By Oregon Cattlemen Association A new trend has started in Oregon. Conservation groups are buying up private lands and turning them over to the state to become public lands. Recently, Western Rivers Conservancy bought the Rattray Ranch in Gilliam County and announced its plans to sell a good portion of […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau FB hosted two GMO community conversations this week These days, almost everyone has at least heard of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and knows that passions run high on the issue. But few truly understand what they are. Because so much fear and misinformation abounds on biotechnology, […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation Consumers are tiring of anti-GMO rhetoric: They want facts. You don’t have to put those claims under the microscope to see how shaky the anti-GMO platform is. That’s no surprise to those of us who know the benefits of GM products firsthand, of course. Now, […]

Congressman Kurt Schrader Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson and Oregon Congressman Kurt Schrader reintroduced legislation to make common sense changes to the federal wildfire budget. H.R. 167, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, which was cosponsored by nearly 150 Members of Congress and supported by a broad coalition of over 300 organizations […]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife -Photo by Bethan Jones- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists are investigating the deaths of large numbers of seabirds along the Pacific coast in the wake of harsh winter weather the past several weeks. Common murres and Cassin’s auklets have been showing up […]

By Oregon Wheat Grower’s League The OWGL has a great event planned for all wheat growers who wish to attend on February 12 and 13 in Salem. Thursday, February 12, a luncheon with special speakers and lobbying briefing from 12:30 – 4:00 pm; a legislative reception in the Salem conference […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation Following the delegate session of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 96th Annual Convention, which wrapped up this week in San Diego, the organization’s board of directors set AFBF’s strategic action plan to address public policy issues for 2015. The board-approved plan focuses the organization’s attention […]

Oregonians for Food and Shelter ODA Seeking Restrictions on Neonicotinoids The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has initiated rulemaking to ban the use of four neonicotinoid products on the tilia species of trees (linden and basswood). The four active ingredients are imidacloprid, dinotefuran, thiamethoxam and clothianidin. The ban would apply […]

Healthy Forest, Healthy Communities Next year Washington State can continue to play a leading role in efforts to improve the health of our federally-owned forests while restoring economic opportunity to our rural forested communities.  Help can’t come soon enough, especially for county governments. As timber receipt revenues remain low and […]

By Cindy National Corn Growers Association It was probably the biggest agricultural news story of the year. What was supposed to be the 2012 farm bill was passed and signed into law this year as the 2014 farm bill, a multi-tasking piece of legislation according to President Obama. “Despite it’s […]