agriculture 2013

In conjunction with the

78th Okanogan County

Horticultural Assocation

Feb. 7 annual meeting

2013

A supplement to The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle, Jan. 30, 2013

By Dee CampThe Chronicle

OKANOGAN – The 78thOkanogan County HorticulturalAssociation annual meeting will beThursday, Feb. 7, in the OkanoganCounty Fairgrounds Agriplex, 175Rodeo Trail Road.

The Washington StateUniversity and horticulturalassociation event featuresspeakers on a variety of apple,pear and cherry topics.

Admission is $10.Activities get under way at 9

a.m. with a review of and updateon agricultural labor and thefederal H2A program, associationSecretary Dan McCarthy said.

Jon Wyss, president of theOkanogan County Farm Bureau,will speak about the guest-workerprogram. His employer, GebbersFarms of Brewster, uses theprogram.

At 9:20 a.m. Ines Hanrahan ofthe Washington Tree FruitResearch Commission inWenatchee will speak aboutsunburn protection, cherrycracking, and Honeycrisp pre- andpost-harvest research.

“Cracking is always an issue,McCarthy said.

Production is increasing forHoneycrisp, a high-value applewith a recent f.o.b. price of $54.44per box, but because it’s relativelynew, there are many unknownsabout its production, he said.

The bi-colored red applegenerally is large – up to size 64(64 apples per 40-pound box) –and very sweet if picked atmaturity. It’s consumed mostly

fresh.As a segue from the Honeycrisp

discussion, Tom Auvil, also of theresearch commission, will talkabout trends in current cultivarsand future rootstocks at 9:45 a.m.

As new varieties becomeavailable, growers tend to ask,“Should I plant this?” McCarthysaid, noting that trees take severalyears to start producing sogrowers want to plant varietiesthat will be worth the investment.

Pests are an ongoing concern,so several presentations focus onpest control.

“Using HIPV Lures to MonitorNatural Enemies and EnhanceBiological Control in Orchards” isthe 10:10 a.m. topic, with AndreaBixby-Brosi of the WashingtonState University Tree FruitResearch and Education Centerleading the discussion.

Another tree fruit centerresearcher, Angela Gadino, willtalk about enhancing biologicalcontrol in western orchards at10:35 a.m.

Pest control, growingtechniques and other topics arebeing researched by a pair ofExtension agents hired byWashington State University usingmoney generated by a per-boxassessment on apples and pears.Growers approved the $1-per-tonassessment in 2011.

The money – estimated at $27million over eight years – is thelargest single gift in theuniversity’s history and will beused for research and extension,the WSU Agricultural, Human and

Natural Resources Sciences said..Cherry and stone fruit growers

rejected assessments on theircrops.

An update on the specialassessment is planned at 11 a.m.Jay Brunner of the tree fruit centeris the speaker.

Rounding out the morning is a

presentation on the WSU DigitalAdvisory System with UteChambers of the tree fruit center.That program begins at 11:15 a.m.

The association’s businessmeeting runs from 11:40 a.m. tonoon. Elections are planned.

Roland Smith is in line tosucceed Brent Van Buskirk as

president and Tracy Zahn ispoised to take the vice presidency.McCarthy will continue assecretary.

A lunch break and opportunityto visit the trade show are plannedfrom noon to 1 p.m.

See Meeting 3

— Agriculture 2013, The Chronicle, Omak, Wash.

Agriculture© 2013 The Omak-

OkanoganCounty Chronicle

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Meeting features speakers, fruit topics

Dee Camp/The ChronicleDelicate pink blossoms are a welcome sight to growers each spring in Okanogan County.

Elections, trade show

offered; lunch is

available on-site

Agriculture 2013, The Chronicle, Omak, Wash. —

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Lunch will be available on-sitefor $10. The menu includesbarbecued sandwiches, soup andsalad.

The Tonasket FFA Alumnigroup is offering lunch as afundraiser.

The meeting resumes at 1 p.m.with a program on spotted-wingdrosophila research and cropinfestation in 2012. The presenteris Betsy Beers of the tree fruitcenter.

Beers also will lead a 1:30 p.m.program on the brownmarmorated stink bug, whatmeeting organizers call “anunwelcome new introduction inEastern Washington state.”

The insect isn’t in the area yet,but growers need to be aware of it,McCarthy said. It’s causing

problems in the East and Midwest.Both the spotted-wing

drosophila and the marmoratedstink bug are non-native species.

A “clicker survey” is planned at2 p.m. Those attending will useelectronic devices to take a surveyto tell association leaders how theycan help growers more effectively.

WSU Extension Agent TimSmith will wrap up the meetingwith a 2:30 p.m. presentation on“Fire Blight Management Withand Without Antibiotics, andWhat Happened with Blight in2012.”

Smith serves Chelan, Douglasand Okanogan counties from theTree Fruit Research and EducationCenter.

Those attending can earn threepesticide education certification.Only the presentations relating topesticide use are eligible for credithours.

Meeting from 1

Dee Camp/The Chronicle

Props lean against trees, waiting for fruit to grow heavy and bend thebranches.

Horticulture meeting at a glance78th Okanogan County Horticultural Association annual meeting

Feb. 7, Okanogan County Fairgrounds Agriplex9-9:20 a.m. Agricultural Labor, H2A — Review/Update9:20-9:45 a.m. Sunburn Protection, Cherry Cracking and Honeycrisp Pre- and Post-Harvest — research update9:45-10:10 a.m. Trends in Current Cultivars and Future Rootstocks10:10-10:35 a.m. Using HIPV Lures to Monitor Natural Enemies and Enhance Biological Control in Orchards10:35-11 a.m. Enhancing Biological Control in Western Orchards: A summary of new information and future directions11:00-11:15 a.m. An Update on the WSU Special Assessment for Tree Fruits11:15-11:40 a.m. WSU Digital Advisory System Update11:40 a.m.-noon Elections and Nominations — Choosing Your Representatives Okanogan County Horticultural Association business meetingNoon-1 p.m. Lunch and trade show1-1:30 p.m. Spotted Wing Drosophila — Research and Crop Infestation in 20121:30-2 p.m. Brown Marmorated Stink Bug - an unwelcome new introduction in Eastern Washington state2-2:30 p.m. Clicker Survey — tell us how to help you more effectively2:30-3:15 p.m. Fire Blight Management With and Without Antibiotics, and what happened with blight in 2012.


