By Rick Sohn Umpqua Coquille LLC Weaker log and stud prices are seasonally expected, while homebuilding statistics increased, unsold inventory dropped, and mortgage rates continued near record lows. See below for details and a six-year span of prices and analysis of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics. Information and interpretation.

Bill Conerly, Conerly Consulting, Businomics Wood products demand is far more sensitive to the economy than demand for almost any other product. The outlook for the next two years is moderately positive, at least compared to the weak domestic markets we’ve seen since the downturn began. Log export markets look […]

by Cindy, Corn Commentary National Corn Growers Association Corn growers and the grain-based ethanol industry got a late Christmas present last week when a Federal District Court judge in Fresno, California sided with America’s ethanol industry in ruling that the State of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the […]

Free forestry publication available online By Oregon Department of Forestry Oregon’s budget has necessitated cuts to a lot of programs – including some in forestry and the Oregon Department of Forestry’s flagship publication, Forests for Oregon – but the magazine-turned-newsletter is still available online, and it’s free. In print since […]

Retail Food Prices Moderate Slightly in Fourth Quarter By American Farm Bureau Federation Retail food prices at the supermarket declined slightly during the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can […]

Scientists ID possible cause for honeybee colony collapse By Kurt Kipp, Daily Digger Oregon Association of Nurseries For five years, scientists have puzzled over the origin of colony collapse disorder (CCD), which is believed responsible for a decline in the honeybee populations that many agricultural producers depend upon. Now it […]

Oregon Congressman Kurt Schrader Press Release Oregon’s rural communities cannot afford another 20 years of gridlock in our federal forests…As a bipartisan coalition, we have worked through our differences to forge a plan that would create thousands of new jobs in Oregon’s forested communities, ensure the health of federal forests […]

By Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife LA GRANDE, Ore.—Photos captured on an ODFW remote camera in northeast Oregon show the Wenaha wolf pack had at least one pup this year. The photos were taken on forested land in western Wallowa County as part of ODFW monitoring efforts for the […]

Corn Commenatry National Corn Growers Association There’s a hot new craze called the “Ethanol Shuffle” sweeping seaports from Sao Paulo to Los Angeles as tankers carrying Brazilian sugarcane ethanol bound for California pass those carrying corn ethanol bound for Brazil. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Vice President of Research and Analysis […]

Ag truck mileage reporting rule deadline nears on Jan 31st Natural Resources News Note: From Ag Alert, “Depending on size and age of equipment, farmers and ranchers who operate heavy-duty diesel trucks may need to report certain information to the state Air Resources Board by the end of January 2012. […]