Oregon Cranberry Growers Association
Feed aggregator
Oregon cranberries: A 360-degree look at the industry (interactive graphics ... - OregonLive.com
OregonLive.com
OregonLive.com
Meet Starvation Alley Cranberry Farm In 2010, Jessika Tantisook, 28, and Jared Oakes, 34, started the first organic cranberry farm in Washington. The 10-acre, 10 employee farm on the Long Beach peninsula, produces about 1,700 gallons of pure, ...
and more »
Oregon cranberries: A 360-degree look at the industry (interactive graphics, photos & video) - OregonLive.com
The berries at the center of many Thanksgiving day traditions are a significant year-round business in Oregon, which produces more of them than anywhere else ...
Oregon cranberries: A 360-degree look at the industry (interactive graphics, photos & video) - OregonLive.com
The berries at the center of many Thanksgiving day traditions are a significant year-round business in Oregon, which produces more of them than anywhere else ...
Oregon cranberries: A 360-degree look at the industry (interactive graphics, photos & video) - OregonLive.com
The berries at the center of many Thanksgiving day traditions are a significant year-round business in Oregon, which produces more of them than anywhere else ...
Thanksgiving cranberry sauce short cut -- not all store-bought brands are ... - OregonLive.com
OregonLive.com
Related Stories. Thanksgiving 2014 menu planner: Every recipe you need for turkey, potatoes, side dishes, gravy, dessert · Oregon cranberries: A 360-degree look at the industry (interactive graphics, photos & video) ...
and more »
Tight supply to bolster soft white wheat prices
A tight supply will lift soft white wheat prices in the coming months, Northwest wheat marketing experts say.
According to USDA Agricultural Marketing Services, soft white wheat prices were mostly $7.19 per bushel, ranging from $6.96 per bushel to $7.36 per bushel.
Ty Jessup, merchandiser for Central Washington Grain Growers in Waterville, Wash., and industry representative for the Washington Grain Commission, expects soft white wheat prices to remain at the same level.
Moving into the winter, the market will turn its attention to next year’s crop, Jessup said. Prices will adjust according to the outlook.
“The challenge for next year’s crop is not knowing what next year’s crop is going to be,” Jessup said, pointing to possible impacts of a recent cold snap. “The hard part about winter weather conditions is we can kill a crop several times, but you don’t ever know the answer until next spring.” Soft white wheat is a little high in protein, but good quality, said Dan Steiner, grain merchandiser for Pendleton Grain Growers and Morrow County Grain Growers. The 2015 crop does not appear to be off to a good start, with dry conditions and late planting affecting development of the root system, he said.
He expects prices will remain steady through the holiday season. But he’s encouraged by USDA reports calling for the second-tightest carryout — the amount of wheat left over from 2014 — since 1988.
“The only year it was tighter than that was the year it went to $16 per bushel,” he said. “No, we’re not going to $16, I don’t think, but we’re going to have really tight carryouts.”
If production problems occur in a major wheat-producing corner of the world, Steiner said, prices could easily reach $8 per bushel.
“This market’s not going to stay down long - it may dip, we may have adjustments of the futures, but right now there’s not any serious downside for any extended period of time,” he said.
Byron Behne, marketing manager for Northwest Grain Growers in Walla Walla, Wash., agrees that a tight supply will likely raise prices in February or March.
“That might be the time period where we start to see some big gains,” Behne said. “With white wheat being the only variety of wheat that’s super tight this year, prices should stay firm and move higher, maybe towards $8 per bushel.”
The world wheat supply is strong enough that Behen also doesn’t foresee $16 wheat.
“Prices are at the highest levels we’ve been since prior to harvest, so if a guy needs money it’s not a bad time to sell some wheat,” Behne said. “But if you don’t have to, I don’t mind sitting on wheat just to see what happens.”
DOL, farmers in talks to resolve ‘hot goods’ lawsuits
The U.S. Department of Labor said it’s negotiating a possible end to litigation with Oregon blueberry farms the agency accused of “hot goods” labor law violations.
