Two Washington state growers have placed in the National Wheat Foundation’s (NWF) National Wheat Yield Contest (NWYC). Phillip Gross of Warden, Wash., was named the high yield winner, and Brian Cochrane of Kahlotus, Wash., placed in the dryland winter wheat category. The contest offers growers the opportunity to compete with farmers from across the U.S. and improve wheat productivity on their ... Read More »

The Washington wheat industry urges its Congressional delegation to communicate to the highest levels of government that renegotiation of existing trade agreements, “do no harm” to agricultural exports. The Washington Grain Commission (WGC) and the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) called trade the “lifeblood” of Eastern Washington farmers and warned of fallout if the international commerce is jeopardized. Mike ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The director of Washington state’s agriculture department says he is optimistic the U.S. and Canada will be able to successfully renegotiate the Columbia River Treaty. “We’re pretty close on a lot of things,” said Derek Sandison, director of the state Department of Agriculture and former director of the state Department of Ecology’s Office of the Columbia ... Read More »

By Steve Mercer Vice President of Communications, U.S. Wheat Associates Before the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) entered into force on Jan. 1, 1994, state intervention and import tariffs held U.S. wheat exports from the Mexican market. NAFTA ended both, and the newly opened market helped the Mexican flour milling and wheat foods industries to flourish, as did U.S. ... Read More »

Two high school seniors have been selected to represent Washington wheat farmers and will serve as the Washington Wheat Ambassadors for the upcoming year. Lexi Deishl of Waterville and Kyle Appel of Colfax were selected after an initial written application process that also included submitting a short introductory video. Deishl and Appel will each be giving a speech at the ... Read More »

From NAWG Today, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) president, Gordon Stoner, along with several U.S. agricultural stakeholders and business community representatives, participated in a NAFTA panel titled “The Future of NAFTA: The Stakes for American Agriculture and Business.” The panel took place at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., and was moderated by Neil Herrington, the ... Read More »

From NASS There were 6.3 days suitable for field work last week. Pasture and range conditions were reported at 20 percent very poor, 27 percent poor, 34 percent fair, 18 percent good and 1 percent excellent. A low temperature of 26 degrees F was reported in the north eastern region, while a high temperature of 74 degrees was reported in the western region. Statewide temperature differentials ranged ... Read More »

From the NAWG The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) has announced the resignation of former NAWG president and Sharon Springs, Kans. farmer, David Schemm. Schemm has resigned his position to pursue other professional opportunities in his home state of Kansas. “During his time as president of NAWG, David helped move the wheat industry forward, grew its presence on Capitol Hill and improved ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers On Oct. 26, the House took final action on the FY2018 Budget Resolution. With this action, National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) CEO Chandler Goule made the following statements about the importance of a strong farm bill and effective tax reform: “While NAWG appreciates that no reconciliation instructions were included for agriculture, the ... Read More »

From the American Farm Bureau Federation The American Farm Bureau Federation and seven other major farm groups today hailed introduction of bipartisan legislation to improve the Agriculture Risk Coverage program, an important component of the federal agricultural safety net for farmers. Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joni Ernst are sponsors. Among other things, the bill would prioritize use of data collected ... Read More »