General
‘The Operator’s Manual’
He never farmed very large,Just enough to raise a family.Yet his funeral set recordsAt the church in the country. After purchasing his property,I began to make it mine.The machinery was all spent,But, oh, the land was fine. It wasn’t much of a shop,Too little for equipment.So few were the toolsTo…
This Wonderful Place
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 —…
WAWG: A legacy of advocacy
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,…
New year equals new beginning
As we turn the calendar to 2025, we embrace not just a new year, but the promise of new beginnings. This year, with significant changes in Congress, we have reason to hope for the substantial progress our agricultural community needs. Chief among our priorities is the passage of a comprehensive…
A fair look at farm lease renewals
A shift is underway among operators and owners of farmland across the country that is directly impacting farm lease agreements. External financial factors (cost of machinery, capital, inputs, and labor) once thought to be “transitory” are settling more into reality as many cast their projections for the coming crop year….
Meet our new president
Hello Wheat Life readers! I’m Jeff Malone, and it’s an honor to introduce myself as your new president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG). As a fifth-generation dryland wheat farmer in Douglas County, I’ve been blessed to work the same land my family has cultivated for over a…
Expert Q&A
While no two farmers follow the same schedule, winter is generally devoted to more “indoor” tasks. Marci Green from Green View Farms in Spokane County points out that many bookkeeping tasks, such as paying bills, marketing crops, payroll, monitoring budgets, and cash flow, happen throughout the year. In this Q&A,…
Nuts & bolts
During winter, the fields may be sleeping under the snow, but that doesn’t mean farmers are. In shops across Eastern Washington, farm equipment is being cleaned and repaired, all in preparation for another year of hard work. Rob Wilkins, parts supervisor at Papé Machinery in Tekoa, Wash., believes the work…
Outpouring of help
Farming can be stressful at the best of times, so when Dale Childers, a semiretired, long-time Grant/Lincoln County farmer died in August, the local community sprang into action to help the family finish harvest. Ben McKay, a good friend of Dakota, Dale’s son, organized the harvest bee. At first, it…
Gifts of grain
With the holiday season right around the corner, growers across the Palouse have an opportunity to make a life-changing gift. “Pullman Regional Hospital’s Gifts of Grain program is a great way for landlords and farmers to give back,” explained Wayne Druffel, farmer and president of the board of directors for…
