Posts by Trista Crossley
Wheat College 2026
Unexpected neck surgery prevented the 2026 Wheat College keynote presenter from appearing in person, but growers were still able to take advantage of his knowledge as he zoomed in. Following coffee and doughnuts sponsored by the Graybeal Group, Dennis Pennington, the Michigan State University (MSU) Wheat Extension specialist, appeared virtually to talk about making many…
Read MoreFlouring
One of the most recognizable landmarks in the Palouse has been given a new lease on life, thanks to the community of Oakesdale, Wash., the Innovia Foundation, and the Port of Whitman County. The Port was awarded a $1 million Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) grant in January to fund critical improvements to the four-story,…
Read MoreDisease alert
Soilborne Wheat Mosaic Virus (SBWMV), a disease previously only found in Walla Walla County, has now been identified in multiple locations in Whitman County. Morgan Menaker, the Washington State University (WSU) Regional Extension agronomist for Whitman, Asotin, Columbia, Garfield, and Walla Walla counties, notified growers of the bad news at the Agricultural Marketing and Management…
Read MoreCrafting an excellent pour
In early August, the truth behind the catchy slogan, “No Barley, No Beer,” will be on full display at the GRAINMAKER Festival in Spokane, where the public will be able to sample craft beers made with Pacific Northwest Grain and interact with brewers. The next day, brewers will visit a dryland wheat and barley farm…
Read MoreHeadaches ahead?
According to the National Association of Wheat Growers, countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer cost Washington wheat farmers about $14 million from 2021-25, but Andy Juris predicts nitrogen and sulfur are shaping up to be bigger headaches for the state’s wheat growers. Juris, a farmer from Bickleton, Wash., and chair of the Washington Association of Wheat…
Read MoreOne call to rule them all
Do you know what’s buried beneath that field of wheat on the back 40? It could be nothing, or it could be a large pipe full of pressurized natural gas, and the only way to be sure is to call 811 before you do any digging. “There’s a lot of pipeline up in Eastern Washington.…
Read MoreView from the inside
Patrick Bell, the recently appointed Farm Service Agency (FSA) state executive director, is no stranger to the state’s agricultural industry, but the scale of it took him a little bit by surprise. “I always knew the importance of commodities and the row crops, especially being based in Spokane, growing up in Springdale for part of…
Read MoreCRP frustrations mount
For more than 40 years, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has been helping Eastern Washington growers address natural resource concerns. But lately, some growers in low rainfall zones have been feeling like their participation in CRP is more likely to break the bank than help keep the farm afloat. The Washington Association of Wheat Growers…
Read MoreFSA’s Bell responds to grower CRP concerns
Wheat Life reached out to Patrick Bell, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) state executive director, to ask him about growers’ concerns with the Conservation Reserve Program. These are the written answers Bell provided. As rental rates continue to decrease in Eastern Washington, CRP is becoming less attractive to growers. What factors are causing rental rates…
Read MoreWheat College to commence
The 2026 Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s (AMMO) Wheat College will be held June 2, in Colfax, Wash., at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds. The keynote speaker will be Dennis Pennington, a wheat systems specialist at Michigan State University (MSU). His presentation is titled, “Stacking the Bushels: Small Decisions, Big Yield.” This annual event will offer…
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