The Oregon Natural Resources Report - Agricultural News from Oregon

Agriculture grads near record levels

Agriculture a ‘Choice’ Career Choice
By Dal Grooms
American Farm Bureau Federation

If you’re a movie buff, you’ll recall the career advice shared with young Benjamin Braddock in the late 1960s movie The Graduate. “Plastics,” young Benjamin was told. Today, there is a good chance the giver of that advice, Mr. McGuire, would be proposing another up-and-coming career field – “Agriculture.”  While U.S. unemployment figures hover near 10 percent, colleges and universities are placing their agriculture graduates into jobs at higher rates than ever before.

Rural property tax relief

Rural Property Owners – Your Property Taxes May Be Too High, Even If Your Property Qualifies For Farm Tax Deferral
By Oregonians In Action

One of the least understood areas of Oregon law is real property taxation.  Most Oregon property owners dutifully pay their property taxes (either directly to the county or through monthly payments to an escrow account established by their lender) without having any idea of whether their taxes are accurate.  For at least one group of Oregon property owners, this is an expensive mistake.

Oregon Ag dependent on good science, research

By Mike Mehren
Oregon Feed and Grain Association Inc.

I was lucky enough to attend a meeting where the researchers from Eastern Oregon Ag Research Stations in Burns and Union presented the studies that they are working on, those that have been recently completed and studies that are in progress. We, Oregon in particular, are very very fortunate to have this group of men and women working on all phases of range livestock nutrition, livestock temperament, livestock grazing management, and livestock genetics Studies are done in conjunction with fish and wildlife scientists, as well as researchers specializing in desert and forest plants. They have studied the relationship between livestock grazing and wildfire. If there is to be a range livestock industry in the future, the research they are conducting will provide answers needed to stay in business.

Winning war over Spotted Wing Drosophila

Oregon Ag responds to the Spotted Wing Drosophila
Commercial fruit growers managing the insect so far
Oregon Department of Ag.

So far this summer, Oregon’s fruit crops have made it to the marketplace in good shape despite fears that a tiny fruit fly would have a huge negative impact. A combination of an effective monitoring program and management tools for growers seems to be keeping the Spotted Wing Drosophila in check. But the real test is about to begin as the late season fruit crops ripen.

“I think we are at a critical juncture,” says Dan Hilburn, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Plant Division. “A year ago, it was fruit crops at the end of the season that were impacted by Spotted Wing Drosophila. This year, up to this point, the caneberries, blueberries, and cherries that have made it to market have been high quality and without problems. But we don’t know if that’s because of the efforts being made by growers and others, or if the insect is always going to be an end-of-the-season problem.”

Bill Introduced to Tackle Sixth Circuit Permitting Problem

Legislation Introduced to Tackle Sixth Circuit Permitting Problem
from Wheat Growers-National
National Association of Wheat Growers

Agriculture leaders in the Senate and House have introduced legislation that would eliminate the need for additional permitting for pesticide or other crop protection product applications if they are performed within existing label requirements.

The question of permitting has become a serious concern for agricultural producers and a major area of work for agriculture advocacy organizations like NAWG since a Sixth Circuit Court ruling in early 2009.

Sport halibut fishing closes off central coast

Sport halibut fishing closes off central coast
Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

NEWPORT, Ore. – Fishing was so good off the central coast last weekend that anglers took the remaining Pacific halibut quota for the season, causing fishery managers to close the popular fishery. “Anglers took advantage of decent ocean conditions last weekend and caught the remaining all-depth halibut quota,” said Lynn Mattes, halibut project leader for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

OSU wheat varieties dominate industry in Oregon

OSU wheat varieties dominate industry in Oregon
Oregon State Extension Service,

CORVALLIS, Ore. – In an annual event as old as Oregon statehood, wheat harvest is under way from the Willamette Valley to the Columbia Basin – and this year, approximately 965,000 acres of wheat will be harvested across Oregon. Sixty percent of those acres are planted with wheat varieties developed by Oregon State University.

Wheat is big business in Oregon, worth more than $260 million in 2009, down from a high of $312 million in 2008. Most of the varieties grown are soft white winter wheat, the kind that makes the world’s best cakes, cookies, noodles and flat breads. The most widely planted wheat variety in Oregon is ORCF 101, developed at OSU in 2003, accounting for almost 20 percent of the state’s wheat acreage.

