From the Tri-City Herald For the eight days beginning on Halloween, Washington state and the Northwest got a stark look at the danger of replacing hydro power with renewables like wind power. During that period of time, there was virtually no wind across the states served by the Bonneville Power Administration, leaving hydro, nuclear, and fossil fuels to make up ... Read More »
It was business as usual at last month’s state board meeting of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG). Several guests stopped by the meeting to talk to producers, including Chris Mertz, regional director of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS); Kay Teisl, risk management specialist from the Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) regional office in Spokane; ... Read More »
From NASS There were 5.0 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, down from 6.2 days suitable the previous week. Western Washington had cool and dry conditions. Fall field preparations and planting progressed. The saturated ground slowed harvest and mired some equipment. The sunny, dry days allowed some operators to plant cover crops and cut grass with a good ... Read More »
Back in September, Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), took part in a stakeholder interview held by a consulting team hired by the Washington State Governor’s Office to talk about the potential impacts of breaching the lower Snake River dams. The Washington State Legislature earmarked $750,000 in the 2019-21 operating budget to have the ... Read More »
From NASS There were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 4.8 days suitable the previous week. The Puget Sound area had cold, dry conditions for the week. Farmers were preparing fields and planting fall crops. Early major flooding last week of the Snoqualmie River and Stillaguamish River caused major vegetable crop loss. Rivers rose. Most ... Read More »
From U.S. Wheat Associates U.S. Wheat Associates Assistant Director Michael Anderson recently spent a week on a tugboat that was pushing grain barges down the Snake, Columbia and Willamette rivers from Lewiston, Idaho, to Portland, Ore. Read More »
From NASS There were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, down from 5.4 days suitable the previous week. A few breaks in the Pacific storm systems allowed farmers in Western Washington to get out into fields and continue the slog through harvest. Wet conditions delayed field preparation for fall-planted crops. Portions of many fields had standing water. ... Read More »
The U.S. Department Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) fall surveys are underway, and they encourage wheat producers to participate in the surveys when they receive them either by mail or telephone. The feedback producers provide can create a foundation for crop yield, production practices, and help set up loan rates, disaster payments, and crop insurance price elections. There are ... Read More »
From NASS There were 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 4.5 days suitable the previous week. Western Washington had its first freeze for the season. San Juan County had more rain and a cold wave with freezing temperatures. There was already standing water on recently harvested silage fields in Snohomish County. Producers were busy trying ... Read More »
From NASS There were 4.5 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, up from 4.1 days suitable the previous week. Western Washington continued to be wet. Harvest was bogged down by saturated field conditions. Many producers were concerned about unharvested crops still in fields. No hay was cut due to weather. Tree fruit crops were harvested along with late-fall ... Read More »
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