By Rick Sohn, Umpqua Coquille LLC August 24, 2009 Lumber prices, housing starts and building permits fell slightly this month, signaling the reality of a longer, slower recovery in the wood products sector.  One bright spot is the continued decline of the unsold home inventory.  The 30-year fixed rate mortgage […]

By Oregon Department of Agriculture, An early adopter of high technology, Oregon’s farming and ranching community remains among the national leaders in the usage of computers as part of their operations. Results of a recent survey indicate that computers are just as important to most Oregon agricultural producers as the […]

By Natural Resource Report, According to the latest statistics from the Energy Information Agency, non-hydroelectric renewable power provided three percent of total electricity generated in the U.S. for 2008 up from 2.5 percent in 2007.The growing importance of state renewable portfolio standards and the proposals for a national renewable energy […]

USDA Economic Research Service report on change in net farm income.

The “dirty dozen” is just as safe and nutritious as their organic counterparts. By American Federation Farm Bureau, As many of you may have seen last week in the news there seems to be this misconception surrounding the “dirty dozen” (the 12 fruits and vegetable considered by some to contain […]

From Oregon Small Business Association, Weyerhaeuser Company announced recently that it has agreed to sell approximately 140,000 acres of timberland in Oregon to an entity affiliated with the Campbell Group LLC for around $300 million. The sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2009.  The transaction is […]

Obama Administration gets more time to look at salmon plan By Natural Resource Report, For a second time the Obama Administration has asked for more time to review the 2008 Salmon plan prepared by the Bush Administration covering the Columbia and Snake rivers.  Recently, the government asked for and U.S. […]

Update on Current Policy News Affecting Forest Business & Timber Supply by Rex Storm, Forest Policy Manger Associated Oregon Loggers Logging Protestors Arrested on State Forest: After just two days of blocking a logging site, 50 police officers promptly arrested all 27 environmental protestors in Douglas County’s Elliott State Forest, […]

Below is a summary of a special report on Broadband Internet’s Value for Rural America issued by the USDA Economic Research. Click here for full report. The Internet has become widely, but not universally, available. Two-thirds of U.S. adults had in-home Internet access by 2008. Rural businesses and consumers have […]

By Natural Resource Report, Afraid that it may slow down Oregon’s rush to green, renewable energy, Governor Ted Kulongoski recently vetoed House Bill 2472 that would have reduced the Business Energy Tax Credits (BETC) for wind energy developments and other renewable energy projects exceeding 15 megawatts.  Under the current program […]