By Dr. Xianming Chen During the last two weeks, we have been recording stripe rust data in our experimental nurseries at various locations and completed note-taking of winter nurseries at all locations. Stripe rust reached 90 to 100 percent severity on susceptible winter wheat varieties at all locations. Barley stripe rust developed up to 80 percent severity at Mount Vernon ... Read More »

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) and the Washington Grain Commission (WGC) are hailing the implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) as a huge step forward in the effort to stabilize the uncertain trade environment wheat growers have been dealing with over the past few years. “The road to updating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the ... Read More »

From NASS There were 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 6.3 the previous week. The Puget Sound had continued rain and sunshine with warmer days and nights. Field conditions in western Washington were wet, but improving. The standing water in low areas from last week evaporated this week. Green grain fields turned yellow. Weed control ... Read More »

The Asotin County wheat growers have awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Shelby Forgey, daughter of Brad and Jody Forgey of Asotin. Forgey just graduated from Asotin High School where she played varsity basketball and track. She grew up participating in 4H and FFA and has been tap dancing since she was two. Forgey is planning on attending college in Walla ... Read More »

From the Capital Press House Democrats Monday published a roughly 2,300-page, $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan. The bill, called H.R. 2, or the “Moving Forward Act,” would inject billions of dollars into road and bridge repairs, broadband development, school upgrades, water projects and rural communities. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture held a business meeting to mark up the United States Grain Standards Reauthorization Act (GSA) of 2020. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) applaud the Committee for their bipartisan work to move the bill forward and reauthorize the GSA through Sept. 30, 2025. “Thanks in part to ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), lead plaintiff of the national agriculture coalition fighting California’s false and misleading Prop 65 labeling requirement for glyphosate, welcomes yesterday’s ruling by U.S. District Court Judge William Shubb for the Eastern District of California. Judge Shubb decided in favor of the Coalition by granting summary judgment ... Read More »

From NASS There were 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 5.2 the previous week. Areas of Clallam, Jefferson, King and Snohomish counties received more than two inches of rain on Monday. Fields were wet from daily scattered showers. Some operators lost crops, especially in lower recessed areas. Drainage districts depended on both pumps and tide ... Read More »

Nearly half of all family farm operators and their spouses reported having a job off the farm in 2018. The majority of households, regardless of farm size, report that they work off the farm because it is more lucrative than farm work, provides more reliable income, and may offer health and retirement benefits. Households had the option to report more ... Read More »

L&I releases COVID-19 training kit The Governor’s office has made 2,000 face masks available to wheat farmers and their employees across the state in order to comply with the new COVID-19 guidance as it relates to agriculture.  That guidance requires all farm employees not working alone on the jobsite to wear cloth facial coverings. The cloth facial coverings must be ... Read More »