By National Farmers Union National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement today following a new round of criticisms that federal crop insurance programs chiefly benefit insurance companies and large farmers: “It is vitally important that farm policy include programs for farmers and ranchers to manage their […]

By Daily Digger Oregon Association of Nurseries Oregon deserves an A-minus for its efforts to limit and control the introduction of invasive plants, animals and pathogens into the state, according to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. The group issued its annual Invasive Species Report Card on Jan. 9. Some highlights […]

Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission approves ban on gillnetting in lower Columbia River By Natural Resource Note Last month, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 4-2 to ban gillnets from the lower Columbia River.  This month, Oregon gill-net fishing leaders petitioned the Court of Appeals to stop it.  They […]

2012 Riley Freeman Award honors Morrow County ranchers By Oregon Cattlemen’s Association A commitment to facilitating access and improvement to ranchland is honored. Pam and Mark Wunderlich were honored as recipients of the 2012 Riley Freeman Award at the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association Annual Convention. This award, a joint honor on […]

USDA Designates 597 Counties in 2013 as Disaster Areas Due to Drought By USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack designated 597 counties in 14 states as primary natural disaster areas due to drought and heat, making all qualified farm operators in the areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans. These are the […]

Eight 4-H clubs qualify for state robotics championship By Oregon State University Extension Office When 117 teams gather in Hillsboro for the Jan. 19-20 Intel Oregon FIRST® LEGO® League state robotics championship, eight of them will have ties to the Oregon State University Extension Service’s 4-H program. They’ll be competing at […]

ASA Cheers Biodiesel, Estate Tax Victories in Fiscal Cliff Package By American Soybean Association With passage of legislation by the House and Senate to avoid the year-end “fiscal cliff”, the American Soybean Association (ASA) welcomes provisions in the law that extend the biodiesel tax incentive and provide a permanent solution […]

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden The leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, incoming Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), called for federal regulators to ensure taxpayers receive the full value for coal mined on federal and tribal lands, in a bipartisan letter to the […]

by Rex Storm, Forest Policy Manager Associated Oregon Loggers Wildfire Protection Act: An important milestone toward enacting needed funding reforms to Oregon’s private and state forest fire protection was accomplished when Governor Kitzhaber included proposed changes in his FY 2013-15 budget. Oregon Dept. of Forestry will offer a bill in […]

By Rick Sohn, PhD Umpqua Coqullie LLC Continued strength in wood products and home construction, against a backdrop of a continued sluggish economy. Four-year market trends of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are shown below. Interpretation Stud prices, and other wood building product prices, have been strengthening since October. […]