Tradeshowvendors

(As of Jan. 23)• Antles Pollen Supply, Wenatchee• Brant’s Fruit Trees Inc., Parker• Bayer Cropscience, Chelan• Burrows Tractor, Wenatchee• C&O Nursery, Wenatchee• Cameron Nursery, EltopiaColumbia Basin Nursery, Quincy• Columbia Homes, Yakima• Crowder Horticultural Services,Manson• Dow AgroScience, Wenatchee• Dupont, Spokane• Exten-A-Day, Wenatchee• Washington Tractor, Okanogan• JP’s Ladder Repair, Wenatchee• Miller Chemical and Fertilizer,Yakima• Northwest Farm Credit, Prosser• CSI Chemical, Naches• Nulton Irrigation, Oroville• Nutrient Technologies,Wenatchee• North Cascades Propane, Twisp• Okanogan Conservation District,Okanogan• Okanogan County Noxious WeedControl Board, Okanogan• Okanogan Truck and Tractor,Okanogan• WorkSource, Omak• Packerdata.com, Wapato• Pace International, Wapato• Cascade Wind Machine, Yakima• Pacific Biocontrol, Vancouver• Suterra, Bend, Ore.• Sunrise Chevrolet, Omak• Tree Connection, Dundee, Ore.• Tree Top, Cashmere• Van Well Nursery, Wenatchee• Willow Drive Nursery, Ephrata• Wilson Orchard Supply,Wenatchee• DJ Repair, Manson• SHUR Farms, Colton• Honeybear Growers, Brewster• Cultiva, Portland, Ore.• Data Service, Omak


A bee zeros in on an appleblossom.

By Al CampThe Chronicle

WENATCHEE – Apples cropsin Michigan and New York weredecimated by bad weather in 2012,but Washington state produced arecord crop.

While prices normally plummetwith record crops, the misfortuneback east is producing fortunatecircumstances for North-CentralWashington.

All this good fortune comesdespite the annual problem offinding enough pickers to harvestthe crop and growing competitionon grocers’ shelves.

“We’ve had a substantialincrease, record,” WashingtonGrowers Clearing House AssistantManager Dan Kelly said.

“Last year, we had a good crop,good prices,” Kelly said. “This yearwe’ve gone one step even betterthan last year.”

The 2012 crop of apples isestimated at a little less than 130million boxes, which shattered theprevious record of 109 millionboxes from the 2010 crop.

The 2011 crop was close behindat 108 million boxes.

Part of the record can beattributed to orchards are usingmore dense tree plantings. Thishas been happening for a fewyears, Kelly said.

Where in the past an acremight produce 30-40 bins ofapples, the denser grows produce80-100 bins on the same size plot.

“We’ve been on a steady climbanyway, improving productivity

per acre each year,” Kelly said.“Some orchardists took land out(of production), but they have putit back to produce more fruit.”

Prices are doing well this year,with an average 40-pound box ofapples at $26.73 as of Jan. 12.

That compares to $23.22 lastyear for the 2011 crop and $20.11two years ago for the 2010 crop.

“The reason the prices andshipments have been so good thisyear is there is a shortage of thecrops in the rest of the UnitedStates, Europe, the SouthernHemisphere and other areas in theworld,” Kelly said.

New York, normally the No. 2producer of apples in the U.S.,ended up with a crop of about 12million boxes, compared to a 25-28 million normal range, Kellysaid.

Michigan, the nation’s No. 3grower, produced about 3 millionboxes. The state normallyproduces 20-25 million boxes,Kelly said.

“Both had an early spring andthen a hard freeze,” whichknocked off blossoms, Kelly said.

He wouldn’t say if orchardswould go bust from the freeze, buthe said it will be interesting to seehow much the freeze harmed thetrees.

“I know a lot of those guyswrote off this season, cut theirlosses,” Kelly said of keepinglosses down by not hiring labor orusing gas. “But how will thedamage to the trees effect nextyear’s crop? There’s not enoughdetails to judge that. Who knows

what is going to happen down theroad?”

Kelly said one outgrowth of thefreeze found Michigan growers See Apples 6


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Easterners’ apple loss is Washington’s gain

installing wind machines.“We’ve had them all over here,”

Kelly said. “They tell me growersare going crazy around Michiganinstalling them.”

Hail could have damaged someNorth Central Washington applesin July, but for the most part theonly evidence was some appleswith little dimples — like on a golfball — in places, Kelly said.

“If the hail has not broken theskin, the apple can be sold on theregular retail market,” Kelly said.“If any skin breaks at all, the applegoes into processing.”

The total U.S. apple crop,despite the huge increase byWashington state, is the smallest

since 1986, Kelly said.Demand also is up because

China, which produces about 10times what the U.S. does, iskeeping more apples for itsexpanding middle class, annpr.org story said.

“But there’s a caveat to thestrong prices,” Kelly said. “There’sbeen extra labor costs (somegrowers paying up to 15 percentmore in wages, bonuses) andclimbing fuel costs.

“The growers should do fine,but they will not becomemillionaires overnight,” he said.“We are fortunate there is a bigdemand in the rest of the country.”

Kelly doesn’t see any reasonprices should not remain firm inthe coming months.

“We are actually flying along

with a level playing field,” he said.Crops are down in the

Southern Hemisphere from anearly spring followed by a freeze.

The region exports fruit to the See Apples 7


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Apples from 5


Chart shows a comparison of per-box f.o.b. prices for selected varieties of apples, as of Jan. 12 in threesuccessive years.

—Washington Growers Clearing House


Trees and fallen apples are encased in ice that formed when sprinklerswere left to run on a cold fall morning.


WENATCHEE – Pears may notgarner the attention of moreglamorous fruit, but pears resiststorm damage and bring arespectable profit.

“Pear season (this year) is kindof boring,” Washington GrowersClearing House Assistant ManagerDan Kelly said.

After a record-breaking crop in2011, last summer’s harvest fit amore normal amount, Kelly said,noting the five-year average isaround 20 million boxes.

This year’s estimated 19.2million 44-pound boxes comparesto the record 20.5 million-boxrecord in 2011. The 2010 crop wasabout 18 million boxes.

“We’ve been in that high-teento 20 range last five to eightyears,” Kelly said.

The 2012 crop got off to a faststart in the market.

Through early November,Northwest growers had shipped 31percent of the 2012-13 crop, upfrom 25 percent at the same timelast year, said Kevin Moffitt,president and chief executiveofficer of Pear Bureau Northwest,Milwaukie, Ore.

“We’re having a very goodyear,” Moffitt said in a Nov. 15story on www.thepacker.com.

Pricing has been strong,despite the good-sized crop,Moffitt said, but expectations areright at the five-year average.

Despite the higher percentageof fruit shipped for the year todate, and despite expectedshortages of apples this season,Moffitt was confident theNorthwest pear crop would last forthe duration of the season.

“The industry is pretty goodabout modulating the supply,” hesaid.

See Pears 8


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Pears: Resilient,profitable

The Chronicle

Pears hang around, waiting to be picked.

“We’re having a

very good year.Pear Bureau Northwest’s

Kevin Moffitt

”

U.S. market from Februarythrough April.

“I don’t see any negative effectson our market now or what it willdo on down the road,” Kelly said.

The crop’s strength lies in sixpopular apples – Red and GoldenDelicious, Gala, Fuji, GrannySmith and Honeycrisp, whicheasily moved past the previous No.6, Braeburn, Kelly said.

