For many years, Oregon agriculture regulators have taken a cautious approach to a crop widely used for its oil because of its ability to easily cross-pollinate with like species.
Now, the Oregon Department of Agriculture is considering lifting a strict set of rules that effectively ban canola in Central Oregon, saying the crop could give farmers more options as they face a future with less water.
But some farm groups say they are worried about what this change could mean on the other side of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon’s Willamette Valley – where farmers have long been at odds with each other over whether to allow it…