By National Farmers Union National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson urged Congress and President Barack Obama to come to a balanced agreement that reduces the federal deficit and includes a five-year farm bill and an extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for renewable energy. “There is a simple […]

By Congressman Greg Walden, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) called on Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to answer a bipartisan letter from six members of the Oregon Congressional delegation requesting answers on reports of heavy-handed enforcement practices by the Labor Department. “I rise today to ask Labor Secretary Hilda Solis […]

By Rick Sohn, PhD Umpqua Coqullie LLC Encouraging news this month for homeowners and wood products manufacturers.  Four-year market trends of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics are shown below. Interpretation Major hurricanes, such as Superstorm Sandy, cause damaged homeowners to turn to wood products for repairs, rebuilding, and remodeling.  […]

By National Association of Wheat Growers News last week of a “shotgun sequence” of the wheat genome inspired excitement about the possibilities for breakthrough science based on increased understanding of the crop’s complex genetic make-up. Sequencing the wheat genome has been a long-term goal of many leading wheat researchers and […]

Rob Green,director National Council of Chain Restaurants. Americans should understand that this year’s drought—the worst in 50 years—isn’t the primary reason for record-high food prices. The drought made things worse, but the leading driver of long-term increases in food costs is a deeply flawed federal mandate. In 2005, Congress enacted […]

ODFW’s new interactive fishing maps feature detailed information and directions to dozens of fishing locations throughout Morrow, Wheeler, Umatilla, Union, Baker, Grant and Wallowa counties. Click to enlarge Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today introduced a new interactive fishing map to help […]

By National Farmers Union National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement amid reports that Congress may consider an extension of the 2008 Farm Bill. The 2008 Farm Bill expired on Sept. 30: “With the current legislative session quickly coming to a close, it is imperative now, […]

By Oregon State Univeristy Oregon State University is accepting applications for its eight-month training program in the Portland area for aspiring urban farmers. Now in its third year, the Beginning Urban Farmer Apprenticeship (BUFA) program was developed by the OSU Extension Service and Multnomah County for people with little to […]

Lawsuit challenges Oregon’s water clean-up plans By Natural Resource News Note The Northwest Environmental Advocates filed a complaint in federal court challenging Oregon’s Clean Water Act clean-up plans. The NWEA believes that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s plans allow water temperatures that are too high for cold-water fish and […]

American Forest Reserach Council The American Forest Resource Council is reviewing the critical habitat designation for the northern spotted owl released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hoping that substantial changes have been made since the draft was published in the Federal Register last March. Over the past […]