Baker County residents and businesses produced slightly less trash last year than in 2006, but they recycled quite a lot more of it.

Overall, the county recycled 24.4 percent of its refuse during 2007, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

That’s an increase of 5.6 percent from 2006.

It’s also the second-highest rate DEQ has recorded since it started measuring recycling in 1992.

Baker County’s highest rate was 25 percent in 1996.

County residents generated 16,403 tons of garbage during 2007 and they recycled 3,673 tons of cardboard, glass and other stuff — 32 percent more than the previous year’s total of 2,783 tons.

(The 2007 figures equate to a recycling rate of 22.4 percent, but DEQ adds a 2-percent “credit” to Baker County’s rate due to Baker Sanitary Service’s free yard debris dumping program.)

Some growers say yields are down a bit, but the weather was conducive to a good wheat crop

Ken Austin grabs a chunk of dirt off the conveyor moving spuds to a truck during the potato harvest at Jason and Rosie Williams’ farm near North Powder. (Baker City Herald/Kathy Orr)

Also on the plus side, the cool, damp weather that affected potato yields produced an above average wheat crop at the Blatchford farm near Haines.

“It was a good water year, and that’s good for potato quality,” said Dave Blatchford, who founded the family farm along with his brother Jim in the early 1970s.

The Blatchfords grow Russet potatoes on about 700 acres. Workers were busy Monday harvesting potatoes under warm, sunny skies.

Andrew Bryan, a Baker City businessman and city councilor, has been named the county’s marketing director.

Bryan replaces Kari Whitacre, who resigned to take a new position with a community development organization in Corvallis.

Bryan began his duties Monday. He will be paid $42,000 per year.

To take the job, Bryan resigned from the board of directors for the Baker County Development Corp., a non-profit group that supervises the marketing director and channels transient room tax money to attract visitors to Baker County.

The remaining board members then hired Bryan, who’s also an education consultant.

Oregon has 18 electrical cooperatives, and a handful of public utility districts and city-owned utilities are scattered throughout Oregon and Washington. Many are eager to be partners with Baker City-based Oregon Trail Electric Consumers Cooperative, or OTEC.

Why?

Because the era of plentiful and cheap energy provided by the Bonneville Power Administration is coming to a close, and smaller utilities across the Northwest have decided it’s better to pool their risk if they must develop other sources of electricity — including renewables — themselves.

OTEC is a popular potential partner for other utilities, said the utility’s general manager, Werner Buehler, because it’s large and growing slowly.

Harvest Festival Saturday at Geiser-Pollman Park

Autumn is here, but Baker County gardens and farms are still bursting with vegetables and fruit.

“It was such an incredible bumper crop season,” said May Heriza, who has been busy preserving food and has sold produce all season at the Baker City Farmers Market.

This Saturday celebrates the season at the market’s Harvest Festival, with live music by Johnny Starr and a gourmet meal featuring local produce.

The market will be extended by one hour, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The location, as always, is in the northeast corner of Geiser-Pollman Park.

The menu will include roasted squash soup with garlic baguette and apple cider for $4; a side of Sexton Ranches lamb sausage for $1; caramel apples made with certified organic apples from Eagle Creek Orchards for $2.50; and pumpkin bread for $1.50.

Deli manager Oma Jane Davidson prepares a box of fried chicken.(Baker City Herald/Kathy Orr)

Little Susie refers to Susie Stout, whose family, including husband Doug Stout, and his parents Del and Ann Stout, recently purchased Reynolds Custom Meat Cutting in Baker City from Tim Reynolds.

“We purchased the meat business in May and have been doing a lot of cleaning up, fixing up and repairing equipment,” said Susie Stout.

The business is at 2970 H St.

While the core business remains focused on custom cutting and wrapping of USDA-inspected beef, pork and lamb, as well as custom processing of local ranch animals and wild game, Susie said hiring Oma Jane Davidson to manage the new deli proved to be a good move.

Davidson previously worked for the Stout family as deli manager at Wilson’s Market in the 1990s, and as manager of the bowling alley.

Farel Baxter of Baker City unloads firewood from his truck.(Baker City Herald/Ed Merriman)

With the arrival of colder weather, homeowners who heat with wood or those who enjoy a crackling fireplace are in the market for firewood, but the Oregon Department of Agriculture is urging consumers to avoid purchasing firewood cut in other regions of the state or from out-of-state.

“We’d like for everyone to become aware that firewood is a pathway for moving invasive species, and it’s easy to fix that pathway. Just buy local,” said Dan Hilburn, administrator of the ODA’s Plant Division and a member of the Oregon Invasive Species Council. “There is plenty of it around. Buy firewood that is produced locally and burn it locally.”

While the spread of invasive species to Oregon from imported firewood is a major concern, Oregonians should also be aware that pests like ticks that pose human health threats can also be transported on firewood transported from one side of the state to the other.

SALEM — Legislative leaders announced Friday that they will propose emergency funding to help cope with the worst grasshopper infestation in Eastern Oregon since 1978.

If approved by the Legislative Emergency Board, which meets Thursday and Friday in Salem, the $132,000 will hire a state entomologist dedicated to Eastern Oregon and help offset money already spent by farmers on pesticides.

House Speaker Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, said the state can help prevent a more serious outbreak in 2009 by spending the funds now.

“While we know these are difficult economic times, and we must be cautious in our spending, this $132,000 could very well save farmers, ranchers and the state of Oregon millions of dollars,” he said in a release. “It’s a wise and targeted investment we need to make.”

Merkley is the co-chairman of the E-Board, which controls the state’s finances between sessions, along with Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem.