On March 31, Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, testified in front of the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee opposing SB 5794, which would eliminate tax preferences for transporting agricultural commodities. Hennings told the committee that the elimination of these provisions threatens the viability of the state’s wheat industry by imposing a new ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Legislators have completed the 11th week of the legislative session, and there is less than a month left until the session is scheduled to end. The next deadline is April 2, which is the deadline for bills from the opposite chamber to be passed out of policy committees. Legislators have been busy voting bills out ... Read More »
The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) has announced that they are expanding the Agriculture Support Program to producers and transporters who purchased fuel for agricultural purposes between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024. The process for submitting applications for 2024 fuel purchases will closely mirror that of the 2023 process, making it as simple and user friendly as possible. ... Read More »
The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) welcomed two new board members since the first of the year representing Franklin and Spokane counties. Andrew Schafer, Franklin County Schafer, along with his wife, Jessica, and their three children, is the fourth generation to farm on his family’s farm near Kahlotus where they grow soft white wheat for seed. He graduated in ... Read More »
On March 25, Grant County wheat grower Ryan Poe testified before the Washington State Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology in support of HB1912 concerning the exemption for fuels used for agricultural purposes in the Climate Commitment Act. Poe told the committee most wheat farmers are now able to get carbon fee-free fuel and acknowledged the work the Washington State Department ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers We have wrapped up the 10th week of the session on March 22. This past week, committees focused on hearing bills passed by the opposite chamber. The next deadline is April 2 when all bills must pass out of their policy committee. Legislators have shifted to budget mode. Earlier this week, ... Read More »
From AgWeb.com ENSO-neutral means conditions could be close to average, but Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien’s principal atmospheric scientist, says that doesn’t mean the weather will be normal this spring and summer with growing concerns about drought. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
From the Capital Press The House passed a bill to help farmers avoid paying cap-and-trade taxes on fuel, rejecting a measure supported by the Washington Farm Bureau that would require fuel stations to give farmers on-the-spot discounts. House Bill 1912 was approved March 12 on a 93-4 vote and now goes to the Senate. It’s an attempt to keep cap-and-trade ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist On Wednesday, March 12, the Legislature reached a milestone — the deadline to pass bills out of their house of origin. Legislators worked several late nights and the weekend to pass as many bills as they could prior to cutoff. The Senate passed 273 bills, and the House passed 262 bills. Bills that did not ... Read More »
From The Western Producer A company in the United States is commercializing a new falling number test it believes is more accurate than the existing method. Amber Hauvermale, research assistant professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Washington State University, developed the test in collaboration with several other organizations. It was in response to the outcry from ... Read More »
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