State

Crop progress report 06/12: More precipitation with cooler temps throughout Washington

From NASS There were 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, down from 5.2 days the previous week. Statewide temperatures were below normal. In Clark County, producers were cutting hay when rain wasn’t present. Pasture and wheat conditions looked good. In Skagit County, the weather remained cool and wet. There were areas of ponded water that negatively impacted potatoes and ... Read More »

Interim legislative workgroups to focus on ag, salmon

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist With unprecedented revenues for a supplemental year, the 2022 supplemental operating budget appropriated over $63 billion. Of particular interest to the agricultural industry, the final budget maintained significant spending on salmon recovery, including multiple workgroups and studies for the industry. Salmon recovery stakeholder process The 2022 supplemental operating budget provided $300,000 for the governor’s office ... Read More »

Murray-Inslee draft dam breaching assessment coming this week

From the Capital Press Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington will this week release a draft of their state-federal assessment of breaching four dams on the lower Snake River. Inslee and Murray want to determine if there are reasonable means to replace the benefits of the dams if they are breached in an effort to benefit ... Read More »

Crop progress report 06/05: Cool, wet conditions remained throughout Washington

From NASS There were 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, unchanged from the previous week. Statewide temperatures were below normal. In Clark County, producers were cutting hay. Pasture and wheat conditions looked good. In Snohomish County, conditions remained wet and cool with little fieldwork. Many fields had not tilled yet, and standing water was still present. Corn was planted ... Read More »

Stripe rust update 06/02: June forecast conditions favorable for disease development

By Xianming Chen On June 1,  I was checking fields in the Palouse region (Whitman County, Wash., and Latah County, Idaho). Winter wheat ranged from Feekes 7 to Feekes 10, and spring wheat ranged from Feekes 2 to Feekes 5. Stripe rust was severe on low leaves and reached top leaves of winter wheat and started showing up on spring ... Read More »

Crop progress report 05/22: Continued wet, cool weather throughout Washington

From NASS There were 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, unchanged from the previous week. Statewide temperatures were below normal. In San Juan County, there were some delays in spring grain due to excessive rain. Spring barley was planted in fields where beets overwintered. In Snohomish County, several dry days brought out farmers with grass hay to cut. Conditions ... Read More »

Grain Commission posts CEO job opening

The Washington Grain Commission (WGC) was established in 1958. Its mission is to enhance the long-term profitability and competitiveness of Washington small grains and small grain producers by responsible allocation of assessment funds in research, marketing, and education. The WGC is seeking applicants for Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO serves as the operations and business manager, information liaison and ... Read More »

Portland container terminal expansion aims to boost farms exports

From the Capital Press The Port of Portland plans to increase the flow of Northwest agricultural exports and Asian consumer product imports by expanding its container terminal’s footprint. The port is investing $10.5 million to replace the pavement and stormwater drains on 10 acres adjacent to its Terminal 6 next year, which it hopes to parlay into further upgrades with ... Read More »

Crop progress report 05/15: Cooler temperatures throughout Washington

From NASS There were 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 4.6 days the previous week. Statewide temperatures were below normal. In San Juan County, cool and rainy weather continued throughout the area. Only a few acres of grass were harvested due to the weather preventing farmers from getting in fields. In Clark County, more rain occurred during ... Read More »

Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson will discuss ‘The Yield Triangle’ at 2022 Wheat College

By Trista Crossley Editor, Wheat Life Johnson, this year’s featured speaker, will be discussing “The Yield Triangle.” Johnson is the resident agronomist with Real Agriculture, where he posts a weekly podcast, “Wheat Pete’s Word.” He is a regular on “Agronomy Monday” on Real Ag radio, Sirius Satellite Radio 147. He spent 30 years as the Ontario cereal specialist. Johnson operates ... Read More »