The Port of Columbia is looking to build on the success of its Blue Mountain Station by paying tribute to the grains grown in the surrounding countryside. “I grew up on a big wheat and cattle ranch on the breaks of the Snake River, so this is my town. This…
Variety performance may be the cornerstone of Washington State University’s (WSU) summer plot tours, but there’s a lot of other information also on offer for growers. “While growers can get the information online, there’s something tangible about being able to see the different varieties,” said Clark Neely, WSU’s cereal variety…
Back in February, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the mother of all agricultural surveys, the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Decision-makers will use that data to help set farm policy and allocate money across the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other federal agencies. “The census of agriculture is…
Ian Burke, weed scientist at Washington State University, has seen a lot of weeds in his career, but few worry him more than Palmer amaranth. “In every metric possible, it’s capable of outcompeting other broadleaf crops. It’s not even a fair fight. It also appears to have methods of adaptive…
Employer-sponsored retirement plans aren’t just for big corporations. Even farmers with only a few employees might find there are benefits and advantages to offering a retirement plan. What are the advantages to having an employer-sponsored retirement plan? There are many options, but the most popular tend to be a Simplified…
For anybody, including farmers, approaching the traditional retirement age, social security and Medicare begin looming large on the horizon. These large government programs can seem overwhelming and confusing to navigate, leaving one wondering where to start. “Navigating is an appropriate term as it can feel like you’re a bit lost…
Washington wheat is known all over the world for its quality and keeping that quality high is due, in large part, to growers like Derek Schafer, who’s been growing registered and certified seed for more than 20 years. Schafer, who farms outside of Ritzville, Wash., said he uses approximately 20%…
What is asset allocation, and why is it important for farmers to get it right? Jordan Thayer, a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley, breaks it down. Define assets in this context. Essentially, asset allocation is the decision surrounding what percentage of your investments should be in stocks vs. bonds vs….
While it may be hard to find the bright side of rising interest rates — just ask a Washington wheat farmer who’s already dealing with high input costs — there are investment opportunities to be found. According to Jordan Thayer, a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley, banks may charge more…
Pacific Northwest (PNW) dryland wheat growers often feel like square pegs trying to fit round holes when it comes to programs designed with Midwest farmers in mind. That’s still the case with carbon credit programs. Even as the carbon credit landscape continues to develop, opportunities for Eastern Washington farmers remain…
