in Burns Friday for unauthorized use of a vehicle authorities say was taken illegally from the refuge.

Bundy and his group are demanding that the refuge be turned over to local residents. Bundy is a son of rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a 2014 Nevada standoff with the federal government over grazing rights.

Rallies also were held in Portland and in Boise, Idaho, Tuesday, with hundreds of people calling for Bundy to end the occupation and pointing out that federal management allows all kinds of people to enjoy public lands.

The group Bundy leads has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands. Bundy has told reporters the group would leave when there was a plan in place to turn over federal lands to locals — a common refrain in a decades-long fight over public lands in the West. At a Tuesday news conference, Bundy said “we’re not going anywhere” until his group gets its goals accomplished.

LANGLOIS – Ginger Pearson from Coast Community Health Center will be at the Langlois Public Library from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, to introduce individuals in Curry County to self-sufficiency programs.

LANGLOIS – Ginger Pearson from Coast Community Health Center will be at the Langlois Public Library from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, to introduce indivi…

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) — A federal bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of two buildings on the former Evergreen International Aviation campus in McMinnville to Jackson Family Wines.

The California wine giant has been adding property in the Willamette Valley, and the company noted in a statement that the Evergreen site is convenient to its vineyards. The firm added that its long-term plan includes the development of a wine production facility.

Jackson Family Wines submitted the high bid of $4.6 million in October. The Yamhill Valley News-Register reports that approval was delayed because of a dispute about road and utility easements.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — With the armed takeover of a national wildlife refuge in southeastern Oregon in its third week, Ammon Bundy and his group are still trying to muster up broad community support — so far without much luck.

Bundy has drawn a lot of attention to the dissatisfaction of ranchers and local townsfolk with federal land-use policies in the West. But the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has also begun to result in pushback from others who use public lands — birders, hunters and hikers, among others.

Here are some things to know about how conservation groups are trying to rally public pressure on Bundy to leave, and what Bundy is doing to try to win more sympathizers.

GROWING PUSHBACK AGAINST THE OCCUPATION

On Tuesday, several hundred people rallied in Portland — about 300 miles north of the remote refuge in southeastern Oregon — to demand Bundy end the occupation and to point out that federal management makes it possible for all kinds of people to enjoy public lands.

Protesters chanted “Birds, Not Bullies,” a reference to the Malheur refuge’s creation in 1908 as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds. The rally was organized by Oregon Wild, Portland Audubon and the Center for Biological Diversity.

“This occupation represents a threat to public lands,” said Bob Sallinger with the Audubon Society. “These are not political statements. These are crimes.”

In Boise, more than 100 people attended a similar protest Tuesday in front of the Idaho Capitol. Ann Finley, a member of the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, said that the refuge is a special place.

“I love our free lands, and we’re out here today stepping out and saying those lands should remain public,” Finley said.

Conservation groups have also shown up at the refuge itself to demand that Bundy and his followers leave, and last weekend got into a shouting match with Bundy’s group.

BUNDY’S COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Bundy has had trouble winning many friends who aren’t militants, or even finding a place where he could spell out his views to people living near the refuge. His plans to hold a community meeting at the local fairground tanked when Harney County said he couldn’t hold it there.

Still, Bundy isn’t giving up. On Monday night, Bundy held a meeting at a hot springs resort near Crane, Oregon, where he tried to persuade 30 or so ranchers to stop paying the federal government to graze their cattle on public lands. It does not appear he persuaded many to follow his advice.

WILL PUSHBACK BY CONSERVATION GROUPS HAVE ANY IMPACT?

Bundy’s most fervent supporters — those holed up inside headquarters of the wildlife refuge — continue to be militants from outside Oregon. Bundy has demanded federal lands in Harney County be handed over to locals. While many local residents want Bundy and his group to leave, they also back his views on federal land policies. Bundy’s game plan may be to continue to try to win local support and to draw as much attention as possible to his complaints against the federal government.

The small, armed group Bundy leads has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands. Bundy has repeatedly told reporters the group would leave when there was a plan in place to turn over federal lands to locals — a common refrain in a decades-long fight over public lands in the West.