Greg Walden: China, India, Brazil misreport pollution

Emissions data from China, others are old & questionable, GAO finds
By Congressman Greg Walden

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), Joe Barton, (R-Texas), and Michael Burgess (R-Texas) today unveiled a Government Accountability Office report confirming that for major developing nations like China, Brazil and India, most greenhouse emissions reports are outdated and of substandard quality.  “The lack of comparable, high-quality inventories” from these nations is important, GAO noted, “because they represent the largest and fastest growing portion of the world’s emissions, and information about their emissions is important to international efforts to address climate change.”

Rep. Walden released a statement on the GAO report:

Fire Tax Drops, Endangered Squirrels, WOPR update

Update on Current Policy News Affecting Forest Business & Timber Supply
by Rex Storm, Forest Policy Manager
Oregon Association of Loggers

Budget Cuts Impact Fire Protection: Local fire protection associations say the spending cuts put OR Dept. of Forestry fire protection districts and private forests at greater risk of escaped wildfires, because of less initial attack firefighting capability.  A $577 million shortfall in state tax revenue led Governor Kulongoski to direct agencies to reduce general fund spending by 9% for the current 2011 budget.  ODF took a $4 million immediate reduction in its fire protection program.  Forest contractors are urged to take extra effort to prevent fires, and aggressively control any smoke that ignites on the jobsite.  Because ODF districts may not be able to always provide the “adequate level of protection” this summer, contractors must work cautiously—taking due diligence to implement appropriate fire prevention measures, conduct self-inspections, or shutdown operations if extreme fire conditions occur.

Save The Squirrels: Arizona Dept. of Transportation wants to spend $1.25 million to build squirrel crossings over state & county roads for the endangered Mt. Graham red squirrel.  Vehicles are known to kill five squirrels/year—an endangered species crime ADOT fears would subject it to fines and jail time under lawsuit threats from the Center for Biological Diversity and others.  Federal highway grant funds have been acquired to build rope bridges, canopy tunnel crossings, crossing signs and surveillance cameras.  That’s $250,000 per saved squirrel!  Another example of taxpayer dollars paying for Endangered Species Act abuse.

Fire Tax Drops: Forest fire patrol assessments levied on November’s Oregon forest property tax bills were recently adjusted downward, to roughly match the 9% drop in General Fund support for OR Dept. of Forestry’s fire protection program.  The lower rates range from $0.68/acre in West OR district to $1.69/acre in Central OR district.  Timber harvesters also currently pay $0.625/mbf into the firefighting fund.  The combined state & private reductions amount to a $4 million shortfall below the former budgeted “adequate level of protection,” which is needed to prevent & fight forest fires.

Russian ban sends wheat prices soaring

Russia Bans Wheat Exports, Sending Prices Soaring
By National Association of Wheat Growers

Wheat prices soaring on news of production problems in Russia got an unusual boost this week when the country announced a ban on grain exports until at least December. The country has been facing a severe drought and wildfires that have destroyed at least 20 percent of the Russian wheat crop. Still, the country has stocks and was until recently planning to draw on them to complete export orders.  The ban includes wheat and other grains as well as flour and goes into effect on Aug. 15, regardless of existing sales contracts, though the situation is very fluid and some contracts could be fulfilled.

Seattle hosts immigration reform summit

National immigration reform summit is next week in Seattle
Oregon Association of Nurseries,

The Pacific Northwest will play host to a regional and national summit on immigration reform next Thursday, Aug. 12. As co-chairman of the Coalition for a Working Oregon, OAN Director of Government Relations Jeff Stone will moderate the first segment of the summit on the topic “The State of Play: How Things Stand in Washington, D.C.” The one-day conference and strategic planning session for employers will focus on the battle for comprehensive immigration reform. Featured speakers include entrepreneur and scholar Vivek Wadhwa and veteran political commentator Morton Kondracke. Kondracke will speak at a VIP dinner the previous evening, on Aug. 11. For more information on this national summit, or to attend, contact Jeff Stone at OAN or register online.

