From the Capital Press The Washington Farm Bureau estimates farmers have paid at least $153 million and likely far more this year in cap-and-trade fees, even though lawmakers intended to exempt agriculture from the tax on fossil fuels. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

Concerned stakeholders left out of dam breaching discussions with Administration. Pacific Northwest (PNW) agriculture groups and stakeholders, including the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, The McGregor Company, Washington State Potato Commission, and Washington Farm Bureau, strongly oppose the proposed “U.S. Government Commitments in Support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and in Partnership with the Six ... Read More »

By Trista Crossley Editor, Wheat Life Capitol Hill may seem far away, but what happens in Washington, D.C., has a direct impact on Eastern Washington farmers. Two National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) staff, Keira Franz, environmental policy advisor, and Jack Long, government relations representative, gave an “inside the beltway” perspective about Congress at the 2023 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention. ... Read More »

On November 29, the document entitled “U.S. Government Commitments in Support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and in Partnership with the Six Sovereigns” was made public in a letter from Pacific Northwest members of Congress to President Biden. The draft agreement is based on the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, a proposal to the Biden Administration from the six sovereigns ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 5.1 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 4.7 days reported the previous week. Western Washington saw cool and dry weather, with less rain than the previous week. Central Washington temperatures cooled, and the area did not receive any moisture. In Yakima County, tractors were observed plowing and disking in the ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Republican lawmakers continue to warn President Joe Biden about secret plans developed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit over the four lower Snake River dams. Republican Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho and Steve Daines of Montana sent a letter to Biden to discuss their concerns ... Read More »

From Fox News The Biden administration is quietly discussing a potentially far-reaching settlement with environmental groups that advocate for tearing down four hydroelectric dams in Washington to protect salmon. Federal attorneys representing the government said it had “developed a package of actions and commitments” and agreed to pause litigation with environmental activist plaintiffs in the case, according to court documents ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 3.6 days reported the previous week. Western Washington remained cooler than normal compared to the rest of the state. Central Washington was warmer than usual at this time of year. In Yakima County, farmers were back in the fields and planted acreage they ... Read More »

How does expired legislation potential shutdown impact farmer programs? By Trista Crossley Editor, Wheat Life Producers are facing two financial uncertainties going into the end of 2023 that could have huge impacts on the agricultural industry.  On Sept. 30, the 2018 Farm Bill expired with no sign of new legislation to replace it. Congress is also facing a funding deadline ... Read More »

Two high school seniors have been selected to represent Washington wheat farmers and will serve as the Washington Wheat Ambassadors for the upcoming year. Samantha Holling of Fairfield and Izabella Myers of Latah were selected after an initial written application process that included submitting a short introductory video. Holling and Myers will each be giving a speech at the upcoming ... Read More »