Category: Media

High Desert Stampede: Bringing the best of rodeo to Central Oregon

By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press | Mar 4, 2022

Unlike most rodeos, the High Desert Stampede has been operating as a start-up since its inception in 2015.

“Typical rodeos, especially PRCA rodeos, have long traditions going back 75 or 100 years, so to be young is very unusual,” High Desert Stampede Board Member Chad Morris said. “Our board of directors is composed of business owners, not necessarily rodeo athletes or those who came up in rodeo, and so we operate a little differently.”

For one thing, the Stampede takes its lead from the National Finals Rodeo by keeping side shows and specialty acts to a minimum.

“We focus on the athletes and the animal athletes that we’re bringing to town,” Morris said. “We feature them and get them into the arena one after the other as quickly as we can so that we’re entertaining and presenting the rodeo product more than trying to fill time.”

Always at the end of March, this year’s High Desert Stampede is March 23-26 at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center’s First Interstate Bank Center in Redmond.

Though they’ve been able to draw world champions with less money, the board is taking a bit of a gamble this year by adding $10,000 in prize money to each event. Combined with entry fees, the anticipated total payout will exceed $150,000.

“Last year we opened on Wednesday night with the Wrights out of Utah, who are in the national news regularly, and they went on to win a couple of national titles, so we have top-caliber athletes and top-caliber stock,” Morris said. “Our livestock budget alone is more than $90,000 so we’re doing everything we can to bring fans the best of the best on both sides.”

Central Oregon has a longstanding bareback tradition with local talent including Bobby Mote and Steven Peebles. Austin Foss is considered the latest in that lineage.

“We know Austin Foss is planning to attend the High Desert Stampede and expect to see other NFR qualifier names when entries open,” Morris said. “Our goal is to continue delivering a fast-paced, entertaining, family-friendly rodeo, with the best athletes and livestock we can bring to Central Oregon each year.”

The Central Oregon Agricultural Show at Deschutes County Fair & Expo March 26-27 will overlap with the Stampede on Saturday, so folks will be able to visit the Ag Show on their way to the rodeo.

“We strive to recognize and give a nod to the Western way of life that established Central Oregon, and I think the Ag Show is going to help us deliver on some of the community involvement that we were not expecting to see for several more years,” Morris said.

Ed Staub & Sons Petroleum: A ‘one-stop shop’ for farmers and ranchers

Ed Staub & Sons Petroleum: A 'one-stop shop' for farmers and ranchers

By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press | Mar 4, 2022

Ed Staub & Sons Petroleum is sponsoring the Early Day Gas Engine & Antique Tractor Display at the inaugural Central Oregon Agricultural Show on March 26-27.

It’s a great fit for a company that has been meeting the energy needs of its residential and commercial customers for more than 60 years.

Ed Staub is a family business that started in Northern California in 1959 with the purchase of a Chevron bulk plant in Alturas, Calif. Since that time, Ed Staub & Sons has expanded to 17 locations across Oregon, California and Idaho.

Ed Staub & Sons Petroleum Services prides itself on being a “one-stop shop” for its residential and commercial customers, supplying every type of fuel for all situations. They carry propane, heating oil and all the fuel types along with lubricants and other items such as propane appliances.

Services include bulk delivery, packaged products, inventory management and oil analysis.

“As the company has grown through acquisition and growth opportunities, we have, for the most part, been able to stay within the rural communities,” said Wendy deGroot, Ed Staub & Sons enterprise marketing director. “The company is very family-oriented and treats team members like family and builds very good relationships with customers and always gets involved in the communities where we do business.”

Near and dear causes to the company include agriculture, veterans and education.

“Providing opportunities for youth in the small towns we serve is one of our core competencies, and it is always great to partner with our local communities any way we can,” deGroot said.

Locations in rural communities, often in the middle of agriculture country, Staub & Sons has been able to partner with farmers, ranchers, and other ag-related entities, often supplying everything such an operation requires in the way of energy and related products.

