Country Life November 2015

Country Life Special Section • Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The changing season

Gardening • CL2 4-H • CL2 Dairy • CL3

Government

Ecology: Dairy gave ‘lots of thoughtful feedback’ on CAFO permit Water program manager: ‘We are keeping an open mind as we update the permit’

Sun, fog and a swirl of clouds silhouette a tree along Noon Road and create a portrait of the changing fall season in Whatcom County. (Elisa Claassen/Lynden Tribune)

OLYMPIA ­— Washington State Department of Ecology leaders heard concerns of Whatcom County dairy farmers about a draft revision of CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) rules at a packed Oct. 29 meeting in Peoples Place on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden, as well as by online comment.

The statewide comment period as Ecology works on the proposed CAFO rule changes ended Oct. 2.

On Oct. 27, Heather Bartlett, Water Quality Program manager for Ecology, posted the following blog of response on Ecology’s website at ecologywa.

See Ecology on CL3

Agriculture

Raspberry growers need to reset after tough 2015 harvest Annual commission meeting Dec. 2 in Lynden

By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com

WHATCOM ­— Coming off a down year of production, the state’s raspberry growers may have to recalibrate their industry’s budget for 2016.

The numbers for income and expenses

will be one item on the agenda of the annual meeting of the Washington Red Raspberry Commission Dec. 2 in Lynden.

The meeting will be at 7:30 a.m. at the very start of the threeday Lynden Ag Show and Small Fruit Conference in Washington Tractor Arena on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds.

“We have $100,000 less to apply to the WRRC research

Lynden Ag Show Dec. 2-4 • Event features the Small Fruit Conference • Located in the Washington Tractor Arena on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds

and promotion programs than we did this past year,” states the November newsletter of the raspberry commission.

The final 2015 harvest numbers from growers are in, and the picture isn’t pretty. Unusual summer dryness and heat dropped raspberry tonnage by 26.2 percent in the county from

Corner of the Guide and Main • Lynden • (360) 354-2186 Store Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-5:00PM, Saturday, 8:00AM-1:00PM

the record-high 68.8 million pounds of last year. The volume was 50.8 million pounds in the county, and very little more was harvested statewide.

That means the half-cent assessment on every pound of fruit produced will bring in less money to work with.

Research priorities to help growers — a list that includes developing new cultivars of raspberries, reducing fruit rot at all points, and See Harvest on CL4

Country Life 2 • Wednesday, November 11, 2015 • lyndentribune.com | ferndalerecord.com

4-H COUNTRY PARTNERS Kelly Klem, reporter With the first month of a new 4­-H year under our belt, Country Partners has welcomed some new faces to the club. We’re now up to about 60 kids!

Another new thing we’ve added this year is having “skills days” every month. Just recently, I hosted an art class night where kids learned how to draw bananas and pigs. That’s an interesting combo, but what was more interesting is how the members personalized their drawings. So if at the fair next year you see several banana sketches, you’ll know why.

The other skill we learned the other night was carving birds out of soap with popsicle sticks and knives, although I’m not sure how I felt sitting there with my popsicle stick while a 7-year-old beside me had out a knife ... and did a better carving job. Our club member Owen did a great job of teaching the carving, however, and we look forward to the next skills night.

Last Friday night was our “teen progressive dinner” night. That’s where we hit up several fast-food joints, and about 25 of us pile into a small restaurant and all order something small and ridiculous ... separately. It was quite humorous walking into the Ferndale Dollar Tree where each of us bought some headgear to sport for the remainder of the night, and then walking over to Ferndale’s Jack in the Box where one of our tallest members was the first to barge in with a full face mask and all. The guy working at the cashier quickly bolted to the back to avoid the group that had rushed in.

I bet they weren’t expecting all of us.

Then Helen came to the rescue with her fashionable Dollar Tree birthday cap and assured the employees that we were just there for fries.

Only fries.

