Posts by Trista Crossley
A look ahead
As the 2026 Washington State Legislative Session gets underway on Jan. 12, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers is preparing for a short, intense session that is likely to bring some challenges. While wheat growers will be formalizing state and national priorities for the year at the Jan. 13 state board meeting in Ritzville, Wash.,…
Read MoreRep. Tom Dent, District 13
Editor’s note: This transcript of an interview with Rep. Dent has been edited for clarity and length. What are your priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session? We did a bill here two, three years ago about the use of aircraft and wildfire, the Aviation Assurance Funding bill. That bill allowed our small rural fire departments…
Read MoreRep. Kristine Reeves, District 30
What are your priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session? While I am working on a variety of policy proposals, including textile recycling to take on the impacts of fast fashion on our waste streams, tobacco/vape regulation to protect our kids, natural resource policy that provides balance between the state’s economic needs and our vision for…
Read MoreSen. Shelly Short, District 7
What are your priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session? Agriculture in our state is at a critical juncture; its viability is a top priority this session. We’ve all watched the impacts on agricultural operations from burdensome and costly labor policies and incessant regulations. I want to focus on alleviating that burden. We see the loss…
Read MoreSen. Mike Chapman, District 24
Editor’s note: This transcript of an interview with Sen. Chapman has been edited for clarity and length. What are your priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session? I try to run the committee in a collaborative format, so my priorities will be what the committee’s priorities are. I’ll certainly see what Sen. Short, her team, and…
Read More‘New’ mural celebrates Waterville history
Like the early 1900s aerial tramway it depicted, a 30-year-old mural on the side of the Douglas County Museum in Waterville, Wash., was in danger of fading into obscurity. But over the past summer, it got more than just a facelift, thanks to local artist Don Nutt. “The mural had deteriorated to a point where…
Read MoreSpotlight on AMMO
The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) staff are putting the finishing touches on the 2026 Agricultural Management and Marketing Organization’s (AMMO) schedule, which will kick off at the end of this month with sessions on herbicide resistance and financial matters in down times. AMMO has been a mainstay of wheat farmers’ winter calendars since…
Read MoreFinding common ground
In an attempt to clear the air over agriculture and water quality, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) convened the first meeting of the Ag and Water Quality Advisory Committee in March 2014 under then-director Maia Bellon. More than 10 years and three directors later, the committee is still going strong. From the beginning,…
Read MoreThe next chapter: Planning for retirement
You have a unique vision for your retirement. Whatever that vision is, proactive planning is the first step toward helping bring it to life. Unfortunately, more than half of adults feel they’re behind on retirement planning. The truth is, the sooner you start planning and saving for your retirement, the better. Envisioning your retirement lifestyle…
Read MoreCultivating solutions, yielding success
Last month, Washington wheat growers gathered at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to celebrate the state’s small grain industry and the people that make it grow. “We had a great turnout this year,” said Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG). “We were able to take care…
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