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Show UINTAH BASIN STANDARD. February 28. cant change that" Farmers voice concern about "megafarms" By Mitch Weiaa, ' Associated freas Writer accept a Earner Charlie Otte spends many sleepless nights wondering about his future. Hie main concern these days is "megafarms-rur- al spreads with thousands of hogs or miWana of hens. The farmer, who . raises hogs, cattle and daily cows on his farm near Celina in western Ohio, says he may lose his livelihood if a livestock company goes through with its plan to build a large-scalhog operation in the 700-ac- re e 'I look at the wajf things are now and I wander if I should even pass it along to my kids, said Otte, w operations Rural residents vony about the smell and possibility of ground water contamination from manure generated at the large livestock operations. "Many families who have lived on and maintained their farms for years are being told the must multi-milli- "If the fears are. about lag; am on . . Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt fueled hope Friday that Indian tribes could benefit from the savings achieved when the Bureau of Indian Affairs is reorganized. But reorganize the BIA must, Babbitt warned. Like other federal agencies, the BIA is under orders from the Clinton administration to downsize. BIA officials have until Feb. 28 to recommend a streamlining plan to Babbitt, and he urged all tribes to come to agreement. right now theres a fair amount of confusion in Indian Continued from page 1 Shed had fallen when she had gone to collect her mail. "Thank God the school bus went past her house, Lindseys granddaughter expressed, explaining that a blizzard moved into the Bluebell area later that morning and had Lindsey notbeen discovered she may have died. Lindsey was taken to the Univerfolsity of Utah Medical Center thecurlowing day for treatment and is rently staying in a care center in Salt Lake City receiving physical therapy. Her granddaughter reported, "shes doing pretty good ... considering," and reported that her grandmother may be home as soon as ten days. country because of the way this proposal has come up," Babbitt said at a meeting with tribal leaders served by the Anadarko and Muskogee area offices of the BIA. "But the one thing we need to remember is that somehow weve got to come to closure on this issue quickly. Because if we dont get an approach and plan put together, its going to be done to us rather than with us, Babbitt said. "I think ifr just essential that we all be together," he said. "All I want to do is make sure were all reading from the same script before the UB. Congress." The tribal leaders presented Babbitt with a position paper approved last month that calls for any BIA reorganization to put Oklahoma .in a district that also would include Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas. The regional office should be in Oklahoma, the tribal position paper says. Oklahoma now has two of the BIAi 12 area offices, one in Anadarko and one in Muskogee. But Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada Deer, who accompanied Babbitt, said it is unlikely Oklahoma would retain two after reorganization. "That has not been finalized yet, but I would doubt it," Ms. Deer said. "Down siring means . . south-centr- MOON LAKE Continued from page 1 trie is owned by its and one way this is reflected is through capital credits. Members unable to attend this years meeting will receive their patronage check in the mail. In addition to the patronage refund, members in District 5 and 7 will have an opportunity to elect one director from their district to the cooperatives governing board. District 5 incumbent Ronald Pea tress, Bridgeland, is seeking reelection s, along with challenger John Jorgensen, Ioka. In District 7, in- down siring. cumbent Lillian Peacock is seeking Babbitt also suggested that it is with Jen Johnson Byers unlikely the BIA reorganization as the challenger. District 5 and 7 will follow the "designer area plan members are encouraged to return by Indians served by the their ballot which they received in suggestedand Navqjo Albuquerque, N.M., Moon Lake the mail in February. offices. Rather than following will accept mail ballots until 4:30 area p.m. March 17. Members from the state lines, those tribes propose districts will have . drawing a line around their reservaan opportunity to vote at the annual tions and calling that an area. . Oklahoma tribes had already meeting should they choose not to vote by mail. Incumbent director written their position paper when Larry Nielson, Roosevelt, who is that plan surfaced in late January. "We feel a little upset because we unopposed this year, will continue to serve on the cooperatives seven-memb- er went with what we thought was term. board for a three-yegoing to happen. We want some Members attending this years assurance that all this wasnt in above-mention- ar annual meeting will be entertained by "Vocal Edge, a Wasatch Front barbershop quartet. Said to have a wonderful blend of voices, the group has been singing as a foursome since third August of 1990 and received e area place honors at a competition, reportedly competing with some of the best barbershop United quartets in the Western enter15 12: to the Prior p.m. States. tainment, adult members can enjoy a luncheon in the schools cafeteria. said Wilma Mankiller, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Babbitt said when the idea of designer areas cropped up, the BIA wanted to give it a fair hearing. But he said it is his sense that the idea wouldnt save money. "It is very difficult to do downrising within the constraints of the resources that an available in any