From the Spokesman-Review Short stalks, thin rows, cracked soil and small bushels; the wheat Kevin Klein is harvesting in a field near Sprague just looks plain different this year. At least that’s what he sees, and considering he’s a fourth generation farmer who’s been working some type of a field for basically his entire life, its not too much of ... Read More »

From agweb.com A month after President Biden stood in front of the White House announcing an infrastructure deal, language of the $1 trillion bipartisan bill defeated the obstacles of Washington and made its way through the Senate. The bipartisan U.S. Senate members cleared a procedural vote on a possible infrastructure bill Wednesday with a 67-32 vote. It marks the first procedural ... Read More »

From NASS There were 7 days suitable for field work, unchanged from the previous week. Statewide temperatures for the week ending July 25, were above normal. In Whatcom County, drought conditions remained. All crops needed irrigation. Raspberry harvest ended, and blueberry harvest began. In San Juan County, many farms had livestock on stockpiled feed. Many grazing pastures were completely brown. ... Read More »

From the Risk Management Agency The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its Risk Management Agency (RMA) will authorize Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) to extend deadlines for premium and administrative fee payments, defer and waive the resulting interest accrual and allow other flexibilities to help farmers and ranchers through widespread drought conditions in many parts of the nation. Producers now ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Northwest white wheat farmers may see discounts because of high protein levels in their crops. Higher protein wheat is good for crackers, but detrimental for most soft white products such as cookies or cakes, said Art Bettge, a Moscow, Idaho, industry consultant. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the Capital Press Washington’s pending capital gains tax will burden farmers and ranchers and influence investment decisions, eight agricultural groups assert in a court document. The groups filed an amicus brief July 16 in Douglas County Superior Court, supporting a lawsuit filed by the Washington Farm Bureau and some of its members challenging the tax’s constitutionality. Read the rest ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The record-shattering heat wave in the Pacific Northwest has prompted fishing and conservation groups to ask a federal court to order more spill from dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers next spring to aid the migration of salmon and steelhead to the Pacific Ocean. Read the rest of the story here. Read More »

From NASS There were 7 days suitable for field work, unchanged from the previous week. Statewide temperatures for the week ending July 18, were above normal. In San Juan County, high temperatures remained throughout the area. Water was needed for crops and livestock. In Snohomish County, blueberry harvest continued, but some were damaged due to severe heat levels. Some pastures ... Read More »

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has sent a letter to President Biden asking for additional federal assistance for the Evergreen State’s producers. The letter says, in part: “Unfortunately, in addition to the ongoing drought and low soil moisture problems, an extreme heat wave hit the state at the end of June. High temperature records were set across the state, topping out ... Read More »

From the Tri-City Herald Is Gov. Jay Inslee plotting to get rid of the four lower Snake River dams? Or did he offer them up in a meeting Thursday primarily as a way to appease Washington state tribal leaders?Tri-Citians and other dam stakeholders deserve clarity on the governor’s position, and they deserve it now. Read the rest here. Read More »