heatherroberts

Farmers will need to feed an estimated 9.8 billion people worldwide by 2050, and to help in that effort, Oregon State University researchers are trying to expand the use of robots in agriculture.  Joe Davidson, Assistant Professor of Robotics, said nearly all fruit is harvested by humans because robots don’t operate efficiently in unstructured environments.   "Not o...

As the state works to come out of the pandemic, the number of Oregonians considered “food insecure” is rising.  In 2019, roughly 860,000 people requested food assistance; that number ballooned to 1.7 million in the first year of COVID-19.  Oregon Food Bank Ex...

Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife is labeling the northern Oregon Cascades a new Area of Known Wolf Activity; after two pups were spotted on a trail camera on the Warm Springs Reservation.  Two wolves were initially found in December by Warm Springs biologists, but following that discovery, there was very little activity out of those two pups; that is since last month.  ODFW’s Michel... Rea

With increased concern over pollinator die-offs, the Honeybee Health Coalition has released a new guide to help beekeepers and farmers manage Varroa Mites.  Dewey Caron is with Oregon State University’s Horticulture Department and is a Coalition member, said this edition of the Varroa Management Guide updates the number of mites deemed an actual threat to bee colonies.   “They ...

“It’s definitely been a bad year for bear damage," said Michelle Dennehy, with Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, of last week’s incidents  In Bend, a cub was spotted in a neighborhood Wednesday.  It was tranquilized inside the city’...

September is National Preparedness Month, and the Oregon Office of Emergency Management is urging everyone to prepare now for potential hazards.  OEM Director Andrew Phelps said now is a good time to make sure you’re “two weeks ready.”   “Food, wate...

As Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden led Wednesday’s session pushing to approve the nomination of Doug McKalip as Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the USTR.   "These days, Americans are paying more for their groceries but getting less, and our farms and ranches are getting clobbered by inflation and drought.  American...

Despite the spring rains we saw across much of the Pacific Northwest, drought conditions continue for much of Central and Eastern Oregon.  The water year officially ended in July, and Larry O’Neill, with the Oregon Climate Office, says conditions didn’t improve much in the last two months.   “The average...