From the Capital Press A third straight year of low returns for grain growers has set the stage for strained finances and analysts are cautioning farmers about the risks of using long-term assets to finance another year of production. “The situation right now is we’re coming off of three years where virtually every acre of production lost money,” said Sterling ... Read More »

From NAWG The election is less than two weeks away, and as we’re all aware, campaign activity is in full force. This time of year, more than ever, is a key opportunity for you to have your elected officials’ ear, particularly as your senators and members of Congress are likely holding town halls and other public events across your state and ... Read More »

Last week, National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Gordon Stoner attended a Farm Bill Discussion Forum hosted by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), where he participated in a panel discussing what is needed in the 2018 Farm Bill to assist producers through this period of low prices and surplus commodities. Stoner said the consensus at the panel was that protecting crop insurance ... Read More »

Editor’s note: Sometimes, elections seem to be a remote thing that just happens and is unconnected to agriculture. Not this year. With the 2018 Farm Bill peeping over the horizon, the choices Washington wheat farmers make in November could impact their livelihood far beyond the next two to four years. While most of the farm bill action will take place ... Read More »

From The Wall Street Journal The White House is in an uphill battle to win support in Congress this year for the sweeping 12-nation trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. Darci Vetter, chief agricultural negotiator in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and a key figure in the negotiations, is helping to lead that charge. At The Wall ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist After a crowded field of seven candidates in the primary election, only two candidates remain in the race for the Commissioner of Public Lands, the position that heads the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The two finalists are Republican Steve McLaughlin and Democrat Hilary Franz. The current commissioner, Peter Goldmark, is not seeking ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The USDA’s latest supply-and-demand report held no surprises for wheat farmers, market analysts say. “This is probably the most well-anticipated report I have ever seen,” said Dan Steiner, grain merchant for Morrow County Grain Growers. “As far as excitement or market movement, it’s completely boring.” The USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates projects U.S. ending ... Read More »

Last week, NAWG signed on to a letter to the U.S. Senate and House leadership supporting the inclusion of $3 million in the Fiscal Year 2017 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The funds will be applied to informing the public about the benefits realized by the application of biotechnology to food and agriculture production. Since ... Read More »

Herbicide resistant weeds are a growing concern in the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. and globally. One of the key tactics in the fight against herbicide resistant weeds is to alternate or combine herbicides with different modes of action; however, it is often difficult for growers to know what active ingredient(s) are in the jug they just bought and what mechanism(s) or ... Read More »

From Washington State University  “Falling numbers” refers to a test for increased alpha amylase activity, an enzyme, which when present, can significantly reduce grain quality. The lower the number, the higher the enzyme activity, and thus the lower the quality. 1. What is the falling number test? What exactly does it measure and why is this important to the buyers ... Read More »