Agriculture

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Pacific Northwest wheat yields soar 20% above average

(Capital Press, Sep 14) The Pacific Northwest wheat crop yielded at least 20% above average across the board this year, a top U.S. and Washington farmer says.

NASDA Members Elect Washington State Agriculture Director Derek Sandison as 2026–2027 President

(Morning AgClips, Sep 17) During the 2026 National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Annual Meeting, members elected their 2027 officers. Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandison will be NASDA’s 2026–2027 President.

Attorneys say path cleared to sell Gebbers’ flagship fruit company

(Capital Press, Sep 17) A deal has been struck with major creditors clearing the way for the bankrupt Brewster Heights Packing and Orchards to be sold to another Central Washington tree fruit company.

Washington farmer tries companion cropping with peas, oats

(Capital Press, Sep 17) Colton, Wash., farmer Kyle Schultheis has been raising peas with oats for the past few years.

Some Washington farmworkers report earning less under overtime law

(Capital Press, Sep 16) More than half of the Washington farmworkers polled in an informal survey said the state’s agricultural overtime law has affected their pay, with most saying they are earning less than before.

Canada settles dispute over cherry patent with Monson Fruit

(Capital Press, Sep 18) The Canadian government has settled its lawsuit against the Monson Fruit Co over the alleged infringement of a cherry variety patent. The complaint was filed six years ago accusing Monson and two other defendants near Wenatchee, Wash., of growing and selling the patented Canadian cultivar Staccato as their own variety of cherry tree.

Senate panel advances farm bill following McConnell’s return

(The Hill, Sep 16) The Senate Agriculture Committee passed “Farm Bill 2.0” out of committee on Wednesday following Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R- Ky.) return to Congress.

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Washington Politics​

 

WA’s longest-serving state House member at risk of ouster

(Washington State Standard, Sep 14) Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos has been in the Legislature since 1999. Kelabe Tewolde, a teacher, defeated her in the primary. They’ll face off in November.

A bitter battle is brewing in one of Washington state’s last swing districts

(KUOW, Sep 14) Traffic whizzes by a patch of grass crowded with election campaign signs along a busy stretch of Highway 503 in the southwest Washington city of Battle Ground. They’re promoting a jumble of Republican and Democratic candidates for different races, and they signal a bitter battle brewing in one of the state’s last swing districts.

WA high court tosses natural gas measure approved by voters

(Washington State Standard, Sep 17) Justices, in a 6-3 decision, found Initiative 2066 unconstitutional because it dealt with multiple unrelated subjects.

WA lawmakers face another $1B decision on lawsuit payouts

(Washington State Standard, Sep 16) Washington needs to spend another $1.3 billion over the next two years to address skyrocketing lawsuit payouts due to state government misconduct, according to a recently filed budget request from a state agency. This comes after the Legislature this year already put in over $1 billion to shore up the state’s liability account.

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Climate & Endangered Species

 

What will fall weather be like in Washington state? See El Niño impacts

(The News Tribune, Sep 14) Meteorologically speaking, summer has come to an end. While astronomical seasons follow equinoxes and solstices, meteorological seasons start with the beginning of each month. By that reckoning the start of September is the start of fall.

Federally protected Chinook salmon among dead fish under I-90 light rail

(Seattle Times, Sep 9) Federally protected Chinook salmon were among the dead fish found this summer in Lake Washington under Sound Transit’s new light rail tracks, according to interviews with fishery managers and photos of the suspected fish die-off. The investigations now underway below I-90 focus on how underwater anode cables, which carry a low-level electrical current, could have killed fish — and how many of which species perished.

Chinook salmon impacted by four years of drought in the Yakima Basin

(Yakima Herald, Sep 16) The forecast for fall chinook in the Yakima River this year is low – about 1,300 fish. The forecast based on how chinook are doing along the Columbia at Hanford Reach. The fall chinook will continue to come in, typically spawning in October and early November. That’s less than half of recent years, which have seen anywhere from 3,500 to 5,000 fall chinook.

Blue states sue to overturn Trump’s ESA reforms

(Capital Press, Sep 16) Washington and California head up a 20-state coalition challenging the Trump administration’s reforms to the Endangered Species Act, claiming the reforms will undermine states’ efforts to conserve fish and wildlife.

PNW drought update: September storms help, but more rain needed

(Capital Press, Sep 15) Drought eased in Oregon and Idaho with early September storms and lower temperatures, according to the Sept. 10 edition of the U.S. Drought Monitor.

State to kill up to two wolves in Asotin County

(The Spokesman-Review, Sep 16) The director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife approved lethal removal of up to two members of the Couse wolf pack to stop attacks on cattle.

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Trade & Markets

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USDA LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN U.S. AG TRADE WITH VENEZUELA

(Brownfield, Sep 14) The Trump administration is continuing to take steps to help improve market access for U.S. producers in Latin America.

AGRICULTURE LOOKS FOR PROGRESS IN U.S.-CHINA TRADE TALKS

(Brownfield, Sep 17) The U.S. and China are scheduled to meet next week, and the CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture says he hopes the talks lead to a more stable trading relationship.

As the US and Canada slap new tariffs on goods, US farmers stuck in the middle

(Wisconsin State Farmer, Sep 15) American farmers are bracing for the impact of new tariffs exchanged between the U.S. and Canada on both their supply costs and their sales.

US farm agency prepares to reopen New Mexico port to livestock trade next week

(Reuters, Sep 16) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins ​said on Wednesday that the Department of ‌Agriculture is preparing to reopen a New Mexico port to livestock trade next week after it ​was closed because of New World ​screwworm.

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Research

 

USDA to deploy mites against invasive tumbleweeds

(Capital Press, Sep 14) The USDA has determined after more than two decades of study that a tiny mite can be safely turned loose to contain Russian thistle, commonly known as tumbleweeds.

New WSU-led research aims to transform U.S. fish farming

(WSU Insider, Sep 17) A new, Washington State University-led approach to fish breeding could help U.S. aquaculture grow safely and profitably, with support from a Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Growing Impact Award and matching funds from WSU and Troutlodge.

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This week in history

On September 16, 1876, in his new newspaper The Northern Star, underemployed frontier lawyer Eldridge Morse (1847-1914) publicizes the first agricultural fair of Snohomish County, which was held two years earlier in the county seat, a small settlement also named Snohomish. Morse has brought a used printing press from Olympia to Snohomish and taught himself to set type. Drawing on his experience as a farmer, coupled with an imaginative sense of the county's agricultural potential and the inspirational drive of a community activist, Morse plants the roots responsible for what will become the Evergreen State Fair, held every August for 12 days in the Snohomish County city of Monroe. [Historylink.org]