State

From the Capital Press The Senate and House finalized a spending plan Wednesday that includes $30 million to partially reimburse farmers and truckers who paid cap-and-trade taxes on fuel used to grow and transport farm goods. The budget, which the Legislature was set to adopt Thursday and then adjourn for the year, directs the Department of Licensing to begin issuing ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers The Washington State Legislature has completed its eighth week of the short 60-day session as of March 3. There are four days left in the regular session. March 1 marked the second to last deadline of the 2024 Legislative Session — bills needed to have been approved by both the House ... Read More »

By Dr. Xianming Chen Wheat stripe rust is forecasted to be in the range of severe epidemic (40-60% yield loss) in the 2024 growing season for the eastern Pacific Northwest, based on the predication models using the weather data from November 2023 to February 2024. The models predicted highly susceptible varieties to have 51% yield loss with a standard deviation of 6%. ... Read More »

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is creating a new full-time position to assist Washington small grain farmers in learning more about the additional NRCS funding opportunities provided through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Although the IRA does not create any new programs, nationally it has given $19.5 billion in ... Read More »

Two new growers, representing Benton and Spokane counties, have joined the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) state board. Markus Smith, Benton County Smith lives in Prosser with his wife, Kayla, and their nine-month old daughter, Adeline. “I’ve always been interested in representing the wheat industry. I grew up reading Wheat Life. With the total population of farmers dwindling, it ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service Western Washington saw a warmer February than usual. There was less precipitation than normal. In central Washington, operations saw typical February weather, with less precipitation than normal. There was a week of snow, which all melted and helped the soil profile. Crops were getting through the winter in good shape. In Yakima County, significant ... Read More »

From the Columbia Basin Herald Budget writers in both the Senate and House have suggested allocating $30 million for refunding farmers impacted by the Climate Commitment Act. With the climate program, fuel used for agricultural purposes was supposed to be exempt. According to farmers and truckers in Eastern Washington, that proposal refund falls short. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers Feb. 25 marked day 49 of the 60-day session. This past week was filled with committee hearings on bills from the opposite chamber and rollouts of the state’s supplemental operating, capital, and transportation budgets. Now that all the budget proposals have been released, the differences between the House and Senate proposals ... Read More »

From the Capital Press With the support of the Inslee administration, Senate and House Democratic budget-writers Monday proposed refunding $30 million in cap-and-trade fuel surcharges to farmers and trucking companies. Farmers who bought fewer than 1,000 gallons of fuel would be eligible for a $600 refund. Farmers who bought up to 4,000 gallons would get $2,300. Farmers who bought more ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers The Legislature has finished the sixth week of the 60-day legislative session. Feb. 13 marked a critical milestone — the deadline to pass bills out of the chamber where they originated. The House has passed 270 bills, and the Senate has passed 260 bills this session. Bills that did not make ... Read More »