Posts by Trista Crossley
Update on carbon markets
Pacific Northwest (PNW) dryland wheat growers often feel like square pegs trying to fit round holes when it comes to programs designed with Midwest farmers in mind. That’s still the case with carbon credit programs. Even as the carbon credit landscape continues to develop, opportunities for Eastern Washington farmers remain limited. Shannon Neibergs, director of…
Read MoreCarbon market options
To date, most carbon market programs are based on Midwest data and target Midwest growers and growing conditions, but there are a couple open to Pacific Northwest growers. (Please note, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (and Wheat Life) does not promote or recommend any program over another and presents this information to help keep…
Read MoreDouglas County CRP issue uncovered
Producers in Douglas County have been notified about an issue with approximately 150 general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 2022 sign-ups. Fortunately, Jon Wyss, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Washington state executive director, was ready with a fix, which he told producers about during a phone call last month. “We at the office missed some critical documents…
Read MoreAdvocates’ views lost in listening sessions
In two, three-hour listening sessions organized by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on the lower Snake River dams, antidam activists dominated the conversation despite stakeholders’ best efforts. In the first session, held on March 31, only three of the 50 speakers were in favor of the dams. The second session, held on…
Read MoreWorking for Washington wheat
Washington wheat growers are represented by three organizations working together on behalf of the wheat and small grains industry in the Evergreen state. Although it might be confusing, each organization — the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, the Washington Grain Commission and the Washington Wheat Foundation — fulfills a specific role that works in tandem…
Read MoreCRP rates, IRA funds focus of grower seminars
The final Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s seminar for the 2023 winter schedule focused on the latest updates from the Washington state offices of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The seminar was held in Spokane and then repeated the next day in Pasco. In Spokane, Jon Wyss, the…
Read MoreHeadlines keep market volatility churning
On one of the snowiest days so far this year, 34 growers made the trek to Spokane to hear Allison Thompson, market analyst and owner of The Money Farm, talk about the markets as part of the Agricultural Market and Management Organization’s 2023 winter schedule. Thompson highlighted the market’s volatility, telling growers, “There are definitely…
Read MoreChina, conflict, capital all impacting markets
The back end of the 2023 Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s winter schedule was heavy on marketing seminars, a perennial favorite topic of growers. Rob Froom, senior central hedge desk manager at United Grain Corporation, kicked it off in Colfax, Wash., where he told producers there are a lot of balls in the air with…
Read MoreKnowledge is key to effective herbicide use
Identification and knowing when a plant is most vulnerable are critical when it comes to chemical weed control in pasture and rangeland according to Jerry Ellis, area sales manager for Envu. Ellis was presenting at the first Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s seminar last month. More than two dozen growers gathered in Ritzville to benefit…
Read MoreFamily business finds drive to keep moving forward
Like multigenerational family farms, the “family” part of Younker Bros is important, and it’s something Shane Younker hopes will continue. “We’d definitely like to keep the business in the family if we can. So far so good,” he said. Younker Bros, in Spokane, was started in 1991 when Pat Younker; his wife, Renae; his brothers,…
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