way other than a regional model," vain," el SERAWOP Continued from page out of gas. 1 According to BIA Police Lt Ed Reynolds, there was some snack food in Serawops truck, along with four coats, a few empty beer cans, and a whiskey bottle. Serawops wallet contained $150, although family members believed he had approximately $600 to $700 in cash with him at the time he disappeared. The only receipts found had December's dates on them. When he was found Serawop was kneeling outside of his truck with his head on the floorboard. He was and levis. He dad only in a had no socks on and one shoe was off and another was only partially on. Although he was not dressed in the clothes he was last seen wearing, family members have identified most of the dothing as belonging to him. Evidence at the scene showed that Serawop had tried to start a fire, and had his CB tuned to the emergency channel. However, because he was in a valley, its doubtful calls he may have made could be heard. "If someone was in the area at the time they would have heard him, but I dont know if someone else would have heard him, said Reynolds. The question ofwhy Serawop was in the area at all remains a mystery. Family members indicated the he rt, The arguments against USDA research spending are simple and will carry over into the debate this year on the 1995 farm bill: private industry should pay for research from which it benefits; farmers no longer need county offices to give them instructions in new technology; the same research is often duplicated. But defenders call such an approach simplistic at best Private industry is less inclined to do longer-ranghigher risk research and development on scattered fronts to attack a common problem, said Robert L. Webster, a Waynesboro, Ga., cotton farmer and member of the National Cotton Council, an industrywide trade group that does no research itself. A separate Cotton Foundation identifies research needs and seeks private fending. "Those individual research investigations - sex habits of moths, radiation treatment for worms, exotic diets and recipes for insects, and lifestyles and social habits of a pink bollworm - all may seem excessive, humorous, costly or even offensive to some, Webster said. But he pointed to a variety of USDA research on the life cycle and mating habits ofthe pink bollworm. The research has enabled growers to cut down on a major cotton pest by adding sterile male bugs to the environment rather than insectie, cides. Although AIDS programs may seem far removed from agriculture, Babbitt has been meeting with Indian tribes an a basis to get a better feel for their problems and concerns. Oklahoma is the third state to receive such a visit. Babbitt said Oklahoma was near the top of the list because "of the unique, historic reality here in Oklahoma." "I think Oklahoma tribes are tremendously dynamic. Theres a new generation of leaders who reaDy have a wonderfiil ' educational background" and show "a very sophisticated grasp ofthese issues," Babbitt.said. "The process is moving along. I want to make sure weYe headed in the right direction, that we adapt to these new budget and government realities and tribes dont suffer in the process," he said. state-by-sta-te the improvement of rural homes and fives was the proper goal of research. "Many individuals in rural areas experience greater fear, intolerance, stigma and denial related to AIDS than those in urban areas," sajd William Yarber, director of the newly formed Rural Center for the study and promotion of Prevention, in BloomInd. ington, Critics contend that Congress only adds to the programs. Take the departments effort to save $18.7 million by closing 19 out of 120 laboratories operated by the Agricultural Research Service- - Congress kept 10 of those from closing at least for this year. Citizens Against Government Waste, a group that wants to shrink government, noted that the Senate Agricultural Appropriations subcommittee last summer tacked on $7 million for research projects this year in Arkansas. Thats the home state of the Agriculture subcommittee chairman at the time, Democratic Sen. Dale Bumpers. If this is truly the year of greater accountability for taxpayers dollars, expect a lot of answers, even to the question of why there is shrimp research in Arizona. Colin Kaltenbach, director of Arizona Universitys Agricultural Experiment Station can tell you: The research deals with shrimp disease, an obstacle to commercially raising shrimp at a time when natural fisheries are being depleted. Arizona is centrally located and happens to have an expert on the faculty. Disease research should be done away from .natural shrimp populations that could be infected. HIV-ST- D ver, The Aaaodated Preaa The State School Board is backing a proposal requiring, every Utah school to take part in a City. According to Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Dave Swenson, Gilbert died as a result of severe head and chest Summit, statewide participate. Allen said children need to be or not. program explain why better nourished while they are at "Right now in this state, we have ltids who go to school hungry," said echoed so they can grow to be ' board healthy adults. She points to a member Grant Hurst "Some of them do not know what they are 1993 survey sponsored by the advocacy group Utahns Against going to eat when they get home." Hunger, which found 100,000 Utah The board voted Friday to support children at risk of being hungry. a bill sponsored by Rep. Cheryl Board member Janet Cannon Allen, that would was the only one to vote against require schools to provide the the free breakfast bill. She said she ' ' was not in favor of ' morning meal to students. hungry