Anywho, the weather is getting colder and the holiday decorations are starting to pop up here and there. Our club is already getting into the spirit of the holidays by preparing the live Nativity that we’ll have at the Everson Elenbaas Company store on Dec. 11. We’ll be there from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and we’d love it if the public came out to support 4­-H and come appreciate our Nativity scene.

BARN BUDDIES Reporter: Kara Teachman Leaders: Lacey VanderVeen, Debbie VanderVeen and Pauline VanWeerdhuizen (three generations of

The Small Animal Experience was a success at the 2015 Northwest Washington Fair. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune) leaders!)

Sept. 30 marked the end of another 4-H year. Here are some reflections on the activities of Barn Buddies 4-H Club and its members.

Several Barn Buddies members exhibited at the Lynden fair. One of those was Kelsie Visser, secretary for Barn Buddies, who entered many projects this year. She had entries in the baking, craft and sewing divisions. For baking, she entered a zucchini cake, corn muffins and some brownies. In the craft division, she entered a very nice pair of decorated horseshoes. Her favorite project was her brownies. Kelsie is also very active with horses, as she owns a 15-hand 6-year-old paint named Dakota, which she showed with FFA this year. Although horses are her favorite animal, she also has an interest in dairy cattle. One of her favorite things about the fair was getting to work with the dairy calves in the Small Animal Experience exhibit, which is hosted by Barn Buddies in the Jansen barn.

Kelsie said she really likes all the people in 4-H, as well as getting to

work with dairy calves in the SAE. The Small Animal Experience this year was a hit, welcoming over 62,000 people through its new “barn-style” entrance. Guests came face to face with many varieties of animals. Among the returning favorites this year were Buckles, the miniature donkey, and Ali and Paca, the alpacas. Making their debuts this year were Ester and Sparky, a miniature horse mother and foal, and Fairy, the mother pig who farrowed six gorgeous piglets on Monday morning of the fair. Along with these, there was an assortment of rabbits, ducks, geese, chickens, dairy calves, pigs, cavies and turkeys. Barn Buddies 4-H members and other volunteers were stationed throughout the exhibit to answer questions and share information about the animals with visitors.

Samantha Douge, a project leader and alumni of Barn Buddies, was kind enough to let me interview her. She said she is definitely glad she participated in 4-H, and she is glad to be a project leader now because it gives her a chance

to see how 4-H helps kids in the way it helped her. One valuable lesson she learned in 4-H is parliamentary procedure. It is a valuable skill that will help her in many areas of life, Sam said.

Her younger sister, Grace, also had some comments to make.

Grace, very interested in pigs, shared this fact: some of the most common breeds of pigs are the Yorkshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Chester White, Spotted and Landrace breeds. Grace likes working with the kittens at the Small Animal Experience, and getting to be part of a group and a community in 4-H. Barn Buddies members also participated in the Whatcom County Youth Fair this year. Here is an interview from Savannah Overstreet, who is in her third year of 4-H. Although she had attended the Youth Fair for seven years, this was her first year being a teen leader there, and she worked in the Country Crafts and Horticulture division. Some of the projects were tin can lanterns, tie dye, planting, braided rugs and burlap projects. They also learned

about many subjects, including the ecocycle of plants. She was grateful to the workers and sponsors for all the hard work they do to put the Youth Fair on. Her favorite thing about being a teen leader was getting to help younger kids, a skill that she enjoys exercising in 4-H. Savannah said that one valuable lesson learned in Barn Buddies is passing down what you know to younger kids and helping them. She said her favorite part of working with Barn Buddies 4-H Club has been working in the Small Animal Experience. “It’s been a lot of fun getting ready for it, and the people are really great.”

Ellie Schwab, a four-year member of Barn Buddies, was in the horse division of the Youth Fair this year. She was really excited about working in the Small Animal Experience at the Northwest Washington Fair, as she really likes animals. In fact, her favorite thing about being a part of Barn Buddies is getting to work with animals and learning new facts about them. For instance, she shared that horses can have a varied number of teeth, with 36 to

40 being the average, and that it is common for a horse to get fed twice a day. A highlight of Youth Fair for her was being able to take care of and learn how to show a horse.

