RMA reviewing crop insurances wheat program By Trista Crossley Editor, Wheat Life Farmers know that regular maintenance is the key to keeping their equipment running smoothly, but sometimes even the tools in the toolbox need a little maintenance of their own.  Last October, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) began reviewing the crop insurance program for wheat to determine if improvements ... Read More »

From the Capital Press It is completely mind-boggling that amidst an energy and supply chain crisis, President Biden would remove a source of power and transportation for an entire region. Yet, just recently, the White House updated their blog with a post about doing just that: breaching the four Lower Snake River Dams. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From NASS There were 4.4 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 2.8 the previous week. Statewide temperatures were below normal. In San Juan County, chilly, cool nights did not affect fruit trees. Fieldwork started up due to drier weather conditions. Some timed rotational grazing took place on farms with drier upland soils. In Whatcom County, dairy farms had ... Read More »

A letter authored by the National Grain and Feed Association has been sent to the Surface Transportation Board, White House and Congress detailing freight issues agricultural shippers and receivers have been having with several Class I railroads. The letter is signed by the organization’s Agricultural Transportation Working Group (ATWG). “The current inability of several Class I carriers to provide reliable ... Read More »

The National Association of Wheat Growers has signed a letter supporting full funding for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN). This program works to establish and fund a service that provides the farming and ranching community with stress assistance programs. In 2021 most farmers, ranchers, and rural adults, reported that they had been experiencing more stress and mental ... Read More »

By Dr. Xianming Chen On April 13 and 14, we were planting spring cereal nurseries and taking the first notes of the winter nurseries at Mount Vernon, Wash. The winter plants were at jointing stage ranging from Feekes 4 to 6. Wheat stripe rust was up to 60 percent severity on susceptible varieties. Barley stripe rust up to 40 percent ... Read More »

From NASS There were 2.8 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, down from 5.4 last week. Statewide temperatures were below normal. In San Juan County, fruit trees blossomed more with rain and a cold wave. The ground was still soggy in low-lying and annual planting areas. Due to the cold and wet conditions, there was limited field activity. In Chelan ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The White House Council on Environmental Quality says in a post on its website that it is studying the fate of four lower Snake River dams — and the rest of the Columbia Basin. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From The Spokesman-Review Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent global food prices soaring, but Washington wheat farmers like Marci Green aren’t celebrating. Green, a sixth-generation farmer who grows wheat outside Fairfield, is concerned rising costs of supplies like fuel and fertilizer will whittle away at this year’s profits even after wheat prices hit a record high in March. She’s also ... Read More »

Grant County farmer and past president, Ryan Poe, took part in an interview with a Denver TV station to talk about how high wheat prices are impacting both ends of the supply chain. “Ryan Poe and Jenival Santos live nearly 1,200 miles apart but they are facing similar struggles. Their livelihoods rely on wheat. Poe grows it on his Washington State farm ... Read More »