Prep roundup: MLHS softball splits with Chiawana
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 7 months AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | October 15, 2021 1:00 AM
Softball
Moses Lake 19, Chiawana 14 Moses Lake 17, Chiawana 14
The Moses Lake High School Lady Chiefs split a doubleheader Tuesday against Chiawana High School. Ali Stanley hit 5 for 5 with two home runs in the first game, while Rylee McGreevy went 4 for 4 with a double and a homer.
Moses Lake did rather better in the second game. Kendall Reffett hit a grand slam, while Ali Stanley homered twice.
Football
Royal 52, Kiona-Benton 0
Angel Vega’s toe was in fine form Tuesday, making seven extra point kicks and capping it off with a field goal in the fourth quarter. Avery Ellis, Luke Bergeson, Derek Bergeson and Jace Allred all racked up touchdowns. Derek Bergeson led in passing with 111 yards, while Ellis had 161 rushing yards.
Girls soccer
Othello 3, Selah 1
Hailee Guzman scored two goals Tuesday, while Grace Rocha scored the third.
Volleyball
Ephrata 3, Grandview 0
Royal 2, Wapato 3
Royal 3, Wahluke 1
MORE HIGH-SCHOOL STORIES
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ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Royal Dairy models self-sufficient farming
ROYAL CITY — Words like “sustainable” and “regenerative agriculture” get tossed around a lot. But a Royal Slope farm recently showed the world how it works in reality.
Newhouse reintroduces Farm Workforce Modernization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan bill to make hiring and retaining foreign farm workers more feasible was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives May 7 by Reps. Dan Newhouse, R-WA, and Zoe Lofgren, D-CA. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2025 would establish a new category for foreign nationals living in the U.S. and working on farms and ranches. To qualify as a certified agricultural worker, or CAW, an immigrant would have to have worked in the U.S. for at least 180 days in the last two years and be inadmissible or deportable but be under a grant of deferred departure or hold temporary protected status, according to a fact sheet from Newhouse’s office. A CAW’s spouse and children could also be eligible to remain in the U.S. as certified agricultural dependents. A CAW would be eligible to work in the U.S. year-round, unlike seasonal workers admitted under the H2-A visa program. “In the past few years, we’ve seen labor shortages contribute to high food prices. If it wasn’t obvious before, the pandemic made clear that our country’s agricultural workforce rules are in dire need of reform,” Lofgren wrote in a statement. “The men and women who work America’s farms feed the nation. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act stabilizes the workforce, which will protect the future of our farms and our food supply. It’s well past time we get this legislation that serves the best interests of our country to the president’s desk.”
Loans, grants help a new generation of farmers take the field
SPOKANE VALLEY — As many as a third of farmers in the United States are over the age of 65, according to a study by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Farm Financial Management. Many of these have family members to pass their farms on to, but in order for American agriculture to continue, a new generation of farmers is needed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has assistance available for beginning farmers or those who are returning to the field after an absence, according to an announcement from the USDA. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers farm ownership and farm operating loans to farmers and ranchers who have trouble obtaining commercial credit from a bank, according to the announcement. “Farming and ranching is a capital-intensive business and FSA is committed to helping producers start and maintain their agricultural operations,” Geremy Nelson, FSA Acting State Executive Director in Washington, wrote in the announcement. “FSA loans are designed to make sure that everyone has access to credit. Last year, FSA in Washington obligated $32.9 million in loans to beginning farmers and ranchers.”