Inputs
Countervailing duties harm growers
Fertilizer costs are one among many rising input costs for farmers. While fertilizer is a key budget item for all farmers, fertilizer costs are especially critical for wheat growers. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cost-of-production projections for the 2026-27 marketing year, published in December before the current conflict…
Headaches ahead?
According to the National Association of Wheat Growers, countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer cost Washington wheat farmers about $14 million from 2021-25, but Andy Juris predicts nitrogen and sulfur are shaping up to be bigger headaches for the state’s wheat growers. Juris, a farmer from Bickleton, Wash., and chair of…
‘YEN’ing for more information
The devil’s often found in the details, and one Lincoln County grower is shifting through a wheat field of data to find answers. Jesse Brunner, a fifth-generation farmer north of Almira, Wash., is going into his third year participating in the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN). The program, which…
Flying high on drone technology
For Doug Bruce, drones seem like the perfect complement to his existing businesses; besides growing wheat, bluegrass, lentils, barley, oats, and a bit of alfalfa on his family’s farm near Farmington, Wash., he also sells ag chemicals through a local branch of the Hefty Seed Company. Drones flew onto Bruce’s…
Trying for certainty in an uncertain world
Uncertainty has always been part of farming, but lately, it feels like we are being tested at every turn. The latest round of tariffs on wheat, along with those on corn and soybeans, has sent prices tumbling down 10% in just a short time. China has imposed significant barriers, and…
Going green to grow green
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture is responsible for approximately 10% of the U.S.’s greenhouse gas emissions. A Swiss company plans to reduce that footprint by building a zero-carbon nitrate fertilizer plant at the Port of Benton in Richland, Wash. Atlas Agro has its roots in the fertilizer industry….
A foundation to grow on
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%…
Drone-based business flies high on possibilities
Down in the Tri-Cities, Kurt and Melody Beckley are confident growers will see the possibilities their new drone-based business, Altitude Agri Services, offers. “I find I’m anticipating that moment when more growers see what the drones are capable of doing, and they want to embrace them and take advantage of…
Supply chain break down
While pressure on the supply chain has eased somewhat, producers are still paying high prices for inputs and struggling to find parts and supplies. Four experts broke down what’s happening with fuel, fertilizer, equipment and the economy during a break-out session at the 2022 Tri-State Grain Growers Convention. Fueling the…
On Impact
For the past four years, Mader Enterprises has been practicing harvest weed seed control on their farm near Pullman, Wash. In late October, area growers gathered at Greg Mader’s farm shop to hear some of the things they’ve learned and to meet one of the experts on harvest weed seed…
