State

From the Tri-City Herald While the effects of this drought are still being felt across the Mid-Columbia, area water officials are urging cities, schools and parks to start preparing for drought conditions next summer. On Wednesday, the subcommittee of the Yakima Integrated Plan Workgroup focused on municipal water use announced that a letter has been sent to 204 public entities ... Read More »

From The Spokesman-Review The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is following through on its promise to propose a new clean-water rule for Washington, in case the state doesn’t come up with its own plan in time. The EPA plans to officially publish its proposed rule in mid-September for public review. It posted details on its website last week. “Our preference is to ... Read More »

Revenue coverage now available for malting barley producers in the Pacific Northwest USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), recently announced the availability of a new malting barley endorsement to the Small Grains Crop Provisions for the 2016 crop year. The endorsement provides revenue coverage on malting barley and is available in all counties where barley is insured in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and ... Read More »

From blogs.usda.gov Grazing livestock may soon be a common sight in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington, usually known for its rolling hills and grain production. Jonathan Wachter, a soil science doctoral student at Washington State University, has been working with a local farm to improve the competitiveness of organic mixed crop-livestock systems and their potential adoption by growers in ... Read More »

There has been some movement in Olympia the last few days as several legislators have resigned positions to accept other offers. Sen. Brian Hatfield (D-Raymond) resigned Sept. 1 to accept a position working for Gov. Inslee as sector lead for rural economic development. On Aug. 31, Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Bellevue) resigned to head the State Department of Early Learning. Hunter ... Read More »

The Washington State Crop Improvement Association (WSCIA) is a nonprofit organization that works with Washington State University, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and Washington seed growers and conditioners to develop, produce and distribute certified seed in order to improve crop yields and quality in Washington State. Download a copy of the 2015 Fall Buyers Guide. Read More »