From the Capital Press Blaine Jacobson will retire from the Idaho Wheat Commission at the end of June, after 18 years as its executive director. “Every bit of those 18 years has been enjoyable,” Jacobson told the Capital Press. “I enjoyed the wheat growers I’ve worked with, the commissioners I reported to. I’ve had excellent staff. All of them have ... Read More »

From Progressive Farmer The American Farm Bureau Federation on Wednesday sent a detailed list of recommendations to Congress to help farmers, stating that even though lawmakers had provided earlier aid, more is needed because of economic losses facing the industry. Read the entire blog post here. Read More »

From the Capital Press Wireworms this year are popping up in areas where wheat growers previously didn’t find them, Washington researchers and farmers say. The pests are more active this year than recent years, said Aaron Esser, agronomist for Washington State University Extension in Adams and Lincoln counties. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From NASS There were 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, staying constant from the previous week. The Puget Sound had a few rainy days mixed with a few sunny days. Crops and fields were in good condition. Hay producers were still searching for stable weather to continue hay harvest. CSA farmers were in full swing. Berry crops ... Read More »

Today, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking the agency to consider overall price volatility when determining eligibility for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Under current rules, a commodity is considered eligible for CFAP if the price of that commodity fell at least 5 percent when comparing two, ... Read More »

Dr. Xianming Chen This week, we were completing stripe rust notes of winter cereal nurseries in Mount Vernon (Skagit County), Wash.; Hermiston (Umatilla County), Ore.; and Walla Walla (Walla Walla County), Wash. Winter wheat and barley ranged from flowering to soft dough stage. Wheat stripe rust developed to 100 percent severity on susceptible winter varieties in these locations. Barley stripe ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Washington Gov. Jay Inslee late Tuesday clarified how farmers can comply with some requirements to keep COVID-19 from spreading among workers. Read the story here. Read More »

Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee released his agriculture COVID-19 requirements. While the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) understands that these new health and safety guidelines are intended to protect farmworkers in the agriculture industry, we found them shocking and alarming, especially as we head into harvest season. WAWG was not consulted on these new requirements, and we have deep concerns ... Read More »

From NASS There were 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 5.0 the previous week. Western Washington had heavy showers and cool weather. Planting was interrupted and slowed. Crops already planted were in good condition. Grass growth benefited from the weather. Dairies took their first cutting of hay. San Juan County had ideal conditions of both ... Read More »

Due to social distancing measures, this year’s event will take place as a webinar By Trista Crossley Like many other institutions, the Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization (AMMO) is pivoting to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  This year’s Wheat College will feature Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson, who is the resident agronomist with Real Agriculture where he posts a weekly ... Read More »