From the Capital Press A Washington State University economist says it’s time for farmers to sell their wheat, as the conflict in Iran has pushed prices higher. But, the conflict is likely to increase input prices for farmers. Last fall, economist Randy Fortenbery told farmers they might want to start thinking about selling their wheat when December futures prices hit ... Read More »

On March 24, 2026, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) released a new report highlighting the significant financial burden that countervailing duties (CVD) on phosphate fertilizer imports have placed on U.S. wheat farmers. The report finds that these duties have greatly increased fertilizer costs, contributing to nearly $1 billion in additional expenses for wheat growers – alone – between ... Read More »

By Dr. Xianming Chen On March 18, we were checking wheat fields in Franklin, Benton, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Whitman counties. Wheat plants ranged from Feekes 3 to 6. Stripe rust was found in all counties. In Franklin County, stripe rust has developed quickly since the field check on March 3, forming rust foci (hot spots) of several feet in diameter. In Horse ... Read More »

From smallgrains.wsu.edu Weather data collected by USDA’s Dr. Xianming Chen from November 2025 to February 2026 indicate severe epidemic levels of stripe rust. Highly susceptible varieties could experience yield losses of 40-60%. Commercial fields will likely have yield losses between 8% and 40% without a fungicide application.  Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

Washington’s premiere agriculture leadership program, AgForestry, is transitioning to a nine-month format in an effort to improve accessibility for prospective applicants and their organizations. The change will take effect beginning with Class 47, which is currently accepting applications through April 30, 2026. The Class 47 time commitment is September 2026 through May 2027. Applicants must have lived or worked in ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Washington in 2024 ranked No.1 in producing apples, blueberries, hops, pears, onions and sweet cherries. It was No. 2 in grapes, potatoes, raspberries and winter wheat, grapes. And in take-home farmer pay, it ranked No. 50. Despite excelling at growing high-value crops, Washington agriculture actually lost money, according to the USDA. That’s not to say every ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist The Legislature adjourned on the 60th day of the 2026 Legislative Session on March 12 at around 8:30 p.m. In the final week of the session, the Legislature adopted the supplemental 2025-2027 operating, capital, and transportation budgets. The Legislature also spent the final week passing bills. In total, the Legislature passed 267 bills during the ... Read More »

The last leg of the Armchair Engineer’s trip down the Columbia-Snake River System. On the final day of the trip, he enters the lower river near Portland/Vancouver and begins delivering cargo at a port on the Willamette River, the Port of Kalama, the Port of Rainier, and finally the Port of Longview. Part 4 of 4 – Cascade Locks, OR to ... Read More »

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers led a letter earlier this week to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Transportation and Operating committees regarding proposed funding on a study on “breach-readiness” on the lower Snake River dams. Dear Chairs and Ranking Members:  On behalf of the thousands of farming families, irrigators, and agricultural businesses that form ... Read More »

From smallgrains.wsu.edu In recent years, a growing number of dryland producers have been exploring ways of producing their own nitrogen fertilizer, on-farm. For some, this means making their own biological products by brewing compost teas (opens in new tab) and making compost extracts that can be applied in a liquid form, for instance as a seed inoculant or foliar application ... Read More »