By Diana Carlen WAWG lobbyist In recent weeks, some political commentators and editorials predicted a blue wave in Washington state, but that failed to materialize. The purpose of the Aug. 4 primary election is to narrow down the number of candidates that qualify for the November general election. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary election ... Read More »

From U.S. Wheat Associates U.S. wheat farm families grow six distinct classes of wheat across the diverse landscape of the United States. Those farmers take great care in producing the highest quality wheat in the most sustainable ways possible to honor their family legacies and to ensure greater value for their customers at home and abroad. Behind the world’s most ... Read More »

The much-anticipated Columbia River System Operations Final Environmental Impact Study (FEIS) was released late last week. It was developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the US Bureau of Reclamation, with input from tribal nations and Northwest states, and provides a comprehensive, final analysis of the four lower Snake River dams. The Washington Association ... Read More »

Guest commentary by Vince Peterson, U.S. Wheat Associates From the Capital Press I can say with certainty, there is no food industry relationship in the world that goes back farther than the relationship between U.S. wheat producers and the Japanese flour milling industry. Read the rest of Peterson’s column here. Read More »

From NASS There were 7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, the same number as reported the previous week. Some deterioration in pasture and range conditions was reported statewide. It was a good year for berries in the western part of the state. Cane berry harvest continued. Late Marionberries and raspberries started to slow down. Blueberries started to ... Read More »

Due to the uncertain timeframes of current group restrictions and financial implications of delaying a decision, the small grain grower associations of Idaho, Oregon and Washington regret to announce the cancellation of the 2020 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention. The event was originally scheduled for December 1-4, 2020 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. The Tri-State Grain Growers Convention has become a ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Environmental Protection Agency defended the pesticide chlorpyrifos on Tuesday, telling a three-judge panel in San Francisco that the agency has never found that exposure limits set in 2006 were unsafe. EPA’s attorney, Mark Walters, disputed claims that the agency’s studies support a ban. “It is inaccurate to say that the EPA has made a series ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced the acceptance of more than 1.2 million acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands program during the recent sign-up period that began March 16 and ended May 15. The number of acres offered during this sign-up period was 1.9 million acres, more than three times the number ... Read More »

From NASS There were 7.0 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 6.8 the previous week. San Juan County reported the usual seasonal swing into their dry summer. A lot of hay was cut. Livestock were still on pastures, but many with drier soil types expressed that quality was low as plants dried out and stopped growing. ... Read More »

From Ag Professional U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the department is looking at options for future coronavirus relief for producers. According to Farm Journal Washington Correspondent Jim Wiesemeyer, Perdue says USDA is in the process of evaluating the COVID-19 impacts on the agricultural economy and looking at the “lessons learned so far” as another round of CFAP ... Read More »