Abby Tiesinga, a two-year member of Barn Buddies, shared that this was her first year attending Youth Fair, and she was involved in the cat division. She owns a 1-year-old calico named Jasmine, whose hobbies include playing with other cats (especially older ones) and messing with people, a trait that Abby admits she shares. Jasmine came to Abby after her previous owners did not want her. Abby said that she loves everything about Youth Fair, adding that she had fun learning about cat breeds, health and showing. One interesting fact is that cats are able to jump two times their height. Some other reline facts are: cats come in long- and short-haired varieties, cats need their toenails trimmed frequently (recommended to be a 1/8 inch per trim) and cats respond to emotional changes in humans.

Abby really looked forward to working in the Small Animal Experience, especially with the kittens as her favorites. She likes being in 4-H because she gets to work with many species of animals.

Jana Plagerman, a 4-H project leader for Barn Buddies and a current Whatcom County Dairy Ambassador, also participated in the Youth Fair. This year Jana was a Teen Leader in the dairy division, with her role as Dairy Ambassador keeping her busy helping with a class on making butter and ice cream, plus handing out ribbons and trophies in the show ring. Her favorite thing about being Dairy Ambassador? “Everything. I like being able to teach the kids and help them learn…It’s an amazing opportunity, being able to teach kids.” Jana has attended the Youth Fair seven times, in many projects, including horses, dogs, cats, rabbits and dairy cattle. As Dairy Ambassador, she’s had lots of opportunities to share her passion. “I love having the opportunity to represent dairy farmers and dairy farming. It’s a huge honor to be able to represent them, and give back.” Jana also enjoys being in Barn Buddies because of the many different animals taken care of. “It’s been nice to learn about a variety of different animals.”

We hope to see many of you throughout our new upcoming 4-H year. We will look for you at Whatcom County Youth Fair and at Small Animal Experience of the Northwest Washington Fair!

In Bloom

Prepare now for a It’s mushroom season — health successful spring advisory issued for local areas Become informed before ingesting

By David Vos

From the football field to a game of chess, the successful player or team anticipates an opponent’s moves and prevents the rival from advancing.

In gardening, the same rules apply.

While November isn’t always the most pleasant time for yardwork, it’s a crucial time for a few final tasks around the yard and garden to avoid playing catch-up next spring.

First, now is the time to put your lawn to bed. Leaves are falling, and whether you choose to rake your leaves or suck them up with your lawn mower, be sure to remove them before winter sets in.

With the crazy year we’ve had, some trees lost their leaves weeks ago while others are strangely still green. At whatever stage your trees seem to be now, don’t forget to check your lawn for leaves after the last have fallen, as any leaves left on grass over winter will smother and kill those areas.

Now is also the time to prevent insect damage to your turf. Mild, wet weather provides perfect conditions for night crawlers to get active again, and while they can be good for aerating your soil, left unchecked they can turn a smooth lawn into a lumpy, uneven mess. Spread Sevin insecticide now for control of night crawlers and other damaging insects, particularly cranefly larvae, which eat grass roots over winter, killing it by mid-spring.

Another step you can take now to ensure a healthy winter lawn is moss control. While it’s been awhile since we’ve had moss issues, undoubtedly it’s starting to creep back into your lawn now that the rains have returned. Spread ferrous sulfate moss killer to knock it down; then, if you haven’t yet applied your winterizing fertilizer, do so a week or two after you apply the moss killer to encourage the lawn to fill in over winter, further discouraging moss growth.

Next, take time to inspect the plants in your flowerbeds.

While you’re cleaning leaves out from around your shrubs and perennials, look for any

insect damage or the insects themselves. The change in weather has knocked back a lot of the aphids and other insects you might have battled earlier in the year, but if you still see evidence of bugs, it’s wise to spray them now. If we end up with another mild winter, a lot of insects will overwinter. So avoid the frustration of damaged plants at the outset of next year by controlling the population now.

Lastly, it’s still prime time to plant bulbs for spring color.

Always well worth the time spent planting, bulbs brighten up your yard at just the right time when you’re sick of the gray days of late winter and early spring.

