Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber Office, Governor Kitzhaber announced that Gabriela Goldfarb is joining the Governor’s office to serve as a Natural Resources Policy Advisor. “Gabriela joins a strong team in my Natural Resources Office,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “Her long experience with salmon recovery and ocean and coastal issues will bring […]

Regional Approaches to Climate Change for Pacific Northwest Agriculture By Steve Petrie Center Director and Professor of Soil Science Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center – As featured in Oregon Wheat Grower’s Magazine The topic of climate change is filled with questions: How much will the climate change over what time […]

Timber Industry Report By Rick Sohn, Umpqua Coquille LLC Spring stud prices popped, and unsold home inventory is the lowest in 5 years.   Construction Starts and Permits are remaining above 700,000. Four-year trends of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are shown below. Information and interpretation. There is so much […]

Cathryn Corn Commentary National Corn Growers Association Often, arguments for farming practices that increase productivity are overlooked by those outside of agriculture in the United States. Decades of abundant, affordable options at the market have lulled many into the expectation that farmers will always provide for them in the manner […]

Big game raffles, auctions gross more than $523,202 By Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife The 2012 ODFW auction and raffles for big game hunting tags grossed $523,202, of which $308,566 will go to the Access and Habitat Program and $179,937 to big game research and management. The auction of […]

The video of the week goes to CNN for showcasing the Kansas oil boom at a time of near record high gas prices.

Natural Resource Note: George Lucas has amassed 6,000 acres of former farmland north of San Francisco, and he is committed to keeping 97% of it undeveloped forever. But he was going to take a corner of the property and build a 269,000 square foot movie studio. After spending millions to […]

What Went Right on Youth Farm Labor Proposal By Lynne Finnerty Excerpt: The Labor Department’s (youth) proposal would have barred anyone under 16 years old from using power-driven equipment, in addition to other restrictions, and limited the parental exemption to farms that are wholly owned by a parent. After Farm […]

Natural Resource News Note: The Statesman Journal recently reported about the wine battle between vineyards and surrounding farmers and residents.  Based on concerns that wineries are becoming tourist traps, “NASCAR Disneylands,” and losing their bucolic character, Salem lawmakers recently passed H.B. 3280. The bill’s main provision is that vineyards may […]

By Oregon Department of Agriculture Any way you fillet it, Oregon’s commercial seafood and fishing industry had an outstanding year in 2011. For many fisheries, both the volume harvested off the Oregon Coast and the corresponding dollar value were the best in decades. A total harvest value exceeding $145 million […]