State

By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers Washington state legislators are gearing up for the upcoming legislative session, which will begin on Jan. 8, 2024, but prior to that, they will be hosting their annual Assembly Days in Olympia. This is an opportunity for legislative committees to hold work sessions and for legislators to outline priorities for the ... Read More »

The holidays came a little early for Washington wheat producers as they gathered a week before Thanksgiving to celebrate and support the industry, honor their fellow growers, and hear updates about the obstacles the industry is facing in the coming year. “The Tri-State Grain Growers Convention is always a fun, informative event that brings our members together to learn from ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Washington Farm Bureau estimates farmers have paid at least $153 million and likely far more this year in cap-and-trade fees, even though lawmakers intended to exempt agriculture from the tax on fossil fuels. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

Concerned stakeholders left out of dam breaching discussions with Administration. Pacific Northwest (PNW) agriculture groups and stakeholders, including the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, The McGregor Company, Washington State Potato Commission, and Washington Farm Bureau, strongly oppose the proposed “U.S. Government Commitments in Support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and in Partnership with the Six ... Read More »

On November 29, the document entitled “U.S. Government Commitments in Support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and in Partnership with the Six Sovereigns” was made public in a letter from Pacific Northwest members of Congress to President Biden. The draft agreement is based on the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, a proposal to the Biden Administration from the six sovereigns ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 5.1 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 4.7 days reported the previous week. Western Washington saw cool and dry weather, with less rain than the previous week. Central Washington temperatures cooled, and the area did not receive any moisture. In Yakima County, tractors were observed plowing and disking in the ... Read More »

From Fox News The Biden administration is quietly discussing a potentially far-reaching settlement with environmental groups that advocate for tearing down four hydroelectric dams in Washington to protect salmon. Federal attorneys representing the government said it had “developed a package of actions and commitments” and agreed to pause litigation with environmental activist plaintiffs in the case, according to court documents ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 3.6 days reported the previous week. Western Washington remained cooler than normal compared to the rest of the state. Central Washington was warmer than usual at this time of year. In Yakima County, farmers were back in the fields and planted acreage they ... Read More »

Two high school seniors have been selected to represent Washington wheat farmers and will serve as the Washington Wheat Ambassadors for the upcoming year. Samantha Holling of Fairfield and Izabella Myers of Latah were selected after an initial written application process that included submitting a short introductory video. Holling and Myers will each be giving a speech at the upcoming ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 4.1 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, down from 5 days recorded the previous week. Western Washington had a decent amount of rainfall. Producers were not able to do much in the fields because of the conditions. Central Washington also had a wet week. Cattle were still out on pasture for the ... Read More »