Federal

Agricultural producers can now enroll in the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year. Producers can enroll and make election changes for the 2024 crop year through March 15, 2024.  On Nov. 16, 2023, President Biden signed into law H.R. 6363, the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A geopolitical analyst’s message to farmers for 2024: “Hire and borrow, hire and borrow, hire and borrow.” “We are in the cheapest and most abundant labor environment we are going to see for 22 years, and the cheapest capital we’re going to see for 12,” said Peter Zeihan, author of several books, including “The Accidental Superpower,” ... Read More »

Agricultural producers can now enroll in the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year. Producers can enroll and make election changes for the 2024 crop year starting through March 15, 2024. On Nov. 16, 2023, President Biden signed into law H.R. 6363, the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other ... Read More »

Last month, Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) leaders took part in the National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) annual fall conference in Cincinnati. WAWG leaders sit on many of NAWG’s committees, including Operations and Planning, Budget, Environment and Research, Domestic Trade and Policy, and a special climate and sustainability committee.  Michelle Hennings, WAWG’s executive director, said much of the ... Read More »

From the Center Square Expanding domestic market access and promoting exports of American farm products are among the provisions being endorsed by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., as Congress considers reauthorization of the nationwide Farm Bill. “Trade continues to be critical for American farmers and ranchers, and American agricultural products are a key part of the global food supply,” Newhouse ... Read More »

Concerned stakeholders left out of dam breaching discussions with Administration. Pacific Northwest (PNW) agriculture groups and stakeholders, including the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, The McGregor Company, Washington State Potato Commission, and Washington Farm Bureau, strongly oppose the proposed “U.S. Government Commitments in Support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and in Partnership with the Six ... Read More »

By Trista Crossley Editor, Wheat Life Capitol Hill may seem far away, but what happens in Washington, D.C., has a direct impact on Eastern Washington farmers. Two National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) staff, Keira Franz, environmental policy advisor, and Jack Long, government relations representative, gave an “inside the beltway” perspective about Congress at the 2023 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention. ... Read More »

On November 29, the document entitled “U.S. Government Commitments in Support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and in Partnership with the Six Sovereigns” was made public in a letter from Pacific Northwest members of Congress to President Biden. The draft agreement is based on the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, a proposal to the Biden Administration from the six sovereigns ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Republican lawmakers continue to warn President Joe Biden about secret plans developed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit over the four lower Snake River dams. Republican Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho and Steve Daines of Montana sent a letter to Biden to discuss their concerns ... Read More »

From Fox News The Biden administration is quietly discussing a potentially far-reaching settlement with environmental groups that advocate for tearing down four hydroelectric dams in Washington to protect salmon. Federal attorneys representing the government said it had “developed a package of actions and commitments” and agreed to pause litigation with environmental activist plaintiffs in the case, according to court documents ... Read More »