At a Tuesday news conference, Bundy said “we’re not going anywhere” until his group gets its goals accomplished.

WHAT’S LAW ENFORCEMENT DOING ABOUT THIS?

The situation at the refuge is being carefully monitored by FBI agents sent to the area, by Oregon State Police and by the local sheriff. Last week, the first arrest related to the occupation came when a militant driving a vehicle belonging to the refuge drove 30 miles into Burns to buy groceries. He was arrested on probable cause for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Bundy’s group has been using federal vehicles on the refuge. If they drive them off the refuge, they can probably count on being arrested.

———

AP reporters Gosia Wozniacka in Portland and Kimberlee Kruesi in Boise contributed to this report.

An administrative law judge has found that Oregon’s farm regulators weren’t justified in yanking the license of an aerial pesticide applicator accused of endangering the public.

In September 2015, the Oregon Department of Agriculture suspended the pesticide applicator’s license of Applebee Aviation of Banks, Ore., and fined the company $1,100 for allegedly spraying chemicals in a negligent manner.

Over the following months, the agency revoked the company’s license for five years and increased the penalties to $160,000 — with another $20,000 in fines tacked on for its owner, Mike Applebee — as it learned the company repeatedly conducted spray operations even after its license was invalidated.

However, the “preponderance of the evidence” doesn’t substantiate ODA’s allegation that Applebee Aviation posed a “serious danger to the public health or safety,” as is required to suspend a license without a hearing, according to Senior Administrative Law Judge Monica Whitaker of Oregon’s Office of Administrative Hearings.

Emergency license suspensions are an “extreme remedy,” but ODA’s findings of misconduct — such as workers handling pesticides without proper protective equipment — were largely based on the allegations of only one former employee, Darryl Ivy, Whitaker said.

The administrative law judge said the agency’s heavy reliance on Ivy’s accusations was “inherently problematic.”

Ivy quit his job with Applebee Aviation in April 2015 and went public with claims that he was exposed to herbicide spraying overhead that caused mouth blisters and a swollen airway, triggering an investigation by ODA and the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division.

While an ODA investigator cited photos taken by Ivy to support the agency’s conclusions, “the photos were not authenticated” and Ivy wasn’t called as witness to the evidence, Whitaker said.

For example, photos of residue on a truck windshield, which ODA accepted to be a pesticide spray mixture, could have been “soap residue” because the substance was never tested, she said.

The former employee’s “mere assertions” aren’t sufficient to establish the allegations against Applebee Aviation without further verification, Whitaker said. “It is equally as likely the photos were staged and taken at a different date, time and location.”

Whitaker has issued an order proposing that the original license suspension and civil penalty against the company be reversed, though those sanctions remain in place until ODA makes a final decision.

At this point, the administrative law judge’s proposed order is a recommendation to the ODA. The agency’s director, Katy Coba, will issue the final order, which Applebee Aviation can legally challenge if the company disagrees with her conclusions.

“As we speak, we’re mulling over the options,” said Bruce Pokarney, communications director for ODA, noting that the agency can’t comment on the proposed order’s findings.

Robert Ireland, Applebee Aviation’s attorney, said the administrative law judge’s proposed order calls into question whether ODA can fine the company and its owner $180,000 for disobeying a license suspension that wasn’t warranted.

Mike Applebee, the owner, was away from the office when the original suspension was issued, which is why some operations continued, Ireland said.

The ODA is under pressure from environmental groups to step up its enforcement of pesticide rules, which is why the agency has made a “political” case against Applebee Aviation, he said.

LANGLOIS — The next Interesting Langlois talk will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Langlois Public Library with “Mud, Murder and Mystery.”

LANGLOIS – The next Interesting Langlois talk will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Langlois Public Library with “Mud, Murder and Mystery.”

The militants occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge asked Harney County ranchers at a meeting Monday night to cancel their leases with the federal government.

The three-hour meeting took place just outside Crane, Ore., at a hot springs resort.

Ammon and Ryan Bundy, the leaders of the occupation, said they wanted to make Harney County an example of a place free from the federal government.

“The opportunity is now, and the place is Harney County,and you are the people,” said Ammon Bundy. “They’ll never be an opportunity like this again.”The start of the meeting was not unlike a pitch for a timeshare.