A break down of prices for theapples, with carloads shipped andprices for 2013 (2012 crop)followed by 2012 and 2011 pricesper box, as of Jan. 12 of this year.

Red: 2013, 8,067.7 carloads,$22.20; 2012, 6,803.9, $19.11;2011, 7,393, $16.49.

Gala: 2013, 7,254.3, $26.52;2012, 6,650.8, $22.83; 2011,6,407.6, $19.44.

Fuji: 2013, 4,686.9, $24.11;2012, 3,238.3, $23.06; 2011,3,076.8, $20.34.

Granny Smith: 2013, 3,743.6,$24.91; 2012, 3,397.6, $21.63;2011, 3,033.7, $18.87.

Honeycrisp: 2013, 2,358.9,$54.44; 2012, 1,749.5, $46.23;2011, 1,454.4, $45.16.

Golden: 2013: 2,299.3, $23.28;2012, 2,063.1, $21.11; 2011,2,100.6, $18.67.

Apples from 6

Pears did not suffer fromfreezes, and hail in July did notseem to affect the final pearquality, Kelly said.

As of Jan. 12, the average pricefor a 44-pound box of pears was$23.47 for 2012 pears.

That compares to $19.70 perbox at the same time in 2012 (2011crop) and $20.85 per box in 2011(2010 crop).

Pears will be shipped for about12 months after harvest, comparedto about 13 months for apples.

Pears benefited this year by alack of a freeze for this regionwhich, along with Oregon andCalifornia, produced about 90percent of the country’s pears.

The highest price per box wasfor Asian pears ($55.63), whichlook like an apple but taste like atart pear.

Shipments as of Jan. 12 for themost-grown varieties include

Bartlett pears (1,330 cars), whichdiffer from red Bartletts, andD’Anjou (1,275 cars).

Bartletts were bringing $23.82per box as of Jan. 12, compared to$19.50 at this time last year and$19.56 in 2011.

D’Anjous were bringing $23.46this year, compared to $19.05 lastyear and $20.99 two years ago.

Bosc is the third-most-grownpear, with 410 cars shipped.

Prices were $23.11 this year,$18.78 last year and $21.63 twoyears ago

Bosc supplies are a bit tighterthis year for Domex, said HowardNager, vice president of marketingat Domex Superfresh Growers inYakima.

“Those Top 3 pears probablymake up 90 percent of the crop,”Kelly said.

Most of the pears are grown inthe Wenatchee River valleybetween Wenatchee and

Leavenworth. Washington growsthe majority of the region’s pears,

with 40 percent coming fromOregon, Kelly said.


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Pears from 7


The chart shows a comparison of per-box f.o.b. prices for selected varieties of pears, as of Jan. 12 in threesuccessive years.

The Chronicle

Pears ripen on the branch in the late-summer sun.

Washington Growers Clearing House

“

Those Top 3 pears

(Bartlett,

D’Anjou, Bosc)

probably make up

90 percent of

the crop.Dan Kelly, Washington

Growers Clearing House

”


WENATCHEE – Despite ahailstorm that ruined cherries in afew portions of the OkanoganValley, a record regional cherryharvest in 2012 produced a decentreturn for growers.

Last summer’s record 22.9million 20-pound boxes ofcherries finished with an averageWashington price of $35.67 perbox, Washington Growers ClearingHouse Assistant Manager DanKelly said.

“That’s a pretty good size cropon cherries,” Kelly said.

The $1.83-per-pound pricecompares with $2.17 ($43.50 perbox) in 2011 (17 million boxes) and$2.09 ($41.77 per box) in 2010 (13million boxes), according toclearing house records.

The previous record crop forcherries, which are harvested fromearly June through Labor Day inearly September, was 20.4 millionboxes in 2009. That crop proved abust in the market, averaging$28.49 per box ($1.42 per pound).

The difference this year in ahigher price per box was bothmore people eating cherries andthe season being spread out twiceas long as in 2009.

That year, orchardists hadabout 45 days to pick their crop,which then flooded the market.

Most cherry varieties bloomedabout the same time in the spring,rather than over a spread-outperiod. That led to the majority ofcherries being ready for harvest atroughly the same time.

“All of a sudden it came toharvest,” Kelly said.

This year, a more spread-outbloom period led to 80 days forharvest and allowed twice as longfor consumers to purchase thefruit.

“Even if there were no laborissue, it would have been reallydifficult to pick that fast,” Kellysaid, noting a lot of cherries wereleft on trees. “This year, there stillwere some labor issues, but wehad more time to pick.”

Cherries are one of few fruitswith consumption on the upswingin recent years, Robert Kershaw,president and chief executiveofficer of Domex SuperfreshGrowers in Yakima, said at therecent 70th annual CherryInstitute of Northwest CherryGrowers meeting.

That is good news for a regionthat’s doubled production in thelast 10 years, Kershaw said.

In North Central Washington,hail damaged several orchardsJuly 20.

The thunderstorm,accompanied by thumbnail-sizedhail, rain and pounding winds,damaged cherries along with otherfruit and canola crops.

The storm also ruined nearly theentire canola crop at the TownsendRanch east of Okanogan.

But during harvest, packerswere seeing good quality fruitfrom most areas with some sizeproblems in certain areas, Kellysaid. Rain damaged some fruit,but most escaped splitting.

Harold Schell, horticulturaldirector with Chelan Fruit inChelan, said some areas receivedsevere hail damage from the July20 storm and several other stormslater in the summer, while othersweren’t touched. His company hasgrowers from Quincy to theCanadian border.

Hail also damaged someapples, but pears are a littlehardier and can handle thepounding better, he said. Rain andheat are cherries’ main enemies.

What rain the region receiveddid not split cherries, Schell said.Heat can foster decay.

“But we’ve got a lot of goodcherries to harvest,” he said lastsummer. “It all depends on thelocation of the orchard and varietyand how close to harvest they are.”

Kelly said growers had notrouble marketing the fruit, whichwas sold as a fresh-market crop.

“Cherries are picked, packedand shipped in a very short time24 to 48 hours,” Kelly said.

Washington produces mostlysweet cherries, but a few growershave tart cherries, regarded bysome as pie cherries, Kelly said.

Those who have tart varietiesshould do well, since Michigan,

the nation’s leading producer oftart cherries, lost many of itscherries and almost all its applecrop to weather this year, Kellysaid. There was a big demand fortart cherries.


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Record harvest produces decent return


The chart shows a comparison of per-box f.o.b. prices for selected varieties of pears, as of Jan. 12 in threesuccessive years.

Washington Growers Clearing House

The Chronicle

A record number of cherries came off the trees in the state during 2012.


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Guest workers swell business activity

By John F. Cleveland IIThe Chronicle

BREWSTER – Temporaryworkers, brought into the countryfrom Jamaica, spend a lot in localbusinesses from June throughNovember.

