From Progressive Farmer Farmers heading into 2026 are facing what congressional agriculture leaders repeatedly described as a “perfect storm” — high input costs, weak commodity prices, labor shortages and lingering trade disruptions. But top lawmakers from both parties say there is renewed urgency to complete some unfinished farm-bill work and potentially tackle agricultural labor reform. Read the rest of the ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Gil Crosby and his neighbors aren’t sure what they’ll plant this spring. “Lentils are down, garbanzos are down, peas are down, winter wheat price is down … I don’t think there’s going to be any malt barley contracts and feed barley’s not good,” said Crosby, the new president of Washington Association of Wheat Growers for a ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist On Dec. 23, 2025, Gov. Bob Ferguson released his proposed supplemental operating budget. The supplemental budget plan — Ferguson’s first as governor — is an adjustment to the roughly $78 billion 2025-2027 budget passed by the Legislature last April, which included $9 billion in tax increases over four years. Since Ferguson signed that budget into ... Read More »

By Xianming Chen  USDA-ARS Research Plant Pathologist Based on the weather data of November and December 2025, stripe rust in the 2026 wheat growing season is predicted to be in the upper range of severe epidemic level (40-60% yield loss on susceptible varieties). Using a set of forecast models based on the weather data of these two months, potential yield ... Read More »

On Dec. 1, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the next phase in the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program (FBA), the eligible commodity per-acre payment rates. As announced earlier this month by President Trump and Secretary Rollins, $12 billion will be paid to American farmers in 2026. Of that amount, $11 billion consists of one-time FBA program payments. ... Read More »

From agriculture.com Last week the USDA officially announced $12 billion in bridge assistance for U.S. farmers to offset economic losses associated with low prices, high production costs, and trade disputes for the 2025 crop year. We provide estimates of what the bridge assistance payment rates could be for the larger acreage row crops, and incorporate the payment estimates for corn and ... Read More »

From the Spokesman-Review By Kate Miner, Marketing Correspondent Sponsored content provided by Northwest River Partners Every year, Washington’s wheat fields produce over 144 million bushels of grain—enough to fill more than 144,000 tractor-trailers. However, getting that wheat from Eastern Washington to customers overseas requires a transportation system that works. For wheat growers across the Pacific Northwest, that system hinges on ... Read More »

From the Pacific Northwest Ag Network The 2026 Washington legislative session is just around the corner, and in anticipation, state Senator Mark Schoesler has filed legislation that looks to make lubricants for vehicles and machinery more affordable.  Senate Bill 5856, he said, would exempt emissions associated with lubricants from coverage under the state’s Climate Commitment Act enacted in 2021. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

The Inland Ports and Navigation Group (IPNG) opposes emergency motions filed by the National Wildlife Federation and the State of Oregon (plaintiffs) that seek to require increased spill and significantly alter reservoir operations at eight dams on the Columbia and Lower Snake Rivers. In its response filed with the U.S. District Court of Oregon, IPNG explained that the science shows ... Read More »

The National Association of Wheat Growers has put together an information sheet on the Trump administration’s Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program specific to wheat farmers. The one-time, $12 billion FBA is intended to help producers through market disruptions and elevated input costs until the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) goes into effect next fall. Row crops will receive $11 billion, ... Read More »