“Agriculture is an important piece of our business, and we are able to serve our ag customers holistically with their fueling and lubricant needs,” deGroot said. “We try to be that value-added resource to our customers; we feel that if we’re doing our job right it should be seamless from their end.

“It’s pretty neat because over time, as our drivers are out on their residential or commercial routes, they get to know their customers and are available when someone has a question as it relates to safety or things of that nature,” she said. “We just want everybody to be safe and help give people that peace of mind — that’s what it’s all about.”

“We want to identify where there’s a need and meet it; or find out what your business goals are and figure out how to help you get there,” deGroot said. “It’s a win-win.”

McDonald’s: Sponsors breakfast to support agriculture

McDonald's: Sponsors breakfast to support agriculture

By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press | Mar 4, 2022

Kathy and Paul Rodby, owners of five Central Oregon McDonald’s restaurants, are partnering with Perfect Balance USA to raise funds to bolster area agriculture.

The Buckaroo Breakfast starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 26, and lasts until supplies run out. It will be at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds during the Central Oregon Agricultural Show.

The event got its start decades ago when McDonald’s instituted it as a community fundraiser. The annual event alternates beneficiaries. This year the proceeds of the event will go to Perfect Balance USA, a nonprofit organization working to educate the community on how food gets from the farm to the table, and how to collectively preserve water for our ecosystems, endangered species and farmland.

McDonald’s is donating the food and cooking it on site at the Ag Show to benefit a cause that is close to home.

“The struggles of agriculture in the last two to five years have been challenging all around the United States,” Andrea Brown, area supervisor for the five Central Oregon McDonald’s restaurants owned by the Rodbys, said. “Prices of everything are going up and I think it makes consumers very aware of the trickle-down effect it has when we lose a farmer or rancher….”

“When we have a bad year of drought and a farmer decides he doesn’t have enough water to even try to grow a crop, we lose that farmer and it has a detrimental impact on the economy,” Brown said.

Brown said the time has come for McDonald’s and all other fast-food restaurants to band together to really help promote and support ranchers and farmers across the country and world “…because we wouldn’t even exist without them.”

In 2019, the 162 McDonald’s restaurants across the state purchased 608,219,000 pounds of Oregon potatoes and 5,070,000 pounds of Oregon onions, along with many other foodstuffs and supplies.

While McDonald’s has supported agriculture for decades, it’s done so quietly and behind the scenes, but leaders of the worldwide restaurant chain feel it’s time to get more vocal about it.

“We need people to get more educated on agriculture because without agriculture any food business will not survive,” Brown said. “We’ve been quiet about our contributions until now, but given that McDonald’s has such a following, we are starting to get boisterous about it.”

Each of the five Central Oregon McDonald’s restaurants owned by the Rodbys actively seeks out ways to better the community, including supporting 4-H and FFA, buying animals at the fair auction and helping to raise funds for the programs.

It doesn’t stop there. Supporting the Ronald McDonald House, local sports teams and livestock associations are among the many ways McDonald’s supports the communities in which they do business.

In December, the Rodby Foundation partnered with Perfect Balance USA on a fundraiser that raised more than $70,000 in one night.

Midstate Power Products: Kubota tractors and more

By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press | Mar 4, 2022

Monica and Frank Platt, co-owners of Midstate Power Products, are no strangers to taking the show on the road.

The Kubota dealership was one of the first to sign up to sponsor the first-ever Central Oregon Agricultural Show March 26-27.

For 10 years, they have sponsored and exhibited at fairs, trade shows and other ag-related events from about February through fair season in August, setting up booths and displays of the latest Kubota machines.

“During COVID, nothing was happening; it was very weird,” Monica Platt said. “Everybody said to take advantage of the downtime because when the shows are on, we’re moving around a lot and there’s always something in the works while we’re also trying to keep the stores staffed.”

The Platts purchased his brother Gilbert’s 30-year Kubota dealership in 2011 and set about making it their own.

“We started out small, with three or four people in the whole operation, and just kept expanding from there,” Platt said. “We started taking on larger tractor lines with larger equipment that couldn’t fit in the shop doors and knew we had to move.”