“Department of Labor issuedlabor certifications for 16 differentcontracts for 2,693 H-2Acertifications in Okanogan,Douglas and Grant Counties in2012,” state Employment SecurityDepartment spokesman BillTarrow said.

For six months of the year,businesses benefit from bothtemporary — or guest — workers,seasonal workers and tourists.

“Business is off the chartsduring that time,” Triangle Exxon

owner Bob Fateley, 64, said.“There are big retailers up

north and the governmentagencies in Okanogan, but theamount of people here in Brewsterthroughout the summer isdefinitely the most in the countyduring those times.”

Local growers have been usingthe federal H-2A temporaryagricultural program to bring non-immigrant foreign workers to theU.S. to perform agricultural laborif they anticipate a shortage ofdomestic workers.

Gebbers Farms participates inthe guest-worker program.

Company officials declined tocomment.

In Brewster, H-2A workershave included people fromJamaica the last few years.Transportation and housing areprovided for most.

“The Hispanic workers fromCalifornia that are brought inusually have a car or some type oftransportation, but most of the

Jamaican workers have to wait forthe bus to bring them into town,”La Milpa owner Ernesto Santos,57, said.

“There is a difference betweenthe Hispanic and Jamaicanworkers and it seems that most ofthe Jamaican workers don’t seemto spend as much as the others,”he said. “I think the Hispanics do

a lot more shopping, but the morepeople that are brought in townhelp the businesses for thosemonths.”

“Most of the H-2A workershave everything provided forthem, so it is a lot different than itused to be around here,” BrewsterMarketplace Manager VictorVargas, 36, said. “We used to sell a

lot of pots, pans and silverwareduring the harvest months, butnow most of those things areprovided for them.”

Most seasonal workers travelelsewhere once the area’s harvestis finished, but some are stayingyear round.

“I think there are around 1,000more people around during thesummers,” Brewster Drug ownerBryan Johnson, 36, said. “So yes,it is busier in the summer.”

Another difference between theHispanic and Jamaican is in theamount of food they buy at onetime. The Hispanic workers seemto like to pool together theirmoney to have a big feast and buya lot of things in their trips to thelocal businesses, while Jamaicanworkers seem to buy just a fewnecessities every week, Vargas andSantos said.

“It isn’t like it used to be, butthey are still sending most of their

See Workers 11

“I think the Hispanics do a lot

more shopping, but the more

people that are brought in

town help the businesses.La Milpa owner Ernesto Santos

”

Jamaicans join

Hispanic workers in

orchards, area stores

TWISP — Vic Stokes is thelatest, but not the first, OkanoganCounty cattleman to lead the stateassociation.

Local predecessors were R.L.Picken, Tonasket, 1930; RossWoodward, Loomis, 1946; WalterSchrock, Okanogan, 1949; BillFancher, Tonasket, 1954-55; JohnWoodward, Loomis, 1968-69; BillBarnes, Tonasket, 1972-73; JickFancher, Tonasket, 1976-77, andDon McClure, Nespelem, 1982-83.

In addition, eight countywomen have led the statecattlewomen.

By John F. Cleveland IIThe Chronicle

TWISP – New WashingtonCattlemen’s Association PresidentVic Stokes is a fourth-generationrancher running about 200 headof cattle on his ranch just south oftown.

Stokes, 58, was electedassociation president in November2012.

“As a member of thecattlemen’s association, it isalways good to participate as muchas you can to help the association,”the Twisp native said. “Thepolitical part of the association issomething I have always enjoyed,so this was just the next step forme. I just wanted to do everythingI could to help out the cattlefarming industry.”

He said the top issues for cattleranchers are controlling predators,management of cattle operationsand new proposals for waterquality.

“The water quality issue is agrazing issue and there is talk offairly aggressive buffers being putin to keep away cattle from watersources,” Stokes said. “I don’t feelgrazing around water takesanything away from the water

quality, and the rancher canproperly graze around the watersource and not have to beexcluded from it.”

Wolves also are “a majorconcern” for cattle ranchers, hesaid.

“It even goes beyond the killingof the cattle to the harassment ofthe cattle, because this can causeweight loss in the cattle,” he said.“There has been increased wolfsightings, especially in thenortheast, and even a collared wolfsighting from Pend Oreille County.This means the wolves move

around a lot and cover greatdistances quickly, and it is aconcern for local farmers.”

Stokes plans to give a localvoice to the association and helpin the management of the cattleoperations as a whole, and give hisoutlook and opinions as alongtime rancher.

He said he will keep a watch onpublic land issues, along with stateand federal agencies that managewildlife habitat and endangeredspecies.

“Vic Stokes is going to be agreat representative for theOkanogan County cattle business,”Brewster cattleman Dale Smith,53, said. “He is very thoughtfuland looks at everything through a

broad scope.”Loomis cattleman Jerry Barnes

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Workers from 10

Twisp rancher leads state cattlemenPredators, water

quality proposals

are top concerns

Not the first

Washington Cattlemen’s Association

Twisp rancher Vic Stokes will leadthe state cattlemen this year.

“He is very thoughtful and looks at

everything through a broad scope.Cattleman Dale Smith

”

By John F. Cleveland IIand Dee Camp

The Chronicle

TONASKET – U.S. ForestService and Colville ConfederatedTribes are considering changes totheir grazing programs, and localranchers are upset.

The Forest Service wants tomake changes in the Bannon,Aeneas, Revis and Tunk cattle andhorse allotments. The areaincludes Bannon and Tunkmountains; Crawfish Lake;Aeneas, Barnell, Lost, Cole, Benchand Jungle creeks, and BarnellMeadows.

Range analyses are conductedperiodically, forest officials said.

“It is Forest Service policy tomake forage available to qualifiedlivestock operators from landssuitable for grazing consistentwith land management plans,”according to the Forest Service’snotice of intent to prepare theenvironmental impact statement.

“The proposed actionauthorizes continued livestockgrazing at current levels using acombination of rangeimprovements and adaptivemanagement strategies,” theForest Service said.

Some changes underconsideration for the 36,803-acrestudy area are additional fenceconstruction, moving andremoving or installing new watertroughs, relocating corrals andresting or keeping cattle offportions of the allotments forspecified periods to help thegrazing lands recover.

“Monitoring would be designedfor early detection of resource

conditions that would triggermanagement changes,” the ForestService said. “Triggers would bedeveloped to identify when aspecific threshold is about to bereached and cattle need to bemoved. The length of time eachpasture is grazed and whetheradditional fences would beinstalled would be determined bymonitoring results.”

Comments were taken earlierthis winter, with a finalenvironmental impact statementdue in February.

Twisp rancher and WashingtonCattlemen’s Association PresidentVic Stokes, 58, said water qualityis a concern.

