State

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 6.3 days the previous week. Western Washington saw cooler temperatures and some rain during the week. Strawberry harvest was ending as the raspberry harvest was gearing up. Central Washington had a lot of wind last week. The ground was drying out, with minimal ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service Winter wheat acres planted in Washington are estimated at 1.85 million acres, up 50,000 acres from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 1.79 million acres, up 2% from 2023. Acres planted to winter wheat in Idaho are estimated at 750,000 acres, unchanged from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 690,000 acres, up ... Read More »

Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) and other Columbia-Snake River System advocates will be participating in a Mississippi River Tour June 24-28 to understand the challenges other river systems face and how they are investing in those systems to keep them in good working order now and for the future.  Joining WAWG Executive Director Michelle Hennings are representatives from Port ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A Seattle law firm, leading a state-funded study, tentatively recommends Washington use eminent domain to forcibly buy farmland if voluntary programs fail to meet goals for enlarging riparian buffers. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 6.5 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 5.6 days the previous week. Western Washington saw precipitation and cooler temperatures throughout the week. Central Washington did not receive rain last week. Numerous brush fires ignited on nonirrigated scrublands. Residential evacuations were necessary, but no crops were threatened. In Yakima County, harvest ... Read More »

Agricultural producers should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline after planting is complete. July 15 is a major deadline for most crops, but acreage reporting deadlines vary by county and by crop. “By filing an accurate and timely acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, down from 5.7 days the previous week. Western Washington saw more precipitation early in the week than the rest of the state, and temperatures remained moderate. Central Washington had some rain during the beginning of the week, but as the week progressed, the daytime highs ... Read More »

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) is happy to welcome Keri Gingrich as the association’s new administrative assistant.  Gingrich grew up in Ritzville, Wash., on a wheat and cattle farm. She joined the U.S. Air Force where she trained as a Morse code operator. She was stationed at Wheeler Air Force Base in Honolulu, where she “enjoyed the fun ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service There were 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington, up from 5.6 days the previous week. Western Washington producers received more rain this week and had cool temperatures. Central Washington saw limitations for herbicide applications last week due to the wind and rain. In Yakima County, irrigation districts were rationing water. Small brush fires ... Read More »

By Xianming Chen Stripe rust in the Palouse region On May 30, I was checking wheat and barley fields in the Palouse region (Whitman County, Wash., and Latah County, Idaho). Winter wheat ranged from boot (Feekes 10) and heading (Feekes 10.5), and winter barley reached the flowering stage (Feekes 10.52). Spring wheat and barley ranged from early tillering (Feekes 2) ... Read More »