The Platts found a three-acre property on Highway 97 that included a large, vacant building — a former KidZone indoor play facility.

“It was dilapidated, and we were able to purchase the land,” Platt said. “Then we found a contractor to basically recycle the majority of the cinder block building.”

The new building was finished in 2014, complete with taller roll-up shop doors.

“It had such a dynamic effect on the business,” Platt said. “Productivity went up and sales increased by 30% just from changing to a location with better visibility and access; it was absolutely amazing what a difference it made.

“We were able to bring in more product offerings, which also helped,” she said.

The following year they opened Pelican Tractor Company in Klamath Falls, followed in 2018 by Malheur Machinery in Hines.

“Kubota has evolved over the years with their tractor horsepower offerings and are not just small hobby tractors anymore,” Platt said. “They’ve gotten up into the higher horsepower-range tractors, which is what you need to work with some of those larger ag implements.

“They have also expanded their construction equipment offerings with mini excavators, skid steers, wheel loaders and quite a few other things,” Platt said. “We’ll be bringing some of that equipment to the show, including some of the high-tech laser-operated guidance machines.”

Midstate carries a few additional lines to complement the Kubota selection.

“We sell Vermeer agricultural equipment, especially their bale processors that shred the bales into pieces and lay the hay out in a long row of cattle feed,” Platt said. “Kubota also has an entire hay tool line with round balers, rakes and mower conditioners.”

The company’s Great Plains Manufacturing line includes many larger implements for larger-scale tilling, seeding and planting. They also carry Land Pride, a division of Great Plains that leans toward smaller attachments for smaller scale tractors, rototillers and the like.

Flex harrows, disk harrows and seeders are the biggest sellers from Great Plains, and Land Pride implements such as pallet forks, bale spears and grading blades are popular for all tractor sizes.

Kubota Corporation bought Great Plains Manufacturing and Land Pride two years ago, and the company now produces several Kubota products, particularly those used in the construction industry.

Clint Johnson: Brings out the best in cattle dogs

By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press | Mar 4, 2022

Growing up on a six-generation cattle ranch, Clint Johnson always had dogs around, but it wasn’t until later that he became aware of what ranch dogs can do.

“My mother-in-law Jeanne Warnock had some real cow dogs, border collies that I got to see work and I was very impressed and intrigued and really wanted to get a lot more serious about it,” Johnson said.

“For a long time, many ranchers were pretty anti-dog,” he said. “They’d had hired hands or neighbors that had dogs that weren’t very well trained and could be tough on livestock and weren’t much help.”

Over time, that attitude has changed, he said.

“Working dogs are becoming more prevalent in the West as ranchers are seeing what they can do,” Johnson said. “They’re slowly changing their minds about having them and becoming more willing to shell out a lot of money for them.”

By putting on working dog demonstrations at the Central Oregon Agricultural Show, Johnson hopes to convince more people of their value.

“I’ll set up a little field out there with some obstacles that I’ll put the cattle through and explain how this is useful in an everyday ranching situation,” he said. “You don’t need as much labor which, in today’s market, is extremely hard to find.

“They’re just amazing animals; one well-trained dog can replace four guys on horseback — and the dog never shows up hungover or drunk,” Johnson said. “They show up to work every day, eager to work and are happy to be yelled at.”

Warnock Ranches is operated by Johnson and his wife, Cassi; her parents, Randy and Jeanne Warnock; and siblings Jerod Warnock and Abby Warnock.

Between their locations in Eastern and Central Oregon they run pairs and retain yearlings to place in a feedlot to be sold through a natural beef co-op, Country Natural Beef, that the family helped found.

Dogs are an integral part of their daily operations, with about eight finished dogs helping run some 1,600 head of mother cows and 1,400 yearlings over large expanses of range, meadow and forest. Seven dogs are in various stages of training.

Johnson works exclusively with border collies.

