October 2002

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Ripen Those Green Tomatoes Off The Vine By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Don't let autumn frosts turn your green tomatoes left on the vine to mush. Pick them before heavy frosts hit them, and then ripen them off the vine. A tomato is in the 'mature green' stage if its interior is yellowish and the tissues are gelatinous, or sticky, when the tomato is cut, explained Jan McNeilan, consumer horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. "You can also tell when a tomato is nearing maturity by the light green, almost translucent appearance they get," said McNeilan. Mature green tomatoes also have a pink or reddish tinge on the blossom end. Tomatoes that aren't in the mature green stage won't ripen. To check for maturity, cut a green tomato in half. If the pulp filling the compartments is jelly-like, it is mature green. In immature green tomatoes, seeds are easily cut through and the jelly-like pulp has not yet developed. To store and ripen mature green tomatoes, put them in deep straw, wrap them individually in newspaper, or just lay them in a box so that they are not touching. Check tomatoes every few days and discard any that show signs of rot. Storage temperature should range from 60 to 70 degrees. They will ripen over a period of three to four weeks. Tomatoes will ripen satisfactorily in the dark. Sunlight is not needed, but the temperature is important. USDA Authorizes Emergency Haying And Grazing Nationally On Sept 9, 2002, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman authorized emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres nationally to provide relief for farmers and ranchers in areas hardest hit by drought and other natural disasters. Previously, emergency haying and grazing was limited to 18 states.  "Extreme weather conditions have impacted so many farmers and ranchers this year, particularly livestock producers," said Veneman. "This Administration continues to utilize every available program to provide assistance and this decision will provide additional feed and forage to producers who have lost their hay stocks and grazing lands due to the recent disasters.  It is our hope, that in the American tradition of neighbor helping neighbor, CRP participants in areas not affected by these disasters will make their CRP acreage available for haying or grazing or donate hay to those in need." Generally, to be approved for emergency haying or grazing, a county must have suffered at least a 40-percent loss of normal moisture and forage for the preceding four-month qualifying period. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will notify its State Committees that the 40-percent loss criterion no longer applies. State FSA committees may limit the area within the states if conditions do not warrant haying and grazing in all areas.  CRP participants, where authorized, have until Nov. 30, 2002, to submit applications with their local FSA office for emergency haying or grazing. Conditions for participation and other details are available from local FSA offices. CRP participants who do not own or lease livestock may donate, rent or lease the hay or the haying or grazing privileges. CRP annual rental payments made to participants will be reduced 25 percent to account for the areas hayed or grazed, unless the hay or the haying or grazing privileges are donated. For the welfare of wildlife, at least 25 percent of the CRP contract acreage must be left ungrazed and 50 percent unhayed. USDA has developed a website for producers to list information concerning the need for hay or the availability of hay for sale or donation.  More than 600 ads have been posted to the site; the majority from people selling hay, and more than 9,700 sessions have been recorded. The Hay Net may be found on the FSA Internet home page at http://www.usda.fsa.gov. CRP is a voluntary program that offers annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term resource-conserving cover on eligible land. This action will permit CRP participants to graze livestock or hay on CRP acreage. USDA has a variety of programs available to help eligible farmers recover from adversity. The Emergency Loan Program makes farmers and ranchers immediately eligible for USDA low interest emergency (EM) loans in agricultural disaster areas. The Emergency Conservation Program helps producers rehabilitate farmlands damaged by natural disasters. The Federal Crop Insurance program provides indemnities for production and revenue losses; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, provides financial assistance to eligible producers affected by natural disasters. Secretary Veneman recently authorized a $150 million feed assistance program to help cow-calf operators in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota, who are suffering from adverse weather affecting pasture and forage crops. For more information regarding actions by the Bush Administration to assist producers visit http://www.usda.gov/. For eligibility requirements on USDA disaster assistance, contact your local FSA office or visit FSA's website at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov. USDA Strengthens Food Safety Policies In a continuing effort to strengthen food safety programs and protect public health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Food Safety and Inspection Service, recently announced a series of new measures designed to reduce the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 contamination of raw ground beef. The actions are a result of FSIS's ongoing in-depth review of the current program and are based on scientific data that demonstrate the pathogen is more prevalent than previously estimated. "Strengthening food safety programs that protect consumers from foodborne hazards continues to be a top priority at USDA," said Secretary of Agriculture Ann M.Veneman.  "These actions will further help ensure that meat and poultry plants address ways to reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7." "The scientific data show that E. coli O157:H7 is more prevalent than previously estimated," said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elsa Murano. "These action steps move beyond detection of this hazard and on to preventing it." In December 2001, FSIS announced that it would conduct a comprehensive review of current food safety regulations, including provisions of the 1996 Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (PR/HACCP) rule, to help improve the efficiency and accountability of FSIS programs and personnel. The following actions will be published in the Federal Register as a notice. USDA will: • Require beef slaughter and grinding plants to acknowledge that E. coli O157:H7 is a hazard reasonably likely to occur in their operations, unless they can prove otherwise; • Require, based on the above assumption, plants to perform a comprehensive re-examination of their food safety systems and include a step to eliminate or reduce the risk of E. coli O157:H7 in their product. In the case of grinding operations, this could consist of a requirement for their suppliers to certify the utilization of a decontamination method in their operation; • Verify through increased USDA inspection that intervention steps implemented by establishments are validated, in that they are effective under actual in-plant conditions; • Eliminate current exemptions from FSIS microbiological testing. This will result in random testing of all beef grinding operations by FSIS personnel and; • Issue guidance to grinding facilities regarding additional prevention actions including:  1) increased plant testing for E. coli O157:H7; and 2) avoiding mixing product from different suppliers to reduce the chance of cross contamination and facilitate traceback investigations.  • The Bush Administration continues to strengthen the nation's meat and poultry food safety programs through record-level funding for food safety inspectors and the programs they support. The actions being taken today are in addition to the other actions recently announced by FSIS including: • Immediately informing the suppliers of an establishment where an E. coli O157:H7 positive occurs so that a trace back investigation is begun; • The placement of 100 Consumer Safety Officers (CSO), scientifically trained inspection personnel, to ensure that plants have properly designed and functioning HACCP plans. FSIS will continue to increase CSOs in the next fiscal year. • Improve the implementation of salmonella performance standards to ensure problem plants are targeted for action earlier and public health is protected; • Establishment of the Office of Program Evaluation, Enforcement and Review to scrutinize FSIS programs and policies to ensure they are implemented and monitored correctly; • Develop and strengthen current review and management systems to help gauge and improve the performance of inspectors; • Ongoing refinement of inspector HACCP training through the new Center for Learning; • Establishment of a formal regulatory testing regime to verify the absence of spinal cord tissue in Advanced Meat Recovery (AMR) produced beef; • Sharing of product distribution lists with state and local government authorities through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) when there is a recall; and • A series of scientific symposia designed to help FSIS apply the latest scientific knowledge to address food safety issues and improve public health. For more information about USDA's food safety programs and food safety information visit www.fsis.usda.gov. Consumer information can also be obtained by calling USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline at 800-535-4555. Lentil Loan Rate Reprinted from WAWG's Green Sheet USDA-CCC announces loan rates for 2002 crop lentils, small chickpeas and dry peas. This Is the first time these crops have been covered under CCC's marketing loan program. The 2002 Farm Bill created a new marketing loan pro. gram for these crops and established fixed national rates for each. The lentil loan rate of $11.94 per cwt will apply uniformly to #1 grade quality lentils throughout all counties in the U.S. low-quality lentils also will be eligible for a non-recourse loan at a reduced loan rate. The loan rate discounts per cwt for grades lower than #1 are: $0.75 for grade #2; $1.25 for grade #3; and $4.00 for sample grade. All grades will receive the same loan deficiency payment rate. The small chickpea loan rate is $7.56 per cwt and applies only to chickpeas of a size that can drop through a 20/64 grading screen. This loan rate also will apply nationwide. low-quality small chickpeas will be eligible for a non-recourse loan at a reduced loan rate. loan rate discounts per cwt for grades lower than grade #1 are: $1.00 for grade #2; $2.25 for grade #3; and $3.50 for sample grade. All grades of small chickpeas will receive the same loan deficiency rate. The dry pea loan rate of $6.33 will apply nationwide. low-quality dry peas will be eligible for a non-recourse loan at a reduced loan rate. The loan rate discounts per cwt for grades lower than grade #1 are $0.50 for grade #2; $1.00 for grade #3; and $2.50 for sample grade. All grades of dry peas will receive the same loan deficiency payment rate. Production and pricing data for the pulse crops are incomplete for areas with known production. Therefore, USDA will hold stakeholder meetings over the coming months to help refine regional repayment rates and loan rates for the coming year. Until these meetings are complete and appropriate data are collected, USDA will use national loan rates for the pulse crops. Further program information is available from Tom Tice at 202/720-2891; e-mail Tom_Tice@wdc.usda.gov. USDA Announces 2002-Crop Counter-Cyclical Payment Rates USDA announced on Sept. 27, 2002, projected counter-cyclical program payment rates for 2002-crop wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, rice, oilseeds and peanuts. Counter-cyclical payments are made to eligible producers who participate in the 2002 direct and counter-cyclical program. Calculating Counter-Cyclical Payments Producers are eligible for counter-cyclical payments only if effective prices are less than the target prices set in the 2002 Farm Bill. After program participants elect their base and yield options, they may also request their first partial counter-cyclical payment, which is equal to 35 percent of the entire projected rate. For each commodity, the counter-cyclical payment equals the counter-cyclical payment rate times 85 percent of the farm's base acreage times the farm's counter-cyclical payment yield for crops. The counter-cyclical payment rate is the amount by which the target price of each covered commodity exceeds its effective price. The effective price equals the direct payment rate plus the higher of: (1) the national average market price received by producers during the marketing year, or (2) the national loan rate for the commodity. Counter-Cyclical Payment Rates The first partial counter-cyclical payment rate for upland cotton is $0.0480 per pound; for rice, $0.57 per cwt; and for peanuts, $36.40 per short ton. Producers with wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, soybean and other oilseeds base acreage will not receive a first partial counter-cyclical payment because the projected 2002 effective prices exceed the respective target prices. Grain and oilseed rates are zero because reduced production of those crops around the world has led to declining inventory levels and sharply higher U.S. farm prices. Expected farm prices for the 2002 crops are now above the levels that would trigger counter-cyclical payments. After counter-cyclical payment rates are re-estimated in January, a second counter-cyclical payment may be issued to producers. These payments will be up to 70 percent of the projected counter-cyclical payment, less any counter-cyclical payments already received. Final counter-cyclical payments will be determined at the end of the respective marketing year for each crop.  Producers who receive total partial payments exceeding the actual counter-cyclical payment for each respective crop must repay any excess amounts. Direct Payments Producers can also request 2002 direct payments at their local USDA Service Center anytime during the sign-up period that runs from Oct. 1, 2002, through June 2, 2003.  For each commodity, the direct payment equals the direct payment rate times 85 percent of the farm's base acreage times the farm's direct payment yield. Direct payments are similar to production flexibility contract (PFC) payments under the 1996 Farm Bill, but also now include oilseeds and peanuts as eligible commodities.  Most producers have already received their 2002 PFC payments; after producers enroll in the new direct and counter-cyclical payment program any PFC payments already received will be deducted from the 2002 crop year direct payments. For more information on the direct and counter-cyclical payment program, contact your local USDA Service Center.

Ag And Water Quality Conference To Be Held Reprinted from Far West This Week September 20, 2002 The biennial Pacific Northwest Ag and Water Quality Conference is set for November 19-20. It will be held at the Yakima Convention Center. Speakers from a wide variety of views and opinions will be discussing water issues in the Pacific Northwest. There are scheduled panels featuring the Directors of Ag and the Directors of the Environmental Agencies from OR, ID and WA. NRCS Chief Bruce Knight is also scheduled to speak. In total, there are about 35 presentations being delivered, most with COCA credits available. Registration materials are available online at www.agwaterqualitynw.org. Farm/Ranch Business Plan Workshops Offered By OSU By Bob Rost, Oregon State University The Oregon State University Extension Service is offering a series of workshops in Eastern Oregon this November to help farm and ranch owners, families and managers learn how to create a business plan. Three regional workshop sessions are planned. They will be held in The Dalles, starting Nov. 12, 1-4 p.m. at Columbia Gorge Community College; Pendleton, starting Nov. 13, 1-4 p.m. at Blue Mountain Community College; and Redmond, starting Nov. 14, 1-4 p.m. at Central Oregon Community College, Redmond Campus. Subsequent workshop dates will be discussed at those first meetings. The workshops are made possible through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and will be conducted in cooperation with Columbia Gorge, Blue Mountain and Central Oregon community colleges. "These workshops are unique in that they include instructional seminars and one-on-one sessions with professional farm advisers," said Bart Eleveld, OSU Extension Service economist and coordinator of the workshops. "Each workshop series consists of five to six seminars and three to five consultations, with the ultimate goal of a complete, written farm or ranch business plan for each participant," Eleveld added. The workshops will cover a range of topics including how