Salem-News.com Agriculture articles Page 31

Happy 150th Birthday to Oregon and Oregon Agriculture

Oregon’s productive farm land, first observed by Lewis and Clark, is today a multi-billion dollar industry.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The State of Oregon is having a birthday party this weekend that is expected to last for the rest of the year.

Statehood was attained 150 years ago, but agriculture in Oregon predates the year 1859. The sesquicentennial celebration now underway certainly includes the life and times of the agriculture industry, which hopes to tell its rich, historical story in the months ahead.

Guest Opinion: A Department of All Kinds of Agriculture

This year, legislators in Salem are considering a bill that would bring more Oregon grown, processed and manufactured products into the public school lunchroom.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - As the new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack will have many proverbial rows to hoe. At his recent senate confirmation hearing, he got a small taste of just how many.

Just after Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) voiced his support for organic agriculture, Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) offered a different perspective on how USDA should prioritize resources.

Senators Introduce Bill to Promote Biogas Production Through Tax Credits‏

Biogas is produced through technologies such as anaerobic digestion (AD) that can convert animal wastes and other agricultural or organic wastes into at least 50% methane.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Billions of gallons of fossil fuels could be reduced through renewable energy sources produced from animal waste with a little ingenuity and modest government support.

Today, a bipartisan group of seven Senators led by Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska introduced groundbreaking legislation that promotes the development of biogas – a natural gas substitute created by the conversion of organic wastes such as the anaerobic digestion of animal wastes – through tax incentives.

Zimbabwe`s Despair Continues

Cholera kills almost 2000-Concern Worldwide issues urgent appeal.

(NEW YORK) - The death toll in Zimbabwe from cholera has almost topped 2000, out of total of more than 37,000 confirmed cases, worsening the plight of nation hammered by hyper inflation, food shortages, and an HIV and AIDS epidemic that affects 15 percent of the population.

Already active in the country distributing food, building up livelihood opportunities and caring for people living with HIV and AIDS, Concern Worldwide, the international humanitarian organization, has begun an aggressive program of cholera prevention targeting more than 200,000 people in the districts of Chegutu, Nyanga, and North and South Gokwe.

Oregon Nurseries Severely Damaged by Winter Storms (PHOTOS)

Oregon's top nursery and greenhouse counties were hit hardest by the storms and suffered the greatest damage.

(WILSONVILLE, Ore.) - 160 Oregon Association of Nurseries growers in 12 Oregon counties reported that damage to nursery structures and crops due to late December storms range from $18 million to $31 million.

Hardest hit by the unusual series of snow and ice storms were many greenhouses and other structures used in the production of nursery and greenhouse crops.

Growers reported the total estimated cost to repair or replace damaged greenhouses and structures equals $10.8 million.

Oregon Agriculture Takes Full Advantage of Conservation Programs

Federal conservation payments to Oregon have increased 400% in the last eight years.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon’s farmers and ranchers are among the nation’s leaders when it comes to tapping into federal conservation programs. Since 2000, the amount of government payments for conservation programs to Oregon producers has grown by more than 400 percent, according to statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

That reflects the commitment Oregon agriculture has for protecting and improving the state’s natural resources.

“I think Oregon agriculture has a very good story to tell in terms of its contribution to protecting and enhancing the environment," says Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba. “Our farmers and ranchers recognize the importance of investing in measures that sustain the natural resources so important to agriculture.”

Trout Program Produces Big Fish, Big Bucks

The $5 million cost of the trout stocking program is funded through the sale of Oregon fishing licenses and a federal excise tax on the sale of fishing tackle.

(CLACKAMAS, Ore.) - There is perhaps no outdoor program touched more Oregonians or generated more excitement, enthusiasm and sheer joy than the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s trout stocking program.

Every year, ODFW releases millions of rainbow trout into hundreds of Oregon ponds, lakes and streams, giving eager youngsters and adults the opportunity to catch their first fish. In 2008 alone, the agency released nearly 6 million trout in hundreds of locations around the state.

“It’s become a real popular program,” said Hal Boldt, trout stocking coordinator for ODFW’s Northwest Region, which plants rainbow trout in 96 lakes and ponds from Bonneville Dam to the Oregon Coast and as far south as Eugene. Everywhere Boldt and ODFW drivers go, they receive a hero’s welcome when they back their tankers filled with rainbow trout down to the water’s edge and open the gate valve.

Oregonians No Longer Gobble Up Locally-Grown Turkeys

Once thriving Oregon turkey industry long gone despite a few niche market birds.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The distinct sound of gobbling turkeys in Oregon has generally grown silent the past 15 years. What was once a thriving agricultural industry left the state– a rarity among Oregon's diverse list of commodities.

Group Sues to Protect Idaho`s Minidoka Japanese Interment Camp

A broad coalition of Idahoans and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Sue Jerome County Board of Commissioners over decision allowing factory farming near Minidoka National Historic Site.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The National Trust for Historic Preservation today joined a broad coalition of Idahoans and state and national organizations as a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit appealing a decision by the Jerome County Board of Commissioners on September 23, 2008 to approve an application for a confined animal feeding operation, or 'CAFO' permit near the Minidoka National Historic Site in Idaho.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation joined with Japanese American Citizens League, Friends of Minidoka, Preservation Idaho, Idaho Concerned Area Residents for the Environment (ICARE), the Idaho Rural Council, and local farming families and landowners, the Dimonds and Slones, in filing the Petition for Judicial Review. These groups are deeply concerned about the consequences that this CAFO will have on adjacent property and Minidoka.

The petition challenges the Board’s approval based on its inadequate consideration of the impacts to Minidoka and private property, and exclusion of the opportunity for the coalition members to participate in the process in violation of their due process rights.

Universities to Hold Forum About Uniting Rural, Urban Oregon

Four Oregon universities will sponsor a conference in Salem on November 14th that aims to strengthen links between the state's rural and urban areas.

(SALEM, Ore.) - "Oregon is an incredibly diverse collection of landscapes, economies and communities," said Beth Emshoff, metro specialist for the Oregon State University Extension Service and the lead organizer of the conference.

“No matter where we live – in an urban, suburban or rural environment – all Oregonians share common needs and aspirations for a sustainable future. Yet myths and local perspectives can keep us from acknowledging and understanding the interdependence of all of the regions.”

"Those gathered will set an agenda of discovery toward one Oregon by exploring what connects the entire state and what, strategically, are the ways that these connections can be strengthened for the benefit of the state," she added.