The agency has asked a federal judge to postpone proceedings in its lawsuit against the growers while they try to reach a resolution.
In 2012, the agency claimed that Pan-American Berry Growers and B&G Ditchen paid pickers less than the minimum wage, rendering their blueberries unlawfully harvested “hot goods” that can’t be shipped in interstate commerce.
The farms agreed to pay $220,000 and waive their right to challenge DOL’s findings so the agency would lift the “hot goods” objection, thus preventing their crop from rotting.
Those deals were found to be unlawfully coercive earlier this year by a federal judge who vacated the settlements and re-opened the litigation.
Since then, the legal conflict has escalated. The farmers demanded their money back, plus $150,000 in damages for the shipping delay that hurt fruit quality.
DOL countered that it couldn’t return the money that had already been disbursed to workers and refused to pay damages or attorney fees.
The agency also upped the ante in its complaints against the farms, seeking to add new defendants and additional charges of wrongdoing stretching back further in time.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin was set to hear oral arguments on DOL’s motion to broaden the charges against the farms on Dec. 3 and to accept court briefs regarding the payment of restitution and attorney fees.
The agency has now asked him to postpone that hearing until Jan. 13, 2015 and delay court briefing of the other legal issues.
DOL and the farms “have exchanged proposals for resolution of all the combined cases in this matter” and it may conserve the resources of everyone involved if the proceedings were delayed, the agency said in court documents.
The DOL’s documents claim that Tim Bernasek, the farmers’ attorney, has agreed to postpone the oral arguments and briefings but Capital Press was unable to reach him for confirmation.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, followed closely by the 4th of July. Why? Beause it is all about food and family:)
I’m thankful for everyone in our crazy industry:
the farmers that grow a healthy, beautiful berry
the processors that haul, clean and freeze our crop
and the
handlers that make our crop into sauce, juice, dried cranberries and keep trying to invent new uses.
Enjoy our day!
Did you ever wonder where the $$ comes from for USDA purchases??
No, it isn’t from tax revenues…read on…
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/fdd-history-and-background
Section 32!!
USDA announces cranberry purchase
The purchase of cranberry products by the USDA is good news for our industry.
Nice article about Jonathan Smith’s cranberries
If you haven’t tasted these..track some down and give them a try. Absolutely wonderful.
In Britain, US turkey dinner is big for business
7 Devils Brewing Co. spent grains make protein-rich diet for Bandon free-range turkeys
Researchers work to help growers with FDA rules
NAMPA, Idaho — Farmers alarmed by the FDA’s proposed produce safety rule shouldn’t panic because a number of universities and organizations are preparing to help them wade through the complex proposal, a researcher involved in that effort says.
“It’s OK to hit the ‘huh?’ button but don’t hit the ‘panic’ button because a lot of groups are gearing up to provide the support system in a variety of ways,” said University of California-Davis extension research specialist Trevor Suslow, who focuses on produce quality and safety.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 152-page revised produce safety rule is difficult to understand but it’s a big improvement over the original rule, he said.
“There’s a lot of support that’s being put in place to help growers become familiar with the proposal, understand what it means and understand how to approach it within their operations,” Suslow said.
Speaking to Idaho fruit growers during the Idaho State Horticultural Society’s annual convention Nov. 20, Suslow focused his presentation on a part of the FDA proposal that would set limits on how much bacteria could be present in irrigation water.
Under the original proposal, growers whose water didn’t meet the standards would have to immediately stop using it. The revised rule allows growers whose water doesn’t meet the standards to comply through other means.
That includes establishing an interval from the last day of irrigation until harvest that would allow for potentially dangerous microbes to die off. This “die-off” provision could also apply to the time between harvest and when produce leaves storage.
Because the rate at which bacteria die off on produce is under-researched, Suslow said, he and others will ask the FDA to place that provision in a guidance document rather than the rule itself.
This would allow flexibility as more research in that area is done, he said, because “it would take an extraordinary effort to change once they’re locked in.”
