The Oregon Natural Resources Report - Agricultural News from Oregon

American Farm Bureau Federation – Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding President Obama’s Speech to Joint Session of Congress “America’s farm and ranch families believe strong economic policies that lead to a productive and prosperous agricultural economy will help fuel a turnaround for the entire nation. Aspects of the stimulus measure President Obama recently signed into law offer vital economic support in the areas of rural development, rural transportation infrastructure and renewable fuels – three keys to a rural recovery. We look forward to working with President Obama on ways Rural America can help spur our nation’s economic recovery.

Pacific Fishery Management Council Releases Salmon Abundance Forecasts For 2009 Fishing Seasons

Pacific Fishery Management Council– Scientists from the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Salmon Technical Team have tallied the number of spawning fish that returned in 2008 and have completed their forecast of 2009 salmon numbers. Council Vice Chairman Mark Cedergreen of Westport, Washington notes that “The forecasts are a mixed bag. The high number of Columbia River hatchery coho should be good news for Washington and northern Oregon fisheries, but California fisheries are facing another very low Sacramento River fall Chinook return.”

2009 Salmon Abundance Estimates

General increase in Commodities for 2008
By Doris Christian,
Natural Resource Report Writer,

With only a few downturns in commodites such as Spearmint, Oregon growers have increased their crops overall.  Such examples reported are: Winter Wheat up 18%; Spring Wheat 30% and Peppermint up 2%.  Although potatoes fell slightly, the growers locked in a contract price which nearly doubled over 2008. Marion County leads in overall farm sales, followed by Clackamas and then Washington Counties.  Led by the nursery industry at $998 million, there are eight commodities with values exceeding the $100 million mark this past year.

By Oregonians For Food and Shelter,
ENewsletter

The Budget Continues to be the Challenge

Legislators want to spend money and they have none to spend.  What a dilemma!!    The most recent Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast was released today.  View the 2-20-09 Economic Forecast.  Last week was extremely busy.  The Farm Bureau, Wheat Growers, Board of Agriculture and OFS Boards were all in town.  Also, legislation of interest to OFS is beginning to surface from Legislative Counsel in the form of drafts.  Other legislation of interest will also be available for OFS staff to review very soon.  It appears the Legislative Council log jam has finally broken.

Alyssa Williams,
Natural Resource Report Writer

Afraid of leaving a carbon footprint when you leave for the hereafter?  Well, look no further than Cynthia Beal’s Natural Burial Company in Eugene, Ore., the foremost distributor for biodegradable coffins in North America.   The Natural Burial Company gives Portland and other U.S. cities alike more inexpensive, personalized and natural burial alternatives. Portland’s Mt. Scott Funeral Home now provides clients an option of biodegradable caskets or natural cremation containers and a no-embalming choice. Beal also has a shop in north Portland where you can buy her recycled paper “ecopods.”

Oregon State University,
Extension Service

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon’s farmers and ranchers grossed an estimated $4.9 billion in 2008 – the largest total in the state’s history and the sixth consecutive year of sales growth, according to a new report by Oregon State University.  The total is a 1.2 percent increase from a revised figure of $4.8 billion generated in 2007, said the annual report, which was released by the OSU Extension Service today.

“The slight improvement in gross sales in 2008 is a result of increases in most crop and livestock sectors, which offset decreases in ornamental crops, farm forest products and cattle,” said Larry Burt, an OSU Extension economist and lead author of the report.

Bureau of Land Management,

Bend, OR – The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), announced the transfer of 640 acres to the State of Oregon in Crook County. The 640acre parcel is commonly referred to as the Juniper Canyon parcel. The Juniper Canyon parcel is located approximately six miles south of Prineville, Oregon, the seat of Crook County.

Weekend national news focus:

American Farm Bureau Federation – “The American Farm Bureau Federation is pleased with the broadband, renewable energy and tax provisions contained in the stimulus package that was signed by President Barack Obama today. These provisions will help the agriculture industry and all Americans through the economic recovery period.

Terry L/ Witt, Director
Oregonians for Food & Shelter
Comments to the EPA on 2,4-D.

OFS is a 29 year old, Board-directed, non-profit coalition of more than 13,000 individuals, organizations and businesses in Oregon that support the efficient production of quality food and wood fiber while protecting human health, personal property and the environment through the integrated (IPM) and responsible use of lawful pest management products, soil nutrients and biotechnology.

Dept. of Fish and Wildlife –Deschutes River fisheries managers have announced that there will not be a spring chinook fishery on the river in 2009, though officials will be proposing a fall chinook season later in the year.

