By American Farm Bureau Federation   The American Farm Bureau Federation supports legislation introduced in both the House and Senate that would permanently repeal the estate tax. Sen. John Thune’s (R-S.D.) bill, The Death Tax Repeal Act of 2013, coupled with bipartisan legislation of the same title introduced by Reps. […]

By Oregon Cattlemen’s Association $100,000 put into motion for wildfire relief in Oregon. Producer’s impacted by 2012 wildfires are encouraged to apply. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) announces applications are now available for the distribution of funds to ranchers affected by wildfires in Oregon. The 2012 wildfires burned over one […]

By Terry Wanzek North Dakota state senator & Truth About Trade & Technology Board Member Article first appeared in Wall Street Journal When a farmer discovered traces of genetically modified wheat in a remote field in eastern Oregon in April, he found the agricultural equivalent of a needle in a […]

By Oregon Dept of Agriculture 2013 block grants address wolf depredation & non-lethal prevention measures The Oregon Department of Agriculture, working with Governor Kitzhaber’s office, has approved $25,038 in funding distributed to seven counties east of the Cascade Mountains as part of the Oregon Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance […]

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association The U.S. House of Representatives in a 216 to 208 vote passed the 2013 Farm Bill (H.R. 2642). National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Scott George, a beef and dairy producer from Cody, Wyo., issued the following statement on the passage of the legislation: “First, we […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation   Protecting farmers’ and ranchers’ right to privacy is a top priority, said the American Farm Bureau Federation, which took legal action today to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from publicly releasing personal information about thousands of farmers and ranchers and their families. EPA is […]

Timber Industry Report By Rick Sohn, PhD Coquille LLC Good news/bad news. Product prices are down and mortgage rates are up. Housing starts are lackluster, but unsold inventory is down. Seven-year trend of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are shown below. Interpretation The housing recovery has entered a readjustment […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau Oregon Legislature Has Adjourned! The 2013 legislative session has finally adjourned. Sine die (Latin for adjournment) occurred approximately at 2:48 PM. There were many bad bills that did not get passed into law, while other OFB supported bills passed. However, the session in its entirety can […]

County Emergency Legislation Clears Oregon House By State Representative Wally Hicks Legislators voted today to pass House Bill 3453, which allows for the declaration of a fiscal emergency in counties struggling to fund law enforcement and other basic services. Several Oregon counties had traditionally been funded by timber receipts under […]

Action Alert: Farmers’ Action is Needed to Pass SB 633 By Oregon Farm Bureau  SB 633 would ensure that agriculture seed and seed products are only regulated　at the state and federal levels, preempting additional regulations by local　municipalities. This would prevent a potential patchwork of 36 different county regulations, and over […]