By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Feb. 19 marked the 40th day of the 2023 Legislative Session and the first deadline: policy committee cutoff. This means all bills needed to pass out of their respective policy committees in their house of origin by that date, or they are considered “dead” for the legislative session. However, no bill is ever officially “dead” ... Read More »
From the Capital Press The Inslee administration continues to oppose a bipartisan voluntary riparian buffer bill backed by tribes, farm groups and the entire House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Administration officials complained Monday the bill lacked minimum buffer widths and gave state agencies too little power to oversee grants to plant vegetation and compensate landowners. Read the rest of ... Read More »
As a college student, Ben Barstow wanted to get into farming. When people asked him what he wanted to do when he graduated, he’d reply: “I’m looking for a Palouse farmer’s daughter who doesn’t have any brothers who want to farm,” he recalled. “A short time after that, we met.” Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist We have completed the fifth week of the legislative session (Feb. 5-11). Only a week remains until the first legislative deadline on Feb. 17, when all bills must be voted out of their respective policy committees to remain under consideration. Bills that do not meet this deadline will be considered “dead” for the legislative session. ... Read More »
At their county meeting in January, Franklin County wheat growers elected a new representative for the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) board of directors. Ben Cochrane is the 5th generation to work on the family’s farm in Kahlotus, Wash. “I’m excited to be a part of WAWG. I’m looking forward to being a contributing member,” Cochrane said. Cochrane graduated ... Read More »
From the Capital Press An Eastern Washington lawmaker has proposed reimbursing farmers who can show they paid cap-and-trade surcharges on fuel used to produce or transport farm goods. Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, said he’s been hearing from angry farmers seeing higher fuel bills. Legislators were assured cap-and-trade would not apply to agricultural fuels, he said. Read the rest of the ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist We have completed the fourth week of the 2023 Legislative Session. So far, legislators have introduced nearly 1,500 bills for the body to consider. There are only two weeks remaining until the first legislative deadline known as a “cutoff date”. By Feb. 17, bills must be voted out of their respective policy committees to remain ... Read More »
The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) awarded Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) with its 2022 Wheat Leader of the Year Award for his work as Chair of the House Agriculture Committee during the 117th Congress. NAWG President Nicole Berg presented the award to Rep. Scott during a recent visit to Washington, D.C. “We appreciate all the work Rep. Scott does on ... Read More »
From the Capital Press Lentils could be planted on more acres this year as demand for the pulse crop increases both overseas and domestically, industry leaders say. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
From NASS Northwest Washington experienced low temperatures and wet conditions. In Skagit County, there was not much harvesting, but animals were in good condition. Farmers were educating themselves to prepare for next year. Central Washington saw a mix of weather patterns. In Klickitat County, January was warm and wet. The past few weeks were warm and dry, with temperatures stretching ... Read More »
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