From the National Agricultural Statistics Service In Washington, there were 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork, with temperatures hovering near normal for most areas. Washington crop condition Winter wheat: 5% very poor 11% poor 19% fair 57% good 8% excellent Winter canola: 0% very poor 10% poor 68% fair 22% good 0% excellent Washington crop progress: Spring wheat planted: 12% this ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Week 12 brought another key deadline as the opposite house policy committee cutoff arrived Wednesday, April 2. House bills that weren’t voted out of policy committees by adjournment that day can no longer be considered during the 2025 session. The next deadline is April 8 when bills must be voted out of the opposite chamber’s ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service The statewide temperatures for March fluctuated between cooler temperatures with storms during the middle of the month and warmer temperatures toward the end of the month. Producers in central Washington saw little precipitation in the cropping areas of Yakima County. Orchard pruning occurred along with mowing and applying pest sprays. Apricots and peaches were ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service Wheat producers in Washington expect to plant 2.35 million acres of wheat in 2025, up 2% from last year. Winter wheat planted acres are expected to total 1.85 million acres for this year, up 3% from 2024. Spring wheat area planted is estimated at 500,000 acres, up 1% from last year. Idaho is estimated to have ... Read More »

On March 31, Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, testified in front of the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee opposing SB 5794, which would eliminate tax preferences for transporting agricultural commodities. Hennings told the committee that the elimination of these provisions threatens the viability of the state’s wheat industry by imposing a new ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Legislators have completed the 11th week of the legislative session, and there is less than a month left until the session is scheduled to end. The next deadline is April 2, which is the deadline for bills from the opposite chamber to be passed out of policy committees. Legislators have been busy voting bills out ... Read More »

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) announced today that its CEO, Chandler Goule, will be stepping down from his position in July 2025. “The past nine years at NAWG have been incredibly rewarding. I am confident that NAWG is in a stronger position today than when I first started. One of my proudest accomplishments has been winning our Prop ... Read More »

The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) has announced that they are expanding the Agriculture Support Program to producers and transporters who purchased fuel for agricultural purposes between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024. The process for submitting applications for 2024 fuel purchases will closely mirror that of the 2023 process, making it as simple and user friendly as possible. ... Read More »

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) welcomed two new board members since the first of the year representing Franklin and Spokane counties. Andrew Schafer, Franklin County Schafer, along with his wife, Jessica, and their three children, is the fourth generation to farm on his family’s farm near Kahlotus where they grow soft white wheat for seed. He graduated in ... Read More »

On March 25, Grant County wheat grower Ryan Poe testified before the Washington State Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology in support of HB1912 concerning the exemption for fuels used for agricultural purposes in the Climate Commitment Act. Poe told the committee most wheat farmers are now able to get carbon fee-free fuel and acknowledged the work the Washington State Department ... Read More »