Oregon US Senator Jeff Merkley is working hard to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act, which was secretly stuck in a must-pass end-of-year spending bill in the final days of 2012. This provision, which lasts until September 2013, allows corporations to sell genetically engineered seeds even when federal courts have blocked them from doing so. With [...]
Despite the continued opposition to relaxing canola restrictions, the Oregon Department of Agriculture adopted a permanent canola rule on Thursday, February 7th. There will be no additional public comment periods and it goes into effect immediately. The Willamette Valley protected district has been divided into two zones; one in the center of the Valley where no canola [...]
DECEMBER 2012
Capital Press, December 17th: ODA announces new canola proposal
Portland Tribune, December 13th: Farmers fight hoe to hoe over right to grow canola
NOVEMBER 2012
Capital Press, November 13th: Coba Nears 10-Year Anniversary as Director of ODA
OCTOBER 2012
Capital Press, October 18th: Canola Comment Period Extended
SEPTEMBER 2012
Corvallis Gazette Times, September 29th: Valley Divided on Canola Plan
Statesman Journal, September [...]
As of this month, our nation’s food and farm policy in the form of the 2008 Farm Bill
has officially expired, with no workable replacement moving forward in Congress.
This has left critical programs high and dry with no funding – and means Congress
dodged the chance to make real reforms and an investment in an equitable,
sustainable future [...]
The Oregon Department of Agriculture has decided to extended the public comment period for the proposed rule changes regarding canola expansion in the Willamette Valley. The comment period, which originally closed Oct. 5, has been extended to Nov. 2.
A public hearing held Sept. 28 at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem brought out widespread opposition [...]
(Tune: The Battle Hymn of the Republic) Copyright, Christine Robins, 2012
Mine eyes have seen the glory of our cabbages and kale.
Around the globe Willamette seeds are offered up for sale.
We want to keep them pure and safe; at this we will not fail.
We don’t want rapeseed here!
CHORUS: Glory, glory, hallelujah, canola lovers try to fool ya.
They say [...]
The Willamette Valley is protected for a reason and tens of thousands of acres of canola can be grown elsewhere in the state. As the ODA regulation creating these control areas states, “Production of rapeseed for oil or seed is incompatible with production of crops of the same or related species grown for seed or [...]
Early Thursday morning, August 16th, the Salem Court of Appeals granted a stay to ODA’s temporary rules that expanded the growing area for canola and shrank the protected areas of the Willamette Valley. ODA will need to file a response for a hearing most likely to be set at the end of August. At this [...]
In August 2012, Friends of Family Farmers, the Center for Food Safety, and several specialty seed growers jointly filed suit challenging ODA’s temporary rule that would irreparably harm the state’s organic agriculture production and specialty and clover seed industries.
“We had no other option than to go to the courts,” said Leah Rodgers, Field Director for [...]
ODA has filed a permanent rule changing the protected boundaries in the Willamette Valley and two other locations in Oregon. Allowing canola production in these areas will have detrimental affects on the viability and ability of specialty seed growers and fresh market producer growers already established in these areas.
Attend the Hearing on September 28th [...]
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Friends of Family Farmers. P.O. Box 1286, Molalla, OR, 97038. info@friendsoffamilyfarmers.org. © 2008