Agriculture
Oregon’s Hazelnut Harvest
By Pat O’Connor Oregon Regional Economist Orchards are not very difficult to find in Oregon. In the Columbia Gorge, one can hardly miss the cherry, pear, and apple orchards. In southern Oregon, pear orchards fill Jackson County’s countryside. The Willamette Valley has a variety of fruit and nut orchards, but more acres in the valley are…
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Oregon State University receives $5.5 million to help grow market for hemp-based products
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center will receive $5.5 million during the next five years to research new food, beverage and biobased industrial product uses of industrial hemp. With the funding, researchers from Oregon State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service will develop customized…
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Oregon’s Marijuana Industry and Employment Trends
By Guy Tauer Oregon Regional Economist While not a “new” industry in the sense the seeds were sown by a new technology, product, or market, rather the marijuana industry that has been flowing through Oregon’s economy for decades. This industry has a long-standing presence and is even more concentrated in…
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Market of Choice Expands Private Release Wine Collection with Willamette Valley AVA-Focused Line
EUGENE, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Independent, family-owned grocer Market of Choice is expanding its selection of exclusive private release wines with Place, a love letter to Oregon’s AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). The new line rolls out in stores this summer, joining the retailer’s CommUnity Cellars, Intersect, and Bubbles Project private release brands on store shelves.…
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Oregon’s Commercial Fishing in 2023
Oregon’s commercial fishing industry landed 301 million pounds of seafood onshore worth $178 million in 2023. This was an increase from 2022, where 286 million pounds of seafood worth an inflation-adjusted $136 million was caught, but below the average landings and revenue of the previous five years (2018-2022) of 319…
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Are the Harry and David Layoffs due to revenue falling 11% in latest quarter and e-commerce revenue declining 4.5% in the current year period?
In the May 2, 2024 quarterly earnings report, 1-800-Flowers, the parent company of Harry & David reported the following segment results which may shed light on the recent layoffs. Segment Results The Company provides Fiscal 2024 third quarter selected financial results for its Gourmet Foods and Gift Baskets, Consumer Floral…
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Oregon’s Food Manufacturing Industry – Adding Value
Jordan Macias, Oregon Employment Department Workforce Analyst, Benton, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties Food manufacturers process livestock and agricultural inputs into products for intermediate or final consumption. The industry adds value to raw agricultural products, selling its output to wholesalers or retailers for distribution to consumers. Although wholesalers and…
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Upper Klamath Basin Ag Collaborative Awarded $6 Million Grant
Ag Collaborative awarded $6 million federal grant which they will put toward developing agricultural resiliency and restoration in the Upper Klamath Basin. Upper Klamath Basin Ag Collaborative was awarded a $6 million federal grant which they will put toward developing agricultural resiliency and restoration in the Upper Klamath Basin—specifically the…
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America’s farmers are getting older, and young people aren’t rushing to join them
Hardworking American farmers keep the world fed and clothed. But the farming labor force has a problem: It’s aging rapidly. The average American farmer is 57 and a half years old, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s up sharply from 1978, when the figure…
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At Duncan Livestock and Hay, energy upgrades create a more sustainable farm
Water is a precious commodity in drought-stricken southern Oregon. In Klamath County, a rural area known for its natural beauty, farming culture and outdoor recreation, local producers are having to make tough choices as they navigate dwindling resources. For ranchers Cameron and Garrett Duncan, the solution is personal. They are…
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Oregon’s Commercial Fishing in 2022
Oregon’s commercial fishing industry revenues dropped 41% to $231 million in 2022, mostly due to a delayed Dungeness crab harvest. It was the worst crab year since 2015. Total commercial fishing harvests averaged about $192 million (2022 dollars) over the previous five years. But after a bumper year in 2021,…
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Lawmakers want no new water rights permits issued until the state audits Oregon’s water resources
Oregon’s water basins are being overdrawn year after year, and a strategy to protect them for future generations is desperately overdue, according to two lawmakers. State Reps. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, and Mark Owens, R-Crane, say the Oregon Water Resources Department needs to stop issuing new water rights until it can…
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