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September 17, 2009 Front Page |
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State Ag Board Tours Baker County Ranches
Story and Photo by Tammy Bloom
The Oregon Board of Agriculture held their quarterly meeting in Baker City Sept. 9-11.
The 10-member board reviewed agricultural certification programs from the Oregon Department of Agriculture and an update on Specialty Crop Grant Program awards. ODA’s Pesticides Division also provided an update on enforcement and reorganization efforts, and ODA Director Katy Coba led a review of the agency’s budget and 2009 legislative session.
In the afternoon, the board took a tour of Baker County agriculture.
Jan Kerns of Haines started off the tour with an introduction. She said with the first water rights in 1863, miners had priority over agriculture. There are fourth and fifth generation ranchers in Baker County with connections to those first water rights.
The tour visited several local ranches and properties including:
Brocato Seeks Severance Pay From City
The City of Baker City’s attorney Dan Van Thiel received a letter Aug. 27 demanding severance pay for recently fired city manager Steve Brocato. The letter was sent by Anne Denecke, an attorney in Portland representing Brocato.
In the letter Denecke stated, “I have been retained by Mr. Brocato to pursue a severance package on his behalf following his highly suspect and sudden termination from employment as the city manager of Baker City.”
Denecke cited the “contentious” Property Maintenance Code revision where Brocato had instructed the Community Service Officer to inspect each of the Councilor’s and the Mayor’s properties located in Baker City to determine potential violations under the proposed ordinance as the reason for his dismissal.
Local Brewmeister Wins Best Of Show Award
By Eden Taylor
Baker City's home-brewmeister Randy Scorby won the Best of Show award at the 2009 Oregon State Fair Home Brew competition. Scorby's "may the schwarz be with you" logged top honors in the Dark Lager category before being named top froth of all. Scorby also won the Dark Bock category with "the Dobienator" and also took two second place honors. Scorby and his wife, Laurie, will head to national competition in Minneapolis next year.
This is the second year in a row that Scorby has won the State Fair. He medaled in the finals of the National Home Brew Competition in both 2007 and 2008.
Though Randy has only been brewing for three and a half years, he credits his expertise to his master tutor, Ted Hausotter. Hausotter has been home brewing beer for more than 20 years.
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