FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Farm Bureau Fire Relief Fund applications are available at www.oregonfb.org/fire.

Through the generous contributions of Northwest Farm Credit Services and individual Farm Bureau member families, Oregon Farm Bureau (OFB) has established a fire relief fund, which has raised over $27,000. If you would like to contribute, you may still make a contribution through OFB.

An advisory committee made up of local farmers and ranchers from Wasco and Sherman Counties with two staff from OFB will review applications for aid. The task force chair is Ken Polehn, Wasco County Farm Bureau president and The Dalles-area fruit grower.

The current intent is to provide approximately $2,000-$2,500 amounts of help to those who demonstrate uncovered losses (meaning losses not covered by insurance, or other public or private relief funds). Once requests for funds are received and evaluated, this range may be adjusted.

Any Wasco or Sherman County resident who makes a substantial amount of their livelihood from agriculture whose agricultural operation suffered uncompensated loss from the 2018 fires may apply. You do not have to be a Farm Bureau member to apply or receive funds.

Applications are available at www.oregonfb.org/fire. All applications received prior to Nov. 1, 2018 will be considered. The task force intends to make funding decisions and distribute funds by Thanksgiving.

For more information, contact Ken Polehn, kenpolehn@gmail.com, or Dave Dillon, dave@oregonfb.org.

To contribute to the fund, send a check made out to “OFB Fire Relief Fund” to OFB, Attn. Patty Kuester, 1320 Capitol St. NE, Salem, OR 97301.

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Pumpkin patch at Farm Bureau member Smith Rock Ranch in Terrebonne.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Use a smartphone to easily find pumpkin patches, u-pick orchards, farm stands, and harvest festivals with Oregon’s Bounty at www.OregonFB.org.

Pumpkins, apples, pears, and squash are just a few examples of autumn’s agricultural bounty. But if you want to venture out into the countryside to buy seasonal food directly from a farmer or rancher, where do you go?

“Everyone knows where their local farmers market is, but not everyone knows where to find roadside farm stands, pumpkin patches, u-pick orchards, and harvest events. That’s where Oregon’s Bounty comes in,” said Anne Marie Moss, Oregon Farm Bureau communications director.

Oregon’s Bounty at www.OregonFB.org is a searchable directory of nearly 300 family farms and ranches that sell food and foliage directly to the public.

Smartphone-friendly, the Oregon’s Bounty website allows visitors to search for a specific agriculture product — like pumpkins or apples — and/or search for farms within a specific region of the state, such as Portland Metro, the Gorge, or the Willamette Valley. Visitors can also do a search for “u-pick” or “events” to locate those activities.

“Oregonians love farm-fresh food. Thanks to the diversity of Oregon agriculture, we can buy an enormous variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, nuts, and flowers directly from the families who grew it,” said Moss.

“Each of the farms listed in Oregon’s Bounty are owned and operated by Farm Bureau members, who are proud of what they’ve raised and are happy to answer questions about what they do,” said Moss. “Fall is an ideal time to take a trip into the scenic countryside, meet a few of these family farmers, and experience Oregon agriculture firsthand.”

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* Note to Editors: “Farm Bureau” is a registered trademark; please capitalize in all cases.

The state’s largest general agriculture organization, Oregon Farm Bureau is a grassroots, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing farm and ranch families in the public and policymaking arenas. First established in Oregon at the county level in 1919 and the state level in 1932, Farm Bureau is organized in all 36 counties and has nearly 7,000 member families professionally engaged in agriculture.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Greg Addington, Executive Director, 541-892-1409

REAL Oregon (Resource Education & Ag Leadership) Announces Class 2 

30 Resource Professionals Selected, Sessions Begin November 2018

Salem, OR — REAL Oregon (Resource Education & Ag Leadership) will launch its second leadership class in November. Following the successful completion/graduation of Class 1 last spring, the organization proudly announces the selection of 30 new natural resource professionals from throughout the state for Class 2. Participants were selected from a pool of well-qualified applicants and reflect a balanced mix of resource producers, agri-businesses, advocacy organizations, and government agencies.

Bill Buhrig, of Simplot Food Group and Board Chair for REAL Oregon, says that having such a successful first year helped with recruitment for Class 2. “We had a great response to the program in its second year. The quality and diversity of Class 2 applicants was outstanding and touched all corners of the state.”

REAL Oregon is modeled after a similar program in Idaho. “Leadership Idaho Ag is currently preparing for its 39th class, so we know this can work and be sustainable in Oregon,” says Buhrig.

REAL Oregon is a collaboration of industry and other groups throughout the state that have recognized the importance of developing and supporting leaders within Oregon’s natural resource communities. In addition to networking opportunities and learning more about the diversity of Oregon, the program brings current and future leaders together from agriculture, fishing, and forestry for a series of five sessions based in different regions of the state. The annual leadership program exposes this cross-section of professionals to the wide range of Oregon’s geography, economy, and culture through training in board governance, communication skills, conflict resolution, government interaction, public policy work, critical thinking, media relations, professional presentations, public speaking, relationship building, and other areas.

