The Oregon Natural Resources Report - Agricultural News from Oregon

Study Confirms Trade Agreements Lift U.S. Farm Exports, More Progress is Needed
U.S. Wheat Associates
Press Release

ARLINGTON, Virginia — The results of a comprehensive new study show that bilateral and multilateral trade agreements directly increase U.S. agricultural exports, farm gate prices, and job growth, yet the United States risks falling behind its more aggressive export competitors.

Timber Industry Report
By Rick Sohn,
Umpqua Coquille LLC

What goes up, comes down, much to everyone’s disappointment, but to no one’s surprise.  Our lumber price is in a free fall, and mills have cut back temporarily shut down. See five-year-span price analysis of lumber, logs, housing starts, permits, unsold home inventory, and mortgage rates below.

Interpreting the trends.

Oregon Caves and Devil’s Staircase Protection Bills Pass Energy Committee
By U.S. Senator Ron Wyden

Bills Sponsored by Wyden and Merkley Will Protect Thousands of Acres of Wilderness and Expand Monument’s Boundaries

Washington, D.C. – Marking another milestone in the fight to protect Oregon’s natural resources for future generations, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced that a pair of bills designed to provide protections for two of Oregon’s greatest natural resources have been approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, paving the way for consideration by the entire U.S. Senate.

The company proves credibility and integrity through SCS certification
By Western Pulp Products

CORVALLIS, Ore., 1 June 2010 – Western Pulp Products (WPP) headquartered in Corvallis, Oregon has chosen to recertify their products through the Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) for the third year in a row. WPP’s products have been verified for minimum recycled content, unlike other companies whose assertions of sustainability are causing a rash of earth-friendly claims that are raising red flags and spurring a rise in lawsuits.

SCS is a global leader in independent certification and verification of environmental, sustainability, stewardship, food quality, food safety and food purity claims. WPP chose SCS to verify its content because the company has internationally recognized standards and certification programs in pursuit of the highest level of environmental performance and social accountability.

Truck Efficiency and Reduced Idling Study Group to host third meeting June 29
By Department of Environmental Quality

What:  The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality commissioned the Truck Efficiency and Reduced Idling Study Group to advise on efforts to research and develop recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The study group seeks to identify methods to enhance truck efficiency with improved aerodynamics and other measures. In addition the group is also exploring potential restrictions on unnecessary idling by commercial vehicles.

This is the third meeting of the study group.  The public is invited to view the proceedings.

When:             1 p.m., Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Where:           Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Headquarters

Conference Room EQC-A, 10th Floor

811 SW 6th Ave.

Portland

Background:  The 2009 Oregon Legislature adopted House Bill 2186, which directed DEQ to study potential requirements regarding the maintenance or retrofitting of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in order to reduce aerodynamic drag and otherwise reduce greenhouse gas emissions. DEQ also plans to study potential restrictions on engine use by parked commercial vehicles, including but not limited to medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

Study group members are working with DEQ staff to report findings and recommendations for legislation to the interim legislative committees on environment and natural resources by Oct. 1, 2010.

For More

Information:  Contact Kevin Downing at (503) 229-6549 or Truckefficiency@deq.state.or.us.  Visit on the web at: www.deq.state.or.us/aq/committees/TruckEfficiencyStudyGrp.htm

DEQ is a leader in protecting, restoring and maintaining Oregon’s environment.

Good Food Coalition Applauds Governor’s Executive Order as Good Step Forward
Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network

SEATTLE, WA – A coalition of farmers, children’s health advocates, environmentalists, and anti-hunger advocates applauded the Executive Order issued today by Governor Gregoire at the Food Systems Strategies Summit. Executive Order 10-02 brings together agencies and community partners to coordinate their work and increase collaboration to strengthen our state’s food system. “Each year, we lose 70,000 acres of farmland here in Washington. The average age of our farmer is 57. Our food system is struggling and we can – and need -  to do better,” said Ellen Gray, executive director of The Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network. “I applaud the Governor for taking this important first step and look forward to the recommendations this group will bring forward.”

ODA inspectors monitor gold buyers and their scales
Oregon Department of Agriculture

The price of gold hovers at about $1,200 an ounce, the US dollar is weak, and the economic downturn is prompting many Americans to find ways of making some cash. As a result, more people- including a number of Oregonians- are looking to sell gold jewelry and collectibles at pawn shops and to mobile gold-purchasing companies that travel from state to state. The Oregon Department of Agriculture wants to make sure that gold transactions are fair to the consumer. “The price for scrap gold is determined by a couple of factors- the purity of the gold or its karat content, and the weight of the item,” says Jason Barber, administrator of ODA’s Measurement Standards Division. “That’s where we get involved. These companies that purchase gold from consumers are using scales to weigh the gold items. We need to make sure they are using legal-for-trade scales that have been licensed and examined by our field inspectors.”

