By Xianming Chen On June 1,  I was checking fields in the Palouse region (Whitman County, Wash., and Latah County, Idaho). Winter wheat ranged from Feekes 7 to Feekes 10, and spring wheat ranged from Feekes 2 to Feekes 5. Stripe rust was severe on low leaves and reached top leaves of winter wheat and started showing up on spring ... Read More »

In a letter to President Biden, 54 agricultural groups expressed grave concern with a recent amicus brief submitted by the U.S. Solicitor General to the Supreme Court advising the court against taking up a case regarding pesticide labels. The groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Soybean Association, the National Corn Growers Association, the National Association of Wheat ... Read More »

From NASS There were 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, unchanged from the previous week. Statewide temperatures were below normal. In San Juan County, there were some delays in spring grain due to excessive rain. Spring barley was planted in fields where beets overwintered. In Snohomish County, several dry days brought out farmers with grass hay to cut. Conditions ... Read More »

The Washington Grain Commission (WGC) was established in 1958. Its mission is to enhance the long-term profitability and competitiveness of Washington small grains and small grain producers by responsible allocation of assessment funds in research, marketing, and education. The WGC is seeking applicants for Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO serves as the operations and business manager, information liaison and ... Read More »

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021 will soon begin receiving emergency relief payments totaling approximately $6 billion through the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) new Emergency Relief Program (ERP). “The announcement from USDA is a welcome relief to wheat growers across the country ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Port of Portland plans to increase the flow of Northwest agricultural exports and Asian consumer product imports by expanding its container terminal’s footprint. The port is investing $10.5 million to replace the pavement and stormwater drains on 10 acres adjacent to its Terminal 6 next year, which it hopes to parlay into further upgrades with ... Read More »

From NASS There were 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 4.6 days the previous week. Statewide temperatures were below normal. In San Juan County, cool and rainy weather continued throughout the area. Only a few acres of grass were harvested due to the weather preventing farmers from getting in fields. In Clark County, more rain occurred during ... Read More »

By Trista Crossley Editor, Wheat Life Johnson, this year’s featured speaker, will be discussing “The Yield Triangle.” Johnson is the resident agronomist with Real Agriculture, where he posts a weekly podcast, “Wheat Pete’s Word.” He is a regular on “Agronomy Monday” on Real Ag radio, Sirius Satellite Radio 147. He spent 30 years as the Ontario cereal specialist. Johnson operates ... Read More »

By Dr. Xianming Chen  On May 11, we were checking winter wheat fields in Whitman, Garfield, Columbia, Walla Walla, Franklin and Adams counties in Washington. Because of the high moisture, wheat crops look good with winter wheat ranging from early jointing (Feekes 5) to boot (Feekes 10), and spring wheat ranging from just emerged to late tillering (Feekes 3). Stripe ... Read More »

During the next several weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct two major midyear surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey. The agency will contact more than 4000 producers across theNorthwest to determine crop acreage and stock levels as of June 1, 2022. “The June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey are two ... Read More »