Agriculture

 

Yakima reservoirs look good, but snowpack doesn’t, Capital Press, Jan 9
Yakima River basin reservoirs have risen dramatically because of rain, but irrigators need more snow in the mountains to avoid another water-short season.

Warmer winter means early prediction of severe stripe rust year, Capital Press, Jan 7
A warmer winter than usual means a higher stripe rust prediction than usual.Typically, the predicted stripe rust severity range is between 20% and 40%, said Xianming Chen, USDA research plant pathologist and a leading stripe rust expert in the Pacific Northwest.

Trump Administration taps Spokane County communications director for state’s top USDA role, Spokemsan-Review, Jan 6
The Trump administration has tapped Spokane County’s top spokesman to hold the highest U.S. Department of Agriculture role in Washington state. Spokane County Communications Director Patrick Bell on Tuesday was named director of the Washington office of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, which oversees federal farm loans, disaster assistance and conservation programs statewide from its headquarters in Spokane Valley.

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Washington Politics

 

Gerrymander Washington state? Democrats want to talk about it, OPB, Jan 8
As red and now blue states around the country try to redraw their congressional maps, the conversation in Washington state to this point has been: There’s "literally no way." Washington’s constitution only allows redistricting every 10 years. To change it and redraw the Congressional maps to favor them, Democrats would need two-thirds of the vote in both chambers of the Legislature — meaning several Republican votes. Then, it would go to a vote on the state ballot and voters would have to approve it.

Legislation would let WA cities run grocery stores, use eminent domain, The Center Square, Jan 8
House Bill 2313 was prefiled on Wednesday. It's prime sponsor is Rep. Darya Farivar, D-Seattle. The bill would authorize cities to establish publicly owned grocery stores in areas with limited food access, commonly referred to as food deserts. Under the bill, cities could acquire land and private property through eminent domain, lease grocery sites to private or nonprofit operators, or directly operate the stores using city employees.

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Climate & Endangered Species

 

Washington admits it exaggerated greenhouse gas reductions, Capital Press, Jan 7
Washington state officials admitted Jan. 6 they overstated by more than 80% how much projects funded by cap-and-trade taxes have reduced greenhouse gases. The Department of Commerce blamed data entry errors for inflating the benefits of eight grants that helped low- and moderate income households buy energy-efficient electric appliances. The state reported in November the eight grants will cut emissions by 7.5 million metric tons and accounted for 86% of all reductions over two years. The actual reduction was only 78,000 tons, according to Commerce.

Chinook salmon returning to Alameda Creek in Niles Canyon, CBS News, Dec 26
The return of Chinook salmon has been a historical and pivotal moment for the region after a community of environmentalists, scientists and researchers spent the past several decades trying to restore the area's natural habitat. In 2022, the Alameda County Water District completed a massive infrastructure project downstream that included a series of fish ladders to help with the migration of Pacific lamprey, endangered steelhead trout and, of course, salmon.

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Trade & Markets

 

B.C. and Washington State sign friendly agreement despite Canada-U.S. tensions, Daily Hive, Jan 8
Despite frosty tensions between Canada and the U.S., B.C. and Washington state are still looking to establish closer ties between their jurisdictions. The two legislatures signed what they call a “historic agreement” on Thursday, creating a British Columbia-Washington State Interparliamentary Group.

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Research

 

Watching grass grow ‘endlessly fascinating’ for newly endowed WSU professor, WSU Insider, Jan 7
Roughly 80% of Kentucky bluegrass seed is produced in Washington, so it’s logical for the turfgrass seed industry to work closely with the state’s leading scientists. Furthering that relationship, Washington State University recently named Michael Neff as the Washington Turfgrass Seed Commission Professor, a position endowed by the industry..

US Secretary of Agriculture Announces Action to Protect US Farmland, SE AgNet, Jan 7
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced a series of coordinated actions focused on agricultural research, innovation, and national security through USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan. The initiatives are designed to strengthen oversight of foreign involvement in U.S. agriculture while ensuring federal programs prioritize American farmers, manufacturers, and domestic supply chains.

Governors Summit in Idaho and USDA Push for More Ag Research, AgInfoNet, Jan 7
During the Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Viability in Idaho, American Farmland Trust announced a new initiative called “Thriving Farms and Ranches.” The Summit explored the challenges of balancing the growth of cities and towns with Idaho’s valuable agricultural economy, as working lands are lost at an alarming rate.

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This week in history

On January 10, 1905, the Cedar Falls hydroelectric plant begins lighting Seattle street lamps for the first time. The plant had begun operation in October 1904. The City of Seattle owns the power plant, which is the first municipally owned plant in the United States. In 1902, Seattle City Council and the city’s voters approved building the hydroelectric dam plant located one-half mile below Cedar Lake (renamed Chester Morse Lake). [Historylink.org]