Ag exemption for cellphone use while driving ends on Oct. 1 Via Oregon Farm Bureau  There’s a national movement to crack down on distracted driving, specifically driving while using a cellphone. This spring, Washington state legislators passed one of the most restrictive distracted driving laws in the country. And Oregon […]

Farmers and Ranchers Need to Deliver Strong Tax Reform Message To Congress Via American Farm Bureau Republican congressional leaders, just returning from their month-long August recess, are geared up to revamp and modernize the tax code, making it all the more urgent for farmers and ranchers to share their tax […]

Via Healthy Forest Healthy Communities Congressman Greg Walden represents Oregon’s second congressional district. He penned the following open letter to his district: Enough is enough. When Cycle Oregon and performances at the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland get canceled because of fires and the toxic smoke, it’s long past time for […]

Farm Bureau Calls on EPA to Up the Advanced Biofuels Requirement for 2018 Via Farm Bureau The American Farm Bureau Federation is giving the Environmental Protection Agency a thumbs-up for its proposal to keep the 2018 conventional biofuels level at 15 billion gallons, as called for in the Renewable Fuel […]

By Caleb Robyler Oregon is a major leader in renewable fuel production. Our biofuel facilities support thousands of jobs, helping produce cleaner fuels from agricultural feedstocks. Ethanol also supplies a full 10 percent of America’s motor fuel needs and cuts carbon emissions by an average of 43 percent, according to […]

Harl Burre Wolf Pack: Incremental Lethal Take Decision After Depredations On Cattle Via Oregon Cattlemen’s Association A series of wolf depredations on cattle in Wallowa County has finally come to a head with the decision for an incremental lethal take on the Harl Butte Wolf Pack. There have been seven […]

Forest Policy Briefs Update on Current Policy News Affecting Forest Business & Timber Supply By Rex Storm Oregon Loggers Association  Governors Want National Forest Reform: Pointing to ‘significant dissatisfaction’ with national forest management, the Western Governors’ Association on June 28th approved a resolution that proposes a US Forest Service overhaul. […]

Incubators Help Beginning Farmers Break into Farming Without Breaking the Bank By Dr. Lisa Benson Via Farm Bureau Starting a new farm often requires large capital investments to purchase or rent farmland, access farm equipment and set up storage facilities. Beginning farmers can expect to invest more than $800,000 in […]

2017 Oregon Century, Sesquicentennial Farms & Ranches Announced Via Oregon Farm Bureau    At the annual awards ceremony at the Oregon State Fair, families from across the state will receive recognition for operating as Century or Sesquicentennial (150-year) Farm or Ranch. The 2017 ceremony will be held on Saturday, August […]

Proper forest road construction helps keep streams healthy, according to study By Chris Branam Oregon State Extension Services  Researchers measure the degree of hydrological connectivity of an unpaved road. Photo courtesy Ivan Arsimendi. Logging roads in the uplands of the northern Oregon Coast Range aren’t sending enough sediment into streams […]