Wildfire Smoke Expected from Portland to Medford By Dept. of Environmental Quality Smoke from wildfires in Central and Eastern Oregon is expected to head west this weekend, which could lead to unhealthy air quality throughout the I-5 corridor; DEQ advises residents to take precautions. The National Weather Service is predicting […]

August USDA Report Confirms Tight Corn Crop By American Farm Bureau Federation WASHINGTON, D.C., August 11, 2011 – As expected, the Agriculture Department lowered the corn production forecast in its August crop report released today due to heat stress over much of the Corn Belt. Economists with the American Farm […]

Changes concern landscapers using guest worker program By Kurt Kipp, Oregon Association of Nurseries Daily Digger Landscapers who have trouble finding qualified and willing workers have been able to fall back on the H-2B non-agricultural guest worker visa program to fill their needs. Starting on Sept. 30, however, that could […]

Farmer Backlog for Federal Credit Addressed but Serious Gap Remains National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition On July 28, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) transferred unneeded Guaranteed Farm Operating Loan (GOL) funds to two credit programs with higher demand – Direct Farm Operating Loans (DOL) and Guaranteed Farm Ownership (GFO) loans. FSA […]

USDA: Farmers Markets Growing in Number, Popularity 111 farmers markets currently operate in Oregon By Oregon Small Business Association The number of farmers markets selling fresh, locally and regionally grown produce grew significantly over the past year. According to the 2011 National Farmers Market Directory recently released by the U.S. […]

Mandatory Boat Inspections Begin in Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife SALEM, Ore.—Motorists hauling boats in Oregon are now required to stop at boat inspection stations to have their watercraft inspected for aquatic invasive species under a bill signed into law by Gov. John Kitzhaber on Aug. 2, 2011. Failure […]

President Obama is hosting a series of public forums in rural America. Throughout the tour he has been confronted about burdensome regulations. The President basically dismissed concerns, blaming lobbyists. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association WASHINGTON – During U.S. President Barack Obama’s bus tour through rural America, a common theme of overregulation […]

Forestry officials warn of extreme fire danger in central Oregon Oregon Department of Forestry Wildfire is often in the news in central Oregon at this point in the summer. But so far it has been an afterthought. That is expected to change soon, with the onset of extreme fire conditions […]

State Senator Jason Atkinson has debuted a video on the recovering politician blog. It shows an entire day of fishing. The setting is Montanna.

Oregon Forester Participates in White House Rural Economic Forum — Investment in sustainable federal forestry needed for economic growth American Forest Resource Council Peosta, Iowa – Tom Partin, President of the American Forest Resource Council, participated in President Obama’s August 16 Rural Economic Forum at Northeast Iowa Community College. Partin […]