young Mon and mors schools already children," but did not believe it was are participating in a the governments role to provide such programs. program. In fact, in 1991, Utahs public schools served 1.2 million breakfast meals. By last year, the number had tripled to 3.6 school-breakfa- st -- - school-breakfa- st million. Duchesne, One Show Sunday 7:30 traramnn STARTS Fri. March 3rd MOAB The BLMs Moab District has approved, under strict environmental safeguards, Lifestyles, Inc.s request to conduct and endurance race through Southern Utah's public videotape a lands. A modified route for the race will place the entire d portion of wash bottoms, except the course on existing roads, trails, or for a stretch of sand through an area open to vehicles. The Times - Independent ge Man of the House "PG" land-base- flood-scour- four-mil- e off-ro-ad 7:30 and 9:20 p.m -- Sanpete Special Fire District is asking the countys cities and towns to include a $2 assessment on utility bills effective with their 1994-9- 5 firebudgets to finance the second round of the county-widfighting upgrade program. Over a period the $2.00 levy ($1.75 would go to the district and the other .25 retained by the cities and towns) would raise an estimated $1,470,000. - Manti Messenger MANTI-T- he e Rollover claims life of former Roosevelt man . North Morgan, Sevier, South Summit, Tintic and Wayne districts offer the service. Fifty-thre- e percent of all schools STARTS Fri. March 3rd Nell 10-ye- ar A one vehicle rollover Tuesday, Feb. 21, claimed the life of Dean F. Gilbert, 51, of Vernal. Gilbert and his wife Mirian, are former Roosevelt residents. The Gilberts moved to Vernal about eight years ago. Mirian Gilbert is employed by Roosevelt Page 3 School breakfast bill endorsed by board Garfield, Iron and Piute are the only school districts never went to the area and was un- in Utah whoae schools have 100 familiar with the area, according to percent participation in the breakfast program. McPheters. Weeks of ground and air searches By contrast, no schools in Bea- were focused mainly on tribal lands east of Vernal, although one fly over An old man in a house is a was made near the area where discovered. was good sign. Serawop Benjamin Franklin eaid. 1 been 107 years since the began supporting research to make the farmers job easier. Today, the department hands out about $1.6 billion in research money. . But critics of government spending have little trouble singling out projects that seem to benefit narrow interests or have little to do with agriculture. For example, the department his year gave $250,000 to Indiana University and Purdue for a program to prevent sexually transmitted diseases in rural America. Arizona, a landlocked state, shares a $3 million grant for research on shrimp farming. "The entire area should be involved in a bottom-u- p review to determine whether 'the federal government should be involved in conducting research at all, and if so, to what extent, said John E. Fiydenlund, agricultural specialist at the Heritage Foundation. Fiydenlund and other fiscal conservatives spoke last week at the first hearing of the House subcommittee responsible for the Agriculture Departments budget. The subcommittee is looking at cuts that will be needed in 1995 spending. state-lev- he said. Tribes across the country have different ideas on how the BIA should be reorganised but they are united in believing any savings should be pumped back into Indian affairs, rather than going to reduce the federal budget. "You talk about downsizing. Historically we have been downsaid Elmer Manatowa, sized, principal chief of the Sac and Fox Tribe. "WeVe at the low end of the ladder now. I would like to see that change, Manatowa said. Babbitt said the tribes make a good case for getting the savings that come from whittling down the BIA bureaucracy. Til do everything in my power to be sure that happens. But Congress will decide that," he By Judy Gibba, Aaaodated Preaa Writer "I recognize nine-stat- Its Agriculture Department reorganization urged FALL . By Robert Greene, AP Form Writer United front on BIA i member-consumer- s ol Lon said. DG&T Continued from page 1 DG&T was formed by six cooperatives in the late 1970s to supply the growing energy needs of an oil industry driven population which was bursting at the Beams. The dollar Bonanza Power Plant' went on line in 1985, about the same time the booming oil economy began to go bust When energy loads foiled to materialize as anticipated, not only in the Uintah Bann, but throughout the western market Deserets Bonanza Power Plant which generates enough energy to serve 135,000 homes, was left struggling under an enormous debt load and a huge supply of surplus energy. 2.5-milli- on w But megaform supporters say their operations are environmentally sound and will give Ohio the chance to recapture a leadership position in the livestock industry. Thsy also say nine fondly farms will benefit Megafarm companies often contract with local farmers to raise their livestock. Under such agreements, the companies provide the livestock, feed, veterinary care and a guaranteed market The former provides the buildings, equipment utilities and labor. The LaRue hen egg from will help the local economy, said F. Michael Lon, spokesman for Anton FoMman, owner of AgriGeneral Co. L.P. "We will make a major economic impact in the Hardin County area because we are going to buy grain there. Were going to lure people from there to run the operations," The issue of megafarms has sparked debate among Ohio farmers. Two cases in particular--a 2.5 million egg farm being built near LaRue in Hardin County in western Ohio and a 1,200-aooperation in Pickaway County in