“The water quality is a grazingissue and there is talk aboutmaking some fairly aggressivebuffers to keep cattle away fromstreams, and our feeling at thecattlemen’s association is thatfarmers can manage their grazingaround the water,” said Stokes.“We don’t agree with the buffersand fencing, and don’t think theyare necessary to improve waterquality.”

Riverside rancher AlbertWilson, who runs cattle on federalland under four grazing permitsincluding three in the area understudy, said it is “nip and tuck rightnow. They are always trying to cutback our cattle all the time and itis concerning. Our Aeneas andTunk grazing permits used to befor 1,200 head of cattle and now itis 600, and they want to cut themeven more.

“It is quite a concern and I feelsorry for my kids and grandkids. Iwas hoping they could take overthe farm like I did with my dadand he did with his dad, and nowthey are making it more work forus and it getting to where it isn’tcost effective.”

In the are under study, ForestService range improvementproposals include:

• Removal of three miles offence no longer needed forlivestock management and twonon-functioning waterdevelopments.

• Relocation of four troughsand one corral, and 1.5 miles offence.

• Development of 16 springs,including exclosures aroundspring sources.

See Grazing 16


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Grazing changes have ranchers concerned

Al Camp/The Chronicle

Cattle saunter along a forest road near Okanogan prior to round-up.

Cattlemen concerned

about permit renewal

Ferry County Extension

REPUBLIC — One of the manychallenges in Ferry County is togrow fruit that lives long enoughto produce and ripen to harvestbefore the bees, bears or birds getit first.

It is nice to have enoughquantity to eat in the summer, andpreserve or freeze the rest forwinter. Tree- or vine-ripened fruithas many more nutrients thanfruit picked green and shipped asit ripens. It also tastes better aswell as being healthier for you.

The county has a growingseason that can vary from 60-220days, depending on the area.Plant- and blossom-killing frostshave been seen every month of theyear in the Republic and manyother areas of the region.

Growers who want somethingthat produces enough quantity tofeast on, will want varieties moreadapted to the garden or orchard’sclimate. Winter provides a goodtime to start planning and workingfor spring fruit production.

Those in the colder climates ofthe county - Republic area andside valleys in all directions -always choose the shortest seasonand most winter hardy of thevarieties offered.

The Curlew, Danville,Inchelium, Keller and Barney’sareas of the county can ripenItalian prunes and many othervarieties almost every year — forthose in the right spot. At thenorth end, the land usually has tobe located on sun-exposedbenches that allow for the air

drainage and the growing degreedays needed to ripen.

A wide variety of stone fruits,apples and even blueberries havegrown for home use on the eastside of the Curlew-Malo valley onsome of the benches. Raspberriesand strawberries do great inalmost all parts of our county, asdo many currants, pie cherries,and transparent, Lodi, Earligoldand many of the older, winter-hardy varieties of apples.

Always go for the shorterseason variety unless the propertyis along Lake Roosevelt or up byDanville.

For those who have small fruitor other trees, one of the biggestdangers this time of year is themeadow vole. It is a small, mouse-like rodent with a shorter tail thatburrows along the ground underthe snow, eating grasses, bark andseeds all through the winter.

A grower will know they’vebeen around if, as the snow leaves,their little pathways are seen allthrough grasses and gardens.

Many fruittrees, smallevergreens,juniper tams andothers shrubs diefrom the littlecritters. As theyare burrowingalong, they runinto the stem ortrunk of the bushor tree and eat thebark all the wayaround, rightabove groundlevel, andsometimes up to12 inches high ifthe snow is deepor the shrubberydense.

This girdles thebark and the tree

or shrub dies the following spring.It is not too late to protect

them now. The tree or shrub’sbase can be wrapped to groundlevel with a heavy plastic wrapsuch as an old, two-liter jug withthe ends cut out, or tree wrap orscreen secured with wire ties.

For fruit trees, late winter andearly spring are good times toprune in Ferry County.

The five main reasons forpruning are:

• Removal of rubbing,interfering or badly placedbranches, and narrow “V” crotchesto avoid serious future problems.

• Removal of cracked, brokenor dead limbs, and hazardous lowlimbs to increase safety around the

tree.• To train main scaffold

branches when the plant is youngfor greater fruit production later.

• To shape the tree to

accentuate, but not alter, itsnatural form.

• To improve or balance flowerquality and quantity. This canimprove fruit quality and quantity.


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Pruning do’s and don’ts are shown in tree graphic.

The Chronicle

REPUBLIC — Here are sometips for pruning and shaping:

• Most pruning cuts should bethinning cuts, that is, cutting abranch back to the point of origin.

• Make heading cuts only onsmall branches just above a bud.

• Make all cuts outside thebranch collar, but do not leavestubs that will not heal.

• Select the main scaffoldbranches when the tree is young.This will avoid many problems

later.• Use spreader sticks to build

strong and wide tree branchcrotches.

This is especially desirable inheavy snowfall areas such as FerryCounty.

Washington State UniversityExtension for Ferry County offersDVDs: “Easy Steps to Fruit TreePruning with Gary Moulton” and“Pruning Apple Trees: BasicConcepts.” Both are available freetoo check out from the office, 350E. Delaware Ave., No. 9, Republic.

Tree trimming tips

The Chronicle

SPOKANE ― Spring salesclosing dates for Multiple PerilCrop Insurance programs areapproaching rapidly.

The U.S. Department ofAgriculture’s Risk ManagementAgency said the closing dates alsoinclude whole farm insuranceprograms, Adjusted GrossRevenue Pilot and AdjustedGross Revenue-Lite.

Dates include:• Jan. 31 — Final date to buy

or change AGR insurance inselect counties in Idaho, Oregonand Washington. It’s the finaldate to submit requireddocuments to continue or change2013 AGR-Lite insurance forexisting policy holders.

• March 15 — Final date to buyor change spring-seeded MPCI,excluding wheat in counties withfall and spring planted types, andonions.

It’s the final date to buy 2013AGR-Lite insurance for new

application/enrollment policies.“Producers are encouraged to

visit with their crop insuranceagent to learn specific details forthe 2013 crop year,” RiskManagement Specialist Jo LynneSeufer said.

Federal crop insurancepolicies are sold and deliveredsolely through private insurancecompanies and agents. A list ofcrop insurance agents is availableat all USDA Service Centers or atwww3.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents/.

By Mary Schilling andLaura Jones-Edwards

Okanogan County Master Gardeners

OKANOGAN — Are youfamiliar with the Master GardenerProgram?

Maybe you wonder what we do. The master gardener title

comes from Germany’s“gartenmeisters,” who were highlyrespected horticulturists in theircommunities.

Unbeknownst to many, theMaster Gardener Program beganin Washington state in January1973. Unable to keep up withpublic demand for gardeninginformation, Washington StateUniversity Extension faculty inKing and Pierce counties begantraining volunteers to serve asmaster gardeners.

