WAWG
From NASS There were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, down from 7.0 days the previous week. Western Washington had favorable dry conditions for harvesting and fall planting during the week. The weekend brought two to three inches of precipitation, which temporarily shut down fieldwork. Some of the corn harvest was immature and wet. There were reports ... Read More »
State
Washington Ecology to stick with Obama WOTUS
From the Capital Press The Washington Department of Ecology says it will regulate wetlands, streams and ditches not covered by the Trump administration’s definition of the waters of the U.S., effectively retaining the Obama-era clean water rule that was widely opposed by farm groups. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
Boosting barley: New WSU malt quality lab could increase barley acreage, profits
From the Capital Press On a sunny September day, program manager Max Wood maneuvered a pint-size Wintersteiger Classic Plus combine across a plot of malting barley that is part of Washington State University’s new research efforts. It was the first day of putting the new combine through its paces at the university’s Spillman Agronomy Farm, where different varieties of barley are ... Read More »
Crop progress report 10/04: Pumpkins, squashes, apples harvested in Washington
From NASS There were 7.0 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 6.8 days the previous week. Raspberry growers in Whatcom County began to tie and prune berries. Corn silage harvest was in full swing. Skagit County received rainfall last week, which helped the hay crop condition. Corn for silage producers in Snohomish County were in a ... Read More »
All Wheat Stocks Stored in Northwest Region Up 12 percent from last year
From NASS All wheat stored in all positions on Sept. 1, 2020, totaled 182 million bushels in Washington, up from 155 million bushels a year ago. Off-farm stocks were up 13 percent, while on-farm stocks were up 55 percent compared to the previous year. In Idaho, wheat stored in all positions totaled 106 million bushels, up from 92.2 million bushels ... Read More »
Federal agencies sign management decision for Columbia River dams
From the Capital Press The Trump administration has signed off on a new operations plan for 14 dams in the Columbia River Basin that commits to improving fish passage and habitat, but does not call for breaching dams on the lower Snake River to protect endangered salmon and steelhead. On Sept. 28, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation ... Read More »
Crop progress report 09/27: Rain received throughout Washington
From NASS There were 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 6.6 days the previous week. In San Juan County, there were some nice field days until a major low-pressure system brought back much needed moisture. This reduced harvest time for many vegetable and fruit crops. Livestock were still on pasture, and most were supplemented with ... Read More »
State should partner with ports, agriculture to spur economic recovery
From The Seattle Times It would be an understatement to say 2020 is a tough year. Employment in all economic sectors around the state, except for health care, has cratered. There continue to be heroic efforts to make sure people have food, shelter and the other supplies basic to life and health. Much of the heavy lifting continues to be ... Read More »
2020 wheat spot begins airing
Crop progress report 09/20: Smoke cleared throughout Washington
From NASS There were 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 6.0 days the previous week. In western Washington, most fieldwork came to a halt or decreased due to the poor air quality from the wildfires. A couple of light rain events reduced the fire danger locally but did not provide the deep watering that was ... Read More »