Current Issues

On Tuesday, Jan. 8, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue tweeted the following: “We’ve extended deadline for Market Facilitation Program applications. Kept @usdafsa offices open as long as possible, but closed when funding lapsed. January 15th deadline extended for period of time equal to number of business days FSA offices were closed, once shutdown ends.” The government shutdown, which ... Read More »

Handicapping association’s 2019 federal, state legislative agenda It may be a new year, but many of the issues on the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) legislative agenda aren’t. The WAWG leadership team is gearing up for what looks to be a busy legislative season. The midterm elections saw a large number of freshman lawmakers elected to the state legislature, ... Read More »

Dear WAWG members, We’re all familiar with the adage, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Unfortunately, our plans to reach out to nonmembers and encourage them to become members went a bit off the rails with our January issue of Wheat Life. Every few years, we use an issue of Wheat Life to reach out ... Read More »

After more than a year of meeting with legislators and advocating for Washington farmers, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) was gratified to see Congress act quickly in a bipartisan manner to pass the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, otherwise known as the 2018 Farm Bill, last month. The bill was signed into law by President Trump right before ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist On Jan. 14, 2019, the Washington State Legislature will be back in session in Olympia for a “long” session that is scheduled to last 105 days. One of the primary tasks of legislators during a long session is to pass the state’s biennial budgets: operating, capital and transportation.   Democrats will control the agenda in Olympia ... Read More »

President signs critical bill into law After more than a year of meetings with legislators and advocating for Washington farmers, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) was gratified to see Congress act quickly in a bipartisan manner to pass the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, otherwise known as the 2018 Farm Bill last week. Today, WAWG applauds President Trump ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A $1.1 billion orca-rescue plan rolled out Thursday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee includes $750,000 for another look at breaching four dams on the Lower Snake River. The dams in southeast Washington generate electricity and allow farmers to move grain by barge down the Columbia River’s main tributary. Inslee said a task force would study whether ... Read More »

From U.S. Wheat Associates When the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) enters into force Dec. 31, 2018, Japan will grant preferential access to wheat export countries that are in the agreement. This has the potential to slash sales to a crucial market for U.S. wheat farmers. That is why U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) President Vince Peterson urged the U.S. ... Read More »

By Alex McGregor The Hagberg-Perten (H-P) test that grades wheat by measuring the effects of the alpha-amylase (AA) enzyme was developed a long time ago. Its original purpose was not to measure grain quality, but to help bakers wanting to know how much AA to add when making loaves of bread.  Back then Dwight Eisenhower was president, Hawaii and Alaska ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates Today, leaders of the U.S., Canada and Mexico officially signed the revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) now known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) applaud the three countries for working together to finalize USMCA. This ... Read More »