By Dr. Xianming Chen Based on the predication models using the weather data from November to February, wheat stripe rust is forecast to be in the moderate epidemic level range (20-40 percent yield loss) in the 2022 growing season. The models predict highly susceptible varieties to have 33 percent yield loss with a standard deviation of 7 percent. This value is ... Read More »

Today, Nicole Berg was elected as the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) president. She is a 4th generation farmer from Paterson, Wash., where she farms alongside her dad and two brothers. They grow dryland and irrigated wheat, blue grass seed, field corn, sweet corn, sweet peas, green beans and alfalfa. Berg also sits on the board of the Federal ... Read More »

A group of Washington state agricultural organizations sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee and state House and Senate leaders offering suggestions on actions that would significantly increase riparian enhancement and protections for salmon. “Our farmers have implemented conservation on their lands for decades and generations with help and in partnership with local conservation districts, local watershed and salmon enhancement ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The cost of production is likely to increase for U.S. wheat farmers as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the leader of the National Association of Wheat Growers says. “First of all and most of all, it’s a very unfortunate and sad situation what’s going on with the invasion of Ukraine by Russian military ... Read More »

The Farm Service Agency recently updated the annual and benchmark yields for ARC/PLC program years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. This data is useful to producer in choosing to participate in either ARC or PLC. For added assistance with ARC and PLC decisions, USDA partnered with the University of Illinois and Texas A&M University to offer web-based decision tools to ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A House bill to require publicly funded projects to benefit salmon did not have enough support Monday to pass the Senate Ways and Means Committee, blocking the legislation, which was opposed by farm groups. House Bill 1117 was scheduled for a vote by the Senate committee, but was skipped over. Committee Chairwoman Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist With less than two weeks to go until session adjourns on March 10, we are on the home stretch of this year’s 60-day session. Feb. 28 marked another cutoff deadline where all bills needed to be voted out of the opposite chamber’s fiscal committee to remain under consideration. House Releases Proposed Supplemental Capital Budget Last ... Read More »

National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Vice President and Paterson, Wash., farmer Nicole Berg testified in front of the House Agriculture Committee today in a hearing to review the 2018 Farm Bill with a focus on Title I programs. Berg highlighted key improvements made during the 2018 Farm Bill and how those programs work for wheat farmers. During the testimony, ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A Senate Democrat warned Thursday that a salmon recovery bill moving through the Legislature would repeat Gov. Jay Inslee’s mistake of not consulting with farmers before proposing riparian buffers. House Bill 1117 calls for Inslee and tribes to develop riparian buffer standards for Western Washington cities and counties. Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, said the same process ... Read More »

From NASS Statewide temperatures in Washington for the month of February were above normal. In Western Washington, early February was wet and cold. Late February transitioned to warmer temperatures throughout the district. In San Juan County, early blooming perennials and some fruit trees were budding out. Livestock was on stockpiled feed, while most pastures suffered from excess moisture. Most fall-planted ... Read More »