Agriculture

Northwest wheat farmers should check their fields for stripe rust, as the next two weeks will be "critical," an expert says.

PENDLETON — As cows and their young calves are turned out onto spring pastures in the Blue Mountains, ranchers are struggling to protect their herds from predators.

Dennis Dean was a farmer but the eruption of Mount St. Helens turned his world upside down.

UMATILLA COUNTY — Area farmers have cause for celebration after completion of a major water supply project known as the West Project.

Pests can pose a serious threat to crops, but the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center is on the case.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has approved the transfer of the former Lost Valley Farm in Boardman to Easterday Farms based in Pasco, Wash., which bought the property for $66.7 million …

NASA, Google, environmental groups to make water data more accessible in 2021

A $4 million-plus irrigation pipeline is nearly complete that will give irrigators in the Upper Wallowa Valley a more efficient and less expensive way to water crops, livestock and pasture whe…

The legislative deadlock may forestall upgrades to Oregon’s regulatory powers over hemp that are needed to meet federal requirements for the crop.

ENTERPRISE — Wheat farmer Erl McLaughlin has finally gotten a settlement for his unharvested crop after fretting through the fall and early winter and wondering what the next growing season wi…

Some industry experts predict CBD sales in the U.S. could reach $20 billion by 2024, though others say it remains a perilous market for hemp growers.

Authorities are investigating the mysterious death and mutilation of a cow on a remote ranch at the border between Oregon's Lake and Deschutes counties.

New Oregon dairies would need to pass muster with regulators before starting operations under a bill the state Legislature will  reconsider this session.

OLYMPIA — Hemp's popular non-psychoactive compound CBD would be a legal food ingredient in Washington under a bill introduced Jan. 7 by a state legislator, a move that would cross federal food…

A federal judge has effectively revoked a grazing permit for Oregon’s Hammond Ranches, ruling that it was renewed contrary to regulations and thus unlawful.

HERMISTON — Wednesday marks the beginning of the 46th annual Hermiston Farm Fair with over 50 vendors from across the Northwest ready to set up shop, and an assortment of agricultural seminars…

Miller, university researchers, make advances on potato Pink Rot control

SALEM — The 50th Northwest Agricultural Show will be Jan. 15-17 at the Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center in Salem.

Preliminary findings from research into the use of biostimulants in blueberries are proving positive.

Federal agencies want to require seed imports to first be quarantined at centralized exam stations before being delivered to Oregon warehouses, alarming the state’s seed industry.

Artist, sound engineer and adventure traveler Blu Fortner is adding “farmer” to his resume with his first commercial crop of hemp seed.

MADAS, Ore. — A habitat conservation plan aimed at protecting several species while shielding farmers from legal liability in Oregon’s Deschutes River basin will be formally announced next week.

Blake Rowe, 63, announced earlier this year he plans to retire from the Oregon Wheat Commission and Oregon Wheat Growers League. The organizations announced Sept. 19 they are searching for a r…

U.S. farmers are cheering a new trade deal with Japan that they say will put them on equal footing with overseas competitors.

A slight increase in U.S. hop stocks is indicative, a leading producer says, of a relatively good balance between supply and demand.

Gov. Kate Brown selected Marty Myers, of Threemile Canyon Farms, to serve a second four-year term on the board, which makes policy recommendations for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

BEND, Ore. — Though preventing leaky canals from losing water doesn’t seem like a particularly controversial idea, irrigators in Central Oregon have found out otherwise.

Clive Kaiser, horticulture professor and Umatilla County extension agent for OSU in Milton-Freewater, will take over as interim director at HAREC beginning Sept. 3.

MAUPIN — There’s a lot of time to think while sitting behind the wheel of a combine.

Researchers at Oregon State University have determined a combination of factors — apart from pesticides — may be to blame in part of bumblebee deaths beneath linden trees.

The USDA's Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center in Pendleton, Ore. plans to hire three new positions after receiving an additional $2 million in funding through Congress.

Anita Azarenko will take over as interim Vice Provost for University Outreach and Engagement and director of Oregon State University Extension Service beginning July 7. She replaces Scott Reed…

PORTLAND — A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting two Oregon ranchers pardoned last year on arson charges from grazing cattle on four federal allotments.