From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 6.9 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, down from 7 days the previous week. Western Washington continued to see hot and dry conditions. In Whatcom County, raspberry growers reported some damage due to excessive heat during the harvest. Skagit County reported that the county was drying out. Conditions were good for harvesting ... Read More »

By Xianming Chen As July 12, we have almost completed recording stripe rust data in our winter and spring crop nurseries at various locations in Washington. Stripe rust developed to 100% severity on susceptible winter wheat varieties in all nurseries and up to 80% severities on spring wheat nurseries in Lind, Walla Walla, and Central Ferry and to 100% on susceptible ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Pacific Northwest stakeholders have been holding meetings preparing for a modernized version of the Columbia River Treaty since 2011. Thirteen years later, with the July 10 announcement of an agreement-in-principle between the U.S. and Canada, those stakeholders are taking a “wait and see” approach, calling it an “important first step.” Read the rest of the article ... Read More »

Columbia County growers have appointed Charlie Mead as their new Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) state board representative. Mead is the fourth generation on his family’s dryland wheat farm near Starbuck, Wash., where they also grow some hay. He is co-managing partner of the farm alongside his father, and his wife, Whitney, is learning the farm’s bookkeeping. They have ... Read More »

From Successful Farming Since reaching 80 million acres of wheat in 1980, U.S. farmers are growing less of the crop: just 50 million acres of all classes planted for the 2023–24 crop year. Still, wheat is important on farms in nearly every state. It is a key component of a well-balanced crop rotation, and adds diversified income to farmers who fine-tune crop ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 6.7 days the previous week. Whatcom and Skagit counties reported excessive heat, which required irrigation for most crops. Raspberry harvest was in full swing. Wahkiakum County reported that soil began to dry out, but there was still adequate soil moisture for pastures. In ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Farmers need to tell their story, but sometimes it can be hard to find someone — lawmakers, city reporters or the public — who will listen. Retired Washington wheat farmer and longtime industry leader Randy Suess described his frustrations when asking some reporters to cover farm matters. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the Capital Press Columbia-Snake River stakeholders recently toured the Mississippi River system, part of an alliance to join together all U.S. river interests. The tour was an “educational exchange” between the two regions, with Pacific Northwest representatives invited by the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 6.3 days the previous week. Western Washington saw cooler temperatures and some rain during the week. Strawberry harvest was ending as the raspberry harvest was gearing up. Central Washington had a lot of wind last week. The ground was drying out, with minimal ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service Winter wheat acres planted in Washington are estimated at 1.85 million acres, up 50,000 acres from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 1.79 million acres, up 2% from 2023. Acres planted to winter wheat in Idaho are estimated at 750,000 acres, unchanged from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 690,000 acres, up ... Read More »