There are great photos of theoriginal master gardeners hostingquestion-and-answer booths in themiddle of the Northgate Mall inSeattle. They had no idea that thisidea of training volunteers wouldspread across the country andeven overseas.

Nearly all master gardenerprograms within the U.S.administer training through astate land-grant university and itsextension service.

“The purpose of the WSUMaster Gardener program is toprovide public education ingardening and environmentalstewardship built on research-based information from WSUExtension and other universitiesto address such critical issues asenhancing natural resources andenvironmental stewardship,sustaining vibrant communities,and improving health and wellnessof residents of Washington,.”According to the Master GardenerProgram Handbook.

We do this through activitiessuch as plant clinics, training ofnew volunteers, communityservice projects, classes anddemonstration gardens.

Master gardeners are at theOkanogan County Fair andoperate demonstration gardens,the xeriscape garden at thefairgrounds and the rose gardenon Okoma Drive near Mid-ValleyHospital in Omak.

Our plant clinics are a greatopportunity for you to askquestions about gardening, plantpests and diseases, water-wisegardening, transplanting, startingplants from seed — the list isendless.

When gardening questionsleave us scratching our heads, wecan access great resources,

including WSU faculty and staff.We offer weekly office hours in

the Extension office at theOkanogan County Courthouse, 149N. Third Ave., taking a bit of a breakduring the cold winter months.

You may have seen usanswering questions at the localfarmers markets as well. We aretruly here to help home gardenersbe successful.

One of our most popular eventsis the annual spring plant sale. Wetook a break last year, but are onschedule for a great event this yearand we hope you will join us. Thisis a great opportunity to get anearly start on purchasing plantsthat need a head start or to trysomething new.

Watch for posters coming inthe next month for moreinformation.

In the meantime, stay warmand enjoy those seed catalogs thatwill start to show up in yourmailbox. Spring is right aroundthe corner.


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By Zachary Van BruntSpecial to The Chronicle

MALO — Ferry County’sgeographic location and terrain,mean farmers and ranchers facedifficulties in getting goods toconsumers and higher pricesbecause of fuel costs.

At least one Ferry County hayproducer welcomes that challenge.

“It’s challenging, but notimpossible,” Malo farmer DanMiller said.

Irrigation to the area is crucial.“In our area, anybody who

produces any quantity of hay doesso under irrigation,” he said.

Weather plays a major role ingetting hay from Miller’s farm tobuyers.

Typically, he starts fertilizingand cultivating the ground in thefirst part of April, then begins toirrigate in May or June, dependingon the weather.

Seeds are planted, then Millerexpects anywhere from two orthree cuttings per season, eachresulting in five to seven tons peracre of alfalfa or grass hay.

The summer harvest yieldsplenty of feed for ranchersthroughout the region, and hissupply is typically sold out by theend of August.

“I’ve had years whereeverything is sold before I put inthe in the barn,” he said. He’s beenon the farm for 10 years.

Miller, a former IBM employeein Seattle, was born and raised inthe Malo area, and said he enjoysthe challenges his old stomping

grounds present.He said fields in Ferry County

are often irregularly shapedbecause mountains and rivers, andthat poses problems with gettingwater to crops.

“If you have a long field, it’shard to get your irrigation spreadacross it,” he said.

Transportation costs amount toprice increases for the relativelyisolated county.

“If I have to drive to Spokane toget something, that costs me $100in fuel alone,” Miller said. And ifRepublic – the county’s onlyincorporated city – doesn’t havewhat Miller needs, trips toSpokane, Colville or Okanogan arenot unusual.

To keep prices down, he said hehas parts and equipment shippedas often as possible.

Miller said growing hay is parthobby, part income for him.

“We can’t pull the same marketprice in Ferry County that youcould if you were selling to theoutlets in Moses Lake,” he said.“But, then again, generallyspeaking, we’re a pretty isolatedmarket.”

There’s a constant tight ropewalk with pricing, as neighboringStevens County hay producers viefor the same buyers.

Miller said it’s a delicatebalance to make sure the time andenergy going into hay productionare compensated, but he doesn’twant to gouge the market either.

“One of the things that I findamazing is that a lot of peoplereally don’t understand what ittakes to put up good hay,” he said.“A lot of times when you’re puttingup hay, there are days where you’reworking 20 hours straight.”

A typical window for baling isbetween 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., and

Miller said he often has to go backinto the field three hours later, at 6a.m. Ideal harvest windows are sosmall – two to three hours – that alot of extra time goes intoresearching weather reports andforecasts to ensure optimaloutlooks.

“If people really understoodhow much time, effort and workwent into producing really goodhay, they wouldn’t beat us up aboutthe price,” Miller said.

Hay and cattle make up thebackbone of Ferry County’s

agricultural industry, retiredWashington State UniversityExtension Director Dan Fagerliesaid

“We have a combination all theacross the board: Not a lot ofanything, but a lot of everything,”he said.

Multi-generation rancherscompose a vital part of the county’sag industry, with some ranchfamilies some being around morethan 100 years. Another mainindustry component is a contingentof part-time farmers – like Miller –

who take agriculture on as a hobbyto supplement their income orprovide food for neighbors.

Other than hay, cattle ranchingis the other major force in shapingagriculture in the county.

Transportation issues do notescape cattle ranchers in thecounty, either.

With only two major highways– and the only state Department ofTransportation ferry crossing eastof the Cascades – getting productto market is a challenge, rancherssaid.


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Horses munch on hay in an Okanogan-area field. Hay is one of neighboring Ferry County’s biggest crops.

Hay and cattle are

predominant factors

in county agriculture

By Nella LetiziaWashington State University

Extension

PROSSER — A more accurateway to measure cold hardiness inapple and sweet cherry buds andblooms during early spring isunder development by researchersat Washington State UniversityProsser Irrigated AgricultureResearch and Extension Center.

The three-year project, fundedby the Washington Tree FruitResearch Commission this year,will help Pacific Northwestgrowers better protect theirorchards during frosts.

Led by AgWeatherNet DirectorGerrit Hoogenboom and researchassociate Melba Salazar-Gutierrez,the project ultimately will providemore updated information abouthow new apple and cherryvarieties handle cold at differentstages of growth.

“Historical cold hardiness dataare based on research that wasconducted more than 30 to 40years ago and with oldervarieties,” Salazar-Gutierrez said.“These data are still being usedtoday, even for new varieties. So

far, little is known about thehardiness of new cultivars underlocal weather conditions.

“There is, therefore, a need toupdate this information usingcurrent varieties with newscientific methodologies,” she said.

Frost in early spring oftendamages apple and sweet cherrybuds and blooms, and cropresistance to freezingtemperatures varies depending onthe buds’ development, she said.This variable susceptibility to coldmakes it difficult for growers toknow when to take measures toprotect their orchards when themercury plummets.

