The 2025 wheat harvest in Eastern Washington was a mixed bag. Winter wheat yields were average to above average in most locations with good quality. Unfortunately spring wheat yields were poor thanks to an unusually dry spring and summer. As the calendar turns over to October, harvest memories are already…
For the third year in a row, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) and other river stakeholders brought a group of congressional staffers to Lewiston, Idaho, in mid-August to showcase the lower Snake River dams and the critical role they play in the region’s economy. Sixteen staffers from across…
In late June, Columbia-Snake River System stakeholders hosted a tour of the Pacific Northwest’s premier waterway for members of the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association (UMWA). The tour began in Astoria, Ore., and concluded in Lewiston, Idaho, and comes a year after a similar trip down the Mississippi River by many…
Understanding where our food comes from is something every person should know — and something every child should be taught. That’s the heart of the mission behind Washington Ag in the Classroom (WAIC), a program I’m honored to be a part of. My name is Alisha Klein, and I serve…
At the 2025 Wheat College, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson had a wide-ranging discussion with growers that covered growing top wheat by using grower-collected data, factors that impact wheat yields, and how to counter the public perception of agriculture. Johnson is a former wheat specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,…
Before Grand Coulee Dam made irrigation viable in the Columbia Basin in the 1950s, farmers struggled to grow food in what was, essentially, a desert. An exhibit at the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum (QVHSM), “Hope and Hard Work: The Story of Our Farms and Food,” highlights the story…
The Wilbur-Creston and Odessa school districts are putting the finishing touches on a new curriculum that gives students a leg up in today’s agricultural industry. Students got a taste of the training on offer at a precision ag field day in May at Weismil Farms north of Odessa. The idea…
My experience as a Washington wheat growers ambassador during the Olympia Legislative Days was more than I could have ever hoped. I was able to meet so many new people, from the other wheat growers that were with me to the government officials we met with. My favorite part was…
A Whitman County stream, parts of which run dry in the summer, is causing tensions between landowners and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). Whitman County landowners who own land along Spring Flat Creek are being told by Ecology that they are polluting the waterway and will have to…
Before the Olympia Days trip, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew we would be meeting with legislators, talking about issues that matter to our communities, and learning more about how the state government works. Not only did I learn more about how the government works, but the…