“There are lots of breeds that will do a decent job, but if you Google ‘smartest dog in the world’ the border collie comes up,” Johnson said. “Besides being extremely intelligent, they’re extremely eager to please, whereas Jack Russells, for example, are very smart dogs but they’re also eager to get away with doing things you don’t want them to.”

WSR Insurance Services: Personalized crop insurance

By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press | Mar 4, 2022

WSR Insurance Services began in 1917 with the merger of three independent insurance companies.

More than a century later, WSR is still jointly owned and has become one of the largest independently owned insurance agencies in Northern California, offering a full range of products that include farm and ranch insurance for crops, livestock, apiculture, personal insurance and general business needs.

They are also sponsoring the seminar program that will be offered at the brand-new Central Oregon Ag Show.

WSR is based in Woodland, Calif., with 13 agents scattered around multiple states that include several regions where ranching is the primary industry. The website is wsrins.com.

“We like to conduct our business face-to-face,” Matt Griffith, co-owner, said. “With what we do it’s important to sit down with a customer so everybody has a good understanding of what we’re doing together and enabling us to set realistic expectations of how our products can perform.”

Bobby Alexander, with a background in the livestock industry, manages WSR’s crop insurance products, specializing in the risk management tools put out through USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) that include pasture, rangeland and forage (PRF) and livestock risk protection (LRP) tools for ranchers and hay producers geared to protect their bottom line.

“Most ranchers have considerable expense in raising their cattle,” Alexander said. “LRP lets them lock in a price to insure against declining market prices.”

PRF insurance allows farmers and ranchers to insure the amount of rainfall they’re supposed to get in their area and offset costs when water is scarce.

“Everybody is looking for all they can do to manage risk and make ends meet,” Alexander said. “When you are in an inconsistent weather pattern, people can end up having to sell their herd down or make big adjustments.

“They’re also very vulnerable in a fluctuating market,” Alexander said. “If something happens globally, even if it has nothing to do with the cattle industry, it can tip their market upside down and ranchers can end up getting less out of their cattle than it costs to raise them.”

Two of WSR’s five owners, Griffith and Jim Vann, grew up in the ranching industry and understand the perils that operators face and want to make sure they know there is help available that they may not know about.

“The lines the USDA offers change quickly with new products popping up on an annual basis, and there are a couple that are being overlooked, such as whole farm revenue, which protects an operation’s income based on what commodities they have and their size,” Griffith said.

“Agriculture is unique in that the producer doesn’t set the price; we’re at the market’s mercy when it’s time to sell our commodities,” he said. “We’re trying to relay the message that there are products to help you stay in business and that’s a new mindset because up until 10 years ago crop insurance at the ranching level didn’t really exist.

“Many of our products have been of real benefit to the Central Oregon agriculture community and we are happy to spread the word by participating in the new Ag Show.”

Central Oregon Ag Show offers something for everyone

By CARL SAMPSON Capital Press | Mar 4, 2022

REDMOND, Ore. — The inaugural edition of the Central Oregon Agricultural Show promises something for everyone.

Whether you farm or ranch for a living, have a small acreage, keep a few chickens your backyard or are just curious about agriculture, this new breed of ag show caters to each member of the family. Admission is free.

The all-important displays of the latest tractors and implements will be on hand, plus exhibitors offering an array of services for commercial farmers and those who have smaller acreages, horses and other livestock.

“It offers a fusion between a focus on commercial producers and on those folks with rural acreages — with a chance for urban residents to see what is going on in ag,” said Joe Beach, editor and publisher of the Capital Press agricultural newspaper and website, which is producing the show for the EO Media Group in conjunction with the Bend Bulletin.

On the agenda are events ranging from a fundraising breakfast to a working dog demonstration, seminars on the weather and small-scale farming and food vendors — and even a rodeo Saturday night.

“This is not your grandpa’s ag show,” said Anne Long of the Capital Press and another of the show’s organizers.

The show will open at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27, at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, Ore. It closes at 5 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

The title sponsor of the Central Oregon Ag Show is Harvest Capital Company, a longtime supporter of Oregon agriculture.

“A whole host of other sponsors have also come on board,” Beach said.

The Major Sponsors of the show are Coastal Farm & Ranch stores and Thompson Pump & Irrigation.

Other sponsors are:

• Stage sponsor: T-Mobile.

• Bag sponsor: Midstate Power.

• Early Day Tractor Display Host: Ed Staub & Sons Petroleum.

• Saturday sponsor: Wilbur Ellis.

• Sunday sponsor: KBE (Klamath Basin Equipment).

• Kid Zone sponsor: Deschutes County Farm Bureau.

• Seminar host: WSR Insurance.

Included in the mix of activities is the Buckaroo Breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday while supplies last. It is sponsored by McDonald’s and will benefit Perfect Balance, a nonprofit that helps tell ag’s story to the public.

Also on hand will be a Kid Zone especially designed for the Central Oregon Ag Show by Dawn Alexander, a former Ag Teacher of the Year.

Early Day Gas Engines and Antique Tractors will be on display, sponsored by Ed Staub & Sons Petroleum.

At 11 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday, Clint Johnson will put his working dogs through the paces, showing how they handle cattle.

A special feature of the ag show is the High Desert Stampede, which takes place in the First Interstate Bank Center at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. Rodeo tickets are available online at https://bit.ly/3rVszmA.

“Folks are invited to come early Saturday and enjoy the ag show and stay to watch the action at the rodeo,” Beach said.

Representatives of other agricultural groups — from Oregon FFA to Oregon Aglink — will be there spread the word and answer questions about farming and ranching.

Brim Tractor Company offers what farms of all sizes need

By BRENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press

Bill Brim was just 22 when he became part owner of his first tractor dealership.

In 1966, he and his wife, Margaret, founded Brim Tractor Company in Lynden, Wash.

Bill Brim brought the first hydraulic-arm Bomford mower into the U.S. from England, transforming the maintenance of roadsides and freeways. The venture was successful; Brim still sells several of the tractor combinations to municipalities every year.

Brim’s sons Bob, Alan and Dave pioneered a new market when they computerized the company in the late 1970s. They formed Dealer Information Systems Corp., now a leading business management software provider to agricultural, construction, truck refrigeration and lift truck dealers throughout North America.

Another son, Dan, purchased the business in 1997 and started expanding it. Today there are six Brim dealerships in Oregon and Washington.

“Working with farmers is fantastic,” said Mike Poston, manager of Brim’s Salem store. “They are essential workers, so we have been able to stay open through the difficult times.”

Also, with more time at home, hobby farmers and residential homeowners are buying equipment at an accelerated pace.

However, Brim’s big focus remains large-scale ag, including the hay and forage, grass seed, hazelnut and wine grape industries.

Their primary lines are New Holland, JBC and Yanmar, with several others to ensure they can meet every customer’s needs.

“The technology required to maintain a machine is almost the same as that needed to maintain a body,” Poston said, “There are many advancements that help you fix equipment quicker, make the machines run smoother and make the customer more money.

“Some of these tractors drive themselves and the attachment behind it tells the tractor what to do,” Poston said. “When you have that kind of technology you need technicians experienced in computers as well as hydraulics, engine systems and powertrain systems.”

Brim also cultivates technicians.

“We partner with several colleges and universities; we say they go to college to get their basics and come to Brim for their master’s and doctorate degrees,” Poston said. “The amount of training you’re going to get coming to work for a dealership is incredible.

“To have younger people coming in who are already so familiar with computers is a breath of fresh air and a fun situation to be in,” Poston said. “Our leading-edge service is part of the Brim advantage and we want every customer to have the Brim experience.”

Representatives of Brim will be available during the Northwest Ag Show to discuss the needs of visitors.

Aglink tells ag’s story one classroom at a time

Aglink tells ag's story one classroom at a time

By BRENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press

Established in 1966 as the Agribusiness Council, Oregon Aglink still works to bridge the gap between urban and rural Oregonians.

