State

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service Western Washington saw a cold snap in the first half of the month. There was less precipitation than normal, but most fields were wet and oversaturated with the snowmelt. In central Washington, there was significant rain and snow. Snow was still on the ground, but temperatures rose above freezing daily, and the snow settled. ... Read More »

Early Sunday morning, Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ Executive Director Michelle Hennings sat down for an interview with Fox News to stress how critical the dams are for the transportation of wheat and other products to export terminals in Portland. She made sure to stress that this is not just a local issue, but a national issue, as products from ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers Sunday, Jan. 28, marked the 21st day of the legislative session. We have now completed three weeks of session and are more than a third of the way done. The number of new bills being introduced daily is dropping in volume as the first legislative deadline is fast approaching, and new ... Read More »

From the Capital Press For every 100 farmers Jon Paul Driver talks to, about four reach out to him for help afterward. “Everyone is struggling one way or another, whether you have three sheep or 1,000 acres of tree fruit,” Driver told the Capital Press. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

by Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers During the second week of the legislative session, the House of Representatives and Senate were busy holding public hearings, passing bills out of committee, and some floor action. New bills continue to be introduced. Over 1,100 new bills have been filed in both chambers combined this session. Less than two weeks remain ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service All wheat planted in Washington totaled 2.30 million acres, down 1% from 2022. Harvested area, at 2.24 million acres, is down 1% from the previous year. Production totaled 113 million bushels, down 21% from 2022. Yield is estimated at 50.5 bushels per acre, down 12.9 bushels from the previous year. In Idaho, all wheat ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Anthony Smith has a passion for wheat farming. “When the wheat first starts poking out of the ground is pretty exciting, that relieves some stress,” Smith told the Capital Press. “Of course, those first few days of harvest are a feel-good time. Also, finishing harvest feels good, too.” Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

By Xianming Chen Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS Based on the weather data of November and December 2023, stripe rust in the 2024 wheat growing season is predicted to be in the range of severe epidemic level (40-60% yield loss on susceptible varieties). Using different forecast models based on the 2023 November and December weather data, yield loss of highly susceptible ... Read More »

Four members of Washington’s congressional delegation have sent a letter to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) questioning how the U.S. government plans to finance the commitments outlined in the lower Snake River dams settlement agreement, which was released last month. The letter was sent by Reps. Kim Schrier, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Dan Newhouse. “Some language ... Read More »

By Michelle Hennings Executive Director, Washington Association of Wheat Growers Boy, does time fly by.  I can’t believe it’s already time for my executive director column. The past six months have been busy with travel, meetings, and working many issues. We’ve done farm bill fly-ins to Washington, D.C.; participated in multiple workgroups and a Food for Peace event; organized a ... Read More »