The lights dimmed and on came a short film with dramatic music. But rather than white sandy beaches, the projected images depicted dramatic landscapes of the American West.

In the nearly three hours that followed, the Bundys and a few of their core supporters lead a room of largely Harney County ranchers through a presentation.

At times it took on the tone of a civics lesson — one that included readings from pocket Constitutions distributed beforehand. At other times, speakers seemed to invoke the fiery passions of a preacher delivering a sermon from the pulpit.

Then came the hard sell. The militants occupying the Refuge asked Harney County ranchers to tear up their leases with the Bureau of Land Management and stop paying the federal government to graze cattle on public land.

“I’ve done it. Cliven Bundy’s done it,” said LaVoy Finicum, an Arizona rancher and the militants’ defacto spokesman. “Now is the day. Now is the time. Are you going to wait for tomorrow? For next week? Next month? Next year? When? When will you stand up if not now?”

Roughly 75 percent of Harney County is federal land. And just more than 10 percent of people who work in the county are employed by the federal government.

Finicum invited the ranchers to cancel their leases with the BLM at a ceremony before the media at the refuge on Saturday. He said two ranchers, one from New Mexico and another from Harney County, are scheduled to void their contracts publicly.

“I promise, that if you stand, others will stand with you,” Finicum said. “If you stand, God will stand with you. But God cannot stand with you if you do not stand.”

The leaders of the armed occupation described how 25 years ago Cliven Bundy stopped communicating with the BLM. Ryan Bundy went on to emphasize his view that breaking away from the federal government means ranchers wouldn’t have to follow federal laws, like the Endangered Species Act.

“You know how many endangered species we’re dealing with on our ranch right now?” Bundy asked. “Zero, because it doesn’t matter anymore.”

LaVoy and the Bundys also acknowledged their proposition is risky. They said any rancher who joined them would get protection from the armed militants led by Payne.”We are here temporarily to defend you,” Ammon Bundy said. “Eventually, you’ve got to get unified enough to started defending yourselves.”

As the militants announced the meeting was ending, local resident Scott Franklin, stood up and entered a tense exchange with the Bundys.

“I’m a fourth generation rancher,” he said. “I’m going to ask you a question. Are we a nation of laws?”

“No,” said Ryan Bundy.

“We’re not?” Franklin replied. “So, we just break laws all the time, and that’s OK?” “We are a nation of laws, and this law is the one being broken,” Ryan Bundy said, tapping his pocket-sized copy of the Constitution. “And this law is the supreme law of the land.

“In the end, who decides what the Constitution says? The Supreme Court,” Franklin said. That comment was met with a chorus of “Nos” from some audience members.

“I’m saying, I’m not going to fight an uphill battle that’s not going to be won,” Franklin said. “You’re asking us to give up everything for this rebel cause.”

Some ranchers were more receptive to the Bundys’ message. They spoke of their frustration with the environmental regulations on BLM land, and their belief that the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge wants to grow by acquiring ranches.

Buck Taylor runs cattle on about 200,000 acres of land, including private land, BLM allotments and land in the refuge. After listening to the presentation, Taylor said he was considering the Bundys’ proposition, but thought there should be more meetings to discuss it.

“I am drinking the Kool Aid,” he said. “I haven’t swallowed it yet. I am open to the idea.”

Dwane Schrock, who ranches on private land near Crane, Oregon, also walked away with a positive impression.”It was good; very informational,” he said. “People need to be educated. If they’re not educated, they’re not going to know what’s going on.”

After the meeting, Franklin, the rancher who’d spoken against the proposition, said he was ready for the Bundys to go. He said he has relatives who work for the BLM, and he was struggling to keep his family calm.

“I know that the refuge is never going to be in private hands,” he said. “Are they going to Yosemite? Are they going to Yellowstone? Where else are they going to do this?”

THE DALLES, Ore. (AP) — Drivers in some areas of central and eastern Oregon will be allowed to travel at higher speeds under a new bill set to take effect in March.

KGW-TV reports that the law sets speeds 5-10 mph faster in certain areas starting March 1.

