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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><strong><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>United States Department of Agriculture News Release<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>USDA releases plan to promote AgroForestry </span></strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan on Monday unveiled a plan that will help farmers, ranchers and woodland owners enhance productivity, profitability and environmental stewardship by using the practice of AgroForestry. </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>AgroForestry intentionally combines agriculture and forestry to create integrated and sustainable land-use systems that take advantage of the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops or livestock. </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Merrigan unveiled the <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=yxwgfwcab&et=1105870134196&s=258&e=001xHAwnHssAveDO0DxAJuRfow_3DjzFuIClcbcw8p18_r_zvJBsovYZwM_51P_YcXcKdXpYo6vOw6-FrMrBgp-n_FxIbqHAiwkc8lwciUJcY_3DR6MyMhKcokQ37aNXhN_PlxC2Kv53Wb20b3AKpK4mY0ZbfIpd3J4ohINqaWoE_aRJfWM-lWdVA==" target="_blank">USDA Agroforestry Strategic Framework</a> during the North American AgroForestry Conference, in Athens, Ga. The framework is the USDA guide to advance AgroForestry knowledge, practices and assistance that lay the roadmap to influence the long-term health and sustainability of all lands for future generations.</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>"AgroForestry does not sacrifice farmland for forests or forests for farmland," Merrigan said. "Rather, AgroForestry is the marriage of disciplines that, in the end, will protect our natural resources, benefit our communities and allow for the development of other sources of income for farmers, ranchers and woodland owners. AgroForestry can enhance values for any landowner."</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>U.S. Department of Agriculture news release<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><a href="http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAOC-8570e">http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAOC-8570e</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>USDA AgroForestry Strategic Framework<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=FOREST_FORESTRY">http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=FOREST_FORESTRY</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>###<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>Kevin Weeks<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>Public Information Officer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>Oregon Department of Forestry<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>Agency Affairs Office<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing>(503) 945-7427 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>