By Oregonians For Food and Shelter,
Public comments due to EPA by 6/28/2010 8:59 A.M.  PDT

The “Pitchfork Rebellion” and “Pesticide Poisoning Victims United,” activist groups from rural Lane County lead by Day Owen (A.K.A. Abba Nazariah) under the umbrella of the Oregon Toxics Alliance in Eugene, have successfully petitioned Administrator Lisa Jackson of the U.S. EPA to hold a public comment period on the spraying pesticides on forestlands by helicopter. [Public Notice was printed in the Federal Register Volume 75, Number 81 -- Wednesday, April 28, 2010 -- Pages 22401-22402]

Their 20-page** submission asks EPA to undertake three proposed actions:

By American Farm Bureau Federation

Senators continue to haggle over amendments to the House passed American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213), which would extend a number of expired tax credits and provide disaster aid to farmers and ranchers. While much of the bill is expected to go unaltered, there is talk of, among other things, amendments to bump up COBRA health insurance assistance to unemployed workers and to prevent payment cuts to doctors under Medicare through 2013, rather than through 2011. Changes like that would significantly drive up the cost of the bill, and turn some key Senate supporters against it. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), hoping to get the bill done quickly, is urging his colleagues to file their amendments soon. Before any amendments are voted on, however, the bill’s potential price tag means the 60 votes needed to even bring it to the floor for debate could be hard to come by.

By  Judy Scott
Oregon State University Extension Office
photo by Robin Rosetta

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A destructive insect called azalea bark scale has been found this spring on azaleas, rhododendrons and Japanese andromeda in Corvallis and Eugene.

“We notice damage when the leaves of plants turn black from the scale honeydew it secretes and small white insects appear on the bark,” said Ross Penhallegon, horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. “Use a 10x power magnifying glass to identify the insects.”

Scale insects live on bark and stems and have a woolly or cottony appearance. They insert a straw-like mouthpart into plants and suck fluids. They get their name from a waxy coating they secrete that looks like reptilian or fish scales. The white covering is a protectant for the insect.

Other hosts are andromeda, hawthorn, poplar and willow, and most recently the insect has been found infesting blueberries in the Pacific Northwest.

The OSU Pacific Northwest Nursery Integrated Pest Management website notes that: “Overwintering females lay eggs under the scale in the spring. The eggs hatch in the late spring or early summer and the young crawlers disperse and soon settle, mostly in bark crevices and branch crotches, but also onto new growth and leaves.”

Several methods can be used to manage the pests, Penhallegon said.

“Spray horticultural oils during their dormancy, January to March,” he said. “During the crawler stage (late spring to early summer), you can use insecticidal soaps, organic pyretrins or acephate. Scout for dormant stages or crawlers and confirm their presence before spraying.”

For help with identification and management, check with your local OSU Extension office, or call Penhallegon at 541-682-7313.

By: Judy Scott
Source: Ross Penhallegon

Statement from NCBA President Steve Foglesong Regarding USDA Proposed Rule on Livestock Marketing
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

WASHINGTON – The following is a statement from National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Steve Foglesong regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration’s (GIPSA) plans for a proposed rule (as required by the 2008 farm bill and through existing authority under the Packers and Stockyards Act) regarding livestock and poultry marketing practices.

“While we’re still looking at the details of the proposal, in general, we have serious concerns with any efforts to increase government intrusion in the marketplace.

OREGON HOUSE MEMBERS LEAD BIPARTISAN EFFORT CHALLENGING EPA’S DECISION TO UNDERMINE SUSTAINABLE BIOMASS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of Oregon’s House congressional delegation, Reps. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield), Kurt Schrader (D-Canby), and David Wu (D-Hillsdale) and led 63 members of Congress in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson challenging the agency’s decision to treat emissions from biomass the same as emissions from fossil fuels.  Biomass emissions are currently treated as a renewable energy source.  The action by EPA came as part of the agency’s process to create a regulatory scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. 

By Adam Wlaters,
Stoel Rives LLP, Attorneys at Law

In November 2009 the Washington State Building Code Council (“WSBCC”) approved amendments to the Washington State Residential Energy Code imposing additional energy efficiency requirements for newly permitted homes.  The controversial changes, found in Chapter 9 of the new Code, are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2010.

