Growers hear latest on incentive programs

AMMO NRCS FSA-In Spokane, Wash., Travis Martin, Farm Service Agency district director, updated growers on the status of the agency’s programs, with an emphasis on the Conservation Reserve Program. Martin was speaking as part of the Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s 2022 schedule.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA), along with the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC), teamed up Feb. 10 and 11 to bring Eastern Washington wheat growers the latest incentive programs and Climate-Smart information available for, and supporting, their operations. More than 50 producers attended the two…

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Estate tax woes

wheat field

Farmers in Washington state face an extra tax at death that most other farmers in the U.S. do not. That is a Washington state estate tax. Oregon also has this tax, along with about 15 other states, primarily in the Midwest or back East. Even California no longer has an estate tax. A married couple…

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In the weeds

wheat field

Along with marketing information (see page 52), weed resistance was also discussed at one of last month’s Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s seminars. Weed scientist Drew Lyon, a professor in Washington State University’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, spoke to growers remotely on the latest developments in Harvest Weed Seed Control (HWSC), an “alternative weed-control…

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Coffee-roasting business brews success on Harrington wheat farm

red shop

When one thinks of Pacific Northwest agriculture, wheat, small grains, wine or apples are mainly what comes to mind. There may be a couple of other crops that pop into your head, but I’m sure you’ve never thought of coffee, which doesn’t grow in this region. But local farmer Shelley Quigley has found the closest…

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Tax issues in a year of uncertainty

pig with umbrella

Benjamin Franklin famously stated, “Nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes.” The last two years could be summed up in many ways, but certainty is not one. Paycheck Protection Program loans, Employee Retention Credits and Farm Service Agency payments popped up seemingly overnight, sending producers and practitioners scrambling to understand and properly…

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A ‘dam’ different view of the Snake River

Snake River

A few years ago, when I purchased my Ranger Tug, I started dreaming about the places I could visit beyond where roads and airplanes could take me! The breaching of the Snake River dams is in almost every Wheat Life issue. As a farm ground owner, I am quite familiar with the Snake and its…

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Five items to review in estate planning documents

wheat field

Absent a significant change in life circumstances (e.g., the death, disability or desired disinheritance of a current heir), I advise clients to review their estate planning documents every three to five years. The purpose of the review is not to determine whether changes in state or federal law necessitate revisions to the documents (those items…

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