The speed limit will increase from 65 mph to 70 mph on Interstate 84 between The Dalles and the Idaho border.

Speed limits will also go up on other highways in central and eastern Oregon, including portions of U.S. 20, U.S. 95 and OR 78.

Winter is a time of relative calm at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center. It will likely be months before scientists can return to the fields and begin recording data from their experiments.

In his shop around back of the station, Paul Thorgersen is busy as ever. The smell of diesel fuel lingers in the air as Thorgersen and Duane Davies finish overhauling tractors for the coming season. Thorgersen plans to build a new no-till seed drill sometime later this month, along with anything else staff might need before the weather turns.

As the maintenance and equipment supervisor at CBARC, part of Thorgersen’s job is tinkering with machinery and coming up with designs that help researchers work better, faster. Farmers depend on the station to help them grow healthier crops, and Thorgersen is the “mad mechanic” behind the scenes.

Whether it’s a specialized drill or modified rig for spraying fertilizer, scientists let Thorgersen know what they need and will usually give him free rein to bring the creations to life.

“They’ll bring me their idea, and it’s my job to figure out how to build it,” he said. “Sometimes they bring plans, sometimes they don’t. It’s a great challenge.”

On a cold, rainy Tuesday, Thorgersen put the finishing touches on metal shelving welded from scratch. These shelves will hold long-term soil samples taken from the fields, to be stored in two empty shipping containers after mice started causing problems in a nearby barn.

Thorgersen, 61, grew up in Pendleton and taught himself much of what he knows about handiwork. He learned basic carpentry from his father, and as a kid got into small motors by taking apart lawn mowers.

Thorgersen got his first truck, a 1957 Chevy pickup, when he was 14. The rig had a blown head gasket and bad clutch, but Thorgersen and friends soon got it running.

“I can’t remember not mechanicing,” he said. “I enjoy working with my hands.”

Thorgersen never went to school for mechanics. He spent 19 years working for John Deere, and eventually worked his way up to shop foreman and head combine mechanic. Thorgersen briefly started his own business, Paul’s Combine Repair, before moving on to the maintenance shop at CBARC.

CBARC is one of several agricultural research stations operated by Oregon State University around the state. The Pendleton station is located several miles north of town, and is dedicated to helping local wheat growers adopt new practices that increase production while lowering cost.

Thorgersen is in charge of all buildings and vehicle repairs on campus, including two greenhouses and a fleet of 13 tractors. The sheer variety of work is more than enough to stay busy year round, he said, but it’s his ability to turn obsolete equipment into something new that gets him most excited.

“The designing and putting it all together is something I really enjoy,” he said.

One of his recent designs started out as federal surplus — a truck previously used by Army for transferring jet fuel. With some alterations and elbow grease, Thorgersen retrofitted the rig to carry three large fertilizer tanks, making it easier to pump and carry bulk chemicals.

Thorgersen also recently built his first no-till seed drill, which posed another set of challenges. Most drills struggle to penetrate down into untilled dirt, he said, becoming nothing more than a big hay rake. But with the right adjustments, he was able to make it work.

“There’s so much to do,” he said. “That’s probably the best part of my job. It’s so diverse. I don’t have to talk myself into coming into work every morning.”

Thorgersen has help servicing tractors and combines in the winter, but otherwise is a one-man operation. His shop is a tinkerer’s dream, with spare parts hanging off the walls and smaller hand tools carefully organized around the garage. The goal for now is to make sure all equipment is in good working shape by the time spring rolls around, he said.

“I’m kind of out of sight, out of mind, but when things break, you know exactly where I am,” he said with a laugh.

Thorgersen said there’s always something new, especially given the pace of technology in the farming industry. Just modifying equipment to meet the scientists’ needs is a really big deal, he added.

“The people I work with are great. They’re very supportive,” he said. “Once we’re on the same page, it’s single vision. Their goals are my goals. We reach a common vision, and away we go.”

Call it a protest of the protest.

Environmental groups and public land advocates will hold a series of loosely coordinated rallies across the state on Tuesday in support of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which has been occupied by militia members protesting the federal government since Jan. 2.

