Archives

August 31, 2020 - Farmers warned of CA blackouts

By California Farm Bureau, The recent electrical blackouts seemed to catch California policymakers by surprise, but they shouldn’t have. For more than a decade, Farm Bureau has raised concerns that the renewable-energy policies implemented by the Legislature, California Energy Commission, Public Utilities Commission and Air Resources Board have set the […]


August 28, 2020 - Farm subsidies to get stricter standards

USDA Tightens Eligibility Rules For Farm Subsidies By National Association of Wheat Growers, “Loopholes remain, but the USDA is tightening its crop subsidy rules by limiting who can collect a payment for managing a farm, historically one of its most porous definitions. The new regulation, to be published on Monday, […]


August 26, 2020 - Farmers lawsuit against Governor’s unconstitutional carbon order

Oregon Farm Bureau Press Release, OFB joins lawsuit to fight governor’s Executive Order On July 31, Oregon Farm Bureau, in partnership with Oregon Business and Industry, Oregon Truckers Association, Oregon Forest Industries Council, Oregon Manufacturers and Commerce, and individual business owners, including Otley Land & Cattle owned by Harney County […]


August 24, 2020 - A case for Oregon Energy reform

By Cascade Policy Institute, After 42 years, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) may be finally getting the update it has needed for years. President Carter signed PURPA into law in 1978 when the U.S. was between the energy embargo of 1973 and the 1979 oil crisis, when the […]


August 21, 2020 - 6th generation rancher tells USDA panel beef helped her lose 125 pounds

By National Cattlemen Beef Association Sixth-generation California rancher Kiah Twisselman told officials with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) about her first-hand experience with the benefits of beef in her diet and urged them to do more to encourage beef as part of a […]


August 19, 2020 - Rural Oregon reverses re-openings. Slowly shutting down,

By Oregon Small Business Association, Malheur is the third Oregon rural county to see new restrictions imposed as COVID-19 cases increased. The governor reinstated stay-at-home status for Umatilla County and shifted Morrow County back to Phase 1. This comes as all of rural Oregon and all counties are now hit […]


August 17, 2020 - What happened in the 15-hour Special Session

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter, Last Monday the state legislature met for a whirlwind second special session to focus on balancing the state budget. Prior to the mini-session, Oregon faced nearly $1 billion in revenue losses in the current biennium due to COVID-19 shut down orders. Monday’s 15-hour special […]


August 14, 2020 - Small farmers get skipped in virus relief funds

By National Association of Wheat Growers, NBC News did an analysis of the first nearly 700,000 Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments totaling $5.6 billion. The news outlet found that “while greatly appreciated by many farmers, CFAP has been marked by structural challenges. The preliminary data suggest that it has […]


August 12, 2020 - Lottery decline puts rural funding projects at risk

By Oregon Small Business Association, Two Eastern Oregon projects slated to be completed with money from the state lottery may be in jeopardy, partly because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Lottery revenue was expected to pay a large chunk of the cost for renovations at the Umatilla County Jail and […]


August 10, 2020 - What may happen in Special Session

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter, The Legislature is set to meet again this week for the 2nd Special Session of 2020. The prime objective is to rebalance the state budget, which is suffering significant shortfalls in revenue from income taxes, lottery receipts, and other taxes and fees on sales. […]