For Chad and Marie Denny, watching their son, Jon, begin his farming career highlights the importance of supporting the next generation. “I feel like we’re a bridge. We’re going to own it for a little while, and then it can move on to the next generation,” Marie explained. “It’s not…
“In Garfield County, if you throw a rock, you are going to hit a Koller,” said Wyatt Koller with a laugh as he described how his great-grandparents, Richard and Ollie, arrived in the area and established the family’s farm after stints blacksmithing and working at a slaughterhouse. Wyatt’s grandfather, Edwin,…
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…
Washington grain growers will be cultivating solutions to yield success at the annual 2025 convention Nov. 17-19 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The convention offers growers the opportunity to hear state and national policy updates, listen to nationally known keynote speakers, participate in educational breakout sessions,…
When you see Jolene Brown’s name on the schedule, you likely know what’s coming: a lively presentation on a serious topic — think family joys vs. business or farm transitions — served up with humor, appreciation, and celebration. Brown will be one of the keynote speakers at the 2025 Washington…
“One person can make a difference,” exemplifies Walt Neff’s philosophy on determination to accomplish goals. The Neff family has a saying that accentuates what can be achieved by one determined person: “If you don’t think one individual can make a difference, you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito!” It’s…
The title of this article is one of those catch phrases that you may have heard over the years. It relays the fact that to make money trading commodities, you will make money as long as your trades align with the trend: selling short in a downtrend and being long…
As I sit in the tractor cab writing this column, the hum of the air drill in the background, I can’t help but reflect on the season we just wrapped up. Harvest is done, and the grain is in the bin. On our farm, it turned out to be an…
The intent of this article is to illustrate my opinions on how an LLC (a Limited Liability Company) can be utilized to accomplish leveraging valuations of assets through the concept of discounting. An example to start Let’s start with an example. Assume a husband and wife (H/W), a farm family…
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…