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…
Here we are in April! Spring wheat planting and weed control in fallow and winter wheat crops are moving along across the Horse Heaven Hills. I wanted to talk about the good and the bad of weather, and how it affects wheat crops. Farmers already know this, but it may…
Undoubtedly, most farmers would prefer to focus solely on the physical aspect of being a farmer, but unfortunately, there’s a whole other side to the occupation that needs regular attention. Bookkeeping, taxes, and legal planning are a big part of a successful operation, and many farmers have a team of…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Wheat fields in Washington can be home to many insects, weeds, and diseases. Producing quality food crops requires intervention. Many factors are at play in the realm of safety for humans and the environment, including using insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides. In this article, we refer to all these types of…
