While breaking the $4 billion mark is noteworthy, 2005 can best be described as a good but not necessarily great year for Oregon agriculture.

The major factor driving this improvement was a dramatic 66 percent increase in storage onion prices. This pushed the value of sales for dry storage onions to $73.4 million, about 65 percent higher than the 2004 figure.

Poultry gross sales climbed 17 percent over year-earlier levels due in large part to increased value of broiler chicken sales of just over 28 percent. In addition, chicken egg production statewide increased slightly from 2004 levels and a 7 percent price improvement led to chicken egg value of sales improving to just over $50 million, a 9 percent increase compared to 2004.

True prosperity is the result of well-placed confidence in ourselves and our fellow man.

There was a wonderful little short four-year time period when marvelous things happened. It started in 1908, when the Wright brothers flew in Paris, and everybody said, 'Ooh, hey, I can do that.' There's only a few people that have flown in early 1908. In four years, 39 countries had hundreds of airplanes, thousands of pilots.

On our show, I must tell you, it was... the 60s was a period of time when everything was free love. People made love to each other. It was a very open life, you know?