By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist On Jan. 13, 2020, the Washington State Legislature will convene in Olympia for a 60-day “short session.” The main task of legislators will be to pass supplemental budgets for the operating, transportation and capital budgets. The supplemental budgets are generally minor adjustments to the biennial budgets (passed in the 2019 “long session”) based on updated ... Read More »
From the Tri-City Herald Breaching the Snake River dams is a divisive proposal — we’ve known that for decades. So why did the state need to spend $750,000 to tell us what we already know? That’s the three-quarter-million-dollar question. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
A draft report on the impacts of breaching the lower Snake River dams, which was commissioned by the Governor’s Office last year, has been released and is open for public comment. The report can be accessed at lsrdstakeholderprocess.org. Directions for submitting comments, either electronically or by mail, are included on the website. Public comments will be accepted through Jan. 24. ... Read More »
From Agri-Pulse Today, we mark the one-year anniversary of President Trump signing into law the 2018 Farm Bill, the Agriculture Act of 2018. Lots of folks said we couldn’t do it, that it was too big of an undertaking in such a fiercely divided political landscape, where bipartisanship has become a four-letter word. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
From the Capital Press Over the last three years we’ve learned to be cautious with our optimism on matters of trade. But, it looks as though there was some positive movement on that front last week. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
From the Williston Herald Expanded loss coverage in WHIP+, $1.5 billion in additional disaster funds, and more sugar beet assistance are among features of a $23.4 billion ag appropriations bill for discretionary funding of food and farm programs. Read the rest of the article. Read More »
From Progressive Farmer China and the U.S. reached a preliminary agreement on the first phase of a trade deal that includes increased purchases of U.S. agricultural products, although the amount wasn’t specified. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
From U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) are encouraged by news today that the United States and China have agreed on the text of a “Phase One” trade deal that apparently would roll back tariffs and re-open China’s important market for U.S. agricultural imports. ... Read More »
Editor’s note: Benton County wheat grower Nicole Berg was one of the participants on this trip. From U.S. Wheat Associates Of the more than 1.9 million metric tons (MMT) of international food commodities the United States donated in 2018/19, more than 800,000 MMT of it was high-quality milling wheat. Given the important role U.S. agriculture plays in supporting the neediest ... Read More »
High yields in Eastern Washington scuttle farm bill payments for last year’s crop By Trista Crossley The Washington state Farm Service Agency (FSA) office has confirmed that thanks to high yields, Eastern Washington wheat growers who elected the Agriculture Risk Coverage County option (ARC-Co) will not be receiving a payment for their 2018 wheat crop. Only five Washington counties qualified ... Read More »
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