Class 2 includes nine individuals directly involved in production agriculture, five involved in timber production and forestry, 11 from agri-businesses or other natural resource organizations, three from state government, and two from resource-related university fields.

“I am very excited to get this group together and watch them grow as leaders,” says Greg Addington, REAL Oregon Executive Director. “This class will build on the solid foundation established by Class 1. We are beginning to fulfill the vision of building a solid network of agriculture and natural resource leaders who will benefit the state for many years to come.”

Class 2 will start in November and end with a graduation ceremony in March 2019. Recruitment of Class 3 will begin shortly after that.

For updates and additional information, visit www.realoregon.net and follow REAL Oregon on Facebook.

REAL Oregon Class 2 participants

Northwest /Willamette Valley -19

Jace Anderson
Producer/Owner – Anderson Land & Cattle
Sublimity

Liz Beeles
Publications and Web Coordinator – Oregon Department
of Agriculture
Salem

Becky Berger
Producer/Owner – Berger International
Hillsboro

Kirk Burkholder
Producer/Owner – Burkholder Farms
Albany

Lance Christianson
Area Manager – Port Blakely U.S. Forestry
Molalla

Ayreann Colombo
Owner – Aquila Consulting Group
Portland

Jacqueline Duyck Jones
Poducer/Manager – Larry Duyck Farms
Banks

Katie Glaser
Producer/Owner – Glaser Farms
Lebanon

Mallory Phelan
Executive Director – Oregon AgLink
Albany

Amber Pritchard
Investment Analyst – Harvest Capital Company
Sandy

Shane Ruddell
Producer/Owner – Ruddell Farms
Sweet Home

Anna Scharf
Producer/Manager – Scharf Farms
Amity

Abisha Stone
Business Retention/ Expansion – Strategic Economic Development Corporation
Salem

Gilbert Uribe Valdez
Pesticide Licensing & Registration Specialist – Oregon Department of Agriculture
Salem

Christina Walsh
Student Engagement Coordinator – OSU College of Agricultural Sciences
Eugene

Dylan Wells
Producer/Vice President – Autumn Harvest, Inc.
Woodburn

Karen Withers
Owner – AgCultured Consulting
Turner

Denis Sather
Senior Licensing Manager – Oregon State University
Corvallis

Lily Xu
Project Manager – Energy Trust of Oregon
Portland

Eastern/High Desert - 7

Angela Allum Smit
Veterinarian/Owner – Vale Veterinary Clinic
Vale

Shon Rae
Deputy Managing Director – Central Oregon
Irrigation District
Bend

Marie Cain
Dairy & Livestock Controller – Threemile
Canyon Farms
Boardman

Shannon Hoehna
Owner/Food Safety Consultant – SH Consulting
Weston

Amber McCollough
Account Manager – Green Diamond
Resource Company
Klamath Falls

Robin Pickard
Owner – Athena Income Tax Service
Athena

Beau Reynolds
Crop Insurance Agent – Northwest Farm Credit
Services
Pendleton

Coastal & Southern - 4

Mark Garrigues
GIS/Inventory Supervisor – GreenWood Resources, Inc.
Seaside

Megan Huber
Branch Manager – Northwest Farm Credit Services
Central Point

Jeff Minter
Forester – Starker Forests, Inc.
Blodgett

Joe Newton
Lands Manager – Lone Rock Resources
Roseburg

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Lane County Farm Bureau Scholarship Committee: Elizabeth Gibson, 541-998-6618, son@lochmead.com">Egibson@lochmead.com or Shannon Evonuk, 541-998-1848, evonuks@aol.com

LANE COUNTY FARM BUREAU ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

The Lane County Farm Bureau (LCFB) believes in the value of education and the future of agriculture, and we proudly awarded $12,000 in scholarships to students this year. We are pleased to announce the following 2018 LCFB Scholarship Award recipients.

  > Krystal Lemhouse, of Junction City, received $3,500. She is attending Oregon State University, majoring in Natural Resources and Sustainability.

  > Nicholas Swanson, of Eugene, received $3,000. He is attending Oregon State University, majoring in Forest Engineering/Civil Engineering.

  > Blake Edwards, of Junction City, received $3,000. He is attending the University of Oregon, majoring in Business Administration.

  > Katrina Rogers, of Junction City, received $1,500. She is attending Linn Benton Community College, majoring in Equine Science/Animal Science.

  > Mikayla Edwards, of Junction City, received $1,000. She is attending the University of Oregon, majoring in Public Relations.

The following criteria was used to determine who was eligible to receive a scholarship:

Applicants must be completing their senior year in an accredited Lane County high school, or be a homeschooled student who is completing senior year while a resident of Lane County, or be a Lane County high school graduate presently enrolled in higher education. Applicants can also apply if they are the child/grandchild of a current LCFB member AND meet the above criteria.

Priority was given to those students studying an agricultural-related field or forestry. Applicants must also demonstrate involvement in these fields.

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Lane County Farm Bureau is a part of the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation (OFB). Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization, a member-based, nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit that represents the interests of Oregon’s farm and ranch families in the public and policymaking arenas.