Salem-News.com Agriculture articles Page 35

Oregon Agricultural Sales Hit New High at $4.4 Billion

Of the 12 major agricultural commodity groups covered in the report, just one – dairy products – posted a decrease in gross sales from 2005 to 2006.

(CORVALLIS, Ore. ) - Agriculture in Oregon generated gross sales of $4.4 billion in 2006, setting an all-time sales record and logging a fourth straight year of sales growth.

The state's agricultural sector has experienced steady annual increases in sales since posting a figure of $3.48 billion in 2003.

Thirteen Oregon counties had more than $100 million in farm sales, led by Marion County, with $585 million.

Oregon House Committee Holds Hearing on Practice Described as One of Factory Farming’s Worst Abuses

By a two-to-one margin, state senate already approved measure prohibiting the use of cruel crates to confine breeding pigs.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Oregon House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow on a measure prohibiting one of the most abusive practices in factory farming: confining breeding pigs in metal gestation crates so small the animals can’t turn around for months on end.

The Oregon State Senate recently passed the bill, SB 694, by an overwhelming vote. The Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s largest animal protection organization with more than 10 million supporters, urged the committee to approve the important measure.

Oregon Strawberries - Still Great, Just Fewer of Them

Oregon producers are projected to harvest about 2,000 acres of strawberries this year.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Within a month, Oregon strawberries are expected to be ready for harvest, unofficially marking the beginning of the growing season.

But for the state's strawberry industry, competition and other factors have left production at a fraction of what it once was.

Niche marketing for both processed and fresh fruit is keeping the commodity alive, but it will probably never return to its glory days.

Meat from Hogs, Chickens Fed with Contaminated Feed Deemed Safe

Scraps of contaminated pet food that contained only low levels of melamine were distributed to farms in a limited number of states and added to the feed consumed by swine and poultry.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - There is very low risk to human health from consuming meat from hogs and chickens known to have been fed animal feed supplemented with pet food scraps that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds, according to an assessment conducted by scientists from five federal agencies.

In the most extreme risk assessment scenario, when scientists assumed that all the solid food a person consumes in an entire day was contaminated with melamine at the levels observed in animals fed contaminated feed, the potential exposure was about 2,500 times lower than the dose considered safe.

In other words, it was well below any level of public health concern.

Oregon to Begin Gypsy Moth Eradication Projects

Aerial spray projects planned for St. Helens and Bend.

(SALEM) - The latest battle in the war against the plant-eating gypsy moth in Oregon is about to begin this spring in St. Helens and Bend as the Oregon Department of Agriculture prepares to once again keep the invasive insect species from establishing in the state.

OLCC Mulls Winegrowers’ Bid to Overhaul 30-year-old Industry Rules

When the wine rules were initially adopted, there were fewer than three dozen wineries, mostly in the Willamette Valley; now there are 500 wineries throughout Oregon.

(SALEM) - Wine growers have petitioned the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to update the agency’s 30-year-old administrative rules on wine labeling to “reflect the needs of today’s industry.”

Number of Farms in Oregon Drops for First Time Since 1990

About 98 percent of all Oregon farming operations are owned by families.

(SALEM) - After holding steady at an estimated 40,000 farms each year since 1999, the number of farms in Oregon dropped to 39,300 in 2006, according to new figures released this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

While not a huge decrease, the latest statistic breaks a trend going back 16 years of either an increasing number or the same number of farms in Oregon.

It also marks the lowest number since 1997 when there were an estimated 39,000 farms statewide.

State Board Considers $10 Million in Requests for Watershed Projects in Oregon

Projects remove culverts, vegetate stream banks and increase streamflows.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board will consider proposals to award more than $10 million for stream, lake and wetland restoration projects to improve water and fish conditions and numerous related activities at meetings March 14th and 15th in Eugene.

The meetings will be held at the Mallard Banquet Hall, 725 West 1st Avenue. Both meetings begin at 8:00 AM. For more information, visit the OWEB Web site at oregon.gov/OWEB. Click on "OWEB Board" on the left menu or call 503-986-0178.

Restoration and land purchase project requests total $7.8 million.

ODA Offers Advice on Home Use Pesticides

Hear this story and more Salem-area news from SNC's Kevin Hays on Newsradio 1190 KEX.

(SALEM) - Now that there is more daylight and the weather is turning warmer, homeowners throughout Oregon are starting to do some work in the yard and garden.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is offering tips to homeowners when it comes to using pesticides.

Michael Babbitt pesticide investigator for ODA, says homeowners need to use extra caution when using pesticide products, and make sure to read the label.

Public Invited to Observe Spring Lambing at OSU Sheep Center

The public can view the ewes and lambs beginning Thursday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM weekdays and weekends.

(CORVALLIS, Ore.) - New lambs will begin arriving at Oregon State University's Sheep Center this month and the public is invited to view this annual rite of spring.