Posts by Trista Crossley
From grief to action
Darla Tyler-McSherry turned one of the worst moments of her family’s life into a life-saving mission to prevent other farm families from experiencing the same thing hers did. By 2016, Dick Tyler, Tyler-McSherry’s 82-year-old father, had worked on the family’s Montana wheat farm his entire life and was very proud of the fact that he…
Read MoreTreaty agreement reached
After six years and 15 rounds of negotiation, the U.S. and Canada announced in July that they had reached an agreement in principle on modernizing the Columbia River Treaty. In August, the U.S. Department of State provided details on key elements of the modernized treaty during a public information session. According to Jennifer Savage, director…
Read MoreSeasons of farming: Winter
As winter settles in, most farmers’ fields go quiet, but that doesn’t mean nothing is happening. In Eastern Washington’s Mediterranean climate, winter is when the region receives the majority of its precipitation, either as rain or, preferably, snow. Snow insulates crops from wind and excessively cold temperatures and allows soil microbes to stay active. Under…
Read MoreExpert Q&A
While no two farmers follow the same schedule, winter is generally devoted to more “indoor” tasks. Marci Green from Green View Farms in Spokane County points out that many bookkeeping tasks, such as paying bills, marketing crops, payroll, monitoring budgets, and cash flow, happen throughout the year. In this Q&A, she focuses on the tasks…
Read MoreNuts & bolts
During winter, the fields may be sleeping under the snow, but that doesn’t mean farmers are. In shops across Eastern Washington, farm equipment is being cleaned and repaired, all in preparation for another year of hard work. Rob Wilkins, parts supervisor at Papé Machinery in Tekoa, Wash., believes the work being done right now —…
Read MoreCovering crop rotations
Crop rotations date back thousands of years. Back then, farmers may not have understood the science behind rotating crops on the same land from season to season, but they used it in practice for crop production. Since then, science and experience have expanded our agricultural knowledge exponentially. Modern-day farms in Washington state still use crop…
Read MoreOutpouring of help
Farming can be stressful at the best of times, so when Dale Childers, a semiretired, long-time Grant/Lincoln County farmer died in August, the local community sprang into action to help the family finish harvest. Ben McKay, a good friend of Dakota, Dale’s son, organized the harvest bee. At first, it was just Ben and a…
Read MoreGetting out of a pesticide pickle
For farmers in a pickle about pesticide labels, there’s online help available through Washington State University’s (WSU) Pesticide Information Center OnLine (PICOL). While PICOL has been around for more than 40 years, it has just recently been rebuilt and upgraded and is the only database in the country that can be searched for specific crops…
Read MoreGifts of grain
With the holiday season right around the corner, growers across the Palouse have an opportunity to make a life-changing gift. “Pullman Regional Hospital’s Gifts of Grain program is a great way for landlords and farmers to give back,” explained Wayne Druffel, farmer and president of the board of directors for the Pullman Regional Hospital Foundation.…
Read MoreSpotlight on the 2024 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention
The 2024 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention is quickly approaching, but there’s still time to take advantage of early bird registration and enjoy three days focused on the Pacific Northwest’s small grains industry. Staff from the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), the Oregon Wheat Growers League, and the Idaho Grain Producers Association are working hard…
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