OSHA Targets Small Farms By Oregon Family Farm Association Since 1976, Congress has included specific language in appropriations bills which exempts family farms with less than 10 employees from OSHA regulations. By law, OSHA inspectors are prohibited from setting foot on those farms. However, a 2011 memo from OSHA’s Director […]

Associated Oregon Industries Oregon’s largest business advocate Representative Jeff Reardon (D-Portland) plans to introduce a bill in the February 2014 Legislative Session that would add certain pesticides to the state’s restricted use list, effectively preventing the retail sale of products containing those chemicals to home gardeners.  Although the proposal will […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation By Stewart Truelsen Picture yourself in the future, the not too distant future, on a bright summer day. You are grilling hot dogs at a picnic with your family in a park. You pay little attention to the drone flying overhead. It’s probably a UPS […]

By National Farmers Union The National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson, under direction from the NFU Board of Directors, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner calling for the 2014 Farm Bill to be called up and voted on this […]

By Daily Digger Oregon Association of Nurseries Oregon gets a B- in invasive species management Oregon, as a whole, could be doing better in its fight against invasive species. That’s the verdict from the Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC), which gave the state a B-minus on its annual Invasive Species […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation By Tracy Grondine While many of us spent December running from one holiday party and feast to the next, farmers were busy not only celebrating the season, but celebrating the Farm Bureau grassroots policy process leading up to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 95th Annual […]

Oregon Farm Bureau Federal Judge Delivers Stinging Rebuke to USDOL in hot goods cases Judge Coffin cites duress, vacates consent judgments against blueberry farmers U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin issued a ruling Jan. 15 vacating the U.S. Dept. of Labor consent agreements imposed on two Oregon blueberry […]

By Tom Partin American Forest Resource Council Oregonians rightfully value political compromise when it comes to tackling challenges facing our state, and there are few bigger challenges than addressing the lack of economic opportunity and jobs in Oregon’s rural communities. Oregon’s congressional delegation recognizes that the key to fighting rural […]

By American Farm Bureau Federation There are two things that farmers need to realize about a new regulation that the Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to release in the coming weeks, two experts in water regulations said at a workshop at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 95th Annual Convention. One […]

By Oregon Congressman Greg Walden Greg Walden: FDA’s decision to revise food safety rules is “a victory for common sense” U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) reacted to the FDA’s announcement that they would revise draft rules on water quality that would affect Oregon fruit and vegetable growers. “This decision by […]