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Good morning, Northwest.

The rising cost of fuel and fertilizer due to the war in Iran is putting Northwest farmers in a pinch.

OPB agriculture reporter Alejandro Figueroa leads off today’s newsletter with a story on how farmers are approaching this growing season — and next — with no end to the conflict in sight.

In other news, construction will soon begin on a memorial to Chinese immigrants buried at Block 14 of Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland.

Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.

—Bradley W. Parks

Higher fuel, fertilizer prices could squeeze Oregon farmers, even if Iran war ends soon

As Oregon farmers deal with already thin profit margins, the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran could add more economic pain in the coming months.

Jon Iverson, whose family runs Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, grows tulips, grass seed, wheat and grapes, among other crops. He’s concerned about rising diesel prices for shipping and for operations on the farm.

“Everything we buy is going to come on a truck. Our equipment all runs on diesel, and then shipping it back to the consumer again, it’s going to be hauled on a truck with diesel,” Iverson said. “And so having a high diesel price really is gonna put the squeeze on us.”

Farmers who didn’t buy fuel or fertilizer before the war are already feeling squeezed. Other growers worry if the conflict continues, it could bring challenges for next year’s growing season. (Alejandro Figueroa)

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3 things to know this morning

• The Portland Clean Energy Fund is launching its E-Bike Rebate Program today, which aims to help low-income Portlanders purchase either a standard, cargo or adaptive e-bike by offering rebates to qualified residents. (Monica Samayoa)
• On Saturday, Multnomah County’s chair and commissioners read an apology addressing the county’s desecration of Chinese immigrants’ graves at Portland’s Lone Fir Cemetery Block 14. (Winston Szeto)
• A juvenile gray whale seen swimming in the Willapa River in Southwest Washington died Saturday, according to the nonprofit Cascadia Research Collective. (Joni Auden Land)

In Eastern Oregon, women powered the male-dominated timber industry

Historical archaeologist Chelsea Rose joins us to talk about the history of women working with the former Baker White Pine Mill, which operated from 1910 to 1918 in the Blue Mountains. (Jenn Chávez and Chelsea Rose)

Listen

Headlines from around the Northwest

• OoNee Sea Urchin Ranch aims to restore kelp forests, turn profit (Brian Bahouth and Brianna Bowman)
• Seattle’s K-shaped economy: Why diners are dying, but yachts are booming (Monica Nickelsburg)
• Eugene shelter residents trained as bike mechanics in new workforce program (Macy Moore)
• Whitman College administration encouraged faculty and staff to vote ‘no’ in union election (Lauren Gallup)
• Oregon gave millions in erroneous benefits for state health plan, audit says (Shaanth Kodialam Nanguneri)
• Seattle millionaire asks Washington Supreme Court to allow referendum effort on income tax (Jerry Cornfield)
• Lawsuit aims to block new eligibility requirements for Washington sheriffs (Jake Goldstein-Street)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• How should Portland’s clean energy fund be spent?
• Oregon Donkey Sanctuary saves animals and provides tranquil space for visitors
• The Portland Fire gear up for their inaugural WNBA season

From pow wows to punk stage: Portland’s 1876 band focuses on unity and cultural expression

Punk fans packed the Star Theater wall to wall on a rainy November night in Portland and began to mosh when the band 1876 took the stage.

The band’s powwow drum is its heartbeat. The lyrics, sung in English, Cheyenne and Blackfeet languages, celebrate the resilience of tribes around the nation.

Gabe Colhoff, of the Cheyenne and Blackfeet tribes, created 1876 and leads it. Colhoff hopes his music can bring together Indigenous people from all over and speaks emphatically about the importance of unification. (Jessie Sears)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/06/fuel-fertilizer-oregon-washington-farms-first-look/