From the Farm Service Agency Final market year average (MYA) prices for 2020 have been published for wheat, barley and oats. The MYA for wheat and barley fell below the statutory reference price resulting in a 2020 Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payment rate for those crops. The MYA for oats exceeded the statutory reference price, so no payment will be ... Read More »

There’s a new face greeting producers at the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) office in Ritzville, Wash. Katie Teachout joined the WAWG staff at the end of July as an administrative assistant. Teachout moved to Ritzville in 2020 from Okanogan County to take a position at the Ritzville Adams County Journal where she covered local sports and news. She ... Read More »

From NASS There were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork, up from 6.6 the previous week. Statewide temperatures for the week ending Oct. 3 were below normal. In San Juan County, more rain and cooler temperatures pushed the area past drought conditions. Livestock was on stored feed. CSA farms continued fall harvest. Some fieldwork was delayed due to storm systems that ... Read More »

From reuters.com Top U.S. trade negotiator Katherine Tai on Monday pledged to exclude some Chinese imports from tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump while pressing Beijing in “frank” talks over its failure to keep promises made in Trump’s trade deal and end harmful industrial policies. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From NASS Winter wheat  Washington planted 1.75 million acres of winter wheat for 2021, down 50,000 acres from 2020. Harvested area, at 1.69 million acres, was down 60,000 acres from 2020. Winter wheat production in Washington is 71 million bushels, down 47 percent from last year with yield estimated at 42 bushels per acre, down 34 bushels per acre from ... Read More »

From NASS There were 6.6 days suitable for field work, up from 6.1 the previous week. Statewide temperatures for the week were above normal. In San Juan County, cooler nights were reported with some rainfall throughout the week. Corn and potato harvests were in full swing. Seed crop harvest was near completion. In Jefferson County, many areas received enough rain ... Read More »

National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) president and Cass City, Mich., wheat farmer, Dave Milligan, testified today during a House Agriculture Committee hearing on voluntary carbon markets in agriculture and forestry. Milligan highlighted several benefits growing wheat has on the environment, such as improving soil quality, protecting the soil from erosion and reducing weed pressure when added to a crop ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The navigation lock at The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River will be closed for repairs for five weeks early next year. That’s three weeks longer than the usual two-week closure for repairs each year. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From NASS There were 6.1 days suitable for field work, down from 6.7 the previous week. Statewide temperatures for the week were above normal. In San Juan County, topsoil moisture increased. Fruit crops were harvested. Livestock was on stock-piled feed, and CSA farms continued to harvest annual crops. In Jefferson County, grain harvest was nearly complete, and corn harvest began. ... Read More »

From agriculture.com This year’s record of U.S. agricultural exports could be broken next year, as the U.S. expects to keep China’s feet to the fire on existing trade agreements, according to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. The USDA leader made a virtual appearance at the Ag Outlook Forum Monday. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »