Andy Juris, secretary/treasurer of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, testified today in a meeting of the House Environment & Energy Committee on E2SSB 5126, the Climate Commitment Act. Here is his full testimony. Good morning Chair Fitzgibbon and members of the Committee: For the record, my name is Andy Juris. I am a fourth-generation farmer from Bickleton, Wash. On ... Read More »
From the Capital Press The overtime bill that’s likely headed to Gov. Jay Inslee will protect farms from back-pay lawsuits and give farm groups more time to convince the Legislature that time-and-a-half pay after 40 hours will harm farmworkers more than it helps them. The bill, Senate Bill 5172, phases in overtime pay for farmworkers. The threshold will be 40 hours ... Read More »
From NASS There were 5.9 days suitable for field work, down from 7 days reported the previous week. Temperatures throughout the state of Washington for the week ending April 11 were below normal. In San Juan, Island and Skagit counties, nights were very cool with a mix of rain and sunshine. Field work and some planting was done during the ... Read More »
Most of the wheat growers’ advocacy trips to Olympia and Washington, D.C., are a whirlwind of activity, hurrying from one appointment to another to fit in as many meetings as possible in just a couple of days. This year’s efforts involved a whole lot less walking but just as much advocacy. Since early March, the leaders and staff of the Washington ... Read More »
From NASS There were 7 days suitable for field work in Washington last week. Temperatures throughout Washington were normal to below normal last week. In San Juan County, cold nights and warmer late afternoons kicked pastures into awakening. Most livestock were still on stored feed. In Snohomish County, hardly any field work happened due to the wet soils. Greenhouses were ... Read More »
From the Capital Press The Senate moved closer last week to adopting a clean-fuels standard, amending legislation to back-up claims that phasing in biofuels would be a boon to farmers. The Ways and Means Committee called for at least one-quarter of the feedstock for biofuels used in Washington to come from Washington. Farm groups sought the guarantee. Even with it, ... Read More »
From the Capital Press Washington farm groups are now opposing a Senate bill granting farmworkers time-and-a-half pay after 40 hours in a week, unless the House lifts the threshold to 50 hours for 12 weeks a year. Read the full story here. Read More »
Wheat producers in Washington are estimated to have 2.33 million total acres planted to wheat in 2021, down slightly from last year. Winter wheat planted acres are expected to total 1.75 million acres for this year, down 3 percent from 2020. Spring wheat acres planted are estimated at 580,000 acres, up 7 percent from last year. Idaho producers expect to ... Read More »
From NASS The statewide temperatures in Washington for the month of March were slightly above normal to below normal. In western Washington, the fields were too wet for fieldwork. Grass was putting on new growth. Winter crops were looking good, with the exception of where crops were drowned out from the winter-ponded water. The temperatures were cool. Many operators with ... Read More »
From the Capital Press A Seattle Democrat called agriculture an “enthusiastic supporter” of cap-and-trade, a claim disputed by several farm groups that say they still oppose the policy because it would raise energy costs. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
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