“It’s a right idea,” he said, “I just think it needs to be tweaked and refined quite a bit more.”
Suslow said tests performed by researchers on well, reservoir and canal water in California and Arizona found that 95 percent of the water easily complied with the proposed water quality standards.
But in some places, such as the Treasure Valley area of Southwestern Idaho and Eastern Oregon, where some canal water is reused several times, the water would not meet the standards.
Onion growers in that area have been particularly vocal in their criticism of the proposed rule but they have been encouraged by the “die-off” provision.
The revised rule will allow growers a lot more latitude when it comes to meeting the water quality standards, Oregon State University researcher Clint Shock told the Capital Press.
But he said onion growers are still concerned about a provision of the produce safety rule that would require them to replace the wooden bins they have used for decades with plastic bins.
Replacing the estimated 1 million wooden onion boxes in Idaho and Eastern Oregon with plastic would cost about $200 million, based on estimates by OSU researchers. But OSU’s research showed no traces of E. coli bacteria on onions in wooden boxes that weren’t cleaned.
Despite this data, the FDA chose to retain the provision in its revised rule, Shock said.
“There would be a tremendous expense to replace all the bins, yet there would be no public health benefit,” Shock said.
Kitzhaber’s office says water deal imminent
A tentative agreement to pump more irrigation water from the Columbia River into northeast Oregon farmland could be just weeks away, according to Gov. John Kitzhaber’s natural resources policy director.
But such a plan would still require bipartisan support and funding in the upcoming legislature before local farmers can tap into any new water supplies.
It’s a complex process following months of face-to-face negotiations between conservation groups and the Northeast Oregon Water Association, which is applying for three water rights to significantly expand irrigated agriculture while allowing badly stressed groundwater aquifers to recharge.
If successful, the deal could put thousands of acres of highly productive farmland into full production near Hermiston and Boardman, with potential economic benefits in the billions of dollars.
That’s a lot of zeros and a lot of promise, but forgive Eastern Oregonians if they’ve heard it before. Kitzhaber, who was re-elected in November, has said the effort is a high priority and continues to monitor the Columbia River-Umatilla Solutions Task Force, which he convened in 2012. Yet results are slow to come.
Richard Whitman, who is the governor’s top natural resources adviser, said this time around feels different.
“We are very close to an agreement that will provide significant expansion of irrigation agriculture, with environmental interests on board,” Whitman said.
The difference now, Whitman said, has been the strong organizational commitment of NOWA and constructive talks on both sides of the negotiating table. Representatives of NOWA — including executive director J.R. Cook — have been traveling twice, sometimes three times per week for meetings in Salem, as well as hosting key legislators from across the Cascades.
What NOWA wants in the long run is three water rights adding up to 500 cubic feet per second of water from the Columbia, which it would pump into three critical groundwater areas spanning 40 miles of river from the Port of Morrow to just east of Hermiston.
Cook knew it wouldn’t come easy. The law requires NOWA mitigate the new irrigation with a bucket-for-bucket replacement of water back into the river in order to protect endangered fish runs. And, as history shows, the Umatilla Basin has a poor record of pumping resources dry — the “sins of our fathers,” as Cook has called them.
The keys to finding a solution, Cook said, are vision, patience and incremental gains. NOWA is working with environmental groups to identify projects that can account for the mitigation piece of their proposal, and making sure those benefits are clearly explained to constituents outside their base.
That takes time, but Cook is confident it will pay dividends.
“People start to get it, that this is a much bigger benefit than just our northeast Oregon neck of the woods,” he said. “Just having that dialogue with folks ... it doesn’t mean they’ll agree with everything we propose, but the best part is they understand it and they can make a weighted opinion on it down the road.”
On Nov. 8, members of NOWA and state Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, made the trip to northeast Portland to meet with Sen. Michael Dembrow and about 30 of his constituents, where they discussed water needs and the impacts of local agriculture statewide.
