• Updated

Farmers in Wasco County are on the move to educate people in large urban centers of Oregon, which usually carry the vote, about how devastating passage of Measure 97 would be to food production. In Oregon, agriculture is the second largest industry, supporting more than 326,000 full- or part-time jobs and producing commodities valued at about $5.4 billion per year. So the overall economic loss could be great if the proposed new tax of 2.5 percent on gross receipts — before expenditures are deducted — of corporations with sales over $25 million goes into play.

  • Updated

Part two of a four part series. Dan Ericksen, a “land use junkie,” orchardist and former Wasco County commissioner and judge, sought county-level appointments to the commission twice before winning a governor’s appointment.