to set personal and business goals and objectives, considerations for estate planning, how to inventory farm resources, and planning for changes with budgets. The registration deadline is Nov. 1, and early registration is encouraged. The workshop series will be limited to 12 farm/ranch businesses or families at each location. Registration will be handled by the cooperating community colleges. The registration fee is only $150, Eleveld said, because much of the workshop costs have been subsidized by the USDA grant. For more information, contact the OSU Extension Service office in counties where sessions are planned, or Bart Eleveld at the OSU Department of Agricultural and Economic Resources, telephone: 541-737-1409; FAX: 541-737-2563; e-mail: bart.eleveld@oregonstate.edu. Woodpeckers&emdash;Why They Pound On Your House By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University A maddening "thwack thwack thwack" on the side of your house may often signal the presence of woodpeckers. Why do woodpeckers pound on the sides of buildings? Woodpeckers might be drilling in your house for several reasons, according to Jeff Picton, director of the Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Corvallis, and Nancy Allen, an Oregon State University Extension wildlife instructor. Woodpeckers will drill in decaying wood looking for prey. If they are pecking in multiple places on the side of your house or outbuildings, it might mean you have an insect infestation. Check it out. If you have an infestation, replace the affected wood. They might be trying to use the siding on your building to cache food or to make nests or roosting sites. Woodpeckers prefer dead wood and that is what your house is made of. Plug any holes these birds make as soon as possible. In the spring, wait for baby woodpeckers to leave the nest (fledge) before sealing holes. Or they may be using the side of your house to "drum," or proclaim their territories. They drum on metal gutters as well as wooden siding. Woodpeckers usually return to the same location to drum on a regular basis. To keep woodpeckers from playing percussion on your house, find a way to muffle their sounds. Try covering the drumming site with foam or placing netting out several inches from the building to keep them away from it. You might also hang strips of foil or cloth near the drumming site to scare them away. Removing perch areas helps. And making noise or squirting the birds with water might also help keep them away, said Picton. Another way to keep woodpeckers away from human structures is to provide habitat for them elsewhere. Leaving dead trees (snags) standing on your property may tempt them away from the house, because woodpeckers instinctively use snags for feeding and to create cavities for nesting. If there is a concern about the safety of keeping a dead tree up in your yard, have the snag topped and trimmed so it will be less likely to fall over. Many other birds and animals such as squirrels, owls, bluebirds and wood ducks use the tree cavities for nesting and roosting once woodpeckers leave. Keep in mind that woodpeckers are very helpful to humans because they help control forest insect populations including carpenter ants and wood boring beetles. Garlic Profile On-Line By Erik Sorensen, WSU Coop. Extension, Franklin & Benton Co. WSU has just updated "Crop Profile for Garlic in Washington." This on-line extension bulletin covers basic production information, major pests, and pest management practices. Washington state ranks fourth in the US in both the number of farms growing garlic and harvested acres. Acreage has increased substantially in recent years with both large and small-scale growers. Weeds pose the major pest management concern for small- and large-scale garlic growers in Washington. Numerous weed species are troublesome in eastern and western Washington. Among the common annual broadleaf weeds are lambsquarters, Russian thistle kochia, mustards, shepherds purse, and pigweeds The most important annual grasses are annual bluegrass and barnyard grass. A number of diseases can be troublesome for Washington garlic growers including, basal rot, blue mold, leaf blight and neck rot. Viruses, which can reduce yields and quality, are a widespread problem in garlic grown in Washington. While many growers do not treat for diseases or insect pests, herbicides are widely used in conjunction with non-chemical control methods. Garlic growers in Washington State integrate a wide variety of cultural methods into their pest management systems. Field selection, crop rotation, and the use of vigorous, pest-free planting material are critical components for a successful garlic crop. Cultivation is a key component of weed control in all garlic fields in Washington. Some small-scale growers use mulch as a component of their weed control program. The bulletin, MISCO369E, is available on-line at: http://www.tricity.wsu.edu/~cdaniels/profiles/Garlic.pdf. OSU Master Recyclers Love To Talk Trash By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University In Portland, people like to talk trash. And they also walk the talk. Last year, Portland had the highest waste recovery rate in the United States. The tri-county Metro area recycled more than 54 percent of its solid waste in 2001. And Portlanders aren't satisfied yet. The City Council set a recycling rate goal of 60 percent by 2005. "The Portland metropolitan area is full of landfill alternatives," said Megan Cogswell, organizer of the Oregon State University Extension Service Master Recycling program, run out of their Multnomah County office. The metropolitan area of Portland is rich in resources to help people easily participate in waste