From the Capital Press The Washington State Department of Agriculture is trying to determine the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership proceeding without the U.S. “We’re still figuring out what that impact is, and how quickly those competitive disadvantages will emerge,” said Derek Sandison, WSDA director. “How much time do we have to find a solution before we actually are having ... Read More »

Trade, the 2018 Farm Bill and crop insurance top the list of priorities leadership and staff of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) will focus on during their advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., this week. The wheat growers will be meeting with many of Washington state’s federal delegation, as well as several of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s agencies ... Read More »

From USDA U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) farm bill and legislative principles for 2018 during a town hall at Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Penn. “Since my first day as the secretary of agriculture, I’ve traveled to 30 states, listening to the people of American agriculture about what is working and what ... Read More »

From the Capital Press President Donald Trump needs to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, an agriculture policy expert says. The president made an off-the-cuff remark when speaking with world leaders at the Davos, Switzerland, economic summit that he’d be willing to take another look at the deal, but it would have to be renegotiated and improved considerably for the ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG lobbyist Today marks the 23rd day of the 2018 Legislative Session. There are three days remaining until the first legislative deadline, Feb. 2, 2018, when all policy bills must make it out of their policy committee. The agriculture industry was out in force last week at the hearing on proposed legislation to require four days notice ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers Last night, President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union Address as president. National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) CEO Chandler Goule provided the following statement in response: “While the president addressed many issues of importance to the American people, it was unfortunate that he did not focus more of his ... Read More »

From NASS January was warmer than usual for Washington state. Most of the state received excessive rain while only a few regions received snow, most of which were at higher altitudes. Some regions in the west reported up to 11.10 inches of rain, with most of the west reporting at least an extra inch of rain than usual. Most of ... Read More »

From Politico The high-stakes NAFTA talks appear to be finally headed on a slow-but-steady forward course, but negotiators remain under pressure to deliver quick results to alleviate the threat of President Donald Trump withdrawing from the pact. “We believe that some progress was made,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Monday during a closing press conference. “We finally began to ... Read More »

A group of Washington wheat farmers joined other growers yesterday in Olympia to testify in a Senate Labor and Commerce Committee public hearing on SB 6529, a bill that places unworkable restrictions and onerous reporting requirements on pesticide applicators. The bill would require a pesticide user to provide written notice of an intended pesticide application to the Washington State Department ... Read More »

Recently, organizations along the North American wheat value chain sent a letter to President Trump, President Peña Nieto and Prime Minister Trudeau, as well as with lead negotiators from each country, Ambassador Lighthizer, Minister Freeland, and Minister Guajardo, stressing the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the wheat industry. Ranging from seed to bread and baked goods, key ... Read More »