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Oregon Department of Agriculture – ODA Director to hand out education award at Ag Fest
Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba will present funds to three winners of the second annual Oregon Ag Fest Agricultural Education Award this coming Sunday, April 28, at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. The awards presentation is part of the 26th annual Oregon Ag Fest to be held over the weekend. The purpose [...]
SB 800 New regulations for pesticide operators
Your input is imperative! Please weigh in and let legislators know you OPPOSE this bill. What does SB 800 do? This bill will require pesticide operators, and state and local government entities, to send a copy of their spray record to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) within 60 days of application. OFS Opposes SB 800 because; Creates [...]
New Taxes most burdensome to farm and ranch families
New Medicare taxes, the health insurance tax and penalties for failure to meet coverage requirements will harm the nation’s farm and ranch families, the American Farm Bureau Federation told Congress today. The new Medicare Contribution Tax, which is a tax on unearned income such as capital gains, will burden farmers and ranchers more than many [...]
Oregon Ag looking for possible pollution sites
The Oregon Department of Agriculture will kick off two pilot projects this summer, in which it actively looks for agricultural water polluters. Currently the state goes after pollutors only when it receives complaints. credit: Oregon Department of Agriculture The Oregon Department of Agriculture will kick off two pilot projects this summer, in which it actively [...]
Hearing on SB 633 – Seed Preemption
Tuesday, March 12 at 3:00 at the Capitol The first legislative hearing on SB 633 will be next Tuesday, March 12, at 3:00 pm. Come tell legislators why this bill is important to you! SB 633 would ensure that the regulation of agriculture seed and crops would only occur at the state and [...]
Koba urges Oregon farmers and ranchers to complete Census
February 8, 2013… Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba is asking the state’s farmers and ranchers to complete and return the 2012 Census of Agriculture, if they haven’t already done so. Surveys are still being accepted by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which conducts the census. “I urge our producers [...]
ODA’s Katy Coba looks back
Katy Coba looks back on 2012 and ahead to 2013 as she assesses Oregon & US ag In many ways, 2012 was a banner year for Oregon agriculture, and that has set up a potentially strong encore in 2013. That’s the assessment of Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba as she reviews the past [...]
News from Congressman Greg Walden
This week, Rep. Greg Walden joined 54 of his colleagues in sending a letter (see below) to the Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Peterson of the House Agriculture Committee supporting efforts to pass a five-year farm bill to provide farmers and processors with the certainty they need. The letter also urges the continuation of [...]
County anti-biotech effort hits snag
By MITCH LIES, Capital Press A hearing date has not yet been set for a ballot initiative sponsored by a group seeking to ban the production of genetically engineered crops in Benton County, Ore. The group, GMO Free Oregon’s Benton County chapter, has challenged a county determination that its initiative petition is invalid. [...]