reduction and recycling activities. They include: The Metro Recycling Information Center hotline (503-234-3000, Metro area only), two permanent household hazardous waste collection sites, curbside recycling, green building options and lots of rental and second-hand retail stores. Residents have been eager to learn and volunteer as well. The OSU Extension Service's Master Recycling program provides opportunities for people to train, then become volunteers and teach others how to reduce and recycle waste. About 400 metro residents have trained to become OSU Extension Master Recyclers over the past decade. Each spring and fall, a new group of OSU Master Recycler trainees take 30 hours of classes on waste prevention, reduction and recycling, featuring leaders in the fields of waste processing, reduction and recycling. They also go on two Saturday field trips to landfill recovery centers, waste processing plants and projects that successfully reduce or recycle waste. The program's mantra is "reduce, reuse and recycle - known as the "three Rs," explained Cogswell. The Multnomah County office of the OSU Extension Service in Portland hosts the program. "This means we try and reduce the amount of solid waste generated, reuse materials for the purpose for which they were intended, and recycle material that cannot be reused," said Cogswell. "Basically, we are teaching people about choices. Our primary focus is on waste prevention rather than only concentrating on recycling." Part of teaching people about better choices is to teach how to buy less and share more. Master Recyclers also teach people about shopping for less toxic products, recycled products and remanufactured products. OSU Master Recycler program works with the construction industry as well, teaching and encouraging the use of "green" building techniques, construction using less toxic materials and generating less waste, she added. Once the volunteers complete the training part of the program, course graduates donate at least 30 hours of service in the community. Metro Master Recyclers volunteers: • Staff recycling information stations at farmer's markets and "fix-it" fairs around the Portland metro area; • Establish recycling programs at apartments, neighborhoods and businesses; • Collect materials from the community that can be reused, including plastic flowerpots and foam packing for reuse; • Research recycling and waste reduction opportunities for organizations including the Oregon Convention Center and the Oregon Foodbank and the Union Pacific Railroad; • Write articles to educate the public about waste reduction for the OSU Master Recycler website; • Demonstrate composting methods at garden fairs; • Teach and encourage recycling at schools, community colleges; • Recycle at large community events such as Portland's "Taste of the Nation" food fair and the Komen Race for the Cure; • Give recycling presentations to children's festivals, home eco-parties and janitorial conference, scout groups. In 2001 alone, the group contacted more than 17,000 people in the Portland metro area. Funding comes from Metro, the City of Portland and Clackamas County Solid Waste with support from the Department of Environmental Quality and Recycling Advocates. For persons interested in becoming a Master Recycler, the OSU Extension Service offers the eight-week program for those in the three Portland Metro Counties twice annually - in the fall and spring. Tuition is $50, though scholarships are available. For more information go to the program's website: http://extension.orst.edu/multnomah/recycling/index.html or contact Megan Cogswell, OSU Master Recycler Program, Megan.Cogswell@oregonstate.edu. Phone: 503-725-2035. Marion, Lane and Yamhill counties have Master Recycler programs, as well. Contact local county governments for more information about these programs. Far West Winter Conference Reprinted from Far West This Week September 13, 2002 The Far West Winter Conference is set for December 10-11 at the Spokane Convention Center. Exhibitor information was sent last week and the attendee registration will be in the mail Monday. This year, there are 2 bonus sessions that have been added. One is a wheat production seminar held in conjunction with Washington Association of Wheat Growers. That will be on Monday, December 9. On Thursday, December 12, the Fluid Fertilizer Foundation will host a session regarding various aspects of fluid fertilizer products. Both of these sessions will be at the DoubleTree Hotel, next to the Convention Center. Registration will be available on one at www.fwaa.org very soon. Washington Toxics Coalition Lawsuit vs EPA Reprinted from Far West This Week September 13, 2002 Here's an update from Washington Friends of Farms and Forests relative to the continuing lawsuit against EPA regarding pesticides and salmon. Crop Life American has developed a list of products along with the crops that are labeled for those products that could be in jeopardy. WFFF says in the WTC vs EPA suite, the judge first directed EPA to make decisions about the potential effect of 55 active ingredients may have on salmon on a strict timeline. They have already made a 'may effect' determination for propargite (Omite, Comite). EPA's initial recommendation was for a no-spray buffer between mint, hops, alfalfa and streams. The product is also used on grapes and tree fruits in Washington. Here's the catch. WTC has gone back to the judge requesting buffers be required on all 55 active ingredients until the consultations is complete, which potentially could take years. WFFF, OFS and other industry groups are engaged in trying to stop the lawsuits from going forward.

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