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1 week ago | 
capitalpress.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Published 11:16 am Friday, May 9, 2025 A federal judge has refused to dismiss the Canadian government’s allegations that several Washington farms violated consumer protection and false advertising laws. The ruling is the latest legal setback in a cherry patent dispute for Van Well Nursery, Monson Fruit and Gordon and Sally Goodwin, who grow fruit trees near Wenatchee, Wash.
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1 week ago | 
capitalpress.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Published 11:07 am Friday, May 9, 2025 A ranching couple has accused Idaho regulators of colluding to shield the J.R. Simplot agribusiness company from the consequences of a spill from phosphate slurry pipeline. Lynn and Glenna Rasmussen of Grace, Idaho, have filed a lawsuit against Simplot seeking nearly $280 million in damages for allegedly poisoning their cattle and permanently harming their business.
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1 week ago | 
capitalpress.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Published 9:36 am Thursday, May 8, 2025 Oregon lawmakers appear likely to pass a bill that encourages college-credit agriculture and forestry classes in high schools, though some have doubts about its effectiveness. Senate Bill 784 would require the development of statewide standards for “dual credit” courses in these subjects, which is intended to make such classes more widely available, especially in rural areas.
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1 week ago | 
capitalpress.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Published 3:49 pm Monday, May 5, 2025 Environmental advocates have won a preliminary injunction against livestock grazing across 22,000 federal acres in Oregon slated for sage grouse research a decade ago. A federal judge issued the order after finding the Oregon Natural Desert Association is likely to prevail in a lawsuit accusing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of unlawfully scaling back research sites where grazing is prohibited.
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1 week ago | 
bendbulletin.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Aquifer recharge exempted from groundwater denial proposalPublished 10:40 am Monday, May 5, 2025Aquifer recharge projects would be exempt from Oregon legislation that otherwise seeks to preclude new agricultural well applications in areas with depleted groundwater. The change is meant to respond to objections to House Bill 3342, which aims to simplify water rights administration, but came under fire for potentially interfering with aquifer recharge proposals.
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1 week ago | 
capitalpress.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Published 10:40 am Monday, May 5, 2025 Aquifer recharge projects would be exempt from Oregon legislation that otherwise seeks to preclude new agricultural well applications in areas with depleted groundwater. The change is meant to respond to objections to House Bill 3342, which aims to simplify water rights administration, but came under fire for potentially interfering with aquifer recharge proposals. “We made a mistake there and the engrossed version fixes that mistake,” said Rep.
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2 weeks ago | 
capitalpress.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Published 1:58 pm Friday, May 2, 2025 A new legal interpretation has cast doubt on whether legislation is necessary to allow limited commercial irrigation with domestic wells in Oregon. Based on an opinion from the Office of Legislative Counsel, which advises lawmakers on legal matters, the Oregon Water Resources Department appears to have wrongly prohibited small farmers from using domestic wells on commercial crops, said Rep. Anna Scharf, R-Amity.
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2 weeks ago | 
bendbulletin.com | Mateusz Perkowski
9th Circuit: USDA predator control allowed in wilderness areasPublished 4:04 pm Wednesday, April 30, 2025The USDA isn't prohibited from controlling predators in federal wilderness areas, contrary to arguments by environmental groups, according to a federal appeals court ruling. Environmental advocates have failed to convince the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that controlling predators to assist livestock grazing is prohibited as a commercial activity within wilderness areas.
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2 weeks ago | 
capitalpress.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Published 4:04 pm Wednesday, April 30, 2025 The USDA isn’t prohibited from controlling predators in federal wilderness areas, contrary to arguments by environmental groups, according to a federal appeals court ruling. Environmental advocates have failed to convince the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that controlling predators to assist livestock grazing is prohibited as a commercial activity within wilderness areas.
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2 weeks ago | 
capitalpress.com | Mateusz Perkowski
Published 2:19 pm Wednesday, April 30, 2025 The USDA is heralding its dismissal of criminal charges against a South Dakotan ranching couple as a sign the Trump administration is stopping the federal persecution of agriculture. Apart from dropping its indictments against Charles and Heather Maude of Caputa, S.D., who were accused of stealing government property last year, the USDA is vowing to cease other “politically motivated witch hunts” against farmers and ranchers.