What started as an outcry over the sentencing of two Harney County ranchers convicted of starting fires on public lands has morphed into a broader conversation about the government’s role in land management across the West. Militants say they want the feds to turn over the wildlife refuge near Burns to local control so it can be opened up to more ranching.

Arran Robertson, spokesman for Oregon Wild, defended public lands as a safe haven for wildlife habitat, clean waters and recreation. One thing lost in the narrative, he said, is how local stakeholders have collaborated on management solutions that balance competing interests.

Tuesday’s rallies are meant to shine a light on collaboration, while steering the conversation away from radical viewpoints that Robertson said have dominated the headlines. The Hells Canyon Preservation Council will host a pro-public lands potluck at their offices in La Grande.

“There’s a lot of positive things that come out of our national public lands,” Robertson said. “There’s actually a lot of coming together and trying to work out differences in the same room.”

Robertson pointed to Oregon Wild’s participation in the Blue Mountains Forest Partners, focusing on the Malheur National Forest in Grant and Harney counties. In particular, he said they joined with industry leaders to save the Malheur Lumber Co. mill in John Day after it closed in 2012.

“I think (the occupation has) set us back,” he said. “It’s driving a wedge between people trying to come together.”

Mark Webb, executive director of the Blue Mountains Forest Partners, said it wasn’t easy getting to this point. He remembers after the group first came together in 2006, they had trouble even agreeing on small-scale projects. It took them three years to agree on a 7,000-acre treatment, he said.

Now, because of the group’s working relationship, the Malheur National Forest has received an additional $2.5 million annually to accelerate the pace of restoration. Webb said the group is collaborating on projects up to 40,000 acres every year.

“We’re getting a lot more acres treated a lot quicker,” he said. “It just would not happen without this collaborative effort.”

Certainly members don’t agree on everything, Webb said. But their success is due in part to people’s willingness to have a mature conversation.

“It’s not that we don’t have our own interests, but this group is effective because it’s gotten past the ‘my way or the highway’ attitude,” Webb said.

Speaking for himself, Webb described the occupation as a “holdover from an age that simply won’t work nowadays.” Officially, Blue Mountains Forest Partners has no stance on the protest.

Darilyn Parry Brown, executive director of the Hells Canyon Preservation Council in La Grande, said public lands are a treasure trove of values, and should be kept in public hands.

The potluck will begin at noon on Tuesday. Other rallies will be held in Portland, Bend, Eugene, Medford, Hood River and Corvallis.

“There’s been quite a bit of negativity based on what’s been going on in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge,” Brown said. “This is our opportunity to let local folks know there’s a place to come and have positive conversations.”

STANFIELD, Ore. — Local rancher Terry Anderson awoke to a gruesome discovery Friday morning after learning someone shot, killed and butchered one of his cows in a field near Stanfield.

Anderson, who runs Anderson Land & Livestock Inc. out of Pilot Rock, said the 2-year-old heifer was slaughtered sometime Thursday night in a pasture along Feedville Road, where he raises cattle during the winter.

Judging by the tracks, Anderson believes at least three people were involved. A neighbor reported hearing commotion around 10:30 p.m., though Anderson said they didn’t find the animal until morning.

“We found body parts strung out over the field,” he said. “They basically mutilated it.”

Anderson said the culprits were likely trying to make some money off the meat, but left most of the carcass to waste. He said heifers like his usually sell for up to $3,000.

Theft isn’t unusual in the ranching industry, Anderson said, but this is the first time he’s lost a cow on winter ground so close to the city. Incidents are more common in summer when herds are left to graze in the mountains, but this happened just 150 yards off a well-traveled road.

“It’s tragic to lose an animal to a situation like this,” he said.

Oregon State Police is leading the investigation, and Anderson has put up a $5,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association has offered an additional $1,000 in the case.

“They knew exactly what they were doing,” Anderson said. “We need to get this stopped.”

Anyone with information should contact OSP at 541-567-3215 or 1-800-452-7888.

Oregon pot growers wondering about pesticide use have a new guide to consult, courtesy of the state Department of Agriculture.

The guide lists 256 pesticides. It’s intended to help growers sort out which pesticides are OK to use. For the purposes of pesticide regulation, at least, Oregon considers cannabis an agricultural crop.

