State

From Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Today, the Washington State Supreme Court issued its decision concerning the constitutionality of RCW 49.46.130(2)(g), the statute exempting agricultural workers from the overtime pay requirement set out in the Washington Minimum Wage Act, ch. 49.46 RCW. In a 5-4 decision, the Washington State Supreme Court sided with the class of affected agricultural workers and held ... Read More »

By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist While ballots are still being counted, early results from the Nov. 3, 2020, election suggest that a combination of wins for both Republicans and Democrats even out to Democrats slightly increasing majorities in the both the state Senate and House of Representatives. However, the final election results will determine whether the legislature is more progressive. ... Read More »

From NASS There were 6.5 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 5.8 days the previous week. Western Washington experienced near freezing temperatures and a bit of rain. In San Juan County, most CSA operations scrambled to recover the remaining field crop harvests before the hard frost. Livestock were on cool season resurgent grasses and stockpiled feed ... Read More »

Report could have major implications for dam debate From Northwest River Partners Newly published research has unveiled remarkable insight into the survival rates of Chinook salmon populations along the North American West Coast, highlighting a dramatic omission in the way such data has been interpreted for over two decades. The peer-reviewed research entitled, “A Synthesis of the Coast-wide Decline in ... Read More »

Last month, the governors of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana signed a letter to collaboratively advance the goals of the Columbia Basin Partnership Task Force and work together to rebuild Columbia River salmon and steelhead stocks. The letter does not mention the lower Snake River dams or breaching them. “We recognize the relevance of the recent release of the Columbia ... Read More »

From the Farm Service Agency Agricultural producers can now make elections and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2021 crop year. The sign-up period opened Oct. 13. These key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) safety-net programs help producers weather fluctuations in either revenue or price for certain crops, and more than ... Read More »

From NASS There were 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, down from 5.9 days the previous week. Western Washington suffered from a challenging autumn, and producers struggled to harvest forage crops. Between summer replanting, cool temperatures and smoke, crops did not mature on their typical timeline. Corn harvest was immature. Some corn fields had blown-down stalks that ... Read More »

Last month, the National Agricultural Statistics Service released their findings that the value of Washington’s 2019 agricultural production totaled $9.49 billion, down 2 percent from the previous year. All wheat fell to fourth place as potatoes moved up to third. Apples remain the leading agricultural commodity with a 2019 value of $1.96 billion. This is down 8.5 percent from the ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A coalition of environmental and fishing groups plans to again sue the federal government to protect endangered salmon and steelhead runs in the Columbia River Basin. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

One of the most important events that takes place at the annual Tri-State Grain Growers Convention is the annual meeting of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) where members review the association’s resolutions, update and vote on them. This year, in light of the convention’s cancellation thanks to COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines, WAWG will be holding a separate ... Read More »