Put Oregonians back to work to reduce catastrophic wildfire. Funds available in stimulus should be used to hire commercial contractors to tackle Condition Class II and III lands – those lands most at risk of producing catastrophic wildfire

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) today told the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that they should use taxpayer funds in the economic stimulus package to hire commercial contractors to treat forest lands most susceptible to catastrophic wildfire and further target the resources to where the highest unemployment rates are in rural Oregon.

By Curt Kipp,
Oregon Association of Nurseries
Daily Digger Blog

The hot issue in Washington, D.C. right now is the much-discussed economic stimulus package, which has evolved and changed over the course of negotiations between Senate leaders, Obama administration officials and other involved parties.

One of the provisions that could affect nursery owners would be the Kingston amendment, which is part of the House-approved version of the bill. This amendment would require all stimulus bill beneficiaries to enroll in E-Verify, the currently-voluntary and much-criticized federal pilot program designed to assess the eligibility of prospective employees.

By Oregon Water for Life,

The 75th Oregon Legislative Assembly officially convened on January 12, 2009. While budgetary matters are expected to command much of the Legislative Assembly’s attention, water resource issues will also be a prominent focus if the first week of the session provides any indication. During the first week of the session alone, lawmakers introduced proposals to:

- Require increased water measurement (SB 194);
- Facilitate dam removal in the Klamath Basin (SB 76)
- Allow unadjudicated water rights to be leased instream (SB 196);
- Modify the office of administrative hearings that handles adjudication claims (SB 275);
- Establish a  “state water resources strategy” (SB 193);

By Rex Storm, Forest Policy Manger,
Associated Oregon Loggers, Inc.

Obama and Public Forests? How will President Barack Obama govern federal forest policy in the West?  An optimistic Idaho Statesman newspaper suggests that Obama’s administration would focus on neutral “post-partisan” policymaking, collaborative initiatives, and even some economic focus—due to his political debt to Western Democrat governors (who helped elect him).  However, his short political history and campaign platforms, indicate that Pres. Obama is aligned with liberal Democratic congressional leadership, who will seek a revival of the Clinton-era forestry prohibitions, “roadless” lock-ups, more Wilderness; and a “hands-off” orthodoxy concerning federal lands.  We’ll watch the new administration closely, and as always, AOL will work together with the national timber lobby too seek improved federal resource and tax policies for rural Oregon business.

Weekend National Focus:

American Farm Bureau Federation – America’s dairy farmers are facing incredibly difficult circumstances due to the global economic recession driving down demand here and overseas. Dairy supplies are growing which is pulling down farm gate prices, according to Allison Specht, a dairy and regulatory economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Department of Agriculture — The State of Oregon is having a birthday party this weekend that is expected to last for the rest of the year. Statehood was attained 150 years ago, but agriculture in Oregon predates the year 1859. The sesquicentennial celebration now underway certainly includes the life and times of the agriculture industry, which hopes to tell its rich, historical story in the months ahead.

By Oregon Forest Research Institute,

Answering persistent requests for a portable resource of current forest information, OFRI has published Oregon Forest Facts and Figures 2009. This new publication covers the majority of the “hot topics” related to Oregon’s forests, including ownership, forest protection laws, forest health, economic contributions, woody biomass potential and much more.

By Reinaldo Cooke
Oregon State Extension Service

BURNS, Ore. – Oregon State University has hired a recently graduated animal scientist from the University of Florida to conduct research on beef cattle and help address ranchers’ needs. Reinaldo Cooke, who started in January, is based at OSU’s Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center in Burns.

By Oregonians In Action,

Each year, approximately 550 Oregonians attend the Land Use Forum, making it the largest property rights gathering of its kind in Oregon. For those interested in land use law, water rights, Measures 37 and 49, the current legislature, the Forum is for you.  The Education Center has planned a remarkable Forum this year.  We will have panels on:

By Oregon Association of Nurseries,
Daily Digger Blog

Anti-immigrant groups have talked about being in favor of “attrition by enforcement” – that is, giving undocumented workers incentive to leave the country by stepping up enforcement at workplaces. However, a report at the CNN Web site indicates that many immigrants, who came here to fill jobs Americans couldn’t or wouldn’t during the boom times, are leaving simply because they can’t find work anymore. The U.S. Census Bureau says that 1 million undocumented immigrants left the country last year and that remittances by those who stayed to their families back in their home countries decreased. Still others find that even in a down economy they can make more than they did back home by working only a few days a month.