By American Farm Bureau Federation “The Senate’s passage of a balanced immigration reform bill that includes a fair and workable farm labor provision is welcomed by America’s farmers and ranchers. A comprehensive agricultural labor plan that works for all sectors of agriculture and across all regions of our nation is […]

New statistics show record high sales in 2012 with 25 counties showing an increase By Oregon Dept of Agriculture Marion County remains the runaway leader, three eastern Oregon counties are next on the list, and 25 of Oregon’s 36 counties have reported an increase in agricultural sales in 2012 according […]

Pot Uses 1% of USA Power Lighting, fans, dehumidifiers, climate control – indoor marijuana production consumes 1% of the nation’s energy supply, enough to service two million homes. In Snohomish County, law enforcement reported theft of electricity in the tens of thousands of dollars by growers trying to avoid detection. […]

Food and Agribusiness Lobbying Expenses According to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, lobbyist disclosure filings in Congress reported lobbying expenses by food and agribusiness companies and trade associations and producer groups totaled $137,853,745 in 2012, up from $131,031,173 reported in 2011. Monsanto was the leading spender in […]

By Daily Digger Oregon Association of Nurseries Can a native also be considered invasive? (photo: Eastern Oregon grassland with encroaching Western juniper. Photo courtesy of Oregon Department of Agriculture). Dan Hillburn, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture Plant Division, blogged on Saturday about the dilemma posed by Western juniper […]

By Oregon State University Extension office The invasive spotted wing drosophila is a major new fruit pest. (Photo by Lynn Ketchum) Growers can now easily identify and manage insects while in the field using smart phones and tablets with a new online tool developed by Oregon State University and partners. […]

By Christine Souza California Farm Bureau With theft of metals from farms and ranches remaining a chronic problem, farm groups and law enforcement organizations support several bills intended to tighten regulations and make resale of metal more difficult for thieves.In recent years, California farmers and ranchers have spent hundreds of […]

Research of Farming Use for Drones By Oregon Family Farm  Association Oregon State University plans on using unmanned aerial vehicles to research their use in monitoring and treating crops. OSU will use the drones to assess the health of the school’s potato crop and that of a commercial potato grower, […]

Blue Diamond Ending Salem Hazelnut Operation By Natural Resource News Note, Blue Diamond Growers is discontinuing the hazelnut operation at its packing plant in Salem and will put the plant up for sale. That will leave Oregon with four major hazelnut packers along with some smaller ones. The cooperative has […]

Ashland Considers Tax Increase for Watershed Thinning By Natural Resource News Note, Ashland city officials may raise property taxes to help fund the Ashland Forest Resiliency Project. The goal of AFR is to thin wildfire fuels on 7,600 acres of U.S. Forest Service land above Ashland, which includes portions of […]