Author Archives: Trista Crossley

Inslee cancels new spending by WSU, other

From the Capital Press Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has vetoed new spending totaling $235 million from the budget passed by lawmakers last month, including money for Washington State University to study soil health and to help farmers find alternatives to the pesticide chlorpyrifos. See the rest of the article here. Read More »

Crop progress report 04/05: Precipitation, wind slowed field work in Washington

From NASS There were 5.0 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week. In western Washington, grass was slow to grow with the cooler temperatures. Most livestock were out on pastures. Farmers worked ground and spread manure. However, most fields were too wet to work. In San Juan County, some orchards were beginning to bloom. In Snohomish County, most work ... Read More »

Governor uses veto authority to trim supplemental operating budget

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Last Friday, Governor Inslee signed the supplemental operating and capital budgets.  While he signed the supplemental capital budget in full, he used his line-item veto authority to trim the supplemental operating budget stating that circumstances have changed dramatically since the 2020 supplemental operating budget was approved by the Legislature last month due to COVID-19.  In ... Read More »

WAWG survey uncovers growers’ concerns due to COVID-19

According to a survey done by the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) about the impacts members are seeing due to COVID-19 and the social distancing measures currently in place, 80 percent of wheat growers are moderately to highly concerned. Possible disruptions to labor appear to be the largest concern at this point, with 59 percent of respondents saying they’ve ... Read More »

Agriculture more ‘essential’ than ever

From the Washington State Department of Agriculture Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee intensified our state’s coronavirus response with a statewide, Stay Home, Stay Healthy order to suspend all nonessential activity. Inslee called on people to stay home and for businesses to close, except for essential activities and services. Though the spirit of the mandate is clear, some workers and business owners ... Read More »

BPA corrects public misinformation

From Bonneville Power Administration There are a number of facts and figures that are being misinterpreted during the public comment period for the Columbia River Draft Operations Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  Information correcting the record on those issues from the Bonneville Power Authority (BPA) is included below. The executive summary for the draft EIS can be found at this link. ... Read More »

Crop progress report 03/20: Average conditions for March in Eastern Washington

From NASS Western Washington precipitation was below average in March. It was mild and dry across many counties in Western Washington. Spring field preparation was under way. In Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties, the weather had been erratic. Producers were spreading as much fertilizer as possible between the rain and hail. Winter calving was almost finished, and spring calving ... Read More »

More than 3.4 million acres selected for general CRP signup

Last week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the acceptance of more than 3.4 million acres in the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup recently completed, the first general signup enrollments since 2016. Through CRP, farmers and ranchers receive an annual rental payment for establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water ... Read More »

Speak up now in favor of Snake River dams

From the Capital Press Most people in the Pacific Northwest don’t think a lot about the rivers flowing through the hearts of our communities and states and all they provide us, but farmers certainly do. Read the rest of the editorial here. Read More »

FSA makes changes to programs to help customers conduct business

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices are open by phone appointment only until further notice, and FSA staff are available to continue helping agricultural producers with program signups, loan servicing and other important actions. Additionally, FSA is relaxing the loan-making process and adding flexibilities for servicing direct and guaranteed loans to provide credit to producers ... Read More »