By Natural Resource News Note, The largest fire in the country right now is in Southern Oregon. Called the Bootleg Fire, it has already burned more than 200,000 acres — twice the size of Portland. As of Wednesday, flames were threatening close to 2,000 dwellings. Nearly 400 of those homes […]

By Oregon Family Farm Association, The most severe drought conditions to hit a half-dozen Oregon counties—several experiencing records not broken in more than a century. Larry O’Neill of Oregon State University’s Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences College described the situation as bleak and noted that Klamath, Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, and […]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an investment of up to $1 billion, including $500 million in American Rescue Plan funding, in The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to support and expand the emergency food network so states, food banks and local organizations […]

By Congressman Cliff Bentz, During a House Natural Resources Committee Budget Oversight Hearing on the Department of Interior’s Spending Priorities and the President’s Fiscal Year Budget 2022 Proposal, Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-Ont.) questioned Department of the Interior Secretary Debra Haaland on the Agency’s efforts to direct relief to the Klamath […]

By Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities The Biden Administration issued a report suggesting United States must double or quadruple the rate at which it thins and removes dead wood from its forests to reduce the threat of wildfires. The call for increased forest management comes after a record wildfire season in 2020 […]

By National Cattlemen Beef Association, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a top-to-bottom review of the “Product of the USA” (POTUSA) label, which will inform a forthcoming rulemaking on this topic. NCBA has long-advocated for voluntary labels that meet consumer demand and allow producers to distinguish their products in […]

By Oregon Tax News, Oregon’s state senators who want to let local governments cash in on cannabis sales approved a measure allowing cities and counties to raise the existing 3 percent tax as high as 10 percent. Senate Bill 854 gained bipartisan support in the Senate chamber with Democrats supporting […]

By Natural Resource News Note, Two of the Oregon Legislative Session’s most contentious bills died in Committee as the Oregon Capitol closed their 2021 Session this weekend. Farm overtime: House Bill 2358 would have required Ag employers to pay farm workers overtime if they worked more than 40 hours in […]

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, June 24, 2021 The Supreme Court’s conservative majority so far this term hasn’t broken new Constitutional ground with its narrow rulings. That changed Wednesday with the Court’s 6-3 Cedar Point Nursery decision, which significantly bolsters protections of private property rights. Two growers in California challenged […]

By Oregon Family Farm Association It is outrageous that the only tax increase the Oregon Legislature may pass in the 2021 Session is a tax on the smallest family-owned businesses like family farms. If your family farm is organized as a “pass-through entity” such as an LLC (limited liability company) […]