Archives

February 9, 2012 - WA farmers battle E-Verify

Natural Resource News Note: An immigration-status-checking program has been debated in the Washington statehouse. The program, known as E-Verify, provides a way for employers to quickly discover whether job applicants are in the country legally, and it’s already used in eleven cities and counties in Washington state. But lawmakers plan […]

February 8, 2012 - Bill returns land-use laws back to counties

State Representative Sal Esquivel Press Release SALEM—Rep. Bill Garrard (R-Klamath Falls) and Rep. Sal Esquivel (R-Medford) today testified to the House Judiciary Committee on their bill to help give communities a greater role in their own economic development. HB 4095 allows Jackson, Josephine and Douglas Counties to form an intergovernmental […]

February 7, 2012 - Timber enduring four years of slow, painful progress

Timber Industry Report By Rick Sohn Umpqua Coquille LLC Most measures are relatively constant this month, except unsold inventory made improvement, driven by decreased listings. Interest rates continue down. Prices of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics below, show the four-year dilemma of painfully slow progress out of this deep […]

February 6, 2012 - Ag bills of the 2012 Legislative Session

Oregon’s First Official Even-Year Session Starts By Oregon Farm Bureau On February 1st, the Oregon Legislature convened its first 35-day session under the new voter approved constitutional change. Majority of bills were pre-session filed and introduced on the first day. To stay in play through the process bills must pass […]

February 5, 2012 - Bill Gates defends Ag, calls for increased funds and research

By National Association of Wheat Growers Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and one of the richest men in the world, highlighted the relative lack of money devoted to agricultural innovation and research in his annual letter outlining the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2012 priorities. The Foundation was founded by […]

February 4, 2012 - 2012 Farm Bill: The details & debate

Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Major Factors Influencing the Debate National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition In its “Path to the 2012 Farm Bill” series, NSAC gets into the details of the 2012 Farm Bill debate. This first post in the series discusses the major factors influencing the 2012 Farm Bill […]

February 3, 2012 - AFRC has concerns over new Forest Planning Rule

Tom Partin,  President American Forest Resource Council The National Forest Planning process has a significant impact on the members of AFRC and their employees who live and work in the remote communities of the West where timber jobs and forest health are important to everyday life.  The new Forest Planning […]

February 2, 2012 - How 10% jump in beef prices hurts Oregon

How 10% jump in beef prices hurts Oregon See video below from KOIN-6 which reviews recent beef price increases and interviews an Oregon rancher family.

February 1, 2012 - Boxwood blight disease found in Oregon

Oregon takes action to stop new plant disease By Oregon Dept. of Agriculture Boxwood blight, a fungal plant disease new to North America, has been detected in Oregon for the first time, prompting state officials to take measures to eradicate it. However, unlike the pathogen that causes sudden oak death, […]

January 31, 2012 - NOAA expands turtle habitat designations on West Coast

NOAA rule designates add’l critical habitat for leatherbacks on U.S. west coast By Pacific Fishery Management Council NOAA announced the designation of additional critical habitat to provide protection for endangered leatherback sea turtles along the U.S. West Coast. NOAA is designating 41,914 square miles of marine habitat in the Pacific […]