By John A. Charles Jr. Cascade Policy Institute In his recent guest column, Director of the Oregon Department of State Lands Jim Paul summarizes the history of the Elliott State Forest. He correctly notes that the Common School Trust lands within the Elliott must be managed as an endowment asset […]

By National Association of Wheat Growers The House passed the GMO labeling agreement designed by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, by a vote of 306 to 117. The Senate passed the bill last Thursday by a vote of 63 to 30, advancing the agreement […]

By Healthy Forest, Healthy Communities This excellent document, from The Story Group, tells the stories of Colorado firefighters confronting the growing trend of larger and more severe wildfires. It is another reminder that we can mitigate the impacts of climate change and catestrophic wildfire through active forest management. Unacceptable Risk […]

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining held an oversight hearing on the Federal sage grouse plans and their impact to successful ongoing state management of the species. Brenda Richards, Owyhee County Idaho rancher and president of the Public Lands […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation The Senate did the right thing by voting to move toward a full debate on the merits of the GMO labeling bill. The legislation is not perfect, but it does take critical steps to prevent a confusing 50-state patchwork of laws disclosing the presence of […]

by Sen. Doug Whitsett The season for northwest wildfires has arrived, with two major forest fires already occurring in Northwestern Washington. Catastrophic wildfires have become progressively more destructive, causing enormous damage to both public and private forest and range lands, as well as posing severe risks to public health and […]

By Rick Sohn, PhD Umqua Coquille LLC Stud prices are up and most statistics are favorable for the economy, despite the fact the housing starts remain unchanged. Further improvements are expected over the next 4-years. Recent trends of lumber, logs, home construction, and housing markets, are compared to 2009 and […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation The American Farm Bureau Federation is supporting proposed Senate legislation that establishes federal pre-emption of what was expected to grow into an unruly patchwork of state-by-state mandatory GMO labeling laws. “Our nation’s top scientists agree that crops enhanced through GMO technology are safe, and this […]

Wildlife Groups Support Senate Action on Fire Borrowing, Forest Management Reforms By Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities, The American Wildlife Conservation Partners, a coalition of over 30 hunting and outdoors organizations, recently sent a letter to key leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In light of the committee’s […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau, If you’re driving around Portland this summer, you may encounter one of these colorful billboards by Multnomah County Farm Bureau asking an important question: Who’s your farmer? Many people don’t realize that 98 percent of Oregon farms and ranches are family owned and operated. Farm Bureau’s […]