Posts by Trista Crossley
Olympia Days 2024
Last month, 19 wheat representatives spent a day and a half visiting 49 state legislators and agencies to talk about the industry’s priorities during the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) annual Olympia Days trip. Cookies were also involved. “We had some very good discussions with legislators on both sides of the aisle,” said Michelle…
Read MoreWatch for this weed
Ian Burke, weed scientist at Washington State University, has seen a lot of weeds in his career, but few worry him more than Palmer amaranth. “In every metric possible, it’s capable of outcompeting other broadleaf crops. It’s not even a fair fight. It also appears to have methods of adaptive capacity that most other weeds…
Read MoreNorthcentral Washington settles down
In 1936, the state of Washington began a project to preserve the lore of its earliest pioneers. Elderly people receiving old age assistance through the State Department of Public Welfare were interviewed, and excerpts from those interviews were published in three volumes, the last one in 1938. “Told by the Pioneers. Reminiscences of Pioneer Life…
Read MoreStakeholders dispute dam agreement
The fight over the lower Snake River dams reached a milestone in mid-December when the Biden Administration officially announced an agreement with plaintiffs to the litigation regarding the lower Snake River dams that prioritizes fish recovery and was written with little to no input from agricultural stakeholders. “The plan announced by the Biden Administration regarding…
Read MoreWarning … Advocacy ahead
As the 2024 legislative season begins, leaders and staff of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) are kicking up advocacy efforts at both the state and national levels. “Over the next few months, we’ll be traveling between Olympia and Washington, D.C., to present the concerns and issues that Washington wheat growers are facing,” said…
Read MoreNot just fun and games
One of the highlights of the Tri-State Grain Growers Convention is the variety of topics available in the break-out sessions. This year’s sessions included topics on retirement, land values, markets, estate planning, barley, mental health, and crop insurance. Here’s a short summary of several break-outs. Succession planning Pinion estate plan advisor Kevin Bearley told producers…
Read MoreProgram seeks to develop leaders in natural resource sectors
After nearly a half century of success, Washington’s vaunted natural resources leadership program, AgForestry, is taking a hard look at itself and its role going forward. AgForestry was established in 1977 and designed to develop leaders in natural resource sectors. At the time, it was based on a similar program in California, and now, over…
Read MoreAdvocacy for dams continues
One of the break-out sessions at the 2023 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention definitely gave a “dam” about the Columbia-Snake River System. Moderated by Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, a panel of stakeholders talked about the importance of the Columbia-Snake River System and updated attendees on advocacy and legislative efforts…
Read MoreWheaties Welcome
In a perfect prelude to the holiday season, producers, stakeholders, and industry supporters from Idaho, Oregon, and Washington gathered last month to hear industry updates, network, and do a little Christmas shopping, all in service to the Pacific Northwest small grains industry. The 2023 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention was held Nov. 14-16 at the Coeur…
Read MoreA bitter experience
In 1936, the state of Washington began a project to preserve the lore of its earliest pioneers. Elderly people receiving old age assistance through the State Department of Public Welfare were interviewed, and excerpts from those interviews were published in three volumes, the last one in 1938. “Told by the Pioneers. Reminiscences of Pioneer Life…
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