There are no pesticide products specifically labeled for use on marijuana, but the state has developed criteria for products that may be used. Generally, a pesticide can be used on pot plants if it is intended for unspecified food products, is exempt from a tolerance and is considered low risk, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

The department urges pesticide applicators to consult the guide list and apply according to directions on the product label. Using products not on the list could be a violation of state pesticide law.

On Jan. 15, the ag department removed Guardian Mite Spray, manufactured by All In Enterprises, from its pesticide list because it contains an active ingredient not on the label. The unlisted active ingredient “does not meet the criteria for inclusion on the ODA guidelist,” the department said in a bulletin.

Online

http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/shared/Documents/Publications/PesticidesPARC/GuidelistPesticideCannabis.pdf

For more information on Oregon cannabis production, visit http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/agriculture/Pages/Cannabis.aspx

BAKER CITY, Ore. (AP) — Oregon State Police are now asking for the public’s help in solving the poaching of mule deer outside of Baker City late last year.

Fish and Wildlife Division troopers say they were notified of three of the killings Dec. 1, and they ultimately discovered that at least five deer and one wild turkey had been illegally killed within the Lookout Mountain Wildlife Management Unit.

Four of the five deer were bucks with their heads removed, and all of the carcasses were left to waste. Authorities say the animals were likely killed Thanksgiving week.

The Oregon Hunters Association is offering a reward for tips leading to an arrest and conviction.

The Washington-Oregon Potato Conference’s potato peeling contest will return at 3 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Toyota Center Exhibit Hall.

The Potato Peel-Off, which debuted last year, is intended to be a fun time for exhibitors and participants, as teams of three compete to see which can peel the most potatoes in 90 seconds, said Ryan Holterhoff, director of marketing and industry affairs for the Washington State Potato Commission.

The number of teams registered has doubled, from six last year to 12 this year.

“It felt like it would be appropriate to bring it back again as we continue to have more vendors and people wanting to be part of the conference,” Holterhoff said.

Online

http://www.potatoconference.com/potato-peel-off.html

The Washington-Oregon Potato Conference will be Jan. 26-28 at the Three Rivers Convention Center and Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash.

The conference boasts 172 exhibitors, up from 133 last year, the biggest number since the Washington and Oregon industries combined for the conference in 2010, said Ryan Holterhoff, director of marketing and industry affairs with the Washington State Potato Commission.

“It really shows that people want to be a part of this, come out and get together as an industry, see what’s going on and make those connections,” Holterhoff said.

This year, most of the big equipment will be outside to allow more room, said Dale Lathim, chairman of the conference trade show.

“The equipment for potato farming today is getting bigger and bigger, and it just takes up so much room,” Lathim said. “We removed the equipment, went with bigger spaces for some of the more prominent companies and we were able to squeeze in at least 40 new companies to be on display. We think that’s going to add some additional faces and products and different ideas to the trade show.”

The conference already had a large waiting list of exhibitors, but when they heard about the increased space, it generated more interest, Lathim said, so the new waiting list is back up to more than 50 companies.

“There’s a lot of demand for the show, but unfortunately in Eastern Washington or Oregon, there’s just not a lot of available conference space, so we’re limited,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to allow as many companies as possible to have exposure to growers and for the growers to see what they have to offer.”

Keynote speaker David Sax, author of the book “The Tastemakers,” will speak about changing food trends.

“With potatoes definitely being a consumer-driven product, it will be helpful to get his perspective as a food writer and someone who studies these trends, to see what’s out there next and how potatoes might fit in that,” Holterhoff said.

Lathim expects farmers to be looking for ways to recover after a relatively tough year due to the hot, dry weather.

“2014 was a pretty hot summer, we thought that was an anomaly and 2015 turned out to be even hotter,” he said. “I think everybody is trying to figure out what they can do if we have another year like that. We hope we don’t have another year like 2015, but odds are, at some point, we will.”

Growers are also concerned about their ability to fight pests, Lathim said. A prominent nematode control is becoming limited or unavailable, and alternate chemicals are not as effective.

“(Farmers) are going to be looking for ideas and ways to control and eliminate them from being a problem this coming year,” he said.

Online

http://www.potatoconference.com/