central Ohio-ha- ve been contentious. Local officials have tried to use coning to stop the projects. In both cases, the companies have sued, contending load officials were illegally restricting expansion of their livestock operations. Some Ohio farmers .believe megafarms will put maty of the states 70,711 family farms out of business. They say they cant mega-farm- to move into Ohio. Although megafarms are new to Ohio, they have been around for years, said Farm Bureau spokesman Raymond Casey. The poultry industry began using them 40 years ago. At one time, the Midwest was the center of chicken production. But the region failed to keep up with technology and the poultry business moved to the South, Casey said. But the industry is slowly coming back. The availability of new climate-contrtechnology and the proximity of the grain markets are attracting producers, he said. Hog companies also want to set up shop in Ohio. Megafarms are new to the hog industry. New drugs and technology have only recently made them feasible. About 25 percent of the nations hog operations are megaforms but that is expected to jump to 40 percent by 2000. Nash said agreements local farmers sign with megaforms "reduces the farmer to a serf on his own property, even though he assumes the lions share of the financial responsibility under most of these setups." Megafarms hire few local contractors, who must borrow money to build bigger facilities. Luther Tweeten, an Ohio State University agricultural economist, said small- - and medium-scal- e hog producers will not be able to compete with huge operations. But he believes megafarms are here to stay. "If any one state says, We dont want it, they will go someplace else. Weve already seen that There are plenty of states that are thrilled to have these big tiara," Tweeten said. blow away." the lather of seven. compete with large-scal- e that have lower costs. er state policy that allows chicken or operation next to their property and take the consequences because ifs progress, ssid Charlie Nash, president of the Ohio Farmers Union, which represents more than 10,000 family farms. "Shouldnt these people have a say in how their communities develop?" Some contend megafarms destroy rural communities. "Culturally, they are a disaster because they accelerate the depop- ulation of our rural landscape, said Peter Jorgensen, of the Institute for Agricultural Biodiversity at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. "When we replace family forming operations with megafarms, rural towns dry up and 1,200-so- Research spending faces first assault But many residents remain and The Humane Society of the United States has asked Gov. Georgs Voinovich to reconsidopposed 1995- - "PG-13n Valley may soon be home to a college campus, if the Wasatch Board of County Commissioners agrees to donate land at the Justice Center site. During Mondays commission meeting, representatives from Utah Valley State College and the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce proposed donating some of county-owne- d land to the college for the construction of a local college campus. Tentative plans call for an 38,000 square foot building in the first phase, designed for about 300 students. According to Michael Dalby, executive director for the Chamber's Project 2000, an estimated 250 valley residents currently attend classes at UVSC. The college started classes in Heber Valley at the high school in January and experienced a record enrollment at 47 students. - Wasatch Wave HEBER-Heb- er full-blow- 20-acr- es . PRICE The final environmental impact statement on Sanpete County's proposed Narrows project recommends constructing a dam and reservoir on Gooseberry Creek. Water to fill the proposed Narrows reservoir would be diverted from the trauma sustained when he was Price River drainage system through an existing diversion tunnel to Cottonwood Creek on Sanpete's side of the mountain. - Sun Advocate ejected from his pickup truck. The accident occurred just after 6 p.m. Tuesday cm the Bonanza CASTLE DALE-T- he Emery County Commission held a public hearing at Highway, approximately four miles its regularly scheduled meeting February 1 to gather input on a proposal south ofthe bridge which crosses the to study the feasibility of a fossil resin industry in the county. Green River. According to reports, Economic Development Director Rosann Fillmore reviewed the proposGilbert was northbound and round- al with the commission at the meeting, saying that the University ofUtah ing a curve when his vehicle left tiie is interested in conducting a study on the economic potential of a fossil highway going off the right ride of resin industry in Emery, Carbon and Sevier counties. - Emery County the rood. Swenson said skid marks indicated that the truck overcorrected and crossed the roadway and HELPER-T- he final draft of Helper Resolution 95-- has been completed tiie truck rolled down the left ride and the city's police officers may receive up to 20 percent of liquidated ofthe road embankment. Gilbert was properties seized in connection with d arrests, Mayor Mike thrown from the pickup truck. Dalpiaz has decided. Gilbert was the only occupant of The adoption of the resolution January 11 by the city council was done the vehicle. He was employed by in an effort to send a message to people doing or dealing drugs inside Chevron. Swenson said it appears Helper's city limits that the unlawful activities will not be tolerated. Sun that Gilbert was not wearing a Advocate seatbelt when the accident occurred. 2 drug-relate- " 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. UINTAH iHiivvrni; STARTS Fri. 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