The start of a new administration usually brings a flurry of activity, and the second Trump administration is no exception. Fortunately, Jake Westlin, vice president of policy and communications for the National Association of Wheat Growers, was on hand to walk growers through what’s happening on the Hill as part…
There’s just a lot going on these days in agriculture. Between all the new advances in technology, chemistry, biologicals, spending money, and worrying, I find that my mental dance card is a bit full! This month I’d like to highlight one particular aspect of our industry that will either fill…
Lately, I’m seeing a number of new clients who have done their estate planning with some other law firm, and, as a part of their planning, a revocable grantor living trust has been utilized for the client. I’ll always ask the client (and of course I already know the answer!),…
Advocacy for Washington wheat growers doesn’t happen just at the state level. The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) also spends time in Washington, D.C., visiting with the state’s congressional delegation and working with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) on concerns at the national level. Wheat growers’ first…
Jaimie Appel was admiring the view of wheat fields from her home in Whitman County when the idea for a new business started to germinate. “I love being part of a farming family, but I wanted something of my own. My dad or my husband suggested making flour out of…
The Natural Resources Conservation Service in Washington (NRCS-WA) has begun to implement Conservation Harvest Management (NRCS Interim Conservation Practice Standard 809) to help increase sustainable agricultural practices in the wheat producer community. The conservation practice focuses on harvest or management techniques that optimize the amount, orientation, and distribution of plant…
Last month, wheat representatives visited 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 involved. “Growers spent two impactful days in Olympia, advocating for critical issues like tax exemptions and the Climate Commitment Act fuel…
Best-selling Western author and conservationist Zane Grey (1872-1939) is considered the father of the modern Western novel. He wrote some 300 short stories and 80 books. Grey’s writing was known for idealizing the American frontier spirit with archetypal characters inhabiting moral landscapes who exemplified the Code of the West —…
There’s an old saying around here that “it takes two to tango.” I’m sure most of you have heard it tossed around the coffee shop or used one way or another. In the Washington state wheat industry, it’s more accurate to say that it takes three to tango. Three organizations,…
Glad tidings and happy new year! Yes, we’re into February, but it’s still the new year, yes? I don’t believe “you have just 330 +/- shopping days until Christmas” would be preferred, though I’ve been wrong before. Let’s chat about premium subsidies for multiperil crop insurance and the basic premise…
