By Rick Sohn Umpqua Coquille LLC Housing starts and building permits broke out while mortgage interest rates are at an all-time low. Steady, slow climb in housing has only risen to the WORST level reached in 2 recent recessions. Four-year market trends of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are […]

Oregon Court of Appeals upholds Clatsop County’s right to reject pipeline By Natural Resource News Note: The Oregon Court of Appeals rejected a motion to force Clatsop County to allow Oregon LNG to build 41 miles of pipeline through the county. The pipeline would carry liquefied natural gas to a […]

By Oregon Department of Agriculture Oregon agriculture continues to benefit from federal funding aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the state’s fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery crops, and other specialty crops. The Oregon Department of Agriculture has announced this year’s recipients of more than $1.49 million as part of the […]

American Farm Bureau Federation You’ve probably heard people warning about the “fiscal cliff” looming at the end of the year. But what is it? And why should you care? American Farm Bureau Economist Matt Erickson explains what that precipice means to agriculture and rural America in this report from AFBF’s […]

By Cathryn National Corn Growers Association With harvest nearing 90 percent completion, many news stories address the impact of the drought in the past tense. The drought hit farmers. The drought impacted yields. The drought of 2012 did this or that. According to climatologists and meteorologists who know what is […]

Oregon’s Waste Recovery at Record Highs, Disposal at Record Lows By Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Oregon recovered more than half of the municipal waste Oregonians generated in 2011 – the highest rate since the state started measuring waste recovery rates in 1992. At the same time, per-capita waste disposal […]

Dan McEvily, National Farmers Union  National Farmers Union (NFU) reflected on the illustrious career of former Senator George McGovern of South Dakota, who passed away Oct. 21, 2012. “From his South Dakota farm roots, to the U.S. Senate, and later as ambassador of the United Nation’s Agencies on Food and […]

By Daily Digger Oregon Association of Nurseries One sometimes hears about strained relationships between certain industries and those in government who regulate them. But in Oregon, the nursery industry and the state have long shared a mutually beneficial, cooperative, and overall pleasant relationship. An important focus has been on keeping […]

Northern California task force successful in fighting rural crime By Oregon Family Farm Association In recent months, investigations by the newly established Ag Theft Task Force of Yolo County have led to 37 arrests and the recovery of $170,000 worth of stolen agricultural property. Yolo County Farm Bureau Executive Director […]

By Chris Barton Cascade Policy Institute Imagine heading out to your favorite bar one evening to celebrate the completion of another toiling week at work. Rather than indulging in the comfort of your favorite beer, you decide to loosen up your purse strings and order some champagne. So with only […]