SARL Members and Alumni

For as long as it lasts, food and nutrition director Shelley Juedes brings in a bountiful array of fresh produce: scrumptious apples from nearby Rim's Edge Orchard and fresh vegetables — broccoli, onions, potatoes and more — from longtime area farmer Lenny Semerad. "What a major difference it is to have that fresh produce instead of getting it from a vendor where it might have sat in a warehouse for weeks," said Juedes, who would like to increase what she buys from local farmers if she could figure out how to do it."It's fresher. It looks more appetizing," she said. [node:read-more:link]

Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, recently rose to the defense of Oregon's farmers after agriculture was criticized for receiving an oversized helping of government support. [node:read-more:link]

A measure providing up to $2 million in emergency funding for New Hampshire dairy farmers strained by last year’s drought is ready for Republican Gov. Chris Sununu’s signature. The Senate on Thursday concurred with changes made by the House last month to the measure. The bill originated in the Senate.Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, a Republican from Wolfeboro, was the bill’s prime sponsor. He said the legislation provides a fair formula for distributing the money. [node:read-more:link]

Legislation aimed at improving Iowa's water quality remained alive in the Iowa Senate Wednesday, despite serious reservations by some lawmakers who are unhappy with the measure's funding plans.Senate File 482, which has been proposed by Gov. Terry Branstad, mirrors legislation considered in the House last year. [node:read-more:link]

Most of Tennessee’s factory farms would no longer need state permits that regulate animal waste disposal, under the terms of a bill before the state legislature. If it passes, only animal farms that actually pollute groundwater or waterways would be subject to oversight. The debate pits the multibillion-dollar agricultural industry against environmentalists and state water quality regulators. Farmers say the current permit process is too time consuming and expensive, while conservationists and state officials warn of uncontrolled pollution by farmers who don’t follow industry standards. [node:read-more:link]

Committee’s chairman Brian Clem noted that existing farm-to-school funding would be eliminated under the 2017-2019 budget recommended by Gov. Kate Brown and halved under the proposal by the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. A bill directing $5.6 million to Oregon’s farm-to-school food program has won unanimous approval from the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. [node:read-more:link]

Oregon’s first-in-the-nation bottle recycling program will now double the payout for used soda cans and glass bottles, and frugal residents have been stockpiling for months in anticipation. With other recycling options now commonplace, this eco-trailblazing Pacific Northwest state is hoping to revamp the program with the increase from 5 to 10 cents for bottled and canned water, soda, beer and malt beverages — regardless what their labels say.Oregon’s 1971 Bottle Bill — groundbreaking for its era in combating litter — has been replicated in nine other states and Guam. [node:read-more:link]

The state has released new rules for doctors, veterinarians and pharmacies in support of a state law designed to curb drug abuse by setting limits on opioid prescriptions. Veterinarians hoped the rules would address a host of concerns about their role in the policing of opioid prescriptions.They don’t.“There aren’t very many changes that I could see,” veterinarian Amanda Bisol, legislative chairwoman for the Maine Veterinary Medical Association and owner of Animal Medical Clinic in Skowhegan, said. [node:read-more:link]

In response to a House-approved bill that would legalize raw milk, lawmakers are considering a bill that would label it and products made from it.  Senate Bill 300 would make it so “fresh” or unpasteurized milk and related products would require a warning label for consumers who are vulnerable to bacterial infections. That would include pregnant women, young children or infants.The bill passed the Senate 29-to-21 in February and is now in the House of Representatives.Another bill, House Bill 325, would allow milk producers to sell unpasteurized milk. [node:read-more:link]

The greater Lehigh Valley scored a handful of the first 16 industrial hemp research projects approved by the state Department of Agriculture. [node:read-more:link]