When Families Suffer
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52 / 32 When families suffer The pain of watching a loved one’s addiction Partly cloudy SEE FAMILY LIFE 1 Business 8 NFL DRAFT >>> Stafford picked first by Lions, Jets get Sanchez; find out who else got signed, SPORTS 1 SUNDAY $1.50 April 26, 2009 MagicValley.com Searching POTATO POWER STRUGGLE for safety Statistics indicate possible rise in domestic abuse in Twin Falls County By Nate Poppino Times-News writer Professor She faced beatings, stabbings and drugs. She was taken on truck trips to finds places she didn’t know and had her identification taken away. unknown And eventually, Lorie Hernandez said, she real- ized that she needed to escape her relationship. Benjamin Still later came the night she waited until her Photos by MEAGAN THOMPSON/Times-News partner fell asleep, spent Leslie and Brant Darrington work together to feed the family during an early morning breakfast April 21 with their children, Franklin four hours escaping from 18-month-old Abree and 2-year-old Tregan, at their home in Burley. ‘I farm and it does provide a living — sometimes,’says the ropes that bound her Darrington, adding that his wife’s nursing job keeps the family insured and afloat during tough times. The son of a potato wrists and snuck out of the trailer they called farmer, Darrington has been around farming all his life. But during this, his first year in the business, he is already battling letters home, forced to leave her tough breaks after being cut out of a contract with food giant ConAgra. two children behind. By Tony Perry That escape set off a Los Angeles Times chain of events that saw her husband charged with SAN DIEGO — Alan kidnapping, battery and FEWER FARMERS GROWING Houston, a political sci- attempted strangulation, ence professor at the and a settlement conclud- University of California, ed only this week that put San Diego, had come to Hernandez’s children the end of a trip to London largely in her hands. IDAHO’S SIGNATURE CROP to research a book about Today, Hernandez may Benjamin Franklin. be a free woman. But He thought he might members of the social net spend the day having fun that exists to catch and aid Young growers enter a different field with friends but decided victims of domestic abuse to make one more visit to say more like her are By Joshua Palmer the British Library. flocking to their doors. Times-News writer In his last request for documents, he stumbled • • • BURLEY — Brant Darrington on something unexpect- was making breakfast for his ed: a copy of a letter from Court statistics perti- young son and daughter on a Franklin to a British liter- nent to domestic violence cool April morning before most ary figure named Thomas show a muddy picture people in this agricultural com- Birch. right now, and certainly munity rolled out of bed. Houston had never seen not a consistent one It was the kind of morning the it. Not believing his eyes, across the Magic Valley. 27-year-old farmer cherishes, he looked for more. In Twin Falls County, the kind of day that makes him In all, Houston found 47 misdemeanor domestic happy to be the third generation letters Birch had repro- battery charges are down; of Darringtons to grow Idaho’s duced that were written felony battery charges are most famous crop under the by Franklin, to him or up. Domestic information deep blue desert sky. about him in 1755, when reports, when no crime is The Darrington name is wide- the French and Indian war charged, are slightly ly known in Idaho, where spud Loads of seed potatoes are ready to be cut and planted as the growing season was starting to bloody the down. production is an estimated $6.7 American continent. gets under way in Mini-Cassia. But the number of pro- billion per year industry. His tective orders filed for by father, Mark Darrington, is a victims of abuse tells a director of one of the nation’s Magicvalley.com “I couldn’t sit different tale. For the first most influential potato cooper- VIEW: A slideshow of potato farmers Brant Darrington and still, I couldn’t three months of 2008 and atives, the Southern Idaho Kevin Mangum at home and at work. 2009, the number of Potato Cooperative, or SIPCO. It work. On the last orders requested in seven represents about 300 Idaho of the eight counties cov- growers. ent potato growers when the average acreage of an Idaho day, on the last ered by the 5th Judicial After working with his dad for nation’s largest food processor potato farm. document, and I District varied — even several years, Brant last year and the largest buyer of Idaho Estimates for losses to small dropping significantly in formed a partnership with vet- potatoes unexpectedly termi- farmers because of ConAgra’s had this incredible counties such as