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Oregon and Washington BLM lands are under fire restrictions this 4th of July weekend, with fireworks, sky lanterns, and certain ammunition all banned as officials warn this fire season has already caused significant loss.

Rising temperatures and pests are changing the game for our local trees. What can we do to help them thrive?

The 2024 season had its fair share of victories and struggles for canola growers.  Unfortunately, when it was all said and done, the struggles outnumbered the wins.  Karen Sowers, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Canola Association said the yields were disappointing.   “You know ...

Firefighters continue to battle more than a dozen large fires across Oregon, as this extended fire season continues.  And it should come as no surprise, much of that fire activity is primarily east of the Cascades.  Kaitlyn Webb, with the Deschutes National Forest, said vegetation is still very dry.   “We really...

Late last week, the USDA designated Yakima County as a Primary Natural Disaster Area for Drought.  The designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from drought through emergency loans.  Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certa

Via an Executive Order, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has declared a drought in Lake County, and directed state agencies to coordinate and prioritize assistance to the region.  According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Lake County has been in moderate drought since July 9th.  Drought...

This year’s drought has impacted a variety of commodities in several ways.  One crop starting to feel the pressure is hay.  According to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey, as the drought map expanded in August, more and more of the nation’s hay crop was impacted.   “20% was the drought c...

This spring, most of Oregon was out of drought, but that changed fast over the summer.  Larry O'Neil, director of the Oregon Climate Service, says July cooked the state.   "Temperatures were much warmer for the whole month of July," O'Neil pointed out, "so July was an historically warm month for much of the Pacific Northwest."   The ...

Washington State University has announced the new director of the Dryland Research Station in Lind.  Last week, the school announced that crop and soil scientist Surendra Singh will serve as the new dryland cropping systems agronomist and next leader of the central Washington station.  He repl...

The Northwest remains very dry with two dozen days to go to spring.   According to the latest drought numbers, 92% of Oregon is Abnormally Dry, while 77% of the state is under a D-1, or Moderate Drought, designation.  Both of those figures increased over the past week.  Meanwhile, S...