Dembrow, who works with Hansell on the Senate’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee, already visited Eastern Oregon in May for an up-close look at the project area and various ag-based industries. Since then, Cook said the Portland democrat has become an important ally to reaching across the urban-rural divide.
“It’s the best thing we can be doing as a region,” Cook said.
That bipartisan political backing will be important next year when it comes to funding any new water projects. It is likely the governor’s budget will include some resources to help the Columbia River supply start flowing, Whitman said. He declined to get into specifics, but said part of the funding could come from the $10 million Water Supply Development Account created by the legislature in 2013.
Once a concrete proposal is agreed upon, NOWA can move forward with applying for the water right and recruiting new members to join the organization. Membership will help pay for whatever mitigation and infrastructure costs are necessary to pump water onto their property.
“We’re spending significant time and resources trying to pull together a consensus here,” Whitman said.
Though Whitman said they are working on an arrangement that wouldn’t require any new laws, Hansell said he and his partners in Salem will be ready to step up with their support.
“It’s something we’ve worked on for many years, and I’ve tried to pick up the mantle and move it forward,” Hansell said. “I believe we will have something that is meaningful out of the next legislature.”
Working under NOWA, Cook said irrigators have a cohesive and clearly defined vision of success. The next step is coming up with a game plan to matches that vision.
“I think we’re doing it right,” Cook said. “We’ve defined success locally. I think the state’s thinking from the top down what their needs and priorities are. Hopefully, we can meet somewhere in the middle.”
Holiday Marketplace open through Dec. 13
Hosting Thanksgiving for the first time? Some tips
10 fresh ways to use Brussels sprouts
Grant helps Oregon company develop biochar product
A biochar product applied to fields increased red winter wheat yields 26 to 34 percent in preliminary trials and earned a Portland-area company a grant to pursue commercial production.
Walking Point Farms, a veteran-owned agri-tech business based in Tigard, Ore., received $91,000 from Oregon BEST, a non-profit that coordinates funding, research and development of clean-tech enterprises. Walking Point is working with Marion Ag Services of Salem to produce Pro-Pell-It, lime pellets coated with biochar, the charcoal-like substance produced by heating woody biomass such as logging slash.
Biochar is considered a quick fix for depleted soils and up to now has been favored by small, organic operations or home gardeners. It replenishes carbon in the soil, retains water and nutrients, makes soils less acidic and reduces erosion and leaching, Biochar essentially mimics organic matter that fallow wheat fields in Eastern Oregon and Washington lack, said Stephen Machado, a dryland cropping agronomist at Oregon State University’s Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center in Pendleton. He conducted the preliminary yield research.
“Biochar brings all that back,” Machado said. As an added benefit, “Once you apply it, that’s it,” he said, adding that repeated applications don’t appear to be necessary.
Backers also say biochar application also is a way to sequester carbon that would otherwise be released to the atmosphere.
Walking Point Farms and Marion Ag plan to release the product next spring. It will be the first large-scale commercial marketing of the pellets. Summit Seed Coatings, of Caldwell, Idaho, verified that biochar coating could be done at commercial levels.
Walking Point was founded by Howard Boyte, a Vietnam War Marine veteran who is retired from the Portland Fire Bureau. Chris Tenney, a Marine Corps combat veteran of the Iraq War, is vice president of business development, and William Wallace, an Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq, is chief financial officer. Boyte and Wallace were wounded in action.
Boyte has sold fertilizer in the past, capitalizing on requirements that government agencies buy a certain percentage of material from veteran-owned businesses. The biochar product, he said, has the potential to be a much bigger enterprise but will require investment partners.
“By spring planting we want to be locked, loaded and ready to go” with commercial production,” Boyte said. “Our number one biggest need is money.”
Oregon BEST, which provided the $91,000 grant, has increasingly focused on precision ag ventures, including a Wilsonville company that makes aerial drones for farm data collection. Since it was founded by the 2007 Oregon Legislature, the agency has secured more than $135 million for clean technology research from federal, foundation, and industry investors.
Online
Walking Point Farms http://walkingpointfarms.com