Update, Jan. 15: The Capital Press agricultural newspaper (Salem, Ore.) has published a news story about the change in rules and what it means, including more in-depth comments from OAN Executive Director Jeff Stone. ——————————— The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it has revised regulations (PDF) that are intended to […]
ODA to lift temporary dinotefuran rule, replace with label restrictions
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The Oregon Department of Agriculture plans to lift temporary restrictions on the use of the insecticide dinotefuran, effective Dec. 24. These rules will be replaced with new, Oregon-specific label restrictions. The decision was announced on Thursday (Nov. 21) at a meeting of the House Interim Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. At that meeting, OAN […]
OAN thanks six ‘Friends of Nurseries’
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The Oregon Association of Nurseries issued this press release today: The Oregon Association of Nurseries will recognize six Oregon elected officials as “Friends of Nurseries” at its 2013 Convention, to be held Friday at The Oregon Garden resort in Silverton, Ore. The six include three Republicans and three Democrats. They are Gov. John Kitzhaber (D), […]
State drafting rules for industrial hemp production
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Officials with the Oregon Department of Agriculture are drafting rules that could allow for the industrial production of hemp by next spring, according to a reportin the Oregonian newspaper (Portland, Ore.). Although industrial hemp comes from a non-intoxicating relative of the marijuana plant, the state has been hesitant to enact a 2009 law permitting production […]
Officials keep an eye on invasive Japanese beetle
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Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen / The Oregonian Presently, Oregon remains officially Japanese-beetle free, thanks to the efforts of the state’s insect pest prevention and management program. According to an in-depth story recently published by The Oregonian, workers for the Oregon Department of Agriculture use pheromone and scent traps to catch any adult beetles, and […]
Oregon gets an A minus on invasive species report card
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Oregon deserves an A-minus for its efforts to limit and control the introduction of invasive plants, animals and pathogens into the state, according to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. The group issued its annual Invasive Species Report Card on Jan. 9. Some highlights pertaining to the nursery industry include the following: The Oregon Legislature passed […]
ODA plans webinars on block grant opportunities
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The Oregon Department of Agriculture is now accepting concept proposals for the next round of the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Those interested in applying for a grant can take part in one of two upcoming webinars. The first will be at 10 a.m. this Friday, Jan. 20. Another will be held a week […]
OAN publishes 100-page guide to reducing pest and disease risks
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The Oregon A The Oregon Association of Nurseries has published the “Safe Procurement and Production Manual,” a 100-page guide to producing healthy nursery stock by using a systems approach. The book is available online now as a PDF download, at no cost. In addition, a free, full-color print version is available for the asking at […]
Nurseries could benefit from flying eye in the sky
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We mentioned earlier that an Oregon State University research project aimed at developing mini-choppers for nursery applications was among several projects that received grant funding from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The dimunitive helicopters, weighing about 2 pounds and costing about $3,500 each, would be outfitted with digital cameras and used to automate the process […]
ODA awards nursery research grants
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The Oregon Department of Agriculture has approved nine nursery research grants totaling almost $180,000, the agency announced last week. “Oregon has a great reputation for high quality nursery stock,” said Gary McAninch, supervisor of the ODA Nursery and Christmas Tree Program. “The industry counts on that quality to sell plants. Research helps the industry improve […]