“From dormancy to fruit set,the flower bud undergoes anumber of developmental changesthat are associated with aprogressive, increasingvulnerability of the pistil (thefemale reproductive part of aflower) to low temperatures,”Salazar-Gutierrez said.

“In dormant flower buds, theeffect of freezing temperatures isnot uniform, with ice crystalsformed in only some floral tissues.At full bloom, the damage may bemore extensive, depending on the

severity of the freeze. With cherry,flower buds are more susceptibleto injury than vegetative buds.”

Previous cold hardinessmeasurements were not as specificas the new system. Researchersmade observations and tooksamples of buds and flowers afternaturally occurring freeze eventsto determine injury, Salazar-Gutierrez said.

They also tested freeze

See Cold 17


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��• Reconstruction of three

existing spring development.• Construction of two new

corrals.• Construction of one hardened

crossing on Aeneas Creek.• Possible construction of about

13 miles of new pasture fence forrested areas.

Meanwhile, another concernfor area cattle ranchers has beenrangeland management for non-tribal members on tribal land.

The Colville ConfederatedTribes is trying to promote the useof the range resource by tribalmembers to support them inearning a living in whole or in partthrough grazing their ownlivestock. That might affect somenon-tribal members who grazetheir cattle on the reservation.

“There is certainly a concernraised on non-tribal membersusing grazing lands on tribalgrounds,” Stokes said. “Public landgrazing in general is a concern,because the grazing permits forthe amount of cattle needs to be

kept big enough to maintain alarge enough herd to make itprofitable to the beef cattlefarmer.”

“They have a new tribal rangemanager and I think he has somenew plans,” Okanogan rancherRick Timm said. “So far, therehaven’t been any changes but wehaven’t had our range meeting yet.

“They have been issuing five-year permits and those ran outJan. 1 and there are always storiesgoing around that there will besome changes, but we haven’t hadthat meeting.”

Grazing from 12

Researchers study frost hardinessTrees in bloomstand in a solidrow in an Omak-area orchard.Researchers arestudying howblossoms reactto freezingweather.


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By Zachary Van BruntSpecial to The Chronicle

OLYMPIA – Legislators fromWashington’s 7th and 12thdistricts are proposing laws thatwould protect and enhancelandowners’ rights, particularlythose of farmersand ranchers.

Manylegislators agreethat, despiteseveral billsintroduced, it’stoo soon to tellwhat mightimpactagriculture.

“It’s strangeright now,” Rep.Shelly Short, R-Addy, said.“We’ve got billscoming forward,but there’snothing that’sjelling right now.We haven’t seenanything fromthe new governor(Jay Inslee) interms of anypriority oflegislation hemight have.”

“It’s juststarting to shapeup right now.There are a lot ofdifferent ideasthat are comingin,” Rep. JoelKretz, R-Wauconda, said.

Topping those lists are issuesconcerning agriculture taxationand gray wolf packs, whichcontinue to concern ranchersthroughout Eastern Washington.

Kretz is sponsoring a bill thatwould allow relocation of wolvesto “areas where they will bewelcomed and there is the habitatthat allows them to flourish.”

That could mean out ofOkanogan, Ferry, Stevens andPend Oreille counties.

“Right now it’s no secret thatthe cattle industry is beingthreatened by wolves,” Sen. John

Smith, R-Colville, said.He was appointed in early

January to fill the seat left vacantby the resignation of Sen. BobMorton. “One of my primeobjectives in (coming to Olympia)is to point out that what happenson the east side of the state isvaluable.”

Smith has sponsored three billsin the state Senate that wouldwork toward protecting propertyowners’ rights against wolf attacks.

“Private property owners don’thave the right to protect their ownproperty,” Smith said. One of thebills he introduced, what he callsthe “caught-in-the-act” bill, wouldallow landowners to defend theirproperty – including livestock andcrops – with lethal force againstgray wolves and other wildlifepredators.

Short has a similar bill in theHouse.

“Private property owners don’t

See Lawmakers 18

tolerance using differentialthermal analysis to come up withpredictions of critical lethaltemperatures, but this technique isonly effective for early stages ofbud development.

The new system moreaccurately determines lethaltemperatures for later bud andbloom growth, she said. Anautomated freezer sampler, calledthe “vending machine,” exposesthe buds to different durations andcontrolled cold temperaturecombinations.

Created by John Ferguson,research center staff member whoalso came up with a cold-hardiness prediction model forgrapes, the vending machine is astandard environmental chamberwith a built-in slot at the bottomof the door, hence its nickname.

Four plastic racks inside thechamber hold perforated cylindersfor samples. When samples reacha designated temperature, they areautomatically released from theracks and fall through the door’sslot into a basket outside thechamber.

The custom-modified freezersampler can hold smaller cuttingsof limbs and flowers and runsamples overnight, thusprocessing more samples faster.

Hoogenboom, Salazar-Gutierrez

and their AgWeatherNet researchteam studied Red Delicious, Galaand Fuji apples and Bing, Chelanand Sweetheart cherries beginningin February. They collectedsamples from the WSU RozaResearch Farm and C&M Orchardsnear Prosser, and testedtemperatures ranging from minus40 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit atvarying times to learn when budsand flowers will die.

The team is still analyzing theresults from last spring.

Salazar-Gutierrez said the nextstep is to continue collectingsamples on new orchards for twomore seasons, which will dependon cooperation from growerswilling to participate in theproject. The researchers also wantto study how apple and sweetcherry buds fare as orchards enterdormancy in fall and winter.

The researchers will thendevelop a model for growers witha range of early springtemperatures that buds at allstages of development willtolerate.

“The overall outcome of thisproject will be updated hardinesscharts for apples and sweetcherries that include the criticaltemperatures for each of thedifferent stages of spring buddevelopment,” Salazar-Gutierrezsaid.

“This is a very important toolfor growers who are monitoringtheir individual apple and cherryorchards for appropriate cropmanagement and activation offrost protection systems. This willallow for better planning toimprove fruit quality, enhanceyield and ultimately increase netreturns.”


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Cold from 16Legislatorsconcentrate onlandowner rightsFarm and ranch

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Short

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Inc.

have the right to protect their ownproperty,” Smith said. “Butsometimes we’re being painted bysome conservation people aswanting to go out and completelyannihilate the wolf population.And that’s just not true.”

Smith, who sits on both theSenate’s Natural Resources andParks, and Trade and EconomicDevelopmentcommittees,owns a smallfarm in northernStevens County -in the middle ofthree of thestate’s verifiedgray wolf packs.

“When welook at the cattleindustry,perhaps whatsome people are missing is that itreally is an industry,” he said.

The taxes that ranchers supplyto a community help localbusiness, grocers, restaurants andothers stay afloat.

“The impact from hurting theindustry is not just felt bycattlemen, it’s felt by the entirecommunity,” he said.

Short agrees.Her House Bill 1191 would

allow a landowner, family memberor employee to protect propertyfrom wildlife predators.