One common frustration I hear from customers who like their flowerbeds to look tidy is the amount of time it takes for bulbs to die down after they bloom. To avoid the “messy” look of dying bulbs, plant clusters of bulbs in black plastic nursery pots (most garden centers will sell you surplus pots), then bury the pots in the ground.

When the flowers are finished, simply pull the pots out of the ground and move them to a back corner of your yard where the bulbs can die back properly. Not only does this keep your yard looking nice, it allows you to keep better track of where your bulbs are should you choose to replant with different colors or want to divide the bulbs you have.

As you wind down your gardening endeavors for winter, take the proper steps now to ensure a good start to next spring.

David Vos is the general manager of VanderGiessen Nursery in Lynden.

SEATTLE — The fall mushroom season has begun in the Pacific Northwest and as a result in the last two months the Washington Poison Center has handled 10 mushroom exposure cases.

With this uptick in calls, the center has posted a seasonal health alert discouraging anyone from eating foraged mushrooms unless 100 percent certain of their identity.

Go to the Washington Poison Center website at www.wapc.org/ to see the entire alert.

“Even though the majority of Washington’s wild mushrooms are not toxic, there are several poisonous species that can cause serious health effects if ingested,” said Dr. Matthew Valento, interim medical director. “Most commonly, these toxic species irritate the digestive system, leading to nausea or vomiting and even kidney and liver damage. The onset of these symptoms can take hours to days.”

The poison center works throughout the year with the Seattle-based Puget Sound Mycological Society (http:// www.psms.org/index.php) to identify the species involved in potential exposures and promote mushroom foraging safety. Helpful events are held regularly at the Center for Urban Horticulture, part of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens. Weekly during the fall mushroom season, the Hildegard Hendrickson ID Clinics are held on Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m., and PSMS also offers beginner

Know your mushrooms before ingesting. (Courtesy photo) and intermediate mushroom classes.

“There is no shortcut to safety when eating wild mushrooms. Every one you eat must be positively identified. That said, identification is certainly not beyond anyone’s reach if they are interested, “ said Kim Traverse, president of the PSMS. “It is a wonderful feeling when you know you can rely on your own identification and not simply accept the opinion of another. A little effort can get you there, but there are plenty of us around willing to help.”

Important things to remember about mushroom foraging: • Poisonous mushrooms may resemble edible mush-

rooms, specifically those found in other parts of the country or world.

• Cooking mushrooms does not inactivate all toxins.

• There are no easy tests or rules to determine whether an unknown mushroom is poisonous.

• Witnessing animals eating mushrooms does not make them safe. Some species toxic to humans are not toxic to other animal species.

• There is no “antidote” for several potentially deadly mushroom toxins.

• Eat only a small portion your first time. Save a sample and if possible, take a photo.

This can be used for identification purposes if you become ill later.

• Never consumer rotting

mushrooms, and do not forage in areas where chemicals may be applied to the ground (for example, golf courses).

If you are concerned about a pet’s ingestion of a wild mushroom, contact the ASPCA pet poison hotline at 1-888-426-4435.

For help identifying nonconsumed local mushrooms, contact the Puget Sound Mycological Society. You can find a list of and contact information for all of Washington’s mycological societies here.

If you believe that you or a family member has ingested a potentially poisonous mushroom, or if any symptoms develop within 24 hours of eating wild mushrooms, call the Washington Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.

Please Recycle This Paper.

Country Life 3 • Wednesday, November 11, 2015 • lyndentribune.com | ferndalerecord.com

MiElkE Market

Milk price slips 36 cents; market signals are mixed The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the October Federal Order Class III milk price Nov. 6 at $15.46 per hundredweight (cwt.), down 36 cents from September and $8.36 below October 2014.

That’s 71 cents above the comparable California 4b price, and equates to about $1.33 per gallon.

The 10-month Class III average now stands at $15.98, down from $22.83 at this time a year ago and $17.81 in 2013.

The November Class III contract settled at $15.63 and December at $15.54.

