Posts by Trista Crossley
When flour was sacked
It’s usually the items inside a sack that are interesting, but a new exhibition at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) is taking a look at what the sack itself has to say. Golden Harvest: Flour Sacks from the Permanent Collection will be on display through Oct. 30, 2022, and features 40 to…
Read MoreCoolish on carbon
At December’s 2021 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention, two break-out sessions tried to clear the air concerning carbon markets. Shelby Swain Myers, an economist from the American Farm Bureau, looked at the developing national carbon market programs, while Chad Kruger, director at the Washington State University (WSU) Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, talked about…
Read MoreCosting out carbon markets
At December’s 2021 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention, Shelby Swain Myers, an economist from the American Farm Bureau Federation, looked at the developing national carbon market. Her takeaway was that while there may be a financial opportunity for agriculture, there are still more questions than answers. According to Myers, agriculture is responsible for 10 percent of…
Read MoreNational spotlight
This month, Benton County wheat grower Nicole Berg will step in as president of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). Berg has a long history of advocacy for the wheat industry, especially in Washington state, where she served as president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) in 2013/14. Besides her NAWG duties,…
Read MoreARC or PLC?
Randy Fortenbery, a Washington State University agricultural economics professor, is well known for his presentations on the markets. He appeared last month in a 2022 Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization (AMMO) seminar, but he also writes a regular column in Wheat Life, which in this issue, is very similar to his AMMO presentation. So rather…
Read MoreCaution: Market opportunities ahead
In the past decade, South and Southeast Asia have become one of the U.S. wheat industry’s most important markets, accounting for nearly a quarter of all U.S. wheat shipments. Despite some significant challenges over the past year, Joe Bippert, assistant regional director for U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), believes there is still plenty of room for…
Read MoreInsight into rising costs of inputs
Since last fall, the cost of inputs has been steadily rising with no relief in sight, leaving some Eastern Washington wheat farmers wondering if they’ll be able to get what they need when spring rolls around. According to Dave Barta, division manager for Nutrien Ag Solutions, costs on the crop protection side are up at…
Read MoreThe narrator of agriculture’s history in Eastern Washington
If you’re involved in agriculture in Eastern Washington, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Alex McGregor. Not only is he chairman of The McGregor Company, which provides seeds, inputs and research to Inland Northwest farmers, he’s also managing general partner of his family’s generational ranch in Hooper, Wash., author of several Pacific Northwest agricultural…
Read MoreUSDA analyzes impacts of absentee landlords
Given the low turnover in farmland ownership, access to farmland through rental markets is an important option for entry into farming or expanding existing farming operations. In 2014, 39 percent of farmland, or 355 million acres, in the 48 contiguous states was rented. Of this share, 80 percent was owned by landlords who did not…
Read MoreLeaving a legacy
Janet Walthew may live on the west side of the state, but her family’s legacy in Adams County runs deep as they continue to own and lease out the family’s fourth-generation dryland wheat farm. Recently, she came across photos of her grandfather, Henry Bauer, along with an article published after his death in the Ritzville…
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