Salem-News.com Agriculture articles Page 3

Flow Beehive Crowdfunding Beats Goal By 3,000%

Too good to be true? Flow Hive invention delivers honey on tap directly from the hive.

(SALEM, Ore.) - For the first time ever, there may be an easier way to extract honey from the hive. A father-son team, Stuart and Cedar Anderson, from Australia has been perfecting their idea for ten years, and it's been in use in experimental bee yards for three years. They began a Crowdfunding campaign yesterday, asking for $70,000.

In ONE day, they raised $2,155,661 USD, which is 3,080% of their goal, with 41 days left (campaign closes April 5).

Oregon Farmers Ending Hunger Host First Empty Bowls Fundraiser

Eat some hot soup and bid on an empty bowl, it will be fulfilling!

(SALEM, Ore.) - Farmers Ending Hunger, an Oregon non-profit led by Marion County resident John Burt, partners with area farmers who donate extra crops of fresh ingredients to be processed and transported to the Oregon Food Bank for use in the emergency relief food boxes.

The group is hosting its first Empty Bowls fundraiser (dinner and auction) on Saturday, Oct. 4 from 6-8 pm. The event is $15 and includes a bowl of soup and a slice of bread.

Wildfire: It`s Not If, but When

Your chances improve when you take prevention measures, and maintain them

(SALEM, Ore.) - This fire season has shown to be a long and grueling one. Stretching across the state from Klamath Falls to La Grande to Veneta, it started early and seems not to have an end in sight yet.

Defensible space around your home is the critical piece to improve the survivability of your home in the event of a wildfire, and there is still time to create it this fire season.

Oregon`s Deception Complex Fire Update

A Red Flag Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity is in effect through 8:00 p.m. Sunday.

(EUGENE, Ore.) - The Deception Complex fire is expected to become more active, especially from noon through 5:00 p.m., as relative humidity drops to 10 to 15%. Winds will generally be out of the southwest to west at 10 miles per hour. However, as a surface low pressure system moves over the area around mid-day Saturday, winds could become very gusty and erratic.

Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 4 with Incident Commander Brian J. Watts assumed management of the fire at 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

Oregon`s Deception Complex Fire Continues with Spotting Distance Less than a Half Mile

The Deception Complex Fire is located two miles west of Oakridge, Oregon, encompassing 2,747 acres, with 55% contained, and 1,068 total personnel fighting the fire.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Friday evening’s glow seen from Oakridge was the product of successful burnout operations on the eastern perimeter of the fire line.

A critical fire weather pattern continues today with south/southeast winds approximately 7-12 mph with gusts up to 27 mph. There were no spots outside of the established fire lines of the Deception Complex, and the intensity of the burn was kept to a low or moderate level.

Lost Hubcap Fire Burning South of Monument, Oregon

The fire was reported around 1:30 p.m. Friday burning in grass, sagebrush and juniper fuels.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Lost Hubcap Fire has burned 1,200-1,500 acres nine miles south of the community of Monument in the Central Oregon District's John Day Unit.

The Oregon Department of Forestry has two heavy air tankers, four single-engine air tankers and one helicopter fighting the fire, along with six fire engines, four bulldozers and district hand crews. Additional resources from the South Fork Complex are assisting.

Oregon Bee Deaths Not From Pesticides

In addition, Oregon State University examined bee samples from Clackamas County for pests and disease.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Laboratory analysis of dead honeybee samples taken from hives in Clackamas County this summer show no detection of pesticides.

According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, which conducted the testing and analysis, other factors are likely to be responsible for the death of thousands of bees from colonies owned by four local beekeepers.

Organic Foods Have More Nutritional Benefits; Less Chemical Pesticides

The researchers also found pesticide residues were three to four times more likely in conventional foods than organic ones.

(PULLMAN, Wash.) - The largest study of its kind has found that organic foods and crops have a suite of advantages over their conventional counterparts, including more antioxidants and fewer, less frequent pesticide residues.

The study looked at an unprecedented 343 peer-reviewed publications comparing the nutritional quality and safety of organic and conventional plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables and grains.

1 in 5 Honeybee Hives in Oregon Did Not Survive Winter

Nationally, commercial beekeepers reported a 23.2 percent decline last winter.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - More than one in five commercial honeybee hives in Oregon did not survive last winter, continuing a financially challenging trend for professional beekeepers.

Oregon beekeepers reported a 21.1 percent loss in colonies of the crucial crop pollinators.

New Pesticide Rule Hopes to Help Oregon Bee Deaths

The temporary rule, which goes into effect immediately, will be enforced for 180 days.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - The Oregon Department of Agriculture is taking additional steps to protect bees and other pollinators from exposure to specific pesticide products following multiple incidents of bee deaths this summer.

In adopting a temporary rule, ODA is prohibiting the use of pesticide products containing the active ingredients dinotefuran and imidacloprid on linden trees or other species of Tilia.