Western hay growers face challenges - AgMinute for April 8, 2015

Western hay growers see challenges ahead for this year's crop. Early spring and water concerns in some areas are making the season hard to predict. Click here for the full story

Remembering heroes

As we observe the 65th anniversary of the Normandy invasion, for those of you who were there and, say, came West after the war and bought a farm, we want to thank you for your service. You're truly the essance of what has made this country great.

Farmers increasingly connected via computer

Here at the Capital Press, we regularly include items in stories that tell people where they can get more information on topics we cover at various websites. Sometimes we hear from readers who say that doesn't help them because they don't have Internet access, or don't use the Internet. But the 2007 Census of Agriculture shows clearly that farmers without Internet access are a shrinking minority.

In fact, farmers in the West are among the best connected group in the country.

According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture:

“The 2007 Census found that 57 percent of all farmers have Internet access, up from 50 percent in 2002. For the first time in 2007, the census also looked at high-speed Internet access. Of those producers accessing the Internet, 58 percent reported having a high-speed connection.”

A look at the map on the demographics for the census shows that farmers in our the four states we cover — California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington — exceed that level of access. More than 50 percent of farmers have Internet access in every single county in our core states. In the 11 worst connected counties in our circulation area, farmers have from 50-59 percent Internet access. Eight of those counties are in Idaho, 2 in California and 1 in Washington. In 166 of 177 counties in our core states, farmers have Internet access rates of at least 60 percent and in dozens of counties, the rate of Internet access is 70 percent or higher.

Facts at a glance
Most connected state (in CP core area): Oregon, where 71.6 percent of farms have Internet access. Washington is a close 2nd at 69.4 percent.
Best broadband access (in CP core area): California, where 43.5 percent of farms have broadband access, Oregon is close 2nd, 43.1 percent

High-speed farmers
Farmers in Hood River County, Ore., rank 3rd nationally among highest percentage of broadband access in rural counties: 70.7 percent of farms in Hood River County (373 of 553 farms) have high speed Internet access. The two counties that have better percentages — Nantucket County, Mass. And Pitkin County, Colo. (where Aspen is located) — only 96 farms total between them.

San Juan County, Wash., ranks 10th nationally in percentage of broadband access: 62.9 percent (183 of 291 farms) have high speed access.

Idaho has the lowest percentage of our 4 states with Internet access and high speed access, but two of the top 50 rural counties in the nation with broad-band access for farmers are in Idaho. Valley County, Idaho, ranks 29th nationally in percentage of broadband access: 56.6 percent (82 of 145 farms) have high-speed access. Madison County, Idaho, ranks 40th nationally in percentage of broadband access: 54.9 percent (247 of 450 farms) have high speed access.

State-by-state breakdown

California
Statewide 53,729, or 66.3 percent, of farms have Internet access. That’s 17.4 percent above the national average. 35,271, or 43.5 percent, have broadband access, which is 32.1 percent about the national average.

In 20 counties designated rural, which only account for 11,498 of 81,020 farms in California, 7,907 farms had Internet access. That’s 68.8 percent of farms in rural counties with Internet access and 4,519, or 39.3 percent, that have broadband access, which is 19.3 percent above the national average.

Idaho
Statewide 16,681, or 65.9 percent, of farms have Internet access. That’s 16.6 percent above the national average. 10,102, or 39.9 percent, have broadband access, which is 21.1 percent above the national average.

In 31 counties designated rural, which account for 15,009 of 25,310 farms in Idaho, 9,822 farms had Internet access. That’s 65.4 percent of farms in rural counties with Internet access and 5,759, or 39.3 percent, that have broadband access, which is 19.3 percent about the national average.

Oregon
Statewide 27,623, or 71.6 percent, of farms have Internet access. That’s 26.7 percent above the national average. 16,634, or 43.1 percent, have broadband access, which is 30.9 percent about the national average.

In 25 counties designated rural, which account for 17,776 or 38,553 farms in Oregon, 12,322 farms had Internet access. That’s 69.3 percent of farms in rural counties with Internet access and 7,078, or 39.8 percent, that have broadband access, which is 20.8 percent about the national average.

Washington
Statewide 27,265, or 69.4 percent, of farms have Internet access. That’s 26.7 percent above the national average. 16,787, or 42.7 percent, have broadband access, which is 29.7 percent about the national average.

In 22 counties designated rural, which account for 16,332 of 39,284 farms in Washington, 11,225 had Internet access. That’s 68.7 percent of farms in rural counties with Internet access and 6,582, or 40.3 percent, that have broadband access, which 22.3 percent about the national average.

