From DTN When Chandler Goule was asked at Commodity Classic last month in New Orleans about infrastructure investments, the CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers took the time to highlight the value of river transportation. He repeatedly warned about the risks to wheat growers over a raging debate in the Pacific Northwest about four dams on the lower ... Read More »

From NASS According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s latest prospective plantings report, which was released on March 31, 2022, wheat producers in Washington expect to plant 2.34 million total acres in 2022, up slightly from last year. Winter wheat planted acres are expected to total 1.85 million acres for this year, up 6 percent from 2021. Spring wheat area planted are estimated at ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Jon Wyss is back at the helm of the Farm Service Agency in Washington state. Wyss was previously state executive director from June 2019 to January 2021, during the Trump administration. He was appointed by the Biden administration in February. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From NASS Statewide temperatures in Washington for the month of March were normal to above normal. In western Washington, there was heavy rainfall over the last couple of weeks. Some fields had significant amounts of standing water. Drier upland soils began to warm as pasture regrowth started. Field plantings for barley were rough due to wet conditions throughout the area. ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Biden administration on Monday submitted to Congress its budget for fiscal year 2023, which includes plans for investments in agriculture, water infrastructure and rural America. The proposed budget includes major investments in USDA, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other agencies that impact agriculture. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

Deadline for next AgForestry series is quickly approaching By Vicky Scharlau Interim Executive Director, Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation Violence broke out. People were arrested; some were beaten. Shots were fired. Vehicles were damaged. A bridge was burned.  This could be the news from last week, but I want to take you back to Washington’s “Fish Wars” of the 1960s ... Read More »

As the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) continues to develop its Farm Bill priorities, it has created and launched a Farm Bill Survey to gather feedback from growers about what policies are most important to farmers and identify practical policy recommendations that would benefit the grower community. NAWG relies on grower input to be effective advocates before Congress and ... Read More »

Earlier this month, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) address several issues concerning the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), including extending the sign-up deadline to April 30. Unfortunately, the extension wasn’t approved, but WAWG will continue to press USDA on the issues outlined in ... Read More »

From the Tri-City Herald For more than two decades Eastern Washington residents have heard proposals to tear out the lower Snake River dams, but only recently has the idea gotten bipartisan support in the nation’s capital, said Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. He organized a roundtable discussion in Richland on Tuesday, National Agriculture Day, that served as a rally to save ... Read More »

From the Washington State Department of Agriculture We would like to hear from you! On behalf of the Washington Soil Health Initiative (WaSHI), the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) invites dryland producers to take part in a survey. We are interested in understanding how and why you manage your soils the way that you do, how you work to ... Read More »