That would result in a 2015 average of $15.91, down from a record $22.34 a year ago and $17.99 in 2013.

The October 2015 Class IV price is $16.43, up $1.35 from September but the highest Class IV since December 2014. Its average stands at $13.97, down from $23.01 a year ago and compares to $18.66 in 2013.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced its October Class 4b cheese milk price at $14.75 per cwt, down 19 cents from September and $6.19 below October 2014.

The price includes the temporary price adjustment mandated on whey, in effect through July 2016.

The Class 4a butterpowder milk price is $15.72, up 32 cents from September, $5.79 below a year ago, and the highest 4a price since December 2014. The 4a average stands at $13.81, down from $22.93 a year ago and $18.44 in 2013.

Meanwhile, global dairy prices are feeding the bears, dropping in the Nov. 3 Global Dairy Trade auction after

slipping also on Oct. 20, reversing gains in the previous four sessions. The weighted average for all products was down 7.4 percent following a 3.1 percent loss last time and a 9.9 percent increase Oct. 6.

Losses appeared on all products offered last week.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange cash dairy prices start November on an up note. Block cheddar closed the first Friday of the month at $1.70 per pound, up 8 cents on the week and the highest price since Oct. 12, but still 50 cents below a year ago. Barrels closed at $1.65, up 5.5 cents on the week but 47 cents below a year ago.

Only one train car of block traded hands on the week although 23 of barrel.

most processors are not having any trouble getting milk.

Cheese demand from food service and retail is still good.

“Western butter production remains active,” DairyMarket News says. “A few manufacturers report they are near or at capacity.

Cream supplies are tight, as some butter makers seek extra loads to make print butter for remaining seasonal orders.”

Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk finished Friday at 81 cents per pound, up a half-cent on the week but 37 cents below a year ago. Eleven cars sold this week.

Lee Mielke, of Lynden, is editor of the Mielke Market Weekly. Whatcom County has about 100 dairy farms.

Steady milk intakes have translated into steady cheese production, according to Dairy Market News.

Processors say on occasion they are short a load or two of milk, but are hesitant to buy unless the milk can be purchased at a discount.

Manufacturers report domestic orders for natural cheese have been strong, with some customers willing to take extra loads of cheese.

Food service demand has been solid. Interest in barrels has grown.

Some Western contacts report strong milk supplies have allowed them to maintain full cheese production schedules. Although milk production has decreased following seasonal trends,

Ecology: ‘We are keeping an open mind’ regarding permit Continued from CL1 blogspot.com/2015/10/lotsof-thoughtful-feedback-received-as.html.

Titled “Lots of thoughtful feedback received as we update the CAFO permit,” this is the Bartlett blog in full except for some summary heads: “We appreciate that so many citizens, producers, groups and organizations took a considerable amount of their time to give us thoughtful comments on the permit we’re updating for concentrated animal feeding operations, the CAFO permit.

This permit covers animal feeding operations that confine large numbers of animals in a small area, creating lots of manure. CAFOs are one of many sources that pose a pollution risk to the health of our waters, our shellfish beaches, and the groundwater we drink.

Public input is essential in helping us update the permit with meaningful protection for water quality that is manageable for livestock producers to implement.

At the moment, the permit is a preliminary draft. This is a step we added to the process so that we could share our goals and initial thoughts and receive feedback before starting to write the permit.

As you can imagine, this permit update is important to a lot of people. That’s why we’ve spent months meeting with livestock producers, dairies, businesses, environmental organizations and other stakeholders to learn what’s important to them and

Department of Ecology water policy assistant Kelly Susewind speaks as agency director Maia Bellon looks on at a meeting with dairy farmers in Lynden Oct. 29.

(Courtesy photo/Whatcom Family Farmers)

understand how they’d like to see the permit crafted.

We received 91 letters signed by 168 people and groups, amounting to about 5,000 pages of comments and material. We’re reading through all of it, and will use it to inform our decisions as we develop the next permit draft.

