By Cindy National Corn Growers Association Recent attacks on biotechnology (or “GMOs,” for those who don’t like big words) have reached a fevered pitch. And like anyone with a fever, one can expect a bout of hallucination, or seeing things that aren’t quite there. Did Russian President Vladimir Putin threaten […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau Replacement Dwelling Bill Moves to Senate Floor A bill supported by Oregon Farm Bureau is moving to the floor of the Senate for a vote. HB 2746 passed out of the Senate Committee on Rural Communities and Economic Development yesterday. The bill was amended to address […]

By Oregon Cattlemen’s Association The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) has been involved in settlement talks beginning in 2012 in efforts to resolve the lawsuit and the injunction filed on October 5, 2011 which enjoined the lethal take of wolves involved with chronic depredation of livestock in Oregon. The Oregon’s cattle […]

by Claire Mitchell Stoel Rives LLP, NW Law Firm Food Liability Law Blog The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a news release (PDF) announced that a genetically engineered (GE) variety of wheat was found growing on an Oregon farm. APHIS was first […]

Legisletter for May 23, 2013 By Washington Farm Bureau The May 23, 2013, edition of Washington Farm Bureau’s Legisletter is now available. Articles include the following: — “Special” Session Drags On — U.S. Senate Committee Advances Immigration Reform Bill — Washington Farm Bureau Votes to Oppose Initiative 522 — Governor […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau Oregon Farm Bureau, the state’s largest family agriculture organization, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Portland on May 29, 2013 in response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) refusal to comply with the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In the filing, Farm Bureau […]

Bill Allows Opt-Out of Cougar-hunt Ban By Oregon Sportsmen Association, On Wednesday, May 22, the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 2624, which would allow counties to opt out of an 18-year-old ban on hunting cougars with dogs. The bill requires that voters […]

By Oregon Farm Bureau HB 2980 – Farm Labor Housing Tax Credit. This bill will extend the current tax credit program that allows on-farm and community housing projects to receive a tax credit. This bill was included in the Co-chairs’ budget and should not have any difficulty in passing. It […]

Senate Passes Merkley Proposal to Create Jobs by Repairing Crumbling Water Infrastructure May 15, 2013 The U.S. Senate passed Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley’s Water Infrastructure Financing Innovation Act (WIFIA) as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2013. The program would create jobs by providing low-cost loans to communities […]

 National Farmers Union National Farmers Union (NFU) joined a group of agriculture and conservation organizations in sending letters to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce urging for further research relating to spectrum […]