Agriculture

Agriculture has long been a staple of Oregon’s economy, providing the nation and the world with a wide variety of product including onions, wheat, and cattle from Eastern Oregon; salmon and cranberries from the Oregon Coast; berries and nursery products from Willamette Valley; and pears and apples from the Columbia Gorge.  Our state’s farms provide good jobs and drive the rural economy. 

Providing Fresh, Local Food

Senator Merkley knows that providing fresh, healthy food to our children will help them perform better in school.  As Speaker of the House in the Oregon State Legislature, Merkley launched Oregon’s first “Farm to School,” program.  Merkley supports policies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide flexibility to states and allow them to implement regional preferences for local growers. 

To support American farmers and help families make choices about the foods they eat, Senator Merkley supports Country of Origin Labeling for food products.  Food labels currently provide nutrition information, but they should also provide information about where that food comes from.  This information will help Americans make better decisions about their food choices. At the same time, this type of information will make it easier for consumers to support local agriculture and thus reduce the global warming pollution that results from transporting food around the world.

Protecting Family Farms

Oregon has a long and proud tradition of family farms. In America’s complex tax system, it’s easy for family farmers to get looped into tax policies meant for major corporations or wealthy estates. As Speaker of the House in the Oregon State Legislature, Senator Merkley led a bipartisan coalition to increase the estate tax exemption for family farmers, ranches, fishermen and foresters.  Senator Merkley supports a similar adjustment to the estate tax on the federal level to help farm and ranch families keep their land in farming and keep putting food on tables across the nation.  Senator Merkley will fight to make sure our farm programs help family farmers and the specialty crops grown across Oregon.

Assisting Farmers Transporting Goods to Market

Sometimes regulations designed for larger corporations can also cause trouble for family farmers.  One example is trucking rules: current U.S. Department of Transportation rules for interstate trucking, with requirements such as drug testing and logging hours of driving, also apply to any farmer transporting their own goods to market.  Senator Merkley introduced legislation with Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to exempt farmers transporting their own goods and supplies from these rules.