Food vs Fuel debate deflates

World Bank ousts energy costs as true culprit for rising food prices
National Biodiesel Board

JEFFERSON CITY, MO –   The World Bank recently released a report reversing claims that wrongly faulted biofuels for food price increases.    “As the first commercially available advanced biofuel available in the U.S., biodiesel plays an important role to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  Attempts to perpetuate a myth of food versus fuel are invalidated as World Bank identifies energy costs as the true price driver,” said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe

Oregon Treasurer pushes oil spill plan

Treasurer Wheeler urges better disclosure for deepwater mining operations in the wake of Gulf Coast oil spill
– Oregon Treasurer among major investors to send letter urging action by oil companies
By Oregon State Treasurer

SALEM – Across the globe, thousands of deepwater drilling rigs are siphoning millions of gallons of oil from far beneath the ocean floor — but along with petroleum and profits, those wells are raising new concerns for investors, in the wake of losses connected to the BP drilling disaster off the Gulf Coast.
Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler on Thursday joined with a coalition of 58 major investors to urge oil companies and their insurers to disclose spill prevention and response plans, in hopes of reducing the likelihood of a similar future calamity.

Oregon Ag products debut in Hong Kong

Three week supermarket promotion highlights Oregon products
By Oregon Department of Agriculture,

Fresh blueberries, Dungeness crab, and a variety of wines from Oregon and Washington enjoyed three weeks in the spotlight this summer as part of a targeted in-store promotion at one of Hong Kong’s largest retail grocery chains. While the buying power of seven million consumers is important to Pacific Northwest agricultural exports, Hong Kong’s status as a gateway to the rest of China makes it even more strategic.

Ag threatened by veterinarain shortages

Veterinarians in Demand; Help Protect Our Food Supply
By Nathan Smith
American Farm Bureau Federation

Imagine you’re a rancher. It’s 2 a.m. and a cow giving birth needs professional medical attention. The only problem is that the nearest veterinarian is 100 miles away. For a growing number of livestock producers across the country, this emergency scenario is a harsh reality. America faces a farm animal vet shortage like never before, leaving many farmers and ranchers wondering who they will call the next time their livestock needs emergency care.

Oregon’s collapsing Energy Tax Credit

The Business Energy Tax Credit: No Longer an Effective Incentive for Renewable Energy Resource Facilities
Written by Michelle Slater
Miller Nash LLP
Oregon & Washington Law Firm, Contact

Once perceived to be a leader in renewable energy development, Oregon now risks becoming a diminishing market. The Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit (“BETC,” pronounced “Betsy”) has been degraded from an effective incentive into something risky, confusing, and uncertain in application, particularly as applied to developing large renewable energy projects and renewable energy equipment manufacturing facilities in Oregon. Investment in these larger, capital-intensive projects is increasingly unattractive because of uncertainty about whether and under what circumstances a project may qualify for a BETC, and whether the rules of the Oregon Department of Energy (the “Department”) will change between the start of construction and completion of a project. In addition, recent and multiple changes to the rate of return available to a BETC investor (which is set by the Department) reduced the effectiveness of the BETC as an incentive, both by injecting further uncertainty into the business community and by making the BETC essentially unmarketable.

Studs, logs, housing bubble deflates

By Rick Sohn
Umpqua Coquille LLC

The bubble is still deflating, with falls, yet again in studs, logs, housing starts, and an increase in unsold inventory.  Interest rates are eye-popping, the lowest on record, yet buyers are slow to commit.  See below for five-year-span price analysis of lumber, logs, housing starts, permits, unsold home inventory, and mortgage rates.

Interpreting the trends.

Food out-moralizes sex

By Cindy
National Corn Growers Association

“In the last 50 years, generally speaking, people have become much more lax about their moral code concerning sex and much more restrictive about their moral code concerning food.” – Mary Eberstadt, author of “The Loser Letters”

“The New Food Puritans” is a fascinating article on a website I just found called “Truth in Food.” The post is great, but the full interview with author Mary Eberstadt is even better and well worth 22 minutes of your listening time. Besides being an author, Eberstadt is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and consulting editor to the Institution’s bimonthly Policy Review

How to double exports in 5 years

By American Soybean Association,

July 29, 2010… Saint Louis, Missouri… The American Soybean Association (ASA) this week suggested key steps to meeting President Barack Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI) goal of doubling exports in the next five years in comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The comments came in response to a request from the Obama Administration published in the June 30, 2010, Federal Register.  “Soybeans and soybean products are the most important U.S. export commodity, with export sales exceeding $21 billion last year,” said ASA President Rob Joslin, a soybean farmer from Sidney, Ohio. “This represented over 50 percent of U.S. soybean production and 21 percent of total U.S. ag exports in 2009. In short, soybean producers are in the vanguard of efforts to improve the U.S. trade balance.”

ASA believes that achieving the NEI goal will require: