Agriculture

About 40 million pounds of Washington’s blueberries are shipped to Canada for packing or processing each year.

Facing a dire agricultural labor shortage during World War II, the United States made an agreement with Mexico: a government-sponsored program to bring Mexican workers to the U.S. on temporary labor contracts to help farms, as well as railroad companies, across the country. Over 15,000 of these workers came to Oregon, under what became known as the Bracero Program.

An Oregon bill to prohibit expanding or building new large dairies and livestock farms in the state's three groundwater management areas was tabled after a hearing in Salem drew strong support and opposition.

Oregon farmworkers want to be more involved in setting standards around working conditions and pay. But farmers say they can't afford more burdensome regulation.

Oregon CattleWomen have championed the T-bone as the official state steak, due to its two distinct sides like Oregon, with a split like the Cascades down the middle.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture must temporarily reinstate more than 5,000 probationary employees fired since Feb. 13, according to a ruling by the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Egg prices at the grocery store have more than doubled since last year. Some Oregon farm supply stores are getting a surge of calls from people looking to buy chicks as backyard egg-laying hens.

Some of Oregon’s biggest trading partners are striking back after tariffs on imports took effect this Tuesday. Oregon industry leaders say he retaliatory measures could especially hurt the states agriculture industry.

Francisco Gonzalez, a 36-year-old research horticulturist, lost his job at the U.S. Department of Agriculture just before completing his three-year probationary period. This is part of a broader trend under the Trump administration where many federal workers were dismissed.

Oregon is the only West Coast state that allows commercial fish farming using net pens. State legislators could prohibit the practice.