Blaine, eran potato farmer Kevin nated their contracts. termination are difficult to cal- discovery.” Jerome and Minidoka. Mangum. Suddenly, they are faced with culate with any precision, but are But in Twin Falls Despite an economic slow- a greater threat to their liveli- expected to be in the tens of mil- —Researcher Alan Houston County, requests for the down, 2009 was shaping up as a hoods than any drought or pota- lions of dollars in prime potato orders rose from 48 in profitable season for potato to nematode infestation. country such as Cassia, 2008 to 81 in 2009, a jump growers — fuel and fertilizer Many of the small farmers had Bingham, Bonneville and “I couldn’t sit still, I of 69 percent. costs were down and consumers already started preparing Fremont counties. couldn’t work,’’ Houston The number of orders were buying more potatoes as an ground for the next crop. “It hurts everyone down the said Thursday. “On the granted by judges economical food of choice. According to a University of line,” Darrington said. last day, on the last docu- increased as well. In But everything came crashing Idaho report, it costs more than Production of Idaho’s 11 billion ment, and I had this down on Darrington and more $1 million to prepare and harvest incredible discovery. I ran See SAFETY, Main 2 than 50 other Idaho independ- 400 acres of potatoes — the See POTATOES, Main 4 out of the library and called my wife in San Southern Idaho The Southern Idaho Potato Diego.’’ Numbers vary Potato Cooperative Potato cooperatives in Cooperative considers but members say they reached Once back in the U.S., The number of petitions Washington and Idaho later rejects a proposed a sale agreement with reject ConAgra contracts anti-trust lawsuit against Houston consulted the filed in 5th District Court ConAgra. The food with lower prices and ConAgra, alleging efforts definitive collection of processor says no deal THE JOURNEY TO A requesting domestic-abuse potato volume. ConAgra to end the collective Franklin writings. The let- was reached because says the recession has bargaining process. protection orders in the growers demanded a 55 NEW POTATO DEAL reduced consumer demand ters were not in it. first three months of 2008 percent markup for processed potatoes. compared over prior year. Since discovering the and 2009: letters in November 2007, 2008 2009 Houston had keep the secret to himself and a Blaine 12 5 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar small coterie of Franklin Camas 0 1 2009 2008 experts. Now, Houston Cassia 20 19 Independent growers “We’re not forcing anybody into in southern Idaho Washington growers has written an article Gooding 9 14 say they are being sign contracts that based on the letters for the Jerome 31 17 joint-venture contracts.” approached by ConAgra require them to pay field men asking them to some shipping costs. April edition of the Lincoln 5 4 — Jeff Mochal, director of corporate become joint-venture ConAgra terminates all William and Mary growers. ConAgra prior agreements with Quarterly. Minidoka 17 12 communications for ConAgra Foods Inc. confirms it is expanding about 50 Idaho growers. Twin Falls 48 81 joint-venture deals. While the letters will Graphic by SANDY SALAS/Times-News not trigger a re-evaluation Source: Idaho State Judiciary See FRANKLIN, Main 2 Crossword ......Classifieds 4 Kids Only ........Family Life 6 Obituaries........Business 6-7 Dear Abby........Classifieds 2 Jumble ............Classifieds 7 Sudoku ............Classifieds 8 BANK INDUSTRY HEARS ‘STRESS TEST’ RESULTS Horoscope ......Classifieds 2 Movies ..................Opinion 7 Your Business ....Business 2 Slow rollout to blunt negative impact > Business 1 MORNINGMORNINGMain 2 Sunday, April 26, 2009 BRIEFINGBRIEF- Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho Pat’s Picks Three things to do today P HOTOGRAPHIC M EMORY Pat Marcantonio • Earth Sunday, hosted by Twin Falls. The action starts St. Thomas Episcopal at 9 a.m. There’s no fee to Church and the watch. Environmental Resource • In the oldies but goodies Center, includes a free category, The Guess Who showing of the movie plays at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. “Renewal” at 11:15 a.m. with in the Gala Showroom at refreshments at 11 a.m. at Cactus Petes Resort Casino, the church, 201 Sun Valley 1386 U.S. Highway 93, Road, Ketchum. Jackpot, Nev. Tickets are Information: 726-4333. $40, $45 and $50. • Hundreds of young soc- cer players from the inter- Have your own pick you mountain west gather for want to share? Something the Canyon Rim Classic that is unique to the area soccer tournament champi- and that may take people by Photo courtesy of Filer Public onships at the Sunway surprise? E-mail me at Library Soccer Complex west of [email protected].