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Authors: Dianne Harman
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to enroll in
those yoga classes Scott taught. Gave him a good opportunity to get close to
him. Rest in Peace, Zen Master, Dante said.
CHAPTER 13
The next morning, Mike was sitting at
his desk at the Sheriff’s Office when his intercom buzzed.
“Yes, what is it, Angie?”
he asked his long time secretary.
“Sorry to bother you,
Mike, but there’s a guy on line two from the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
He says he wants to talk to you personally rather than to one of the deputies.
His name is Bob Waters.”
“Okay, thanks Angie, I’ll
take it.” He picked up his phone. “Hello, this is Sheriff Mike Reynolds.”
“Sheriff, my name is Bob
Waters and I work for the Oregon Department of Agriculture in Salem. I’m the
Director of the Toxic Substances Division and Chief Enforcement Officer for the
State of Oregon when it comes to prosecuting farmers who use illegal or banned
chemical substances in connection with their farming practices. I think we met
a few years back when you attended a seminar we sponsored dealing with
illegally dumping toxic materials.”
“Of course, Bob. I
remember you. We were having a problem here in Beaver County with some illegal
dumping over at a copper mine on the far side of the county. You gave me some
good tips on how to enforce the laws that were on the books. It’s nice to hear
from you. What can I do for you?”
“Well, I read in the paper
about the death of Scott Monroe, the owner of the White Cloud Winery. I was shocked
to learn that he was murdered. He was a leader here in Oregon in the growing
practice of organic farming, particularly as it relates to vineyards. His
vineyard was one hundred percent organic. He refused to allow any type of
herbicide, pesticide, or artificial fertilizer to be used in his vineyard. In
fact, two years ago we featured his vineyard in our monthly newsletter that
deals with the advantages of organic farming. He’s really going to be missed.
“Anyway, the reason I’m
calling is I wanted to tell you about an incident that happened out at the
White Cloud Vineyard a couple of weeks before Scott was killed. He called me
and told me he was having a problem with brown leaf spot on some of his vines.
He asked me to come out and take a look at a certain area of his vineyard
because he suspected the vines in that area had been exposed to some type of
toxic substance. A couple of days later I went out to the White Cloud Vineyard,
met with Scott, and inspected the vines in question. I told Scott that, in my
professional opinion, I thought they’d been exposed to some type of toxic
chemical, probably Dead Bang. I also remember telling him I thought it had
probably drifted onto some of the vines in his vineyard from an adjoining
property. Dead Bang is a powerful herbicide that’s used to control the growth
of weeds, but it’s been banned for years. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous
farmers are able to get access to it and use it in spite of the ban. It’s a lot
cheaper than the legal weed abatement products that are on the market, so
that’s why they buy and use it.
“Scott’s damaged vines
were located right next to a county gravel road that leads off towards the
Cascades. On the other side of the gravel road is a vineyard owned by the
Pellino brothers called the Pellino Brothers Vineyard. The prevailing winds
from the Pellino’s property blow directly across the road towards Scott’s
vineyard. It looked to me like the only explanation for the damage to Scott’s
vines was that some illegal chemicals drifted across the road from the Pellino
Brothers Vineyard and damaged Scott’s vines. The drifting of chemical sprays in
agricultural areas is a big problem throughout the country and numerous
articles and seminars have been held instructing farmers on the safe practices
that need to be followed in order to avoid it. Obviously, when the Pellino
brothers sprayed the illegal toxic chemical spray on the weeds on their
property they didn’t follow
those yoga classes Scott taught. Gave him a good opportunity to get close to
him. Rest in Peace, Zen Master, Dante said.
CHAPTER 13
The next morning, Mike was sitting at
his desk at the Sheriff’s Office when his intercom buzzed.
“Yes, what is it, Angie?”
he asked his long time secretary.
“Sorry to bother you,
Mike, but there’s a guy on line two from the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
He says he wants to talk to you personally rather than to one of the deputies.
His name is Bob Waters.”
“Okay, thanks Angie, I’ll
take it.” He picked up his phone. “Hello, this is Sheriff Mike Reynolds.”
“Sheriff, my name is Bob
Waters and I work for the Oregon Department of Agriculture in Salem. I’m the
Director of the Toxic Substances Division and Chief Enforcement Officer for the
State of Oregon when it comes to prosecuting farmers who use illegal or banned
chemical substances in connection with their farming practices. I think we met
a few years back when you attended a seminar we sponsored dealing with
illegally dumping toxic materials.”
“Of course, Bob. I
remember you. We were having a problem here in Beaver County with some illegal
dumping over at a copper mine on the far side of the county. You gave me some
good tips on how to enforce the laws that were on the books. It’s nice to hear
from you. What can I do for you?”
“Well, I read in the paper
about the death of Scott Monroe, the owner of the White Cloud Winery. I was shocked
to learn that he was murdered. He was a leader here in Oregon in the growing
practice of organic farming, particularly as it relates to vineyards. His
vineyard was one hundred percent organic. He refused to allow any type of
herbicide, pesticide, or artificial fertilizer to be used in his vineyard. In
fact, two years ago we featured his vineyard in our monthly newsletter that
deals with the advantages of organic farming. He’s really going to be missed.
“Anyway, the reason I’m
calling is I wanted to tell you about an incident that happened out at the
White Cloud Vineyard a couple of weeks before Scott was killed. He called me
and told me he was having a problem with brown leaf spot on some of his vines.
He asked me to come out and take a look at a certain area of his vineyard
because he suspected the vines in that area had been exposed to some type of
toxic substance. A couple of days later I went out to the White Cloud Vineyard,
met with Scott, and inspected the vines in question. I told Scott that, in my
professional opinion, I thought they’d been exposed to some type of toxic
chemical, probably Dead Bang. I also remember telling him I thought it had
probably drifted onto some of the vines in his vineyard from an adjoining
property. Dead Bang is a powerful herbicide that’s used to control the growth
of weeds, but it’s been banned for years. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous
farmers are able to get access to it and use it in spite of the ban. It’s a lot
cheaper than the legal weed abatement products that are on the market, so
that’s why they buy and use it.
“Scott’s damaged vines
were located right next to a county gravel road that leads off towards the
Cascades. On the other side of the gravel road is a vineyard owned by the
Pellino brothers called the Pellino Brothers Vineyard. The prevailing winds
from the Pellino’s property blow directly across the road towards Scott’s
vineyard. It looked to me like the only explanation for the damage to Scott’s
vines was that some illegal chemicals drifted across the road from the Pellino
Brothers Vineyard and damaged Scott’s vines. The drifting of chemical sprays in
agricultural areas is a big problem throughout the country and numerous
articles and seminars have been held instructing farmers on the safe practices
that need to be followed in order to avoid it. Obviously, when the Pellino
brothers sprayed the illegal toxic chemical spray on the weeds on their
property they didn’t follow
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