WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed 26% budget cut to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): “This budget is a shocking and unprecedented assault on rural America. If enacted, it
WASHINGTON – Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., led a bipartisan group of lawmakers Friday in urging Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to include adequate funding for the Secure Rural Schools program in the president’s budget for fiscal year 2018. Wyden and Bonamici
Farmers and ranchers in Malheur County whose crops were crushed or whose livestock was lost in winter storms may now apply for emergency loans through the US Department of Agriculture. The department’s Farm Service Agency announced Thursday it would offer assistance to those in Malheur County, as well as several neighboring counties.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today wrote federal officials to express concerns about the deregulation of a genetically engineered plant that threatens Oregon’s agriculture, recreation and grass seed industry. The senators’ letter (attached) to Acting Agriculture Department Secretary Michael Scuse follows the announcement this week from
WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley announced that in the 115th Congress he will continue serving as the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, putting him in a powerful position to advocate for Oregon’s rural communities, agriculture research
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that 13 Oregon agricultural businesses will receive a total of $1.9 million in grants to help them grow and expand. The grants will be provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program, which is
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Senate passed a bill that would prohibit states from requiring GMO labeling and instead institute weak federal requirements that would make it virtually impossible for ordinary consumers to access information about genetically modified ingredients in their food:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Senate voted to close debate on legislation that would prohibit states from requiring GMO labeling and instead institute weak federal requirements that would make it virtually impossible for ordinary consumers to access information about genetically modified ingredients
An editorial in this space a week ago drew attention to a bill in the U.S. Senate that would require labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The editorial noted that the labeling bill wouldn’t actually require labels — packages could list an 800 number or a code
In response to the staggering amount of food wasted in the U.S. every year, Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., joined colleagues Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Cory Booker, D-N.J., to introduce comprehensive legislation to reduce food waste in stores and restaurants, at schools and institutions, on
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