The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announces the expansion of Multi-Peril Crop Insurance for the 2018 crop year. The policy for buckwheat will now be available in Adams County, Washington; Dry beans in Franklin County, Idaho; and dry peas in Benton County, Washington. All three policies provide coverage for damage resulting from naturally occurring events, similar to ... Read More »

By Trista Crossley The Washington Policy Center wrapped up 2017’s Farm Hall Series in Spokane last month, bringing together elected officials and agricultural industry leaders to answer questions from farmers and ranchers and to look at some of the issues facing agriculture in the coming year. Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), joined Sen. Mark ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist On Dec. 14, Gov. Jay Inslee released his proposed supplemental operating budget for the 2017-2019 biennium. The supplemental operating budget makes tweaks to the current $43.7 billion, two-year state budget that was adopted earlier this year. The Governor proposes tapping into the state’s reserves by almost a billion dollars to respond to a recent Supreme ... Read More »

The  tax reform bill has passed the U.S. Senate and House and is now headed to the president’s desk. While many details about the bill are still unknown, some information about how it might affect farmers is starting to trickle out. Follow these links for more information: K-Coe Isom, a firm that provides consulting and CPA services in the food and ... Read More »

From the Association of Washington Business A Thurston County judge blocked the Washington State Department of Ecology’s (Ecology) Clean Air Rule from moving forward, saying the state lacks the authority to implement it without legislative approval. Ecology implemented the rule in 2016 at the direction of Gov. Jay Inslee. A coalition of employer groups led by the Association of Washington ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said last week that Senate Republicans should stop the “high jinks” and pass a capital budget, but the GOP lawmaker who held up the budget said he believes Republicans will hold firm until Democrats embrace a “good Hirst fix.” Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, said a plan outlined Thursday by Democrats to reopen some ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Washington Gov. Jay Inslee presented a budget Thursday that relies on a two-year, $1.5 billion carbon tax to speed-up and sustain higher teacher salaries ordered by the state Supreme Court. Inslee, speaking at a press conference, said putting a price on greenhouse gases will help K-12 education and respond to climate change. Read the rest of ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Leadership runs in Marci Green’s family. Her father, Karl Felgenhauer, was a longtime board member of the Washington Wheat Commission, now the Washington Grain Commission. Her great uncle, Jack Felgenhauer, was a president of the National Association of Wheat Growers. Green has also served on local boards and other organizations. “I just feel like it’s important ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Democrats outlined a plan Tuesday to help fish while curtailing withdrawals from new rural wells, redistributing water in the wake of the state Supreme Court’s Hirst decision. The proposal could allow more farm families to drill wells for homes. But it would limit withdrawals to 350 gallons a day, as opposed to the current cap of ... Read More »

From Farm Policy Facts Farmers and ranchers across America will have their voices heard in the USDA Census of Agriculture, and the data collected in the coming months will certainly help shape agricultural policy for years to come. The census began in 1840 and is conducted every 5 years to get a complete picture of American agriculture. Farm operations that produced ... Read More »