By Ben Tindall, in the Washington State Standard As the 2026 Washington state legislative session came to a close, there was at least one thing worth noting: some of the worst anti-farm ideas introduced this year did not make it across the finish line. That is the good news. The bad news is that stopping bad bills is not the same ... Read More »
From the Capital Press The National Weather Service’s seasonal outlook predicts the Northwest will be hotter and drier than normal for the next three months and probably for the rest of the year. The outlook, released April 16 by the weather service’s Climate Prediction Service, offers no hope that drought conditions will improve this irrigation season. Oregon, Washington, Idaho and ... Read More »
According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week. Washington crop condition Winter wheat: 1% very poor 1% poor 6% fair 67% good 25% excellent Washington crop progress: Winter wheat headed: 2% this week 1% last week 0% last year 0% 5-year average Spring wheat planted: 76% this week 65% last ... Read More »
By Dr. Xianming Chen USDA-ARS Since the last update on March 19, stripe rust of wheat has been developing fast in the Pacific Northwest, and many winter wheat fields have been applied with fungicides at the herbicide timing. We have been planting spring cereal nurseries and collecting stripe rust data from winter nurseries at some of the experimental fields. On April ... Read More »
According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week. Washington crop condition Winter wheat: 1% very poor 1% poor 6% fair 67% good 25% excellent Washington crop progress: Winter wheat headed: 1% this week 0% last week 0% last year 0% 5-year average Spring wheat planted: 65% this week 36% last ... Read More »
From the Capital Press Decision makers in South America’s salmon and shrimp feed industries took an up-close look at growing soft white wheat in Eastern Washington this week. It was U.S. Wheat Associates’ first aquaculture trade team from South America. From Spokane, the team went on to tour hard wheat production in the Plains. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Gov. Ferguson wrapped up bill action and signed the Operating Supplemental Budget, Transportation Supplemental Budget and the Capital Supplemental Budget into law the first week of April. All budgets were signed with partial vetoes. The Operating Supplemental Budget (SB 5998) included the following notable vetoes: Clean Energy Permitting/Planning: This section appropriates money for grants to ... Read More »
In late February, Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), testified in front of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) during a public hearing on the draft 2026 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife program. The NPCC is congressionally mandated to update its program every 10 years and is funded by a percentage of ... Read More »
According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington. Washington crop condition Winter wheat: 1% very poor 1% poor 6% fair 68% good 24% excellent Washington crop progress: Spring wheat planted: 36% this week 12% last week 26% last year 33% 5-year average Barley planted: 24% this week 11% last week 20% last ... Read More »
From the Capital Press Drought, pests and disease pressure loom. Pacific Northwest wheat farmers are ahead of schedule following an “unconventional” winter, the region’s leaders say. Read the article here. Read More »
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