Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Tax hikes approved

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Yesterday, the Oregon House of Representatives approved two revenue bills that, combined, would raise an estimated $733 billion to fund state programs and services over the next fiscal biennium. The Oregon Senate is expected to follow suit, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski is certain to sign it. From there, the measures may be referred to voters […]

Losing a member of the Digger family

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The OAN family, and Digger magazine, lost a key contributor, supporter and friend over the weekend with the death of Krista Jeli, OAN director of finance and administration. She passed away Sunday after a 17-year battle with breast cancer. We will remember her remarkable grace, strength and humor in the face of adversity. You can […]

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Riding out the storm

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“It was the fastest hitting and departing storm I’ve seen,” said Grace Dinsdale, owner of Blooming Nursery in Cornelius, Ore. Last Thursday’s sudden squall raced its way through Western Oregon, bringing dust clouds, high winds, harsh rains, thunder, lightning, hail, and even flash floods, funnel clouds and tornadoes. Some 50,000 people lost power, and temperature […]

How the public feels

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How do Oregonians feel about agriculture? A recent public opinion survey by Conkling, Fiskum & McCormick revealed opinion trends on a number of issues, from water use to pesticides to organic farming. The Oregon Department of Agriculture outlined several of the most significant results in a press release. Among those results, a strong majority favors […]

Farm to market

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The Oregon Legislature this week approved a $300 million per year transportation package designed to upgrade roads statewide, create new capacity, and loosen bottlenecks that currently cost businesses time and money. The move was applauded by the Oregon Association of Nurseries as an important step towards helping growers move their goods to market. The improvements […]

Green Communities Act introduced

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The Oregon Association of Nurseries, and numerous other green industry trade groups, are getting behind the Green Communities Act, a federal bill introduced recently by U.S. Rep. Alyson Schwartz (D-Penn.). The bill would direct the U.S. Department of Commerce to award matching grants to up to 80 municipalities towards improving their “green infrastructure.” This could […]

Work site enforcement: a good thing?

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We reported last week that administration officials are planning to concentrate their immigration enforcement efforts on employers rather than employees. For employers, this sounds like a bad thing, but according to this e-mail from Tamar Jacoby, president of Immigration Works USA, that’s not necessarily the case: This will be the hallmark of DHS efforts going […]

Faith and immigration reform

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Trinity Episcopal Cathedral of Portland, Ore., is hosting a series of faith and ethics forums that pertain to the topic of immigraton. Jeff Stone of the Oregon Association of Nurseries and the Coalition for a Working Oregon are coordinating the speakers. Upcoming topics include “Labor and Community” (May 3), “Economics of Immigration Reform” (May 10), […]

OSU selects new agriculture dean

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Following an extensive recruitment and selection process, Oregon State University has chosen Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, associate dean and agricultural research director at the Purdue University College of Agriculture, to serve as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. He replaces Thayne Dutson, who served in both roles […]