One of our guiding principles throughout this process is believing that Washington’s agriculture and dairy industries are vitally important to our state. At the same time, we also believe that livestock, agriculture and clean water can co-exist and even thrive together.

understand that

We dairies, especially small and medium-sized dairies, are under tremendous competitive pressure. The trend in the dairy industry has been toward fewer but larger dairies.

As we update the permit, we are committed to doing what we can to mitigate the impact on small dairies.

Today, the Washington Department of Agriculture and Ecology both have roles in overseeing animal agriculture. Both agencies believe that the current regulatory framework should continue as it is, but that it can be improved for better water quality

protections. The Department of Agriculture will continue to play an important role as we update the permit.

Here is a sampling of concerns we received: • Requiring a permit for all producers with unlined lagoons is not necessary or warranted. Others believe permits should be required for all medium and large CAFOs. • This permit should not be required unless the producer is proven to be causing pollution.

• The current dairy nutrient management program protects water quality. Others believe it does not protect wa-

USDA kicks off training on new food safety rules for Northwest $1.2 million will create UI center for Northwest MOSCOW, Idaho — The University of Idaho will lead efforts across Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, through a newly funded $1.2 million food safety center, to help small and midsized farms and food processors improve food safety.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a national initiative to help farmers and food and animal feed producers comply with requirements established under the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act. The virtual center, based at Oregon State University, is one of four new regional hubs across the country.

“It is critical that we provide relevant training and assistance to farmers, processors and wholesalers, es-

pecially to those who may struggle to meet the requirements,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture director.

Idaho, Oregon State and other universities across the 13-state western region will train others to teach food safety and regulatory compliance. They also will conduct workshops for small and midsized farms, beginning farmers, small-scale food processors, wholesale produce vendors and others.

The center is a partnership among land-grant universities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Guam, as well as American Samoa Community College.

“This center will assist small farms and food processors with technical assistance in complying with the FSMA rules by providing ap-

proximately two dozen lead trainers and about 200 other people as certified trainers across the region,” said Barbara Petty, UI Extension interim director.

“These regulations will cause a significant shift in how people will think about and then address food safety across the diverse agricultural communities within our region,” said Barbara Rasco, director of the School of Food Science operated jointly by UI and Washington State Univer-

sity. “This grant will provide food safety educators with the skill they will need to assist firms to develop food protection plans that are risk-based and compliant with these new regulations.”

Rasco has led food safety initiatives in the United States and internationally. The center will leverage existing food safety training programs within Extension, the university and community-based organizations throughout the region.

dustries in Washington have to have discharge permits.

2. Permit coverage would not require changes to manure lagoons.

Under our preliminary proposal, all operations with manure lagoons would need to obtain CAFO permit coverage. However, we are not requiring lagoons to be retrofitted with synthetic liners during the permit term. There are prudent reasons for operations to consider modernizing their manure lagoon liners, but that would be a decision for the producer.

We are still receiving comments, but we already know we have more work to do in a few areas, including: • When and why a CAFO permit is required.

• Addressing rainfall differences between eastern and western Washington.

• Manure and soil sampling requirements.

• Manure application restrictions and buffers.

The comments we received raised a lot of great questions and points. We are keeping an open mind as we update the permit. There will be another public comment period on a draft permit in the coming months. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with all who are touched by this permit.

We invite you to visit our website (http://www.ecy. wa.gov/programs/wq/permits/cafo/index.html) to see all of the comments we received.”

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United States, BNSF Railway delivers these products to Pacific Northwest ports where they are exported to countries around the world. Investments in infrastructure have been critical to ensuring that rail networks are able to move freight safely and efficiently during this abundant harvest season.

Billions of dollars in investments help increase capacity to meet the growing demand for rail service.

Farmers are experiencing some of the highest crop yields of soybeans, grain and corn ever this season. Many farmers are even breaking records in their states. If production forecasts hold up, this season’s harvest is expected to exceed national records.

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ters.

• The proposed permit is Ecology’s attempt to bring the regulation of dairies back under their control.

• The proposed permit needlessly adds regulatory burdens for little or no environmental benefit. Others believe environmental protections in the proposed permit are inadequate and need to be made significantly more protective.

