The Farm to School Bill, SB 5507, has been signed by the Governor.  Below are comments from State Representative Brain Clem Press Release . Farm to School Program to expand Statewide with new allocation By State Representatiev Brain Clem The bill contains an expansion of the Farm to School program […]

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Over 600 cattlemen and women gathered in Denver, Colo., this week to discuss the policy priorities for the cattle industry for the upcoming year. Throughout the meeting, the various policy committees reviewed expiring policies and discussed proposed policy brought forward from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s […]

By American Forest Resource Council The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2015 (S. 132), legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden to change the management of O&C timberlands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The committee […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau Next Thursday, July 23, the Board of Forestry will make a final decision on western Oregon stream buffers in response to small temp. changes observed following timber harvest (0.7 degrees Celsius). Although these temperature changes are insignificant, short-lived, and lack scientific proof that they harm fish, […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation With the House Agriculture Committee’s passage of the bipartisan Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 1599), lawmakers are taking an important step toward greater clarity on food labeling, according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. The measure will clarify the FDA as […]

Oregon Department of Agriculture The Oregon Department of Agriculture has approved $81,300 in funding distributed to nine counties east of the Cascade Mountains as part of the Oregon Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance County Block Grant Program. Funds for 2015 have been distributed for actual livestock losses or injuries […]

By Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Summer conditions have come early to Oregon, and in many places fish like trout, salmon, steelhead and sturgeon are struggling with low water levels and high water temperatures. “Normally we see these kinds of conditions later in the summer, not in late June […]

National Corn Growers Association When you look at the facts, conventional agriculture scores higher than organic on sustainability. What system generates these results? The new Responsibly Grown labeling system developed by Whole Foods. According to a multitude of media reports, the system will rank produce on a variety of criteria […]

Miller Nash LLP, Oregon and Washington Law Firm Earlier this year we wrote about the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case of Horne v. Department of Agriculture (here). In that case, the court of appeals ruled that a Department of Agriculture marketing order that required raisin farmers to divert a […]

By Rick Sohn, PhD Umqua Coquille LLC The wood products industry is churning along, even helped by lower log prices. A fall in housing starts should be temporary. A 3-4 year positive trend in housing recovery is predicted. Trends of lumber, home construction, and housing markets, are compared to 2006. […]