Oregon’s sagebrush ecosystem has declined by about 50% over the past 150 years due to invasive annual grasses, increased wildfire activity and encroaching conifers. This large-scale habitat loss has contributed to declines in ...
Oregon ranks among the top three onion-producing states in the United States, cultivating over 1.5 billion pounds of onions in 2020 across approximately 20,000 acres, primarily in Malheur, Morrow and Umatilla counties. The Snake ...
Oregon’s farmers continue to suffer losses from drought, heat waves, wildfire and other climate-related challenges. Traditional crop insurance and relief programs often don’t meet the needs of small-scale farmers who grow a wide ...
May 2025 |
Impact Story
Credit Oregon State University (Cropped from original)
Oregon’s grass seed industry, valued at $639.1 million in 2022, ranks fifth among the state's top agricultural commodities. While commissions have long supported research for ryegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue, orchardgrass and ...
Honey bees are essential pollinators for crops like apples, blueberries, cherries, melons, almonds and broccoli. In the United States, they contribute an estimated $20 billion in crop pollination each year. But over the past 50 ...
Pesticides are commonly used in agriculture to manage serious pest problems. But not all pesticides carry the same level of risk. Broad-spectrum pesticides can affect earthworms, birds and other beneficial species. Some can also ...
May 2025 |
Impact Story
Credit: Kaci Radcliffe, The Nature Conservancy (Cropped from original)
Fire is broadly considered an important functional process in forests, rangelands and most other ecosystems. The reduction of periodic fire due to extensive fire suppression practices has been one of the major drivers of ecosystem...
Grant County faces significant challenges with food insecurity and poverty, with 13.5% of its 7,200 residents struggling to access adequate nutrition and a child poverty rate of 21.5%. These rates are notably higher than the ...
Turfgrass generally needs a lot of water to stay green and healthy during hot and dry periods. In cooler, wetter climates like the coastal Pacific Northwest, there is plenty of rain from October to June, but very little ...
Walk With Ease is an evidence-based physical activity program developed by the Arthritis Foundation that is proven to reduce the pain associated with arthritis, increase physical activity, decrease pain and fatigue and increase ...