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January 2016
Web: http://cgfg.org/
Phone: 541-387-4769
E-mail: [email protected]
Executive Director to Retire
BOLI POSTERS
The Board of Directors would like to announce the retirement of the Executive Director Jean Godfrey and the Administrative Assistant, Sally Duckwall. Sally will be retiring in June after eight years of employment with the association. Jean will be retiring in August after seventeen years.
CGFG is currently accepting resumes for the Executive Director position and those may be either mailed or emailed.
A full job description may be requested by emailing the office.
Oregon’s new paid sick leave requirement went into effect January 1, 2016. Because
of the length of all the documents, they have not been included in this newsletter,
but are available on the website under “Compliance Manual.” Included is a summary
of the requirements, a copy of the information form that must be provided to em-
ployees, and a sample of the worksheet for calculating sick leave time that must be
provided to employees.
We are anticipating that bills will be introduced for the February legislative session to
amend the current regulations. A couple of the amendments will directly affect agri-
culture, so we will keep you updated.
In the meantime, agricultural employers are required to follow the current require-
ments.
There will also be copies of all the documents available in the office.
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry has confirmed that there are no changes to the 2016 BOLI poster and that if you purchased the 2015 poster, you will not need to replace it. The OSHA section “It Is The Law” has been redesigned, but OSHA con-firmed that the content remains the same and only the graphics were changed. Therefore, they are not requiring the new design. There are posters for sale at the CGFG office.
PAID SICK LEAVE
1st Aid &
CPR
Classes
Columbia Gorge Fruit
Growers
We have four classes
scheduled for 1st Aid &
CPR training this year,
please call the office to sign
up.
January 30, 8am-1pm,
Odell, Spanish
February 13, 8am-1pm,
The Dalles, Spanish
Feb 26, 4pm-8pm, Odell,
Spanish
March 11, 4pm-8pm, The
Dalles (demand will deter-
mine if in English or Span-
ish)
01
02
03
04
04
05
February 2016 SAIF Agricultural Safety Seminar, The Dalles SAIF Agricultural Safety Seminar [Spanish], The Dalles SAIF Agricultural Safety Seminar, Hood River SAIF Agricultural Safety Seminar [Spanish], Hood River Mid-Columbia Cherry Day & MCAREC Sweet Cherry Research Symposium Hood River Winter Horti-culture Meeting
CALENDAR
OREGON’S MINIMUM WAGE
Governor Brown's Minimum Wage Proposal: Last week Governor Brown announced a plan to increase the minimum wage. The plan is supported by Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney. As proposed, Oregon would have a two-tiered minimum wage that increases gradually over the next six years, starting in 2017. The plan establishes a higher minimum wage in the Portland Urban Growth Boundary than in the rest of the state.
Outside of the Portland Urban Growth Boundary, the wage will be raised to $10.25 in 2017 and increase to $13.50 by 2022. Within the Growth Boundary, the wage will be set at 15% above the statewide minimum wage, increasing to $15.52 by 2022.
After 2022, the minimum wage will return to the current rate of increase tied to the Con-sumer Price Index. Wages by year are as follows:
Statewide Rates: Current: $9.25
$10.25 - Jan. 1, 2017 (Represents an increase of $1.00 in 8 months)
$11.00 - Jan. 1, 2018
$11.75 - Jan. 1, 2019
$12.50 - Jan. 1, 2020
$13.00 - Jan. 1, 2021
$13.50 - Jan. 1, 2022
Then CPI
Page 2 Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Brad Pickering - Chairman John Stehlik - Vice Chairman
Wade Root - Secretary David Ortega - Treasurer
Bill Anderson Jennifer Euwer
Paul LaVoie ~ Jean Godfrey - Executive Director
Sally Duckwall - Admin Support
OFFICE HOURS
Mon-Thur 9am-5pm
Friday & afternoon hours subject
to change due to business
commitments. To confirm open
hours, call 541-387-4769.
Retirement Celebration for JANET TURNER!
The Horticulture Program at MCAREC is sponsoring an informal gathering of friends to celebrate with Janet Turner as we thank her for her service and wish her well in her retirement. Janet possesses a profound interest in pear production and worked diligently in her role as technician to several research programs at the OSU- MCAREC over a span of 20 years.