We appreciate the opportunity during this stage of the permit process to hear, share and respond to concerns that we have received. Two areas we wanted to respond to directly are the role of a permit and the pace for changes at facilities when a new permit goes into effect.

1. Permit coverage does not automatically mean an operation is polluting.

Comments we received through the preliminary draft suggest that some perceive coverage under a CAFO permit means they have polluted.

Both state and federal law require a water quality discharge permit for a discharge that reaches water or groundwater. They are not required because pollution is happening.

Our preliminary draft permit concluded that unlined manure lagoons seep and that seepage results in discharges to groundwater.

Having CAFO permit coverage feels new for livestock operations, but the requirement to have a permit due to a discharge to water is not unique.

In fact, more than 6,000 in-

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Country Life 4 • Wednesday, November 11, 2015 • lyndentribune.com | ferndalerecord.com

Agencies to aid woodland owners in Washington

A fitting farewell

Befitting the lifelong Lynden horseman, the funeral procession for Fred Polinder Jr. on Monday was led down Front Street by a team of his horses and buggy carrying the casket. The main driver was grandson Courtney Polinder. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

SPOKANE — The two agencies Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Forest Service have entered into a multi-year partnership, the Chiefs’ Joint Landscape Restoration Partnership, to improve the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems where public and private lands meet across the nation.

For fiscal year 2016, NRCS, USFS and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources will work together to offer technical and financial assistance in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, improve forest health and help small private forest landowners treat excessive fuels on their forestland.

Eastern Washington has areas of worsening forest health conditions due to overcrowded, damaged trees that are susceptible to increased harm from insects, disease and wildfire.

In 2015, over 900,000 acres burned in wildfires in Washington State. Between 2000 and 2010, insects and diseases damaged 1.3 million acres per year in Washington, more than 1.5 times the annual average of the 1990s.

Homes, developments and

communities are increasingly interspersed within fire-prone landscapes, compounding fire impacts and presenting a danger to public safety.

This cooperative project will reduce and mitigate wildfire threats to Colville National Forest land and adjacent private property in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties.

Small private forest landowners may work with either NRCS or DNR, depending on the size of their property.

DNR will be offering financial and technical assistance with thinning, pruning, slash treatment and forest management planning on parcels that are 20 acres and less. Contact DNR at (509) 684-7474.

NRCS, focusing on parcels larger than 20 acres, will offer technical and financial assistance for forest practices such as fuel break, forest stand improvements, tree and shrub pruning, and woody residue treatment. Interested landowners should contact their local NRCS office prior to the application deadline, which has been set for Dec. 11, 2015.

The NRCS phone numbers are: Pend Oreille County, (509) 447-4217; Stevens County, (509) 685-0858; Ferry County, (509) 775-3473.

Piece-rate employers, beware of July court ruling Rest breaks must be paid extra to piecerate workers Editor’s Note: This is a news advisory put out by the Washington Growers League in July after a state Supreme Court ruling impacting agriculture.

Farm operations are continuing to understand and apply the ruling.

OLYMPIA — On Thursday, July 16, 2015 the Washington Supreme Court issued a ruling in the piecerate/break case officially known as Demetrio v. Sakuma. This case is about whether agricultural employers must provide designated paid rest breaks and additional break pay to piece-rate workers. The court had held a hearing in March.

The following legal analysis was provided by Stokes, Lawrence, Velikanje, Moore and Shore, a law firm of Yakima and Seattle.

The Washington Supreme Court issued a ruling in Demetrio v. Sakuma requiring employers to provide paid rest breaks to piece-rate workers. This ruling has enormous implications on your wage and rest break practices effective immediately. You should implement the following wage practices: 1. Employers must schedule rest breaks and ensure that employees take them. You should schedule your rest break times and enforce them.

Make sure that they are being taken.

Document rest break times daily to avoid disputes. For practical purposes, rest breaks begin when the last worker either leaves the field or work area and end when the first person returns to the work area.

