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 »

From Farm Journal’s Ag Professional It’s a serene setting this time of year. Amber waves of grain surround these mountains as combines are starting to move through the harvest-ready golden fields in the Pacific Northwest. “This is day two,” says Kevin Duling of KD Investors in north central Oregon, while he was in the field harvesting. “We started yesterday afternoon.” ... Read More »

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has designated seven Washington counties as a primary natural disaster area. Producers in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan and Yakima counties who suffered losses due to recent drought may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers ... Read More »

From NASS There were 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 6.6 the previous week. Island, San Juan and Skagit counties reported that crops did well with the warm, dry weather last week. Most forage crops were still standing. Harvest was delayed due to the previous unpredictable weather. Haylage producers were busy. Livestock were still on ... Read More »

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a new economic and trade agreement that modifies the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), adding provisions for continued growth in agricultural trade among the three member countries. Agriculture has a large and growing stake in interregional trade in the free-trade area created by NAFTA. The total value of intraregional agricultural ... Read More »