“I want people to have anoption, and it’s not abouteradicating the wolves,” she said.“It’s about giving that person thetools necessary so that they cantake care of the problem. Peopleare afraid to do that because of fearthat they’ll be penalized or fined,and I just don’t think that’s right.”

Other than cattle and livestockissues, Eastern Washingtonlegislators also are taking up labortaxation.

“Any law having to do withlabor is a really high priority in the

state, and they need to bereformed,” Kretz said.

The lack of access to labor also

is a concern.“We didn’t get a lot of fruit

picked last year because we didn’thave the people to do it,” he said.

Rep. Cary Condotta, R-EastWenatchee, serves on the Housefinance committee.

“Our concern is, that when wego to look toward revenue, thegrowers, workers and ranchers allhave tax exemptions,” he said.

Those exemptions have beenmentioned as possible targets,which Condotta said he is against.

Newly elected 12th DistrictRep. Brad Hawkins, R-Wenatchee,and Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, could not be reachedfor comment.

The safety ofcattle and otherlivestock is aconcern for bothranchers andlegislators asgray wolfpopulationsgrow.


��

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Monday- Saturday • 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. • Sunday noon- 5 p.m.Hwy. 97 located at milepost 275, Malott • 509-422-3145

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Lawmakers from 17

Condotta

“

It’s not about

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wolves.Rep. Shelly Short

”

Weed board treatstargeted invaders

OKANOGAN — During 2012,the Okanogan County NoxiousWeed Control Program treated allof the new invader, Class A andpriority control weed species.

Garlic mustard is a new Class Aweed first detected in the countylat year.

The office treated noxiousweeds in several areas andpurchased herbicide to give tolandowners to help control hoaryalyssum.

The weed office paid for thetreatment of 18.4 acres of wildfour o’clock, 31 acres of leafyspurge, 6.1 acres of rushskeletonweed, 51 acres of Scotchthistle, 6.5 acres of musk thistle,six acres of hawkweed, 3.25 acresof yellow starthistle, 1.5 acres ofgarlic mustard, 80 acres of spurgeflax, .5 acre of common bugloss, .1acre of Syrian bean caper, fiveacres of hoary alyssum, 107 acresof various other weeds and 92acres of roads on tribal and stateDepartment of Natural Resources-managed lands.

Grants paid for most of theprojects, plus a calendar andWeeds Cross Borders Tour.

Farm Bureau watcheslegislative bills

OLYMPIA — The WashingtonFarm Bureau is watching anumber of bills that could affectfarmers.

Among them:• SB 5112 — Granting

scheduling authority for qualifiedretrospective rating planemployers and groups. The billwould result in more claimsefficiency by allowing retro groupsto schedule certain independentmedical exams and vocationalrehabilitation assessments.

• SB 5127 — Amendingprovisions governing structuredsettlements by removing agebarriers and clarifying legislativeintent. The bill would allowworkers of all ages to qualify forstructure settlement agreements.

EHB 2123 from 2011established the option ofstructured settlement agreementsbut limited it to older workers.

• SB 5126 — The bill wouldcorrects a court decision thatmisinterpreted Washington’s thirdparty recovery law. Passage of thebill would help save workers’compensation dollars.

• SB 5124 — Wagesimplification. The bill simplifiesthe formula used to calculateworkers’ compensation benefitsand makes it more in line withwhat other states use.

It would ensure fairness in thatcalculation and streamline

administrative costs for ourworkers’ comp system.

• SB 5125 — Occupationaldisease. The bill would amend thecurrently broad definition of“occupational disease” and restoreit to the original, narrowerlegislative intent.

• SB 5128 — Addressingcompensation for injured workers.The bill is an updated version ofSB 5566 from 2011, which was theSenate’s comprehensive workers’compensation reform package.

• SB 5128 — It would allowvoluntary settlement options (asopposed to just structuredsettlement agreements) and wouldgrant that option to injuredworkers of all ages.

• HB 1113 — The bill wouldrequire the state Department ofEcology to identify peer-reviewedscience, scientific literature andother sources relied upon for thesignificant agency action beforetaking a significant agency actionwithin the water quality,shorelands, or environmentalassistance programs.

This is another step towardensuring sound science is used inpublic policy making.

Pesticide drift billtaken off table

OLYMPIA — A pesticide driftbill apparently has been taken offthe table for the current legislativesession.

Washington Farm Bureaurepresentatives testified at aHouse Labor and WorkforceDevelopment Committee worksession last week.

“We reiterated our steadfastcommitment to providing safework places,” the organization saidin its weekly legislative update.“Many of the points we madeagainst last year’s proposal —namely that mandatoryrequirements will not work for anindustry that needs to be able to

respond to the changingconditions of nature.”

The existing framework ofpesticide education andenforcement through several statedepartments works well and shouldbe maintained, the group said.

Weed board warnsof wildflower seeds

OKANOGAN — The OkanoganCounty Noxious Weed ControlOffice warns that wildflower seedpackets may contain invasive andnoxious weed seeds.

A University of Washingtonstudy showed that wildflower seedpackets from several differentdistributors contained anywherefrom three to 13 varieties ofinvasive plants and eight packetscontained seeds for species ofnoxious weeds listed in at leastone state or Canadian province.

A third of the packets did notlist which species were includedand just a handful correctly listedthe types of seeds they contained.

‘Early response’ weedworkshop planned

REPUBLIC – A free “earlyresponse” weed workshop is from5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, inthe Extension Training Center inthe Ferry County Courthouse, 350E. Delaware Ave.

The Ferry County NoxiousWeed Control Board workshopwill concentrate on new invaders,early herbicide applications andearly weed identification. Aquestion-and-answer period isplanned.

Three state pesticide licenserecertification credits will beavailable.

Advance registration isrequired by contacting the WeedBoard office, 509-775-5225 Ext.1111 to by 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8.

A hands-on sprayer calibration

workshop is planned in April.

Farm Bureau plansLegislative Days

OLYMPIA — The WashingtonFarm Bureau’s Legislative Dayswill be Feb. 5-6.

The event includes issuebriefings, training, updates fromkey legislators, a reception,banquet and opportunity to meetwith legislators.

Registration and additionalinformation is available atwww.wsfb.com/legislativedays.

Pesticide licensingclass offered

OKANOGAN — A pesticidelicense recertification class will beMarch 27 in the Agriplex Annex at

the Okanogan County Fairgrounds,175 Rodeo Trail Road.

The class will be worth up toeight credits at a cost of $5.

Lunch will be available for anadditional fee.

More information is availablefrom the Okanogan CountyNoxious Weed Control Office inthe courthouse, 149 N. Third Ave.

County weed officehas new hours

OKANOGAN — The OkanoganCounty Noxious Weed ControlOffice has new hours.

Field season office hours are 9a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday throughWednesday. Thursdays andFridays will be dedicated field daysand will allow for follow-up onlandowner concerns.

—The Chronicle


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