Agriculture has long been a staple of Oregon’s economy, providing the nation and the world with a wide variety of products including onions, wheat, and cattle from Eastern Oregon; salmon and cranberries from the Oregon Coast; berries, hazelnuts, and nursery products from Willamette Valley; and pears and apples from the Columbia Gorge. Our state’s farms provide good jobs and drive the rural economy.
Merkley, Salinas, Lawler, Hoyle Champion Bipartisan Bill to Expand Summer Meal Access for Rural Kids
Washington, D.C. –Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), and Val Hoyle (D-OR-04) led the reintroduction of the Feeding Our Rural Kids (FORK) Act, which would help summer meal program sponsors purchase, retrofit, or repair vehicles that expand access to summer meals
Wyden, Merkley Sound Alarm on USDA Rural Development Reorganization
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today said they joined their Senate Democratic colleagues Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, in raising strong concerns about
Merkley, Hyde-Smith, Bentz, Thompson Launch New Bipartisan Effort to Promote Renewable Fuels, Boost Wildfire Resiliency
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) partnered with U.S. Representatives Cliff Bentz (R-OR-02) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02) to introduce the Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act. This new bipartisan, bicameral legislation proposes to modernize the definition for renewable biomass under the Renewable Fuel Standard, establishing
Merkley, Panetta Announce Bicameral Resolution Marking National Pollinator Week 2026
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced a bicameral resolution to recognize the importance of pollinators to ecosystem health and agriculture in the United States. The resolution designates June 22 through June 28, 2026, as “National Pollinator Week,” to emphasize the vital
Merkley, Senate Democrats: Trump’s Staffing Cuts at Key USDA Services Threaten Rapid Response to New World Screwworm, Rural Communities, Food Safety, and Public Health Nationwide
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led his Senate Democratic colleagues to sound the alarm over the Trump Administration’s staff cuts at critical U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies that oversee food and agriculture systems and respond to threats such as the New World Screwworm across the
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Raise Concerns about Food and Nutrition Service Reorganization
Oregon senators warn that reorganizations would “further weaken the ability of the agency to administer federal nutrition assistance programs.” Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined Senate colleagues in raising strong concerns about the plan to reorganize the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S.
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