State

From the Capital Press The director of Washington state’s agriculture department says he is optimistic the U.S. and Canada will be able to successfully renegotiate the Columbia River Treaty. “We’re pretty close on a lot of things,” said Derek Sandison, director of the state Department of Agriculture and former director of the state Department of Ecology’s Office of the Columbia ... Read More »

By Steve Mercer Vice President of Communications, U.S. Wheat Associates Before the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) entered into force on Jan. 1, 1994, state intervention and import tariffs held U.S. wheat exports from the Mexican market. NAFTA ended both, and the newly opened market helped the Mexican flour milling and wheat foods industries to flourish, as did U.S. ... Read More »

Two high school seniors have been selected to represent Washington wheat farmers and will serve as the Washington Wheat Ambassadors for the upcoming year. Lexi Deishl of Waterville and Kyle Appel of Colfax were selected after an initial written application process that also included submitting a short introductory video. Deishl and Appel will each be giving a speech at the ... Read More »

From NAWG Today, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) president, Gordon Stoner, along with several U.S. agricultural stakeholders and business community representatives, participated in a NAFTA panel titled “The Future of NAFTA: The Stakes for American Agriculture and Business.” The panel took place at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., and was moderated by Neil Herrington, the ... Read More »

From NASS There were 6.3 days suitable for field work last week. Pasture and range conditions were reported at 20 percent very poor, 27 percent poor, 34 percent fair, 18 percent good and 1 percent excellent. A low temperature of 26 degrees F was reported in the north eastern region, while a high temperature of 74 degrees was reported in the western region. Statewide temperature differentials ranged ... Read More »

From NASS There were 4.3 days suitable for field work last week. Pasture and range conditions were reported at 25 percent very poor, 31 percent  poor, 30 percent  average, 13 percent good and 1 percent excellent. A low temperature of 23 degrees F was reported in the northeast region, while a high temperature of 77 degrees was reported in the southeast region. Statewide temperature differentials ranged from ... Read More »

From the National Agricultural Statistics Service The value of Washington’s 2016 agricultural production totaled $10.6 billion, down 1 percent from the previous year record high of $10.7 billion. Apples remain the leading agricultural commodity in the state with a 2016 value of $2.39 billion. This is up 3 percent from the previous year, but down 4 percent from the record high ... Read More »

Editor’s note: The leadership and staff of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers has been participating in the National Association of Wheat Growers’ fall conference this week, sharing Washington wheat farmer priorities and helping craft the wheat industry’s farm bill message to lawmakers. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) held its annual fall conference this week ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Washington Department of Ecology proposes to assess water supplies in targeted watersheds, a first step in judging whether a state Supreme Court decision has truly closed rural areas to new household wells. The proposal applies to 15 basins, about one-third of the state, most obviously affected by last year’s Hirst decision, a ruling criticized by ... Read More »

Jerry Minore was a longtime friend of the wheat industry and an advocate for wheat farmers. To honor his work and life, his company, BASF, has partnered with the National Wheat Foundation to establish a scholarship for students with connections to the wheat industry who are planning careers in agriculture. The Minore Memorial Scholarship will fund four college scholarships for ... Read More »