Five Years in the Making, Three FTAs Approved by Congress From National Association of Wheat Growers Congress approved this week free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, nearly five years after the agreements were first negotiated. The House and Senate both passed the agreements on Wednesday. The Colombia […]

Lawmakers Fail to Address Growing Cougar Problem By Oregon Small Business Association Despite growing concern over Oregon’s exploding cougar population, the 2011 Legislature took a pass on approving meaningful legislation that would have helped get Oregon’s cougar population under control. Rod Harder, a lobbyist for the Oregon National Rifle Association, […]

By Oregon Department of Forestry State officials announced that a new site with trees infected by the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum – also known as Sudden Oak Death – has been discovered in Curry County. The new infection site is over six miles north of a quarantine boundary established by state […]

Curt Kipp Oregon Association of Nurseries During 2010, Oregon nursery and greenhouse growers had less money coming in for the third consecutive year, according to statistics newly released by the USDA-Natural Agricultural Statistics Service, Oregon Field Office. The numbers are added up from a survey that is sent to every […]

By Rick Sohn Umpqua Coquille, Housing starts are low, and will likely go lower in winter, but mortgage interest rates are at record lows. Unsold inventory is not rising. See below for details and a six-year span of prices and analysis of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage stats. Information and […]

By National Association of Wheat Growers Key Members of Congress are quickly looking for solutions to a pesticide permitting debacle set to hit farmers and other users of crop protection products at month’s end. That problem was created by a January 2009 Sixth Circuit Court decision saying pesticide discharge is […]

Surprise! More Corn Than Expected Corn Commentary National Corn Growers Association More corn stocks than expected showed up in the latest report out from USDA , which was a big surprise for many of the market watchers.  Despite the fact that corn stocks are reported to be 34% lower than […]

AFBF Urges Congress to Hold Line on Capital Gains Rate American Farm Bureau Federation WASHINGTON, D.C.,  – The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging Congress to maintain capital gains rates at the current 15 percent level and strongly backs legislation introduced today that would eliminate the sunset of the current […]

Greg Walden’s Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act takes important step toward House passage By Congressman Greg Walden WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Greg Walden’s legislation to create much-needed jobs, clean energy, and water conservation in Crook County took an important step forward today. The House Natural Resources Committee today […]

Agriculture Industry Leaders Speak Out On Sweeping E-Verify Requirements Set Forth By U.S. House Judiciary Committee BY Oregon Association of Nurseries, Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Dairy Farmers Association, Oregon Winegrowers Association. September 23, 2011, Wilsonville, Ore. – Oregon agriculture leaders responded sharply to news this week that the House Judiciary […]