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Legal language

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The new version of House Bill 2904 that deals with threatened hoop house taxation is now posted on the Web (HTML|PDF). It’s a multipurpose bill dealing with exclusive farm use designations and other matters; the pertinent language for hoop house owners specifically is contained way down at the bottom: A real property building, structure or […]

Hoop house relief

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A whole lot of nurseries may soon be breathing a sigh of relief. Earlier this week we talked about the possibility that hoop houses – the unheated, frame-and-plastic enclosures growers use to protect plants and ready them for market – could be assessed on property tax statements as if they were permanent structures. It’s a change […]

Knocked for a hoop

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This spring, the Oregon Department of Revenue (ODR) proposed a rule change that would tax hoop houses as if they were permanent structures – a move that could greatly add to the tax bills of growers who own dozens if not hundreds of the poly-film enclosures. OAN Director of Government Relations Jeff Stone testified before […]

Protecting growers against theft

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With Oregon’s legislative session winding down, it’s reckoning time for proposed bills that would offer nurseries and others in agriculture greater protection against metal theft and other kinds of agricultural theft. The Oregon Association of Nurseries and other groups have been active in promoting a pair of bills: Senate Bill 570 (HTML|PDF) would address metal […]

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 […]

Plastic into oil

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People talk all the time about recycling plastics. Agri-Plas Inc. in Brooks, Ore., has gone a step beyond that by converting used agricultural plastics (greenhouse film, plastic pots, etc.) back to their source material — crude oil, which then can be refined into fuel. As noted by two publications (www.sustainablebusiness.com and www.environmentalleader.com), the company recently […]

Retailers share outlook for 2009

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The Retail and Greenhouse chapters of the Oregon Association of Nurseries held a joint meeting last night to talk about current retail trends, and the relationship between growers and garden centers. And as seen in the above photo, the turnout was huge. People filled a large greenhouse at Little Prince of Oregon Nursery just south […]

See no weevil

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Are you free of weevils? Good for you, but bad for research entomologist Denny Bruck of the USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Ore., who writes: I have been working with Dutch colleagues to develop an attractant for black vine weevil and potentially other root weevil species as well. As you may or may […]

Do you need a horticulture intern?

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The Oregon State University Horticulture Program is seeking summer 2009 internship placements for its students. These prospective interns have interest and talent in such areas as floriculture and facilities improvement. Employers who are willing and able to host a mutually rewarding and educational internship opportunity for an OSU student are encouraged to contact the university. […]