From Agri-Pulse After his state was shorted in recent enrollment of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts, South Dakota Sen. John Thune is suggesting the next farm bill give the program a higher acreage cap and more flexibility. In a release last week, Thune, a republican who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, proposed a CRP cap of 30 million acres and expanded ... Read More »

The WAWG office has received multiple inquires regarding the final spring plant date for crop insurance purposes. With up to 200 percent precipitation over last year throughout Eastern Washington, current field conditions are causing growers to be concerned about their ability to meet RMA’s final plant date. WAWG is in communication with the Spokane Regional RMA office on this issue. Growers are encouraged ... Read More »

From WSU’s Wheat and Small Grains website The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is considering rule changes affecting the use of restricted-use herbicides. The possible rule changes were agreed upon by a workgroup consisting of representatives from Washington State University (WSU) and various agricultural sector representatives, including the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. The existing rules covering restricted-use pesticides ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Yesterday marked the 93rd day of the 2017 Legislative Session. Another important legislative deadline occurred last week, when all bills must have passed out of the opposite chamber’s fiscal committees to remain “alive.” The next legislative deadline is April 12 when all bills must have passed out of both chambers to remain “alive,” unless they are ... Read More »

This year marks the fifth annual Wheat College, an educational outreach effort from the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG). Landing in the Tri-Cities for the first time, Wheat College will be held at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick on April 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This popular workshop has been held throughout Eastern Washington wheat ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Pacific Northwest wheat industry is asking Congress to fund research into the reliability and accuracy of the falling number test and the quality of soft white wheat. The industry wants the U.S. House appropriations committee to provide $1 million to the USDA Agricultural Research Service to study the accuracy of the test and $2 million ... Read More »

From USW’s Wheat Letter U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) shares strong support for more investment in agricultural research with our sister organization, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). NAWG notes that wheat relies on public, private and grower funding for crop innovation. Only 1.6 percent of the $142 billion U.S. federal investment in research is allocated toward agriculture research, according ... Read More »

By Dr. Xianming Chen April 6, 2017 On April 5, we were checking wheat fields in Whitman, Garfield, Columbia, Walla Walla, Benton, Franklin and Adams counties of Washington and Umatilla County of Oregon. Winter wheat ranged from Feekes 2 to 7. We found stripe rust in all of these counties and about 80 percent of more than 70 fields checked. For ... Read More »

From Agri-Pulse Capitol Hill appropriators received a pair of letters Wednesday outlining funding priorities for conservation and waterway infrastructure. One letter was signed by more than 220 ag, wildlife, and conservation groups; the other by 22 farm organizations. Read the rest of the story here. Read More »

From the Capital Press Farmers in the Northwest are planting more pulses, canola and barley, forgoing some wheat acreage as a result of low prices. Chickpea, canola and barley acres increased in the PNW, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service prospective plantings report. “I think farmers are looking for options to plant something other than wheat when they ... Read More »