Please feel free to drop by Pfriem Family Brewers (707 Port-way Ave Unit 101, Hood River) in the upstairs event room at any time between 4 and 7 pm on Friday, February 12, 2016. Light refreshments will be provided.
RSVP is recommended in the event of a date or time change. Please rsvp to Todd Einhorn by email (preferred), [email protected] or phone, 1-541-386-2030 ex-tension 38216.
Page 3 Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers
Portland Metro UGB Boundary:
15% differential
Current: $9.25
$11.79 - Jan. 1, 2017 (Represents an increase of $2.54 in 8 months)
$12.65 - Jan. 1, 2018
$13.51 - Jan. 1, 2019
$14.38 - Jan. 1, 2020
$14.95 - Jan. 1, 2021
$15.52 - Jan. 1, 2022
A public hearing was held on the proposal and over 71 employ-ers and farmers, 35 of which traveled over 100 miles showed up to oppose the rate increase.
THANK YOU to Jennifer Euwer, Adam McCarthy and Mike McCarthy for making the trip and testifying before the late night Committee!
OREGON MINIMUM WAGE (CONT)
OTHER LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
Page 4 Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers
Wage Enforcement: Sen. Dembrow will introduce LC 240 which will add information required on itemized employee payroll statements, broaden personnel record keeping, increase time and pay record retention periods to 3-years, toll the stat-ute of limitations for all wage claims and create new private right of action for not providing ‘time and pay records’ records – fining Oregon employ-ers up to $50 per day up to $5,000 + attorney fees and costs [these records are already discov-erable in civil action and non-compliant attorneys can face discovery violations.]
LOBBYIST ACTION: We are participating in the ‘wage enforcement’ work group and working closely with other natural resource and employer stakeholders to oppose as drafted.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture has awarded a PSP Technical Assistance Program grant to CGFG for a project titled: Improving pear IPM through natural-enemy monitor-ing
This project was initiated by Steve Castagnoli, OSU Extension Agent.
The overall project goals are to reduce pesticide use in pear production and associated surface water contamination through demonstrating the value of natural-enemy monitor-ing and increasing confidence in reliance on biological con-trol.
CGFG AWARDED ODA GRANT
Page 5 Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers
7:30 – Refreshments provided by Brandt’s Fruit Trees
8:00 - Welcome
8:10 – Legislative Update from Salem: What you need to know – Amanda Dalton, Dalton Advocacy and CGFG
8:40 – New Cherry Varieties of Interest to PNW Growers – Lynn E. Long, OSU
9:10 – How to Make Fertigation Work For You – Bruce Decker, Wilbur-Ellis;
Dr. Gerry Neilsen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Ian Chandler, Orchard View Farms;
Dane Klindt, K&K Land and Management.
10:00 – Break
Sponsored by Brandt’s Fruit Trees
10: 15 – CGFG Outstanding Cooperator of the Year Award
Presented by Jeff Heater
10:20 – Advantages and Limitations to the Use of Composts and Mulches to Improve Orchard Soil Quality and
Performance of Apple and Sweet Cherry Fruit Trees – Dr. Gerry Neilsen,
Dr. Denise Neilsen and Dr. Tom Forge, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
11:00 – Soil Biology and Fruit Trees: What We Are Learning – David Granatstein, WSU
11:30 – Taking Compost from the Academic and Hippy Worlds into the Real World –
Mike Omeg, Omeg Family Orchards.
12:00 Lunch
Sponsored by Wilson Orchard and Vineyard Supply
1:00 – Introduction to Cherry Research Review and MCAREC Update
Brian Tuck, Director, OSU MCAREC
1:15 –Washington Update: SWD and BMSB –
Dr. Elizabeth Beers, WSU WTFRC, Wenatchee, WA.
2:00 –MCAREC Sweet Cherry Horticulture Update: Effects of Early Irrigation Cutoff on Fruit Quality; Modeling
Growth and Development; and Freeze Assessment –
Dr. Todd Einhorn, OSU MCAREC.
2:45 –MCAREC Research Update: Enhancing Sweet Cherry Shipping Quality –
Dr. Yan Wang, OSU MCAREC.
