By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist We have completed the second week of the 105-day session. Committees have been busy holding public hearings and passing bills out of committee. In addition, legislators are dropping dozens of bills daily. As of Jan. 20, over 1,000 bills have been introduced. The first legislative deadline is Feb. 17, 2023, when all bills must be ... Read More »

By Dr. Xianming Chen USA-ARS Based on the weather conditions in November and December 2022, stripe rust in the 2023 wheat growing season is forecasted to be in the lower range of moderate epidemic level (20-40% yield loss on susceptible varieties). Using forecast models based on the 2022 November and December weather data, yield loss of highly susceptible winter wheat ... Read More »

From the Capital Press With the 2018 Farm Bill set to expire on Sept. 30, the race to pass a new farm bill is underway in Congress. To snatch a first glance at the 2023 Farm Bill, Capital Press talked with the bill’s lead authors: Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist The Washington state legislative session began on Monday, Jan. 9. It is the first in-person session since the pandemic hit, and everyone is excited to be back in person. Committees are allowing both in-person and remote testimony. The 2023 session is scheduled to last 105 days and end on April 23. The primary job of ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Palouse, Wash., farmer Ben Barstow will chair the Washington Grain Commission for the next two years. “It’s a small group, and everybody eventually has to take a turn,” Barstow told the Capital Press. Barstow took over as chairman during the commission board meeting Jan. 12. He replaces Mike Carstensen. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

The National Agricultural Statistics Service released two important reports on Jan. 12 concerning Washington wheat growers. The first report, the Annual Crop Summary Report, summarizes the 2022 crop year for all wheat, hay, potatoes and dry beans. All wheat planted in Washington totaled 2.33 million acres, down slightly from 2021. Harvested area, at 2.27 million acres, is up 2% from the ... Read More »

By Farm News Media It’s time to “think anew,” said Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 104th Annual Convention. He said western droughts, COVID and the war in Ukraine are just a few barriers the American farmer has overcome in recent years to obtain record farm income. Yet, he said there’s reason to pause and think ... Read More »

By Trista Crossley Editor, Wheat Life At one of the break-out sessions at the 2022 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention, growers got an “inside the beltway” perspective of the 118th Congress and potential impacts of the 2022 elections on wheat industry priorities. Congress began the new session divided. There are slim majorities in both chambers with the Republicans holding the House ... Read More »

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Washington (NRCS-WA) has released more information on the completely voluntary FY23 Riparian Buffer Program.  The new fact sheet includes information on four “tiers” of riparian buffers, with examples of associated practices and estimated payment scenarios – to include many with foregone income to help compensate landowners for income lost if they install a riparian buffer.  ... Read More »

From NASS Central Washington experienced low temperatures during December. In Klickitat and Yakima counties, the ground had been covered in snow for about a month. Cattle were fed on winter ground. In Benton County, the weather through crop-producing areas dropped into the single digits in the early morning hours. Perennial crops were dormant, and no orchard or agricultural activities were observed. Northeast ... Read More »