Assessment boost gives commission more options

By MATTHEW WEAVER

Capital Press

The Oregon Wheat Commission is revisiting a proposal to merge its staff with the staff of the Oregon Wheat Growers League.

Two years ago, an industry task force favored consolidating the staffs and keeping the two organizations separate, but a committee to implement the plan could not decide where a combined office should be.

Some members believed the office should be in Pendleton, Ore., near most of the growers, and others wanted it in Portland, near the port and customers, said Tana Simpson, acting commission administrator.

The commission met Aug. 31 in The Dalles, Ore., to discuss hiring a new administrator, but its members first wanted to check with the league before making any further decisions, Simpson said.

The commission is a state agency, while the league is operated by growers. Simpson said that was a major stumbling block in the previous consolidation effort. Any joint staff would have to be employees of the commission, but the commission is researching ways to give them responsibility to the league board as well.

Commission chairman Tom Duyck said several growers asked him to revisit consolidation, expressing concerns over spending more money on staff than marketing.

League president Darren Padget said any discussions are preliminary.

"We just sit down and talk about it," he said. "It's kind of a nonissue at the moment. It may go somewhere, or it may die."

In the meantime, the commission has been looking for a new administrator. Simpson will become associate administrator.

With a 2008 assessment increase from 3 to 5 cents per bushel, the commission wanted to explore adding staff and research programs, she said.

"We've been very short-handed for the last several years," she said. "With the limited budget and inflation, it made it so we did not have the funds available to maintain a three-person staff. Now that we have that increase, we're looking to do that."

The duties of the new administrator would include more interaction with growers, trade and industry members and customers, she said.

"There is a certain workload we have here and with the limited staff available, we've covered those things, but not to the level we would like to," she said.

Through a private consultant, the commission is also looking at new marketing efforts.

Duyck hopes growers attend the league and commission joint meeting Oct. 19 in Madras, Ore., to voice their opinions.

"I'm out here to serve the growers," he said. "Whatever the growers want, we'll try to accommodate them."

The commission will make a decision at its meeting the next day, Simpson said.

Online

Oregon Wheat Commission: www.oregonwheat.org

Oregon Wheat Growers League: www.owgl.org