California

The Bureau of Land Management has finalized its plan to kill barred owls to save the northern spotted owl.  BLM said northern spotted owl populations are rapidly declining, and its two biggest threats are competition from invasive barred owls, as well as fire and drought-related habitat loss.   Although barred owls...

  On Wednesday, California Representative Doug LaMalfa, Chairman on the Congressional Western Caucus, announced Executive Committee Members for the 119th Congress, which included Oregon’s Cliff Bentz.    "As a Congressman from the state of Oregon, I am committed to addressing the challenges and advancing the opportunities we face every day in the West," Bentz noted.  "As Vice Chairs

If you take a look back at the top 10 weather stories for 2024, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippy said the wildfire season that blackened so many acres across the Northwest and California would easily make that list.  And while we saw many acres burn here in the west, he pointed out that the southern plains saw a host of wildfires in 2024 as well.  When lo...

Portland-based Morasch Meats is recalling its Northwest Naturals 2lb Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food, after samples tested positive for H5N1.  The Oregon Department of Agriculture say it was this pet food that led to the death of an indoor cat in Washington County.    “We...

The 2024 Organic Grower Summit in Monterey, CA, again proved to be the premier gathering for the Organic farming community.  The event welcomed hundreds of participants from across the U.S. organic industry.   “This year’s enthusiastic participation underscores the growing interest in sustainable and innovative farming practices,” said Matt Jungmann, Farm Progress national events director. “The Or

There's growing concern over bird flu in America.  On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to streamline the state’s response to H5N1.  This action comes as cases were detected in dairy cows on farms in Southern California.   Dr. Amira Roess,...

California state ag officials have recalled raw milk from a Central Valley dairy after tests found the bird flu virus in a sample of milk from a bulk tank.  State officials warned residents not to consume milk from Valley Milk Simply Bottled because it could lead to infection with this rare, emerging flu virus.  No...

House Democrats voted Tuesday to make Minnesota Representative Angie Craig the new Ranking Member on the Republican-controlled House Ag Committee.  The Hill points out that Democrats chose a younger member of the House over long-time veteran legislator Jim Costa of California, who was also vying for the seat.  Co...

Some of the numbers from USDA's latest look at irrigation and water management within agriculture.    “There were 212,714 farms and they irrigated 53 million acres.  It was down a little bit from 2018, where the survey showed that there were 231,000 farms with close to 56 million irrigated acres, so down 8% in total, farms irrigating and about 5% for acres irrigated,” noted Julie Weber with NASS. 

A robotics company from halfway around the world away is helping Washington growers overcome labor and other farm challenges.  Robotics Plus is a New Zealand-based company with offices in California and the Evergreen state.  The company recently showcased its multi-use autonomous vehicle for orchards and vineyards at FIRA USA, an ag robotics event, in northern California.  Steve Saunders is... Rea