The Oregon Natural Resources Report - Agricultural News from Oregon

What Congress needs to do for Ag right now

Zippy Duvall, President
American Farm Bureau Federation
Exceprts,

First up, Congress must pass a disaster relief bill. Devastating storms, wildfires, volcanoes and floods have beaten a path of destruction across our country over the last year. Yet many farm families have been waiting months for assistance, with no help in sight. It’s time for Congress to put politics aside and bring relief to those who desperately need it.

It’s also time for lawmakers to stop blocking tough issues like immigration reform. Every time we’ve gotten close to a solution to our ag labor crisis, politics brought any progress to a grinding halt. In the meantime, demand for farm workers increases every season, taking our workforce shortage from bad to worse to critical. Congress must come together to fix our guest-worker visa program so that farmers and ranchers from all regions and commodities can have access to a legal, stable workforce.

Much anticipated State Wolf Plan released

By Department of Fish & Wildlife,

ODFW released its draft proposed Wolf Conservation and Management Plan today at www.odfw.com/wolves

The Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to vote on the Plan at its June 7 meeting in Salem.

Once adopted, the Plan will be the third edition of the Wolf Plan, which was first adopted in 2005 after an extensive public process and revised in 2010.

The proposed Draft Plan was written by staff but involved extensive meetings with stakeholders and public comment at several prior Commission meetings. In 2018, the Commission also directed ODFW staff to host facilitated meetings with stakeholders to seek consensus on unresolved issues.

Limits to canola farming voted out of committee

By Oregon Family Farm Association,

A decision on legislation to limit canola production in the Willamette Valley to 500 acres a year lies with the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

After the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources voted 3-2 in favor of Senate Bill 885 April 4, it was referred to Ways and Means with a “do pass” recommendation to find money in the budget to fund its implementation.

Farmers for Free Trade tour begins

National Association of Wheat Growers,

Farmers for Free Trade Launches 11 State, 3,500 Mile RV Tour Across the Midwest in Support of USMCA

On April 3, 2019, Farmers for Free Trade announced that it will be executing a Motorcade for Trade tour. This tour is an 11 state, 3,500 mile RV tour across the country in support of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The tour will begin at Kreider Farms in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Friday, April 12 and end in Billings, MT on Friday, April 26th. NAWG Vice President Dave Milligan’s farm will be a location on the tour and former Board of Director Michelle Erickson-Jones’ farm will conclude the tour. Additionally, a grower of Minnesota Wheat is also being consider to host a farm event during the tour, and a farmer from Ohio Corn and Wheat will be hosting an event.

Contentious forestry bills debated

By Oregon Small Business Association

A bill sponsored by two Democrat state representatives—Andrea Salinas of Lake Oswego and Karin Power of Milwaukie—would curb logging, road construction, and use of pesticides and herbicides in any forestland that feeds a drinking water source.

Supporters, including the Sierra Club, say House Bill 2656, also known as the Safe Waters Act, would protect the watersheds and therefore the drinking water in primarily Western Oregon communities and those along the Oregon Coast. They say clear-cutting increases water turbidity and chemical spraying contaminates watersheds, endangering those downstream who rely on rivers and surface wells for their drinking water. The bill’s proponents contended that the Oregon Forest Practices Act governing logging on public and private lands since 1971 doesn’t do enough to protect people from potentially harmful contamination, according to an article in The Bend Bulletin.

The bills on the farmers alert list

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter,

Hundreds of bills died due to lack of action. March 28th was the deadline for bills to be scheduled for a work session in their chamber of origin. April 9th will determine the fate of many other pieces of legislation. Next Tuesday, bills must be passed out of committee to stay alive.

Several bills that OFS is tracking died on March 28th, but there are several who’s fate is still lingering. Here are priority bills that OFS is tracking that are still active:

Farm scare: Don’t close the border

American Farm Bureau Federation

The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging the administration to make sure that any steps undertaken to tighten enforcement at the U.S. border do not create more uncertainty for agricultural producers.

“Right now, farmers and ranchers are toughing it out,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Many of our products are caught up in a trade dispute. Mother Nature has devastated the livelihoods of tens of thousands of producers. Prices for many commodities remain depressed. We are doing the best we can in a very challenging environment.

Farmers face bills to explode labor costs

By Oregon Family Farm Association

There are several bills in the Oregon Legislature that would drive up already high labor costs for Oregon family farms and every small business along Oregon’s agricultural food chain.

Rep. Sprenger’s plan to revive steelhead fish in our rivers

Taxpayer Foundation of Oregon, Capitol Update Series

Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R. HD 17, currently serves on eight, count them, eight committees this during the 2019 Oregon Legislative Session – almost as many committees as years she’s been an elected legislator.

Her strong work ethic serves her well as she is a chief sponsor of HB 3016 that will appropriate dollars to Department of Fish and Wildlife for restoration of steelhead fish hatcheries on the Santiam River. “Wild fish and hatchery fish can co-exist just fine,” said Sprenger. “Sports fishing and for that matter hunting is an economic driver in rural communities like mine.”