Archives

August 17, 2020 - What happened in the 15-hour Special Session

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter, Last Monday the state legislature met for a whirlwind second special session to focus on balancing the state budget. Prior to the mini-session, Oregon faced nearly $1 billion in revenue losses in the current biennium due to COVID-19 shut down orders. Monday’s 15-hour special […]


August 14, 2020 - Small farmers get skipped in virus relief funds

By National Association of Wheat Growers, NBC News did an analysis of the first nearly 700,000 Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments totaling $5.6 billion. The news outlet found that “while greatly appreciated by many farmers, CFAP has been marked by structural challenges. The preliminary data suggest that it has […]


August 12, 2020 - Lottery decline puts rural funding projects at risk

By Oregon Small Business Association, Two Eastern Oregon projects slated to be completed with money from the state lottery may be in jeopardy, partly because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Lottery revenue was expected to pay a large chunk of the cost for renovations at the Umatilla County Jail and […]


August 10, 2020 - What may happen in Special Session

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter, The Legislature is set to meet again this week for the 2nd Special Session of 2020. The prime objective is to rebalance the state budget, which is suffering significant shortfalls in revenue from income taxes, lottery receipts, and other taxes and fees on sales. […]


August 7, 2020 - Farmers want a vote on milk policy

By American Farm Bureau Federation, The American Farm Bureau Federation released its final report on priorities for milk pricing reform, calling for more democracy and a more equitable program for dairy farmers. Among AFBF’s priorities is amending the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act to give dairy farmers an opportunity to directly […]


August 5, 2020 - Wyden: Improve Hemp Farm Rules

US Senator Ron Wyden Release, Senators: “Farmers in Oregon and across the country are on the precipice of an agricultural boom that, with the right regulatory framework, stands to boost rural economies in every corner of the country” Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today asked […]


August 3, 2020 - Ag Dept. drafts more product bans

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter, Unfortunately for Oregon growers, controversy over pesticides isn’t new. For decades, OFS has supported farmers and foresters and worked alongside growers to protect their ability to use pesticides, fertilizers, and biotechnology responsibly. For the last several years, the state legislature has taken up product […]


July 31, 2020 - How the HEALS Act helps farmers

American Farm Bureau Federation, Senate leadership introduced the Health Economic Assistance Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act. The HEALS Act is the latest in response to the COVID-19 national emergency and would provide an additional $20 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help farmers and ranchers. The following […]


July 29, 2020 - Walden: Wildfire fix rule adopted by Forest Service

Oregon Congressman Greg Walden, Representative Greg Walden released a statement after the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced a new rule to update the agency’s special-use regulations to improve the reliability of the electrical grid and reduce the threat of wildfires. This rule builds off of a fix Walden helped secure […]


July 27, 2020 - Shutdown bewilders farmers fall planting plans

By Kevin Hecteman California Farm Bureau, Photo/Kevin Hecteman: Dan Garcia, warehouse manager at Produce Express in Sacramento, looks over boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables awaiting pickup at the wholesaler’s drive-through. Produce Express began selling boxes directly to the public at the onset of the first round of pandemic-related shutdown […]