From the Capital Press Stephen Van Vleet has received the 2016 Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. The award is given to Cooperative Extension educators with more than 10 years of service who have exhibited excellence in their work. “It’s a nice honor because it’s an award that shows that you’re working with the growers ... Read More »

In an effort to alleviate a burden on wheat producers, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) led the charge in requesting the Risk Management Agency (RMA) waive a reporting procedure when wheat farmers are hit with a low falling number discount at the elevator, regardless of whether or not a claim is filed. WAWG is disappointed that RMA has ... Read More »

Earlier this week, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) submitted a letter to the Risk Management Agency (RMA) asking them to waive the reporting rules that require elevators to report falling number discounts. Those discounts are then applied to a producer’s actual production history, even when no claim is filed. In addition to WAWG, that letter was signed by the Idaho Grain Producers ... Read More »

From the Capital Press What’s Upstream has until Oct. 17 to answer allegations that the federally funded campaign for new limits on Washington agriculture should have registered as a grass-roots lobbying organization, a spokeswoman for the Washington Public Disclosure Commission said Tuesday. The PDC originally gave lead organizer Larry Wasserman, the Swinomish Indian tribe’s environmental policy director, one week to ... Read More »

As the Wheat Industry Leaders of Tomorrow (WILOT) Program is fast approaching, NAWG is seeking nominations by our state associations of potential leaders to enroll. This program is sponsored and produced annually by Monsanto in partnership with the National Wheat Foundation and is targeted at producers who want to take on a greater role of leadership becoming more involved in ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Labor disputes are often blamed for discontinued ocean container shipping at Port of Portland’s “Terminal 6,” but the facility faces broader problems, a port executive said. Even if conflicts between the port, the terminal operator and the longshoremen’s union were resolved, turmoil in the global shipping industry would affect the facility, said Keith Leavitt, the port’s ... Read More »

Yesterday, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on the Current State of the Farm Economy, with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testifying. On behalf of the Pacific Northwest grain producers, The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) submitted testimony to the Committee discussing the dire economic conditions in wheat country, conveying the importance of current safety net and risk management tools. With ... Read More »

Written Testimony of the National Association of Wheat Growers Gordon Stoner, President Before the Senate Agriculture Committee The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Current State of the Farm Economy  September 21, 2016 Chairman Roberts, Ranking Member Stabenow, thank you for holding this hearing to review the “Current State of the Farm Economy.” Following several years of widespread drought in many ... Read More »

A notable characteristic of principal farm operators—the person most responsible for running the farm—is their relatively advanced age. In 2014, 33 percent of principal farm operators were at least 65 years old. This is nearly three times the U.S. average (12 percent) for older self-employed workers in nonagricultural businesses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most older principal ... Read More »

From NPR No chemical used by farmers, it seems, gets more attention than glyphosate, also known by its trade name, Roundup. That’s mainly because it is a cornerstone of the shift to genetically modified crops, many of which have been modified to tolerate glyphosate. This, in turn, persuaded farmers to rely on this chemical for easy control of their weeds. ... Read More »