So far, it’s been a pretty eventful year for the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG). Add in one more change—the hiring of a new staff member. Lance Marshall was brought on board in June to replace retiring Wheat Life ads sales manager, Kevin Gaffney. Marshall and his wife, Pamela, live in Clarkston, Wash., with their youngest daughter. Two other ... Read More »
The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) and the Washington Grain Commission (WGC) are hailing the implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) as a huge step forward in the effort to stabilize the uncertain trade environment wheat growers have been dealing with over the past few years. “The road to updating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the ... 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 »
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 »
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 »
Governor Inslee has modified the provisions of Proclamation 20-25 applicable to essential workers and workplaces to prohibit any agricultural employer from continuing to operate beyond June 3, 2020, unless the employer complies with all provisions of the Agriculture COVID-19 requirements – Provisions for All Worksites and Work-Related Functions found at this link: https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/COVID19AgriculturalSafetyPlan.pdf These requirements apply to orchards, fields, dairies ... Read More »
By Michelle Hennings Executive Director, Washington Association of Wheat Growers WOW! What an interesting couple of months it has been. Our office may be closed, and you won’t have seen us at any meetings lately, but the leaders and staff of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) are still working very hard on behalf of Eastern Washington wheat growers. ... Read More »
Due to social distancing guidelines, Washington State University (WSU) Cereal Variety Testing Program has canceled their 2020 plot tours. According to the WSU small grains website, virtual tours will be recorded at Lind, the Wilke Farm/Reardan, Dayton and Pullman. The annual Lind Field Day has also been canceled. This is only the second field day cancellation in 105 years; the ... Read More »
Today, growers in Eastern Washington learned many of them would not be eligible for the latest round of aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Soft red winter, hard red winter and white wheat have been deemed not eligible for the Coronovirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which sets aside $16 billion for direct payments to farmers and ranchers under ... Read More »
Washington’s massive agriculture industry is critical to both the state’s economy and to the welfare of families across the country. Agriculture is one of the essential industries that continues to work even during Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19). Thousands of farm workers are on the job, and the season is just getting started. Many farmworkers ... Read More »
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