Dave Dietz, JD
Salem writer,

We have heard much recently about the oil well break in the Gulf.   And, no doubt about it, harm will be a consequence of this effort to access and gain oil. Still, most of this harm can be relatively temporary, even passing. The broken well will be fixed and the gush of oil escaping collection will be stopped. The environment damage, with human assistance, will repair (After all, oil naturally seeps into gulf and ocean waters constantly). Economic losses will end as the drillers, producers, consumers and taxpayers absorb costs or foot higher bills. Natural resource search and retrieval may be longer hurt as the politics of oil and oceans plays out.

Do we worry about oil spills, oil shortages, oil prices and more?

Natural Resource Report News Note:

Oregon’s new stricter field burning ban goes into effect this summer.  Last year 50,000 acres were burned and this year it will be down to 15,000 acres for certain areas. The state had to deny over 3,500 acres of burn requests due to the new ban.

Oversight of the burns goes to the smoke management Division of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  This division is funded by registration fees.   The Democrat Herald reports that the continuing drop in burns the division has seen their staff cut in half with some responsibilities outsourced.  The new 2009 law is phasing out most field burning in the Willamette Valley.  Stack burning and propane flaming will be completely banned by 2013.  DEQ took testimony in April, and extended it into May.   Grass seed farmers testified on the rules last year that the ban would drive many farmers out of business.

There are exceptions for hardships and emergencies under certain conditions, but farmers say it is not realistic.

State Legislation Requires New Strategies for Greenhouse Gas Reduction
By Kelly S. Hossaini
Miller Nash
Oregon Law Firm

In its 2010 special session, the Oregon Legislature passed SB 1059, which directs the Oregon Department of Transportation (“ODOT”) and the Department of Land Conservation and Development (“DLCD”) to, among other things, develop a statewide transportation strategy for greenhouse gases (“GHGs”) and educate the public about the importance of reducing GHGs from motor vehicles. Governor Kulongoski signed the bill into law on March 18, 2010. SB 1059 is the latest in a line of fairly complex and interrelated bills passed by the Legislature since 2007 in an effort to control the state’s GHG emissions. This bill, like two passed in 2009, focuses on reducing emissions from the transportation sector, which account for an estimated 25 percent of all GHG emissions in the Portland metropolitan area1. The transportation sector’s emissions are predominantly from on-road vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds and making local trips. This would include, for example, local passenger vehicles carrying their occupants to and from work and errands, as opposed to freight trucks, transit, and aircraft.

Gulf Oil Spill Another Reason to Support Biodiesel
By Lynne Finnerty
American Farm Bureau Federation

Do you run your car on soybeans? You could if it has a diesel engine. Doing so would help make us more energy-independent and would be better for our environment. We’re used to hearing about the “oil crisis” – the limited supply of oil and the billions of dollars sent overseas to buy oil from unstable countries.

Now, the first oil crisis has been overshadowed by what you could call a second oil crisis – the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that is spewing thousands of barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster has taken its place in the record books as the United States’ worst oil spill ever.

Murkowski Resolution Fails to Make it Through Senate Floor
By National Association of Wheat Growers

A disapproval resolution introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) failed to move forward in the Senate on Thursday after hours of long-anticipated debate on the merits of greenhouse gas regulation.  Murkowski’s resolution would have negated the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare – a finding that obligates the Agency to regulate those gases under a 2007 Supreme Court ruling.

Greg Walden responds to flooding, organizes high-level briefing on damage, asks Forest Service for speedy road repair.
From Congressman Greg Walden

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) today urged the U.S. Forest Service to take speedy action to repair and re-open the Wallowa Mountain Loop Road, which was washed out in several places due to the heavy rains that led to flooding in Baker, Union, and Wallowa counties.

Walden also announced that he will visit Baker County on Sunday, June 13 to tour flood-damaged areas in Richland and Halfway before holding a community forum at the Eagle Valley Grange in Richland at 5 pm to discuss the impacts to the region. The forum will be hosted by Halfway Mayor Sheila Farwell and Richland Mayor Dick Petterson, and area county officials and representatives from the U.S. Forest Service are expected to also be on hand.

By American Forest Resource Council

Supreme Court Injunction Case

On April 27, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farms, a case which could affect how the courts in the Ninth Circuit treat requests for permanent injunctive relief in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) cases.

The case challenges a decision by Northern California District Court Judge Charles Breyer granting a permanent injunction without requiring the plaintiff to prove a likelihood of irreparable harm if the injunction was not issued. Judge Breyer is the brother of Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breyer, who recused himself from deliberations.