General

Precisely targeted

By Trista Crossley
Editor

The Wilbur-Creston and Odessa school districts are putting the finishing touches on a new curriculum that gives students a leg up in today’s agricultural industry. Students got a taste of the training on offer at a precision ag field day in May at Weismil Farms north of Odessa. The idea…

Highlights from my Olympia Days trip

By Guest Author Karly Wigen

My experience as a Washington wheat growers ambassador during the Olympia Legislative Days was more than I could have ever hoped. I was able to meet so many new people, from the other wheat growers that were with me to the government officials we met with. My favorite part was…

wheat field

From selling the future to farming with it

By Jeff Malone
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers

Before I returned to the family farm full time, I had a short but impactful detour that shaped the way I approach agriculture today. Fresh out of college with a degree in business and communications, I landed a job at Odessa Trading Company selling precision ag equipment. At the time,…

My Olympia Days experience

By Guest Author Zach Klein

Before the Olympia Days trip, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew we would be meeting with legislators, talking about issues that matter to our communities, and learning more about how the state government works. Not only did I learn more about how the government works, but the…

Grower involvement matters

By Jeff Malone
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers

In the midst of global uncertainty, volatile markets, shifting regulations, and a growing disconnect between consumers and producers, there’s one thing I believe more than ever: grower involvement matters. It matters because our voices are needed now more than ever. Farming communities are shrinking. Many small and mid-sized operations have…

‘The Operator’s Manual’

By Guest Author Daniel Moore

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

By Trista Crossley Richard Scheuerman
Editor

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 —…

wheat field

WAWG: A legacy of advocacy

By Jeff Malone
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers

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,…

wheat field

New year equals new beginning

By Jeff Malone
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers

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…

wheat field

A fair look at farm lease renewals

By Tim Cobb
Owner, Farmland Company

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….

From selling the future to farming with it
By Jeff Malone
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers
Tips for surviving a difficult farm economy
By Kameron Schultz
CPA, Leffel, Otis & Warwick, P.S.
Grower involvement matters
By Jeff Malone
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers