General

Montana native handles multiple duties

By Kevin Gaffney
For Wheat Life

It was an unusual route taken by Scott Steinbacher to becoming eastern regional manager of the Grain Inspection and Warehouse Audit program manager for the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA).  Based in Spokane, Steinbacher joined the WSDA in 2011. His previous employment had been in the high-end hospitality industry….

Trip shines light on legislative process

By Guest Author Samantha Holling

In January, I was given the opportunity to accompany the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) to Olympia where we lobbied for our wheat farmers at the state level. Throughout this trip, I was able to meet and converse with legislators, have an in-person experience on how our government operates,…

Retirement leads seed dealer to new business venture

By Kevin Gaffney
For Wheat Life

Most Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) past presidents from the 1980s are now at least semiretired. Not Dana Herron, who served from 1986-87. A native of Connell, Wash., Herron grew up in a farm family founded by his grandfather in 1896 near Kahlotus. Herron’s brother, Chris, still farms that…

wheat field

Weathering Mother Nature’s whims

By Anthony Smith
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers

Here we are in April! Spring wheat planting and weed control in fallow and winter wheat crops are moving along across the Horse Heaven Hills. I wanted to talk about the good and the bad of weather, and how it affects wheat crops. Farmers already know this, but it may…

Seasons of farming: Spring

By Trista Crossley
Editor

After a winter spent mostly indoors attending meetings, doing paperwork, or servicing equipment, farmers are usually eager to resume fieldwork. But what are those machines out in the field actually doing? In Eastern Washington, spring comes first in the south. Wheat farmers in Benton and Franklin counties will be out…

wheat field

Pesticide Perspectives

By Guest Author Jennifer Ferrero

Wheat fields in Washington can be home to many insects, weeds, and diseases. Producing quality food crops requires intervention. Many factors are at play in the realm of safety for humans and the environment, including using insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides. In this article, we refer to all these types of…

wheat field

Crop advisor Q&A

By Trista Crossley
Editor

Sam Kimmell has been a crop advisor with The McGregor Company for nine years. He typically works with about 30 farms every year, helping them make planting and crop input decisions. He grew up on a farm in North Idaho, but after high school, joined the Navy. He and his…

wheat field

The best cure for spring fever is spring fieldwork

By Anthony Smith
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers

The cabin fever has shifted to spring fever, and my list of “to dos” keeps growing faster than what I can accomplish. That’s the spring work tension that builds for us wheat farmers. There’s always a farmer in all our areas who gets out in their field early and makes…

wheat field

Manhunt

By Trista Crossley
Editor

In August 1902, Washington’s Lincoln County briefly became famous for more than just its grain when the manhunt for escaped convict Harry Tracy ended in a wheat field southeast of Creston. Tracy was born Harry Severns in 1875 in Wisconsin to Sarah Catherine Atkinson and Orlando Nye Severns. Details about…

wheat field

A little planning goes a long way

By Anthony Smith
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers

Here we are in February already! I’m busy tuning up tractors, changing oils and filters — all that fun stuff that needs to get done before getting out in the field. I’m also taking inventory on what spring seed, fertilizers, and crop protection products I’ll need. While doing this, I…

Grower involvement matters
By Jeff Malone
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers
Turbulent economics: It’s a time to buckle up
By Dr. David Kohl
Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech
Trying for certainty in an uncertain world
By Jeff Malone
President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers