 Top left: Rep Bill Post and Board member Pete Brentano Top right: Sen Frederick and Board member Stephanie Hallock and Marty Myers Bottom: Left to Right Stephanie Hallock, Marty Myers, Board members, ODA Director Alexis Taylor, Grant Kitamura, Board member
Board meeting highlights
Industry representatives from Friends of Family Farmers, League of Women Voters of Oregon, Oregon Association of Conservation Districts, Oregon Association of Nurseries, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, Oregon Dairy Farmers Association, Oregon Environmental Council, Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Seed Council, Oregon Water Resources Congress, Oregon Winegrowers Association, Oregonians for Food and Shelter attended in person and Threemile Canyon Farms provided written comments to update the Board and talk about industry legislative priorities during the February board meeting held at ODA headquarters in Salem.
During the afternoon Board members, along with ODA staff, met with several legislators to discuss key issues including water for agriculture, agricultural labor, agricultural land use, market access and co-existence. Board members distributed the 2019 biennial ‘State of Oregon Agriculture Report’ as noted in ORS 561.378. In addition to providing a broad perspective on key agricultural issues, Board members serve as advocates for the agriculture industry in general.
The February agenda included presentations from Senator Dembrow, Kristen Sheeran, Governor Brown’s Energy and Climate Change Policy Advisor and Senator Bentz on the topic of climate change and the proposed Cap and Invest program outlined in HB2020. The discussion also included an update on the possible framework for an agriculture incentive program prepared by Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Board established a working group to draft a policy statement in the form of a resolution on this important issue for Oregon agriculture.
Disaster Preparedness for Animals and EMAC Deployment
ODA’s State Veterinarian Dr. Brad Leamaster (right) and District Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz (left) reviewed with the Board ODA’s role in Disaster Preparedness for Animals and the December 2018 request for assistance as a result of the Butte County Fires in California.
The state of California made the request on December 8 for help through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a national state-to-state mutual aid system. The EMAC request was sent to Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management who then coordinated with ODA. This was the first time as a member of EMAC the ODA was asked to assist with a deployment.
ODA’s Dr. Ryan Scholz organized the deployment and recruited a team of 5 veterinarians, 6 veterinary technicians and 11 shelter management experts from all over the state. The 22-member team deployed on December 14 to respond and take over the operations of the Small Animal Full Care Shelter. The shelter was one of 3 shelters established to house companion animals and livestock that could not return home due to the devastation of the Camp Fire.
The 9-day deployment was a learning experience for everyone involved and each member of the team brought back valuable experience that Oregon can use to respond in the event of our own disaster.
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 Left to right: Nicole Eskelsen, Salem-Keizer Public Schools; Rhonda Rhodes, Salem-Keizer Pubic Schools, CTEC; Chuck Lee, CTEC
Salem’s Career Technical Education Center (CTEC), a public-private partnership working to develop a highly-skilled and trained workforce, talked with the Board about the Center and the new Agri-Science curriculum set to begin this Fall. CTEC’s 10 programs serve about 1,000 students from the Salem-Keizer School District and helps them to meld core academic subjects (English, Math, Social Studies and Science) with specialized training and an emphasis on professional skills.
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