3:30 –WSU Research Program Update - Dr. Matthew Whiting, WSU IAREC, Prosser, WA.
4:15 Adjourn
Mid-Columbia Cherry Day and
MCAREC Sweet Cherry Research Symposium The Discovery Center – The Dalles
February 4, 2016
2016 Hood River Winter Horticulture Meeting
Friday, February 5, 2016
Hood River Inn/Best Western – Gorge Room, Hood River, OR
8:00 Welcome – Steve Castagnoli, OSU MCAREC
8:15 The End of Farm Labor Abundance: challenges and opportunities – Diane Charlton, University of Califor-
nia, Davis
9:00 California Efforts Toward Orchard Mechanization – Rachel Elkins, UC Cooperative Extension, Lake &
Mendocino Counties, CA
9:30 New Techniques for Establishing and Managing High Density Pear Orchards –
Todd Einhorn, OSU MCAREC
10:00 Break – Refreshments Provided – Thank You Sponsors!
10:15 Trends in California Pear Production – Rachel Elkins, UC Cooperative Extension, Lake & Mendocino
Counties, CA
10:45 Managing Fruit Calcium in Apple and Pear – Lee Kalcsits, WSU TFREC, Wenatchee, WA
11:15 MCAREC Director’s Update – Brian Tuck, OSU MCAREC
11:30 Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers Elections and Updates – CGFG Board of Directors
12:00 Lunch Provided – Thank You Sponsors!
12:45 Hood River Water Conservation Strategy: achieving long-term water resource reliability for agriculture
and local fish populations – Cindy Thiemann, Hood River Watershed Group
1:15 The Eternal Resistance Problem: mites and pear psylla as case studies – Betsy Beers, WSU TFREC, We-
natchee, WA
1:45 OSU/CGFG Spotted Wing Drosophila Monitoring Program – Steve Castagnoli, OSU MCAREC
2:00 Regulation of Pear Flowering, Fruit Set and Vigor with Plant Growth Regulators –
Todd Einhorn, OSU MCAREC
2:30 Pre-harvest Plant Growth Regulators in Pears – Yan Wang, OSU MCAREC
2:55 New (and Old) Technologies for Fire Blight Control – Ken Johnson, OSU Department of Botany & Plant Pa
3:25 Airblast Sprayer Optimization – Steve Castagnoli, OSU MCAREC
3:45 Adjourn
Page 6 Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers
For Lease
Established Draper blue-
berry field in Hood River
area. Approximately 8
acres in size and 5-6 years
of age. Very attractive
lease options. If inter-
ested, contact 541-490-
1150.
Page 7 Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers
Last year, the Oregon Horticultural Society approached Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers requesting that CGFG consider assuming the management Of OHS. The Board of Directors agreed that it would be of a definite advantage to both OHS and CGFG.
The Oregon Horticultural Society is the second oldest horticul-tural society in the United States, with a long heritage that began in 1885. After many years and many changes, OHS believed that
the Mid-Columbia area was the natural center for the continuing education of the pome and stone fruit industry.
The future direction of OHS will be to fund educational speakers and programs which address pear and cherry production.
This year, OHS is proud to an-nounce that they are sponsors of the Winter Hort Meeting in Hood River on February 5, 2016; and the Mid-Columbia Cherry Day and MCAREC Sweet Cherry Research Symposium in The Dalles on Feb-ruary 4, 2016.
In the past, OHS has been funded by yearly membership fees. This program will continue to ensure the ability of the Oregon Horticul-tural Society to be the educational voice that has been of such impor-tance to agriculture in Oregon.
OREGON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
P A I D
ODELL, OR
PERMIT NO. 10
COLUMBIA GORGE FRUIT GROWERS Mailing Address: P.O. Box 168 Odell, OR 97044
Physical Address: 2835 Van Horn Drive Hood River, OR
Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers Loan Program
$30,000 loan limit - 3% interest rate - 10-year loan - annual payments
Qualifying projects: Farm worker housing - sprinklers - propane orchard heaters - frost fans - projects that address air
and water quality - sprayer adaption
Call or visit the Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers office for an application—this program is limited to Hood River County growers
