Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers talks to the Capital Press about the next few years in Congress, her decision to step down from a leadership role and how she’ll continue to represent the state’s farmers and ranchers. Read the interview here. Read More »

From the Capital Press The partial federal government shutdown could delay the hiring of a USDA researcher to lead the investigation into starch problems in wheat, an industry representative says. Before the shutdown, the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Pullman, Wash., was on track to post the job announcement in January, said Mary Palmer Sullivan, vice president of the Washington ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A wall is standing between farmers and ranchers and the government assistance and insurance they need to keep their operations intact. The standoff between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over funding for a wall on the Mexican border has stalled funding for USDA and shut down “non-essential” activities. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From U.S. Wheat Associates If there is anything we learned from 2018, it is that the trade policy landscape is unpredictable. While many upcoming or ongoing issues are known, there are a range of possible outcomes within each, some of which could drastically alter the trade landscape in the future. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the Capital Press The three Northwest legislatures go to work this month, addressing a wide variety of issues that will impact their state’s farmers and ranchers. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

On Tuesday, Jan. 8, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue tweeted the following: “We’ve extended deadline for Market Facilitation Program applications. Kept @usdafsa offices open as long as possible, but closed when funding lapsed. January 15th deadline extended for period of time equal to number of business days FSA offices were closed, once shutdown ends.” The government shutdown, which ... Read More »

Handicapping association’s 2019 federal, state legislative agenda It may be a new year, but many of the issues on the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) legislative agenda aren’t. The WAWG leadership team is gearing up for what looks to be a busy legislative season. The midterm elections saw a large number of freshman lawmakers elected to the state legislature, ... Read More »

Dear WAWG members, We’re all familiar with the adage, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Unfortunately, our plans to reach out to nonmembers and encourage them to become members went a bit off the rails with our January issue of Wheat Life. Every few years, we use an issue of Wheat Life to reach out ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Just because the new farm bill was passed doesn’t mean wheat farmers get to rest, says the new president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. Connell, Wash., wheat farmer Jeff Shawver began his one-year term as president in November during the Tri-State Grain Growers Convention in Portland. Efforts to pass a new farm bill were ... Read More »

After more than a year of meeting with legislators and advocating for Washington farmers, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) was gratified to see Congress act quickly in a bipartisan manner to pass the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, otherwise known as the 2018 Farm Bill, last month. The bill was signed into law by President Trump right before ... Read More »