Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, is beginning her ninth year in the position. The department has released an interview in which she talks about the year ahead for Oregon farmers. It’s a good, quick read that touches on nursery issues, including export markets, water quality, pesticides and more. Check it out.
Nurseries and the 2011 Legislature
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How may nurseries be affected by the 2011 Oregon Legislature and its revised political landscape? Mitch Lies of the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.) takes a look. Among the legislative priorities for the Oregon Association of Nurseries are protecting the Oregon Department of Agriculture against budget cuts, preventing attempts to regulate immigration (properly a federal matter) […]
ODA plans meeting on brown marmorated stink bug
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With a common name like “brown marmorated stink bug,” one wouldn’t expect Halyomorpha halys to be a very pleasant insect to deal with – and it isn’t. The bug from Asia has become a major agricultural pest in the United States over the past 14 years, since arriving in Pennsylvania in 1996. It arrived in […]
Gypsy moths sent packing
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Despite placing 12,000 traps this year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture detected just six gypsy moths in the state. That’s half the number detected in 2008 (12), and far fewer than the thousands that were detected at times in the past. Three were found in Portland near Jantzen Beach, two in the Aurora area, and […]
Join the fight against invasives
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The Oregon Invasive Species Council is accepting nominations for four positions on the council that are coming open at the end of the year. The appointing authorities are looking for individuals with expertise in various areas, one of which is nursery production. The Oregon Department of Agriculture has one of the six permanent seats, but […]
It’s official – Climate Friendly Nurseries Project launched
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The Oregon Association of Nurseries and the Oregon Environmental Council have created a partnership known as the Climate Friendly Nurseries Project, the two organizations announced Thursday morning at the 2009 Farwest Show in Portland, Ore. Over the next three years, the partners will work together to help nurseries to reduce energy use and emissions of […]
Control area established for filberts
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The Oregon Department of Agriculture has declared that the entire state is now a control area for Eastern filbert blight (EFB) (download the order: PDF). Officials took action because a new, more virulent strain of the blight was detected on the East Coast. As a result of the declaration, movement of Corylus nursery stock into […]
OAN legislative agenda
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The Oregon Association of Nurseries announced its federal and state legislative agendas for 2009. On the federal level, the top priority continues to be comprehensive immigration reform, which includes border security, an adjustment of status for workers currently in the United States, and a visa system that is flexible and provides for a future flow […]
Governor, ODA director seek disaster declaration
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Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, have gone to bat for Oregon nurseries by seeking a disaster declaration, which would free up assistance to those who suffered winter storm damage. The announcement was made at an OAN-organized meeting Tuesday afternoon in Wilsonville. On Monday, Kulongoski wrote a letter […]