The 2016 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention is in the books. Approximately 450 attendees, speakers and exhibitors filled the ballrooms and meeting rooms of the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, last month to network, learn the latest in industry news and maybe do a little early Christmas shopping at the silent and live auctions. But amidst all the fun ... Read More »
From the Capital Press The Environmental Protection Agency has pushed back by six months its self-imposed deadline for releasing records related to the What’s Upstream advocacy campaign, frustrating a farm group that requested the documents more than seven months ago. Save Family Farming director Gerald Baron said last week the group will consider taking legal action and asking federal lawmakers to ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG lobbyist Yesterday, Governor Inslee released his proposed operating, capital and transportation budgets for the state’s two-year biennium beginning July 1, 2017. Due to the fact that the governor’s budget relies on $4.4 billion in new revenue which will face significant opposition in the Senate, it is considered a high-water mark for funding for many areas of the ... Read More »
From the Capital Press Mike Miller knows how important foreign trade is to agriculture. For him and Washington state’s 1,900 other wheat farmers, exports are the economic lifeblood. They ship more than 90 percent of their crop to overseas customers such as bakers in Japan and noodle manufacturers in the Philippines and South Korea. The customers were hard-won. “We realize ... Read More »
From Washington Ag Network What are the key issues lawmakers in Olympia will discuss in January? Ask state Rep. Tom Dent and he’ll tell you water issues, specifically, the Hirst decision will be front and center. Read the rest of the story here. Read More »
November was a very busy month for the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) leadership team. Besides participating in the annual convention, including a day-long strategic planning session, the team also traveled to Denver, Colo., to take part in the National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) Fall Wheat Conference. Both NAWG’s and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) policy committees met and ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Recently, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a controversial water decision involving the use of permit-exempt wells in rural areas, effectively limiting rural development in the state. The decision is known as the Hirst case and stems from a challenge brought by the environmental group Futurewise who argued that Whatcom County’s comprehensive plan failed to ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Once again, the issue of breaching the Snake River dams is back on the table. On Sept. 30, 2016, the federal government announced more than a dozen public hearings on the scoping process for a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 14 dams in the Columbia River Basin. The 14 dams within the Columbia River ... Read More »
From the Capital Press The Washington Supreme Court’s ruling in Whatcom County vs. Hirst could shut down rural homebuilding statewide, a lobbyist for farm groups and other water users said Thursday at a House hearing. “The more I listen to people discuss the Hirst case, the more convinced I am that there will be no growth in the rural area ... Read More »
From NAWG In a statement published Dec. 1, 2016, it was announced that, after a thorough examination regarding the genetically engineered (GE) wheat detection in Washington state, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has closed its fact finding. The agency also said it found no evidence of GE wheat in commerce. NAWG and ... Read More »
WAWG