Posts by Trista Crossley
Session focuses on global, US markets
When Todd Hultman, lead analyst for DTN, wanted to know why U.S. wheat prices were so low despite low ending stocks, all roads seemed to lead back to Russia. “It doesn’t make sense to me for wheat prices to be this cheap,” he said. “But when you look at the market, next to Ukraine, Russia…
Read MoreA capitol effort
Staff and leaders of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) closed out January by traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with federal legislators and take part in the National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) winter conference. “With so many critical issues being talked about in Congress, such as the farm bill and the lower…
Read MoreFactors that could influence market conditions
According to Shawn Hackett, the upcoming growing season is shaping up to be hot and dry during the core, yield-determining midsummer period with the potential for a hard freeze in late spring, all thanks to the convergence of several major weather-influencing cycles. “We could have a situation that is really off the charts unusual and…
Read MoreGrowers head into the weeds
The second Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s (AMMO) February seminar was all about weeds, with presentations by three regional experts: Drew Lyon, Ian Burke, and Doug Finkelnburg. Food for the dinosaurs Lyon, a professor and Endowed Chair Small Grains Extension and Research, Weed Science, at Washington State University (WSU), went back in time, way back,…
Read MoreKeeping farmers’ lights on at a lower cost
David Funk, president of Zero Emissions Northwest, wants to shine light on ways farmers can reduce their on-farm energy costs and reliance on traditional forms of fuel. “Zero Emissions Northwest is all about helping farmers access grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and from other sources to help their farms save money on…
Read MoreIn the news
Since the Biden Administration officially announced an agreement with plaintiffs to litigation regarding the lower Snake River dams in December, wheat industry leaders haven’t stopped advocating for the dams in local and national news. “There is so much misinformation out there regarding the dams and how critical they are to our region, we welcome the…
Read MoreSeasons of farming: Spring
After a winter spent mostly indoors attending meetings, doing paperwork, or servicing equipment, farmers are usually eager to resume fieldwork. But what are those machines out in the field actually doing? In Eastern Washington, spring comes first in the south. Wheat farmers in Benton and Franklin counties will be out in the fields in March,…
Read MoreCrop advisor Q&A
Sam Kimmell has been a crop advisor with The McGregor Company for nine years. He typically works with about 30 farms every year, helping them make planting and crop input decisions. He grew up on a farm in North Idaho, but after high school, joined the Navy. He and his wife returned to Eastern Washington…
Read MoreSound advice
The 2024 Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s (AMMO) schedule kicked off last month with sound advice on financial planning, planning for retirement, and taxes. Jordan Thayer, a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, and Joe Cerrillo, a CPA with CliftonLarsonAllen, presented the information to growers at the Washington Wheat Foundation building in Ritzville, Wash.…
Read MoreManhunt
In August 1902, Washington’s Lincoln County briefly became famous for more than just its grain when the manhunt for escaped convict Harry Tracy ended in a wheat field southeast of Creston. Tracy was born Harry Severns in 1875 in Wisconsin to Sarah Catherine Atkinson and Orlando Nye Severns. Details about his early life are conflicting,…
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