By California Farm Bureau Nearly two-thirds of farmers who responded to a survey by the California Farm Bureau Federation said they experienced challenges finding enough employees to help tend and harvest crops in 2012. Farm Bureau today released the results of the online survey, which included responses from nearly 800 […]

New report: Restoring Oregon’s east-side forests is a win-win By Oregon Forest Resource Institute, Accelerating the work to restore ailing federal forests will help both the environment and the economy in eastern Oregon. This is the conclusion of a new report prepared at the request of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and […]

City fixes water shortage by removing lawns Natural Resource News Note: Los Angeles is removing residents’ lawns and installing water-efficient gardens in an attempt to conserve water. At the residents’ request, the city will send a crew to dig up the grass and replace it with mulch and native CA […]

By National Association of Wheat Growers The Senate voted 92 to 4 on Thursday to establish permanent normal trading relations (PNTR) with Russia. A similar bill was approved by the House of Representatives in November, and President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure shortly. Approving PNTR status for […]

Wall Street Journal reports on China’s revisiting rule son its longstanding policies that allow officials to seize land from farmers.

By National Corn Growers Association Does anyone remember the scientific method? In elementary school across the country, children learn this process by which scientists investigate phenomena, acquire new knowledge or correct what had been considered knowledge until that point. Following these simple steps, the testing of ideas remains unbiased and […]

By National Farmers Union National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson urged Congress and President Barack Obama to come to a balanced agreement that reduces the federal deficit and includes a five-year farm bill and an extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for renewable energy. “There is a simple […]

By Congressman Greg Walden, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) called on Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to answer a bipartisan letter from six members of the Oregon Congressional delegation requesting answers on reports of heavy-handed enforcement practices by the Labor Department. “I rise today to ask Labor Secretary Hilda Solis […]

By Rick Sohn, PhD Umpqua Coqullie LLC Encouraging news this month for homeowners and wood products manufacturers.  Four-year market trends of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are shown below. Interpretation Major hurricanes, such as Superstorm Sandy, cause damaged homeowners to turn to wood products for repairs, rebuilding, and remodeling.  […]

By National Association of Wheat Growers News last week of a “shotgun sequence” of the wheat genome inspired excitement about the possibilities for breakthrough science based on increased understanding of the crop’s complex genetic make-up. Sequencing the wheat genome has been a long-term goal of many leading wheat researchers and […]