By Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities The Biden Administration issued a report suggesting United States must double or quadruple the rate at which it thins and removes dead wood from its forests to reduce the threat of wildfires. The call for increased forest management comes after a record wildfire season in 2020 […]

By National Cattlemen Beef Association, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a top-to-bottom review of the “Product of the USA” (POTUSA) label, which will inform a forthcoming rulemaking on this topic. NCBA has long-advocated for voluntary labels that meet consumer demand and allow producers to distinguish their products in […]

By Oregon Tax News, Oregon’s state senators who want to let local governments cash in on cannabis sales approved a measure allowing cities and counties to raise the existing 3 percent tax as high as 10 percent. Senate Bill 854 gained bipartisan support in the Senate chamber with Democrats supporting […]

By Natural Resource News Note, Two of the Oregon Legislative Session’s most contentious bills died in Committee as the Oregon Capitol closed their 2021 Session this weekend. Farm overtime: House Bill 2358 would have required Ag employers to pay farm workers overtime if they worked more than 40 hours in […]

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, June 24, 2021 The Supreme Court’s conservative majority so far this term hasn’t broken new Constitutional ground with its narrow rulings. That changed Wednesday with the Court’s 6-3 Cedar Point Nursery decision, which significantly bolsters protections of private property rights. Two growers in California challenged […]

By Oregon Family Farm Association It is outrageous that the only tax increase the Oregon Legislature may pass in the 2021 Session is a tax on the smallest family-owned businesses like family farms. If your family farm is organized as a “pass-through entity” such as an LLC (limited liability company) […]

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter, One more week of session remains, and bills are moving fast at this stage with most state agency budgets being finalized. We received good news on funding for the ODA Noxious weed program and we’re still advocating for money for alternatives to Chlorpyrifos. OFS […]

By National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, The Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center released a report quantifying the negative impact imposing new transfer taxes will have on U.S. cattle and beef producers. The conclusions of the study support NCBA’s position on tax policy for rural America that creates a viable […]

By Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities, Anyone who pays taxes or recreates on national forests in Oregon should support the U.S. Forest Service’s efforts to remove dead and dying trees that pose safety hazards to the public. In the face of liability concerns, failure to act means the agency will be […]

By Natural Resource Note, Several people who reported a wolf wandering in the China Hat Road region southeast of Bend may in fact have seen a domestic wolf-dog hybrid, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials. Although it may resemble a wolf, the fact that the four-legged furry […]