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 »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers Yesterday, the House Ways and Means Committees advanced its contributions to the proposed $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, which included provisions to offset components of the bill. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) is glad to see that proposals to tax capital gains at death were not included in the committee advanced ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The USDA Risk Management Agency has announced the crop insurance harvest prices for wheat. The agency will use a price of $9.86 per bushel for winter wheat and $9.21 per bushel for spring wheat. Read the rest of the article here. (A list of FAQs on the wheat harvest price from RMA is here.) Read More »

From NASS There were 6.7 days suitable for field work, down from 7 the previous week. Statewide temperatures for the week were above normal. In San Juan County, irrigated locations did not need as much water due to cooler, shorter days. Harvest happened on CSA farms. Apples, pears and plums ripened. Livestock were fed stored feed. Yakima County received much ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Washington Farm Bureau can challenge the state’s capital gains tax before it takes effect, rather than wait for farmers to be taxed, Douglas County Superior Court Judge Brian Huber has ruled. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »