Earlier this year, I was given the opportunity to join the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) in lobbying for our farmers at both the state and federal level. During both trips, I was able to meet with legislators, create meaningful connections with many new people, and experience how our…
In two, three-hour listening sessions organized by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on the lower Snake River dams, antidam activists dominated the conversation despite stakeholders’ best efforts. In the first session, held on March 31, only three of the 50 speakers were in favor of the dams….
Sometimes, when you sign up for something, you’re not sure what you are getting into. I thought I might be a good fit for the role of a wheat ambassador for the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) due to my FFA experiences in public speaking, but I had no…
Washington wheat growers are represented by three organizations working together on behalf of the wheat and small grains industry in the Evergreen state. Although it might be confusing, each organization — the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, the Washington Grain Commission and the Washington Wheat Foundation — fulfills a specific…
Staff and leaders from the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) closed out January by traveling to Washington, D.C., to take part in National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) winter board meetings and to meet with members of Washington’s federal delegation and leaders of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies….
It’s not a typo. Palouse, Wash., with a population of a little over 1,000, is home to one of the wonders of the world. A few of them, actually. Thomas Edison called the Linotype machine the eighth wonder of the world for the way it revolutionized the printing process. Until…
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s riparian taskforce’s final report was released in December and contains a number of recommendations developed through discussions by a wide variety of stakeholders, including wheat industry representatives. Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG); Ben Adams, past president of WAWG and…
More than 30 wheat growers, landlords and industry leaders made the trip to Olympia last month to take part in the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) annual lobbying visit, the first time since 2020 they’ve been able to meet with state legislators in person on Capitol grounds. Over the…
The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) is gearing up for some heavy legislative lifting in 2023. There’s a lot of big issues on the state agenda, including amending the state’s agriculture overtime rule to include a seasonal exemption, protecting against restrictive riparian buffer rules, and continuing to advocate against…
It might have been frightful outside, thanks to a massive winter storm, but inside the Coeur d’Alene Resort, all things were merry and bright as farmers, exhibitors and industry stakeholders gathered to celebrate the Pacific Northwest wheat industry at the 2022 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention. “Despite the weather, we had…
