Oregon

Improve the health of America’s forests while reducing the risks of wildfire to communities.  That has been the effort and focus on the U.S. Forest Service’s Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, which has focused on 21 specially selected fire sheds.  But Agriculture Sec...

Wildfires have forced evacuations across Oregon this summer.  And now, the state is making new software available that alerts residents to changes in evacuation levels.  Ed Flick, director of the Oregon Office of Resilience and Emergency Management, says the software makes it easy to develop an evacuation map.   "The Genas...

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has given the go-ahead to increase brand inspection fees, starting October 1st.  Changes this fall include:  Brand inspection per head fee is increasing to $1.15 to $1.35 per head...a 20 cent increase.  C ... Read More ...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture is considering establishing a quarantine of untreated out-of-state firewood.  The Department is looking to prevent the introduction of plant pests and bee pests.  The movement of firewood containing plant pests and bee pests poses a threat to Washington’s forests, agricultural, and environmental interests.  Eggs, larvae, and ...

More than 400 cases of salmonella across the country have been linked to backyard poultry.  The CDC says over 100 people have been hospitalized during this outbreak.  Texas and Missouri have the most cases, followed by Minnesota, Washington, Michigan, and Oklahoma.   Almost 70%...

Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the latest funds dolled out by the USDA's Fertilizer Production Expansion Program, or F-PEP.    “We're announcing an additional 7 projects that we're funding in seven states, an investment of about $35 million in expanded fertilizer capacity.”   The p...

The U.S. Forest Service is looking to shore up its wildland firefighting force in the Pacific Northwest.  Recruitment events will take place across Oregon next month, with stops in Bend, Sandy and La Grande on September 12th, in an effort to hire a couple hundred permanent seasonal positions.   “...

So far, more than one million acres have burned across Oregon, and it’s not even September.  U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said he gets regular updates from fire managers.   “They use terms like ‘this is a war.’," the Oregon democrat said.  "...

Yeah, you might wanna stay the heck away from these creatures!!

On Tuesday, Oregon senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged the Department of the Interior to support Governor Tina Kotek’s request for emergency authorizations to allow flexibility in grazing schedules.  Kotek’s request would also use alternative grazing areas in response to the current wildfire disaster in Oregon.     “The grazi...