As a native western Washingtonian, I have to say I am picking up what you were putting down in your editorial, “Local control for predators.”
The writers of the Opinion Our View section appearing in Capital Press, Aug. 16 issue, highlight the poor prices that farmers are receiving for commodities, including milk, and are "hoping for…
Our colleagues at the Oregon Capital Bureau did a thorough job of reporting last week on the subtle realities of the state’s urban-rural divide.
The initial news that the Chinese government would suspend all imports of U.S. agricultural goods hit farmers like a lightning bolt.
During presidential election cycles, candidates running for the highest office in the land descend on Iowa to take part in the state fair to talk to voters. This is where I found myself for se…
Much has been written, discussed, opined, and debated about the denying of a quorum for 9 days, when the 11 Oregon Senate Republicans made the decision to leave.
Farmers, ranchers and loggers in the Pacific Northwest have spent a lot of time over the last several months wondering how proposed climate change legislation will impact their livelihoods.
We get it. A recent study by scientists from Colorado State and Ohio State universities showed that if predators aren’t around, members of the public generally oppose shooting them.
The time has come to pack up the summer floaties, put away the campers and start packing the kids’ school backpacks, lunches and minds.
A La Grande Observer story published June 29 titled, “ Wolves Continue to Drive Debate” by Stephan Hamway deserves a response based on facts.
A recent correspondent on this page has it wrong when he says, “Ranchers and rural communities are living with the reality of this reintroduction” concerning the presence of wolves in Washingt…
It was 2015 when I had a serious wake-up call. Dairy farmers like me were facing lawsuits filed by Charlie Tebbutt. Several said if they were sued they’d just quit farming. That shook me up be…
National press reports last week indicated that new trade talks between the United States and China were to take place this week in Shanghai.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently began again issuing Employer Correction Request Notices (“Educational Correspondence” or “EDCOR”), also referred to as “no-match” or “mismatch…
Trends and changes in the food industry are more dynamic than ever. While trends always shift and others emerge over time, the convergence of rapidly developing technologies, shifts in consume…
The Washington Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments regarding farmworker overtime wages. If the Court rules that farm workers should receive overtime pay, it could mean fewer jobs and mo…
For a region that’s blessed with bountiful natural resources, the Pacific Northwest has largely missed the boat.
Last week it was reported that the Trump administration has decided to move the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management from Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction, Colo.
With summer upon us, many families look forward to a chance to explore America with vacations, stops at local community festivals and the great tradition of county fairs.
Re "Editorial: What PETA Does Best" (July 18), perhaps your editorial writers should ask themselves why the media focus endlessly on salacious stories, fashion frivolity, and The Bachelorette,…
Your story on a Western Innovator published July 19 strongly suggests that signing a United Farm Workers contract is the best way to show trust and respect for farmworkers. That would come as …
Anyone who has taken a recent drive in America’s western states can see first-hand what we at American Farmland Trust have been saying for years: our farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate.
How long could you afford to lose 20% of your annual income, while at the same time working longer hours trying to mitigate your losses? Not long.
In his 2011 State of the Union speech, President Obama caught the attention of many of us when he said, “The Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but the Co…
You have to hand it to the folks at PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They know how to get their names in the news. Whether it’s trying to assert constitutional rights for ki…
Fifty years ago the entire world turned its eyes to the heavens as astronauts from the United States landed on the moon.
In 1900, roughly 60% of Americans lived in a rural setting. The results of the most recent U.S. Census, conducted in 2010, show that number has sunk to less than 20%. A recent study from the C…
“Ninety-seven percent of land in Custer County is state and federally owned and exempt from taxation,” explained Custer County commissioner and Idaho Association of Counties Public Lands Commi…
A Washington State Department of Ecology analysis of the economic impact of forcing 150 wineries in the state to pay new wastewater permit fees lays bare a dangerous and frustrating bureaucrat…
In addition to being the most important industry in the world, agriculture is also the most interesting.
I was born in January 1997 and turned 22 this year. I will graduate from college just before I turn 23, entering into a moderately healthy job market. I was four years old when terrorists atta…
I have locks on my doors. Why?
Thousands of Oregonians gathered in front of the state Capitol last week to protest climate change bills that wouldn’t help the climate but would significantly raise the cost of gasoline, dies…
In the final day of the session, the Oregon Senate passed House Bill 2015, a measure that will allow illegal immigrants and other Oregonians who can’t prove their legal residence status to get…
I recently joined more than 400 educators from around the country to learn how to use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies and more at the National Ag…
"The United States is a market-based economy. A market-based economy is an open economy in which the market's own laws and forces call the tune — not the government nor any other entity beside…
Our editorial gaze rarely lands on the Big Apple, but a property rights issue in Manhattan’s fashionable East Village that will resonate with farmers and ranchers in the Pacific Northwest has …
Some call it cowboy talk. Others call it straight talk, plain talk, talking turkey or just plain English.
Regarding the June 14 opinion piece supporting the 2020 Clean Energy Bill.
Voters, please, do not be misled by thinking the Oregon Republican senators were being arrogant. Thank goodness they had the courage to stand against this most extreme and impracticable politi…
Any 21st century farmer knows that farming is expensive. You could easily spend more than a million dollars on equipment alone. What’s more, you need more than just one harvester and one tract…
Businesses in Oregon face $1 billion in newly passed taxes earmarked for education reform. Climate change legislation pending in the Legislature promises to increase fuel and energy costs for …
It won’t solve all of the problems facing them, but moving the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture to Kansas City will bring them closer to farmers and ran…
In response to the 220-farmer June 14 letter “Climate change is here; we need bold solutions:” Climate change is not here, and no, we don’t. Sorry, AOC. Sorry, Al Gore. Sorry, UN-IPCC.
I've been subscribing to the Capital Press for several years now and the number of weeks that there hasn't been an article on wolves killing livestock is few to none.
The United States and Mexico reached a last-minute deal June 7 that prevented the imposition of new tariffs threatened by the Trump administration.
When state wildlife managers moved elk into the Skagit Valley, they took responsibility for them. So did the area Native American tribes, who helped with the effort.
It’s really gratifying to see the engagement on our 5-part wolf series, looking at how wolves have affected our people and our state almost 25 years after reintroduction in 1995.
El Niño rains and early snowmelt that flood our fields and orchards. Droughts, floods and stronger storms. Farmworkers toiling in unsafe working conditions through smoke and extreme heat, whil…
It appears the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may have seen the light. In its preliminary environmental impact statement, the agency has recommended against draining Detroit Lake. The reservoir …
It is my understanding that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking input on how to better manage our stored water supply in the West. Having lived some 60 years of my adult life on a farm…
I’m writing in regards to a suggestion l made to Editor Joe Beach and a voice mail message to George Plaven on his article and photos, front page of the May 17 Issue. I suggested then that an …
Chris Mertz, director of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service field office in Olympia, Wash., says that while the number of small farms continues to grow, larger farms continue to…
We’re beginning to notice small changes in our wheat crop. The short green fields are growing tall. Before long, the wheat will begin turning from the vivid greens to the golden hues signaling…
Hats off to Beth Ford for calling out President Trump’s questionable arithmetic.