“We are trying to bring all parts of agriculture together and help people not working in these spaces to understand what is happening around the state,” Aglink Executive Director Mallory Phelan said. “We’re a large, diverse board from all across the state and covering a lot of different commodities grown in Oregon along with folks from the professional service sector.”

One of the longest-running outreaches of Aglink is the crop identification signs in front of vast fields of such crops and livestock as red clover, radish seed and beef cattle. In partnership with Oregon Women for Agriculture, Oregon Aglink has placed more than 200 signs along the state’s most traveled highways.

Whereas crop identification signs help travelers gain more insight into agriculture, another Oregon Aglink program actually brings students out to farms and ranches.

The Adopt a Farmer program is where most of the nonprofit’s fund-raising monies are applied. The program is in its 10th year.

Adopt a Farmer matches middle school classrooms with farms and ranches around the state for a whole school year, funding field trips and facilitating classroom visits by the farmer.

“We do activities that relate to what they’re learning in school,” Phelan said. “They may go to a dairy and learn all about that and then in their math class we might do a graph of milk production.

“The whole idea is to establish a relationship between students and farmers,” Phelan said. “It’s nothing like a visit to the pumpkin patch. It’s more a behind-the-scenes look at how this farm works.”

Being on a farm is a “very memorable experience” for most people, she said.

“In the past 10 years we’ve reached over 20,000 students from Portland to Medford,” Phelan said. “We ultimately want people to have a positive experience that helps them realize that things don’t just show up in the grocery store, and I think the pandemic really highlighted that when some things ran out.

“Having to do things by internet has very much contributed to that disconnect; people rarely even go to the grocery store anymore; they just click things on the screen and it shows up on their doorstep,” Phelan said.

“In prior generations farmers didn’t have to explain what they were doing.”

As part of the Northwest Ag Show, Oregon Aglink will be available to answer questions farmers and ranchers might have and suggest ways they can become involved.

Pacific Building Systems sells directly to farmers

By BRENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press

The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 was the driving force behind Pacific Building Systems, which is still going strong after nearly six decades.

“My grandfather, Fletcher Prince, and three of his friends wanted to help out local farmers with rebuilding,” Nick Prince said. “They started a repair business — Truss-T Structures — and would go out and fix or rebuild their barns and other structures.

“They figured it would take a couple years and then they’d have to go find other jobs,” Prince said, “but they started getting new projects and it took off from there.”

Still based in Woodburn, Ore., Pacific Building Systems is a third-generation business owned by Prince, Sandy Trahan and Kailong Luo, the head engineer.

In the early 1980s the business stopped doing onsite construction to focus on manufacturing.

Employing a crew of about 50, PBS is now spread over 7 acres. Over the past 60 years the company has manufactured more than 10,000 metal and steel structures for the industrial, commercial, agricultural, aviation, government and community sectors.

“Our family-owned, full-service facility includes design, drafting and engineering as well as fabrication and shipping and a comprehensive components department,” Trahan said. “We are able to do some complex things according to each customer’s specific needs.”

As in generations past, independence, flexibility and easy access are among the things that set PBS apart.

“We sell direct to the farmer and help him where he needs it, start to finish — and that is an advantage to our customer base and to us,” Trahan said.

“Another thing that makes us unique and that we are very proud of is having in-house Certified Weld Inspectors,” Trahan said. “This requires us to have the CWIs on site to teach our guys and to inspect the welds and make sure that we were running a top-tier program.

“This includes all of the materials we bring in and our drafting and engineering services,” he added. “It requires us to record everything we do and takes a lot of work, time, energy and money, but it keeps us accountable to our customers and to each other.

“We see each prefabricated metal kit as more than just a building,” Trahan said. “They provide places for people to gather, shop, work, worship, or play — so we use the latest technology and highest-quality materials and work closely with every customer.

“We love to look at a building and say, ‘That’s ours.’”

Representatives of Pacific Building Systems will be available during the Northwest Ag Show to answer any questions and discuss any upcoming building projects.