Farms, Food, and Fiber: Merkley, Wyden Announce Senate Passage of Major Investments for Oregon Agriculture and Rural Communities | U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon

Funding included in the fiscal year 2024 Senate agriculture funding bill champions family farms, rural housing, broadband, and more

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced major investments in Oregon agriculture, rural housing, food assistance, and rural business priorities has passed the Senate, including more than $5 million in funding for Oregon community-initiated projects. 

The investments were included in the FY24 Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill, which cleared the full chamber with strong bipartisan support.

The federal funding in this legislation will support programs and projects that benefit farms, families, and rural communities throughout the state. 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Goal 1: No Poverty
2. Goal 2: Zero Hunger
3. Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
4. Goal 4: Quality Education
5. Goal 5: Gender Equality
6. Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
10. Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
11. Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Goal 13: Climate Action
14. Goal 14: Life Below Water
15. Goal 15: Life on Land
16. Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
17. Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Investments in Oregon Agriculture

“Agriculture is a huge part of Oregon’s economy, and it’s essential to ensure our world-class agriculture sector and rural communities have the support needed to grow and thrive,” said Merkley, who previously served as the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee that writes the agriculture bill. “This agriculture bill includes significant investments for family farms, rural housing, food assistance, habitat restoration, and wildfire smoke recovery. The legislation also prioritizes making Oregon’s agriculture more resilient to the impacts of climate chaos to protect the livelihoods of our farmers, ranchers, and producers. These huge investments will benefit Oregon’s farms and families for years to come, and I will keep championing them in Congress until they become law.”

“One of the things Oregon does best is grow things, and investing in farmers and rural life is essential to keep cultivating our state’s world-renowned agriculture,” Wyden said. “As I’ve met throughout this year with Oregonians who grow our state’s bounty, I’ve heard consistently about the need for federal investments that combat drought and wildfire smoke hurting their livelihoods, expand rural broadband, support housing in small communities and more. I’m glad this legislation helps achieve those goals and I’ll continue pressing the case until this gets over the finish line.”

Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, which wrote the bill and is one of the most powerful on Capitol Hill. He joined the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions about the investments our nation should be making.

Community-Initiated Projects

Senators Merkley and Wyden secured investments for five Oregon community-initiated projects in the Senate’s agriculture funding bill, which are as follows:

• $3 million for the Arnold Irrigation District in Deschutes County to help complete the third phase and begin the final phase of its resiliency and modernization project. As persistent drought continues to impact the Deschutes Basin, these irrigation modernization efforts will better serve farmers and ranchers and strengthen habitat for wildlife, making the region more resilient to climate chaos.
• $2 million for the North Unit Irrigation District in Jefferson County to begin its irrigation modernization project, which will transition open ditch irrigation canals to buried pressurized piping. This infrastructure modernization project will lead to significant water savings that benefit farmers, ranchers, and wildlife.
• $250,000 for the Condon Arts Council to restore the historic Liberty Theatre in downtown Condon. The rehabilitated theatre will serve as a regional hub for performing arts events and community arts programs for Oregonians living in Gilliam County and beyond.
• $113,000 for the Grant County CyberMill Expansion project in John Day to support more equitable internet access for rural Oregonians. The federal funding will be used for distance learning, telemedicine, and broadband equipment and technology.
• $76,000 for the South Lane Mental Health Center to help modernize their existing facilities, including a new roof, a new computer server, and security upgrades. These upgrades will benefit patients and staff by providing a safer, cleaner environment.

Other Key Funding for Oregon’s Agriculture

Other key funding for Oregon’s world-class agriculture that passed out of the Senate with broad bipartisan support includes:

• Water Conservation and Habitat Restoration: The bill includes $90.4 million for the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations, including $20 million set aside for multi-benefit projects, which benefit Western states. In Oregon, this funding is primarily used to replace open irrigation ditches with pipes and is crucial for irrigation districts that need to improve water efficiency and conservation or otherwise improve fish and wildlife habitat. This program is providing critical funding for the collaborative processes underway across the state working to conserve water and keep Oregon’s family farms in business while improving the habitats of endangered species. 
• Wine Grape Smoke Exposure Research: Recent wildfire seasons have blanketed much of Oregon with thick, hazardous smoke, which has significantly impacted the state’s wine grape harvest. To better understand and address the challenges facing Oregon’s wine growers, the bill includes level funding at $4.5 million for research into smoke-impacted grapes at Oregon State University (OSU) and other West Coast universities. 
• Vineyard and Orchard Acreage Study: The bill encourages the Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to resume data collection and reporting on vineyards and orchards, so that Oregon’s grape, wine, and juice producers can use this important data to remain competitive.
• Hemp Production Systems: The bill provides $4 million for Agricultural Research

  SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

  1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

  • SDG 1: No Poverty
  • SDG 2: Zero Hunger
  • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 4: Quality Education
  • SDG 5: Gender Equality
  • SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  • SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 13: Climate Action
  • SDG 15: Life on Land
  • SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

  • Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
  • Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers.
  • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
  • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship.
  • Target 5.a: Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources.
  • Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
  • Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation.
  • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being.
  • Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
  • Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
  • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
  • Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services.
  • Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South, and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology, and innovation.

  3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

  • Indicator 1.2.1: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age.
  • Indicator 2.3.1: Volume of production per labor unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size.
  • Indicator 3.8.1: Coverage of essential health services (defined as the average coverage of essential services based on tracer interventions that include reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and service capacity and access, among the general and the most disadvantaged population).
  • Indicator 4.4.1: Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill.
  • Indicator 5.a.1: (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure.
  • Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.
  • Indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment, by sex.
  • Indicator 9.1.1: Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road.
  • Indicator 11.1.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements, or inadequate housing.
  • Indicator 12.2.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP.
  • Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
  • Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.
  • Indicator 17.6.1: Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed.

  Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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  Source: wyden.senate.gov

   

  

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  SDGs	Targets	Indicators
  SDG 1: No Poverty	Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.	Indicator 1.2.1: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age.
  SDG 2: Zero Hunger	Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers.