AMMO on tap

wheat field

Once again, the Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization (AMMO) has brought together a winter schedule packed with educational, informative content. Sessions begin Feb. 10 and continue through the month of February with a mix of in-person seminars and webinars. See ad on page 34 for more information. “This year, we kept what worked from 2021…

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Communication key when family is on both sides

men shaking hands

Walt Neff has the key to a successful, long-term relationship, whether it’s a marriage or a generational family farm. “Communication. That’s the biggest secret right there,” he said. Neff is part of a landlord group that includes his two brothers and a cousin. Neff’s son, David, is the group’s primary tenant, but they also lease…

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Wheat and Greet

woman speaking

After having to cancel last year due to COVID-19, this year’s Tri-State Grain Growers Convention had a lot of ground to cover. Producers gathered at the Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane, Wash., Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, to listen to noted national speakers discuss the way consumers view food production; the importance of mental, not…

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Plotting a route

woman smiling

Leaders at the Washington Soil Health Initiative (WaSHI) now have a better understanding of the route ahead thanks to a recently released road map that outlines issues and concerns and sets milestones on the journey to improving the state’s soils. The road map, available at soilhealth.wsu.edu/washington-state-soil-health-roadmap/, divides the state into eight focus areas, representing more…

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Questions to ask before signing a farm lease

Farm Lease Agreement

As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time for landlords to review their farm leases. The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at the Vermont Law School has developed an online Farmland Access Legal Toolkit to provide a resource for both landlords and farm tenants. The toolkit can be accessed at farmlandaccess.org.…

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What does Washington congressional leader have to say?

Dan Newhouse

Wheat Life reached out to Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) to see what he thought about the climate and carbon mitigation efforts in Washington, D.C. What are some of the major red flags for you when you are considering any climate/carbon-related legislation? The U.S. is already a global leader in emissions reduction. We should be building…

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Climate, Carbon efforts in the crosshairs

wheat with farming icons

Nearly a year into the Biden Administration, efforts focusing on climate, clean energy and carbon markets continue to ramp up. The Washington Association of Wheat Growers works through the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), the national wheat industry organization, to monitor these efforts and to provide feedback. Jacob Westlin, NAWG’s vice president of policy…

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Mobile mechanic specializes in farm, construction equipment

Mechanic by truck

Big Iron Repair owner Scott Carroll has shifted gears in his career nearly as many times as he’s rebuilt heavy equipment transmissions and engines. His journey began in the late 1970s on his father-in-law’s Eastern Washington farm. Carroll was born and raised in Ephrata, Wash. After high school, he found work as a truck driver.…

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Relationships key to being a successful landlord

kids playing in snow

In an industry where keeping the family farm in the family is often paramount, Jan Abrams’ father, George M. Miller, gave her a gift. “My father made it clear that the farm is a business. He said, ‘I don’t want you, out of some sense of sentimentality, to hang onto the farm if it needs…

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Food and Farm Tour

group by tractor

More than 60 legislators, legislative staff and industry stakeholders descended on Walla Walla in late September to take part in a two-day food and farm tour that highlighted issues facing agriculture and celebrated the region’s many farms. Stops on the tour included a wheat farm, a grain elevator, a vineyard, a potato storehouse, a tree…

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