State

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, unchanged from 7 days reported the previous week. The continued drought in Western Washington has caused difficult farming conditions. Central Washington dealt with heat and lack of moisture that impacted wheat and forage crops. Forage crops had little regrowth; in some areas, cattle grazed fields ... Read More »

From the Tri-City Herald Four conservation and fishing groups plan a lawsuit over high water temperatures in the Snake River, calling for actions that could include removing the four lower Snake River dams in Eastern Washington. Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association formally notified the Army Corps of Engineers on Friday that ... Read More »

From Oregon Public Broadcasting For Patricia Mendoza, working overtime was just a way of life. During harvest season, she could put in 70 hours a week preparing the fields, planting seeds, and harvesting produce at Schreiber Farms in southeastern Washington. So she was happy when she learned that starting in 2022, she would be paid an overtime wage like workers ... Read More »

From the U.S. Wheat Associates Wheat Letter Amid this year’s volatile markets and relatively slow demand, U.S. soft white wheat (SW) has provided many customers with buying opportunities, positioning itself as one of the most competitive classes of U.S. wheat. In recent months, dryness in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) this spring dominated market news and discussions about quality. As harvest ... Read More »

From NASS There were 7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, unchanged from 7 days reported the previous week. Western Washington reported dry conditions and drought, with no major changes to crop conditions from last week. Central Washington reported dry conditions and wildfires that had been contained. The second cutting of hay harvest had almost finished, and wheat harvest had ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service Winter Wheat  Based on July 1, 2023, conditions, production of winter wheat in Washington is forecast at 99.2 million bushels, up 1% from last month, but down 19% from last year. Harvested area, at 1.74 million acres, is down 60,000 acres from 2022. Yield is expected to be 57 bushels per acre, down 11 ... Read More »

From NASS There were 7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 6.9 days reported the previous week. Western Washington reported more hot and dry conditions with no precipitation. Central Washington had crops showing signs of drought. Pasture was getting short, and ranchers were looking for places to move their livestock. In Yakima County, there was no precipitation, and ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A Washington Republican state senator said July 5 the Department of Ecology should act to bring down the cost of cap-and-trade allowances to ease the upward pressure on fuel prices. read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From NASS There were 6.9 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, unchanged from the previous week. Western Washington continued to experience hot and dry conditions. Most first cutting alfalfa hay was complete and second cutting was underway. Corn emerged, and farmers reported that grass crops were growing slower than usual due to the dry conditions. In central Washington, soil dried ... Read More »

The Asotin County wheat growers have awarded 2023 Asotin High School graduates, Haylee Appleford and Samantha Johnson, $1,000 scholarships for their college ambitions. Haylee Appleford Appleford is the daughter of Dusty and Sunni Appleford. She grew up on her family’s wheat farm in Anatone, Wash., where they also raise some cattle. At Asotin High School, Appleford was active in volleyball, ... Read More »