Coastal Ag News Roundup

In today’s Ag News Roundup, stripe rust found in Eastern Oregon, native birds okay with human-made ecosystems, judge dismisses 15-year old grazing lawsuit, some leaders want to rejoin the TPP, and Colombia River treaty negotiations to begin late 2018.

Stripe Rust Arrives Late

Oregon State University researchers announced that stripe rust will have less time to establish itself this growing season. The disease was found only recently on a wheat variety that was planted in late September at the college’s Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center near Pendleton.

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Human Made Ecosystems Perfect for Native Birds

A study published in the journal Ecosphere by researchers in the United States and Australia have concluded that human activities do provide good habitat for native birds. One of the study’s lead authors, and wildlife biologist at Oregon State University, adds that native wildlife restoration practices are not futile, but can now be prioritized.

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Judge Dismisses Environmental Lawsuit

U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman has dismissed a lawsuit filed 15 years ago that claimed cattle grazing in Oregon’s Malheur National Forest threatened bull trout. The actual decline in fish numbers has been found to be linked to the introduction of non-native fish and dam building.

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Agriculture Secretary wants to Rejoin TPP

Agricultural Secretary Sonny Perdue has expressed his opinion that the U.S. should rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with provisions that benefit the U.S. The comment was made during a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing.

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Columbia River Treaty Negotiations to Begin this Year

The U.S. and Canada are expected to begin negotiations on the Columbia River Treaty by the end of 2018. Some of the provisions in the treaty last adopted in 1964, are set to expire in 2024. The new treaty is expected to benefit both countries equally.

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