‘Threatened’ Listing Not Needed for Lesser Prairie-Chicken By American Farm Bureau Federation The Lesser Prairie-Chicken, a species of grouse found in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas should not be added to the “threatened” list under the Endangered Species Act, the American Farm Bureau Federation told the Fish and […]

Christine Souza By California Farm Bureau With U.S. Congress and the Obama administration unable to prevent the March 1 trigger of automatic spending cuts to the federal budget, known as sequestration, agency officials must now decide where the cuts should be made, the effects of which aren’t likely to become […]

TWO BILLS: Environment Impact Statements  (HB 2321) & Pesticide Reporting Bill (SB 800) By Oregon Farm Bureau State of Oregon Environment Impact Statements HB 2321 is a bill of great concern. If passed, this bill will require all executive branch agencies, “… in planning and in decision-making that may have […]

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter The first legislative hearing on SB 633 will be next Tuesday, March 12, at 3:00 pm. SB 633 would ensure that the regulation of agriculture seed and crops would only occur at the state and federal levels where the proper expertise lies. This would […]

Tom Shellhammer, a fermentation scientist at Oregon State University, is pictured. (Photo by Lynn Ketchum) By Oregon State University Extension Office To fill a knowledge gap among both professional and hobbyist beer-makers, Oregon State University has created several online and on-site short courses for brewers who want to refine their […]

Newly published Oregon Agripedia now available By Oregon Dept. of Agriculture Ag Stats, Oregon Farmers’ Handbook, and Ag Resources Directory in one book The sixth edition of a popular, all-purpose guide providing comprehensive statistical, regulatory, and contact information is now available from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The Oregon Agripedia […]

By American Farm Bureau Securing adequate land to grow crops and raise livestock was the top challenge identified in the latest survey of participants in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program. That challenge was identified by 20 percent of respondents, followed by burdensome government regulations and […]

By Oregon Congressman Kurt Schrader   U.S. Representatives Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA) today introduced the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2013. The legislation opens new market opportunities for the American forestry industry by allowing forest products to qualify for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Biobased […]

Oregon Farm Bureau Priority Bills By Oregon Farm Bureau Alarming Water Bill This bill is sponsored by Senator Floyd Prozanski. If passed, this will make it very difficult for a water user to get a transfer approved by WRD. SB 425 – Requires that application to change place of use, […]

By Rick Sohn, PhD Umpqua Coqullie LLC Markets are strong and log shortages are driving prices up.  Comparison to 2006 data shows striking differences.  Seven-year trend of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are shown below.                                                                        Prices in Dollars per Thousand Board Feet Feb ‘13 Jan‘13 Dec’12 Nov‘12 […]