Oregon Association of Nurseries The White House announced  that it will essentially double the threshold at which salaried employees performing certain executive, professional or administrative duties are exempt from overtime pay. The current threshold is $23,660 and will roughly double to $47,476. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez told reporters the exemption […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation Kevin Paap, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau and board member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, described a litany of trade barriers faced by farmers and ranchers in a hearing of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee. In response, Paap asked Congress to […]

By Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities, The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee’s ranking member, Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., is holding a forum on the “growing anti-government extremism on public lands.” Grijalva says the forum will discuss the emergence of this movement and the government’s efforts to confront these dangers, and […]

Natural Resource Report, Oregonians In Action Education Center is hosting their annual Land-Use Forum in Eugene on Wednesday June 15th.  They will be discussing important landowner topics such as Oregon Board of Forestry’s New Streamside setbacks, Alert on new Floodplain Rules on Oregon Land-Use Laws, Rural/Urban Development in Oregon, Marijuana […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau, One thing all parties could agree on at a May 23 hearing about the Owyhee Canyonlands is that it is spectacularly beautiful. But who’s to thank for that? “Today we’ve heard the words ‘iconic’ and ‘awesome’ to describe the Owyhee Canyonlands,” said Oregon Farm Bureau President […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation A unanimous Supreme Court  ruled landowners may challenge the federal government whenever the Army Corps of Engineers tries improperly to regulate land with regulations designed to protect water. Landowners have attempted many times to challenge Corps rulings known as jurisdictional determinations, but the government successfully […]

American Forest Resource Council BLM Plan Underscores Urgent Need for Oregon Delegation to Find a Balanced, Bipartisan Solution to O&C Lands Crisis Portland, Ore. – Oregon’s forest products industry is urging the State’s congressional delegation to revive efforts to achieve a legislative solution to resolve two decades of failed agency […]

Oregon Association of Nurseries Growers face dwindling worker availability, growing worker expense, and the need to consider workflows and automation. Workers dig out bare-root trees at Carlton Plants in Dayton. Photo by Denise Ruttan A crew of workers slogs boot-deep through sloppy, clay-rich mud beside rows of bare-root trees at Carlton […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation There are some things you should not read at bedtime. One of them is The Worldwide Threat Assessment by the U.S. Intelligence Community, an annual report of threats to the United States. In testimony before Congress, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said, “In my […]

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter This week legislators were in town for the May “Legislative Days.” This is an opportunity for committees to hold hearings on various issues. Termed “informational”, these hearings are made up of set panels that discuss a given issue. While no bills are actually considered, […]