The website Daily Yonder: Keeping it Rural has some charts and regional breakdowns of the Census of Agriculture data.

What the census data does not tell us is how people connect to the Internet. How are people in rural areas in particular connecting to the World Wide Web? Do they use cellphone wireless cards, satellite Internet? That we don't know, because those questions weren't asked on the census forms.

Who would fill the West Coast agriculture dream cabinet?

I've gotten caught up in all the election excitement, and disappointment, swirling around this week. I can't help but wonder what impact things like the election of President-elect Barack Obama, the passage of Proposition 2 in California and the defeat of Sen. Gordon Smith in Oregon might have on West Coast agriculture for the next 4 years or more.

Who will Obama pick for key Cabinet posts? Who would farmers and ranchers hope to see as the next heads of Agriculture, Interior, Homeland Security, Energy, Labor, Environmental Protection Agency, Transportation and Commerce?

Mark Nicholas at HuffingtonPost.com has a list of possible cabinet appointments that have reportedly been leaked already. There are some names Westerners will recognize in there, like:

• California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as a possible Energy secretary.

• Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber as a possible head of Health and Human Services.

• Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire as a possible appointee as Interior secretary.

• Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon in Transportation.

TheHill.com has some different names in it Cabinet list. The Associated Press has a different version too. But who is on your list?

If you have ideas of who could, or should, be appointed to an Obama Cabinet to best serve Western agriculture and the people of the West, feel free to post a comment of let us know where we can see your suggestions on another blog or website.

Weather extremes are a good conversational topic

Anyone looking for an escape from the warm temperatures hitting the West might want to catch a ferry to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Temperatures during the next few days are expected to hit the high 70s or low 80s, a bit more bearable than the higher 80s or even 90s being forecast for other parts of Oregon and Washington State.


It seems ironic: our Capital Press reporters are still filing stories this week about recent frost damage to agricultural crops in the West, at the same time that the National Weather Service has been issuing special weather statements about possible record-breaking heat waves starting to hit us tomorrow.

The service is warning about fast snow melt in eastern Oregon and Washington State that might cause flooding, while gusty winds are making travel tough in some parts of Idaho, and creating dangerous fire hazards in California.

Welcome to the West.

For a news organization like ours, it means we need to keep on top of what is happening and get the information out as soon as possible. What warnings/special statements are being issued? How should people prepare themselves, their crops, their animals and their employees? We also try to research and offer analysis on what is the short-term and long-term impact of these weather extremes.

We have posted several stories on how much the fruit and vegetable crop might be hurt by the frost; now we need to find sources that can evaluate if extreme heat this early in the year will cause more hardship or crop loss.

With water always being such an important issue here, we will watch if the high snow pack received during the last few months will too quickly run off or evaporate, leaving water supply still uncertain for the upcoming irrigation season.

There are a lot of things that happen when weather goes from one extreme to another. For example, dairy cows need some time to adjust when sudden high heat hits. Their milk production can be off. Farmers and ranchers also need to ensure there is a lot of extra water available for their livestock, as the animals need more than usual. In horticulture, plants can also feel the “shock” of temperature extremes and need extra care and especially water.

Weather is probably the biggest uniting influence there is in agriculture: All farmers are curious and eager to discuss the weather’s impact on them, their neighbors, their peers and their competitors.

So far this spring, there has been a lot to talk about — and it looks like the next few days will be no exception.

To check on the weather advisories and forecasts in your areas, check www.weather.gov.

More Capital Press photo videos online

This week, Capital Press launched a new slide show video feature to share some of the photo images that appear each week in our four zoned editions of the newspaper.

You can get a glimpse of the diversity of agriculture we have in the West, but also the hard work of the people behind these agricultural products.

Here are the photos from the week of our March 21 issue:



And also for the week of our April 4 issue:

New video features Western pictures from Capital Press

Each week, Capital Press staff and freelancers capture western reflections with their cameras: images of agriculture in the West, including the people, places, and what farmers and ranchers raise and what they do on their land.

Even CP newspaper subscribers don't get a chance to see all these great images because of the four zoned editions that cover Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California.

Welcome to a new multimedia feature that shares some of the images that have appeared, or even ones that haven't. We invite you to encourage others to also see these slide shows and enjoy some of the images of the West.

Many of these images are also available for sale in CP's photo gallery at www.capitalpress.com.

Click on the video below to see our photos from the March 21 issue: