From bpa.gov At first glance, dams look like they only hold back and store water, but they actually do so much more. Dams can help protect communities from floods, provide water to irrigate farmland, enable safe passage for boats and barges, create places to play on the river and provide the Northwest with renewable, carbon-free electricity. While not all dams ... Read More »
After being canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions last year, the 2021 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention promises to be better than ever. This year’s event is slated for Nov. 30-Dec. 3 at the Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane, Wash., and is sponsored by the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), the Oregon Wheat Growers League and the Idaho Grain Producers Association. ... 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 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 the USDA Economic Research Service Widespread drought across the northern and western regions of the United States has dampened prospects for projected production and exports in the 2021/22 marketing year of three classes of U.S. wheat: hard red spring, white, and durum. Cultivation of hard red spring wheat, typically the second largest class of U.S. wheat, is concentrated in ... Read More »
Andy Juris, Washington Association of Wheat Growers secretary/treasurer and a farmer from Klickitat County, is featured in KXLY’s latest Tribute 4 Our Farmers television spot. Read More »
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has sent a letter to President Biden asking for additional federal assistance for the Evergreen State’s producers. The letter says, in part: “Unfortunately, in addition to the ongoing drought and low soil moisture problems, an extreme heat wave hit the state at the end of June. High temperature records were set across the state, topping out ... Read More »
On July 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated 14 counties, mostly in Eastern Washington, as primary natural disaster areas. The declaration allows the Farm Service Agency (FSA) the ability to offer emergency loans to producers to help them replace essential equipment, inputs or the refinance of farm-related debts. Producers in 10 Washington counties that are contiguous to the ... Read More »
By Michelle Hennings WAWG Executive Director The first half of this year has been a challenge, to say the least, both professionally and personally. I’m normally a very social person, and not being able to interact and converse face to face with family, friends and coworkers due to COVID-19 has been really tough. The one positive from the whole ordeal ... Read More »
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but a combination of both brought a big spotlight on the drought conditions in Eastern Washington and highlighted how important crop insurance is to farmers. In June, Nicole Berg, a grower in Benton County and vice president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, sent out photographs of a coat hanger in ... Read More »
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