From the National Agricultural Statistics Service The statewide temperatures for February were mostly below normal to normal for this time of year. Producers in central Washington received much needed precipitation in the form of snow. Crop activity was low, with some acres of orchards and hop yards torn out since the last cropping season. The northeastern region experienced cold weather. ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers  March 9 was day 56 of the 105-day regular session. With the deadline to pass bills out of their house of origin fast approaching, legislators have been focused this past week on floor action, debating, and voting on bills. The house of origin cutoff is 5 p.m. on March 12. Bills ... Read More »

By Xianming Chen Wheat stripe rust is forecasted to be in the low epidemic range (1-20% yield loss) for the 2025 growing season for the eastern Pacific Northwest, based on the predication models using the weather data from November 2024 to February 2025. The models predicted highly susceptible varieties to have 18% yield loss with a standard deviation of 9%. ... Read More »

From Brownfield Ag News An Oregon wheat farmer remains concerned about exports in 2025. Former president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, Brent Cheyne, says there aren’t enough markets domestically to support the current U.S. wheat crop. “Eighty-nine percent of our crop is exported to the Pacific Rim, so I have no idea how you would consume all of ... Read More »

This week, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) welcomes Anthony Peña as the new Policy Manager. Anthony brings valuable experience from his nearly three-year tenure as Government Relations Manager at the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA). Before PNWA, Peña served for years with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray as Regional District Director and Representative. Anthony is from Vancouver, Wash., and ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers The Legislature has completed the seventh week of session. Friday, Feb. 28 was the 47th day of the 105-day session. The focus of the past week was on fiscal and transportation committees working late into the night hearing hundreds of bills with fiscal impacts and holding executive session to pass out ... Read More »

The Fence Post At the Commodity Classic on Sunday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollis declined to promise to maintain crop insurance premium subsidies at current levels, but said conservation funds blocked by the Trump administration will be released. Asked by a reporter at a news conference before she delivered her speech if she would promise to maintain current crop insurance premium ... Read More »

From Reuters Chinese imports of U.S. farm goods, which have declined sharply since the Washington-Beijing trade war during President Donald Trump’s first term, are expected to drop further as Beijing prepares retaliatory measures against fresh U.S. tariffs. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers Feb. 21 marked the first major deadline of the 2025 legislative session when bills must have been voted out of their respective policy committees to still be considered alive for this session. The second deadline is less than a week away on Feb. 28, when bills must be passed out of ... Read More »

From agweb.com It’s been just over two months since Congress passed the American Relief Act, which contains $9.8 billion in market relief payments. Congress gave USDA 90 days to issue the payments, and with less than 30 days left before the deadline, farmers are asking one question: when will those payments be released? Read the rest of the article here. Read More »