Columns

With hunting season underway, a familiar challenge unfolds. Hunters seek publicly managed wildlife, but much of the prime habitat is owned by private landowners. While most landowners aren’t o…

For more than 20 years, a group of plaintiffs led by a litigious special interest environmental group have held our region hostage, threatening to breach our dams and drain the lifeblood of ou…

Over 2 million acres of working forests managed by the State of Washington provide a sustainable and continuous supply of timber, clean water for salmon, habitat for wildlife, family-wage jobs…

As Idahoans, we have a stronger incentive than anyone to preserve, maintain and enhance the land we call home — like reducing wildfire threats, improving soil health, restoring waterways and e…

The free, non-harmful, and productive use of private property is a cornerstone of the American Dream. And proper regulation, to prevent harmful uses of property, is consistent with this princi…

State departments of agriculture operate on the front lines of U.S. export promotion — and for good reason. Food, agriculture and forestry exports provide a vital source of income for American…

For the entire year, the Columbia Basin Development League has been pushing to ensure the White House infrastructure plan would include water infrastructure for agriculture. Drinking water inf…

Our civilization has benefited greatly from the use of fossil fuel to power our lives, for which I am grateful. Unfortunately, scientific investigation has made it clear that the carbon dioxid…

Numerous published geologic studies and present-day observations show that over the course of past millennia, a series of no less than five lava flows crossed the Klamath River.

My family’s cattle ranching heritage dates back to California’s Gold Rush. Today, my wife, Katie, and I are still going strong, and one day we hope to have a ranch of our own that our daughter…

On Aug 26, 2021, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind authorized the lethal removal of one to two wolves from the Togo pack territory in response to repeated depr…

This last week, the Oregon Legislature released their proposals for redistricting in the state, and the stakes have never been higher. This redistricting process follows on the heels of the 20…

Last month, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan infrastructure package. Idaho Sens. Risch and Crapo voted to support the package.

Some questions have been raised concerning the determination of the price used in calculating revenue crop insurance payments for Washington wheat producers. Selecting an insurance plan can be…

If you don’t live in Central Washington, it may be easy to dismiss the critical role the dams along the Lower Snake and Columbia rivers play in local communities. But if you care about the fut…

As the Oregon legislature ended its 2021 session, an epic heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest, punctuating the importance of a bipartisan breakthrough for climate.

Iron Gate and Copco lakes together hold a reserve of 45 billion gallons of fresh water.

Wildfires and land management should not be a partisan issue, and nowhere is it more evident than in California. In order to prevent the catastrophic dangers that fires pose to homes, business…

It’s that time of year for members of Congress to head home to their districts, take tours and talk to constituents. It gives lawmakers a chance to take the pulse of what is happening back hom…

We add our voice to those who support maintaining the Lower Snake River Dams.

Anyone who works the land should be wary of proposed legislation that applies federal Wild & Scenic River designations to 4,700 miles of Oregon rivers, streams, creeks, gulches, draws and …

"Chi, chi, chi, chi, chi, chi chi, chi. . ."

It may seem counterintuitive to say that removing dams can be in the best interests of irrigated agriculture, but in the case of the four lower Klamath dams this is precisely the case.

For the past 6 years I have been studying and writing about the proposed Klamath River dams removal project and its impacts on the environment and localized threatened and endangered species i…

It was 102 degrees in Medford on June 1, 2021. Let me say that again just in case it didn’t fully sink in: Medford suffered temperatures as high as 102 degrees in spring, making it harder for …

There’s been a lot of talk about our dams over the last few weeks, and I want to make it abundantly clear: Any “solution” for our salmon population that includes removing the dams on the Lower…

I am a political dichotomy.

Taxes! This is usually the first question that comes up for families who are considering gifting their farm to the next generation. A fact that sometimes surprises clients is that Oregon and W…

Effective management of water resources affects the vitality of communities and their ability to grow and develop. Respecting water rights is a central factor in the management of water resources.

Last year, Washington’s Supreme Court disrupted the state’s agricultural industry when it held that the agricultural overtime exemption violated the state’s constitution as applied to dairy wo…

The Simpson Plan does everything the Ag and Rural Caucus asked for: 1) puts up dollars up front to mitigate all foreseeable costs on eastern Washington residents, 2) provides time to make good…

The Oregon Values & Voices project will pair unbiased research with independent reporting to inform Oregonians working to build stronger communities across the entire state

Recently I met with county commissioners from Twin Falls, Gooding, Shoshone, Lincoln, Jerome and Minidoka, and I was able to discuss my Columbia Basin Initiative to address ending the perennia…

Make no mistake about it, a proposal by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, that would result in the removal of the four lower Snake River dams would dramatically and negatively impact Idaho agricultu…

In 2011, I attended the Fourth International Crop Science Congress in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. I listened to a presentation by Dr. Stephen Powles, University of Western Australia, now …

When ESSB 5172, a bill addressing retroactive pay in agriculture, passed out of the Senate in early March, Senate Democrats who hijacked the bill with amendments celebrated its passage as a su…

To the residents of the Tri Cities: In light of the ongoing debate about the Scout Wind Farm Project, I think it is time you are introduced to your neighboring community in the Horse Heaven Hills.

Oregon Senate Republicans have engaged in four legislative walkouts in less than two years. Democrats and Republicans alike have used quorum denial as a negotiating chip when all else has fail…

The process of developing and rolling out a big idea like my Pacific Northwest economic revitalization and salmon recovery package is never easy or pretty. Messaging a comprehensive package th…