The recommended practice is to require employees to confirm in writing that rest breaks were taken each pay period.

2. Rest breaks must be paid separately. You will need to add 10 minutes of pay for each rest break. Rest

breaks are 10 minutes every four hours.

3. Rest breaks are paid at each employee’s applicable earned rate (not minimum wage). Rest breaks are paid based upon the individual piece rate earned per pay period on an employee-by-employee basis. This may cause some difficulty at first, but you are already doing the calculation to ensure minimum wage each pay period. This is an extension of that process.

The rest break must be paid at each employee’s earned rate each pay period (either minimum wage or whatever higher earned rate). Each employee will likely have a different rate and those rates will change from pay period to pay period.

4. Retroactivity is not determined. The court expressly avoided determining whether the ruling applies retroactively (i.e., whether employers have to pay for rest breaks that occurred before the July decision). This issue will almost certain-

ly be litigated before the Supreme Court at some time in the near future.

That said, you should understand that retroactivity is overwhelmingly the norm, but the court does have discretion to make its decisions applicable on a go-forwardonly basis to avoid harsh results.

However, based on the fact that this was a unanimous decision and so overwhelmingly in favor of employee rights, employers should expect lawsuits and should collect and preserve information regarding breaks and wages going back at least three years.

The statute of limitation for wage and hour claims is three years.

Accordingly, with each passing day, past rest break claims older than three years are being barred.

You will likely have additional questions about the ruling and how it applies to your operation, both past and present. In addition, this ruling will likely require changes in your written policies and disclosures.

The bottom line is: Make sure

employees are taking rest breaks and start paying for them today.

Calculations: WGL estimates that the new mandatory separate break pay for piece-rate workers will cost employers $15.80-$30/week/person in additional wages. It represents $3.16/ day (2 x $1.58 per 10 minute break) at the current state minimum wage of $9.47/hour.

Calculating the additional rest break pay will require more management and payroll work. To calculate the hourly rate to apply to the separate break pay for piece-rate workers, employers should use all hours worked in the pay period excluding the 10-minute breaks for each fourhour period of work.

To calculate compliance with minimum wage, employers should use all hours worked in a work week, including the 10-minute rest breaks.

It would be a good practice to adjust timecards to allow for documentation of breaks.

Harvest: Growers have opportunity to shape future Continued from CL1 finding good controls of weeds and pests — remain as high as ever, according to the newsletter.

But the WRRC board of directors will have to work with about $260,000 income compared to $360,000 this year.

Growers are urged to step forward to help fill six board positions — in addition to two non-voting advisory slots, and one for a Washington State Department of Agriculture representative — for the coming years.

“We need a diverse set of opinions and experiences to fairly reflect the needs of the industry.”

With the departure of Erin Thoeny, from southwest Washington, after two terms on the state board, there will be two grower vacancies to fill. One should be filled from Whatcom County; the other can be from anywhere in western Washington.

The remaining members are: Jon Maberry, president;

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A helicopter for crop spraying at the 2014 Small Fruit Conference.

Joan Yoder, treasurer; Randy Honcoop, research chair; Glenn Sakuma, crop protection; Joel Kangiser, WSDA; and Steve Midboe, advisory.

At the annual meeting, reports will be given on both the Washington Red Rasp-

berry Commission and the 3-year-old National Processed Raspberry Council, which does product promotion at a national level, using a onecent assessment.

These will be meeting dates in 2016, all at the Lynden

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office at 1796 Front St.: Jan. 20, April 6, Sept. 7 and Oct. 26.

The Pacific Ag Show and Grower Shortcourse will be Jan. 28-30 in Abbotsford, B.C. Local grower Darryl Ehlers has arranged to make it possible for U.S. growers to get pesticides credits at this show. He can be reached at 988-5184 or lingonberry1@aol.com.

A bright spot for the industry is that the number of raspberry plants sold has risen the last two years after falling for three years. The long-running Meeker variety

is barely the top seller now, almost matched at 1 million plants sold in 2015 by the

proprietary Wakefield variety, produced by the Northwest Plant Co. of Lynden.

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