YAKIMA — It’s easy to forget that the Columbia Basin is really scrubland desert.
WENATCHEE — Every year, during Washington state’s autumn apple harvest, hands reach out to p...
OLYMPIA — As spring approaches, researchers with the Washington State Department of Agricult...
SPOKANE — As the joint bankruptcy of Easterday Farms and Easterday Ranches makes its way thr...
PASCO — Dust rises gently into the still air as the tractor moves slowly through the field.
Overtime, capital gains, fuel standards keep farm advocates busy
OLYMPIA — A trio of bills that passed out of the originating house of the Washington State Legislature in early March are proving to be concerns for those involved in farming across the state.
Newhouse farm workforce reform measure passes House
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives in mid-March voted to approve a bill that is designed to streamline and modernize how farmworkers obtain...
Potato exports show some improvement in December
Overall U.S. potato exports rose in the last month of 2020 but still lagged behind 2019’s record figures, according to data from Colorado-based Potatoes USA.
Legislators back bipartisan state meat inspection bill
MOSES LAKE — A group of state senators from both parties, including Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, are backing a bill that would create a meat inspection service for Washington.
A decade-long, globe-trotting search for a better Christmas tree
Christmas tree lovers and tree growers across the U.S. could one day admire new varieties that look great, hold up for weeks in the home, and stand up to a d...
Washington receives $3.5m in USDA funds to fight farm pests
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $3.5 million to the state of Washington to help deal with invasive species and farm pests, including nearly $600,000 to combat the Asian giant hor...
Newhouse calls for more help for farmworkers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan group of 70 lawmakers, including Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Yakima, are calling on U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue to use $1.5 billion recently approved by Congress...
Potato conference, minus spud bar, goes online
MOSES LAKE — Like most conferences inn the time of COVID-19, this year’s Washington-Oregon Potato Conference has moved online. Which means it will include everything but the hugely popular potato bar.
Bill would extend disaster aid to grape growers
A bipartisan group of legislators has introduced a bill that would help Washington state grape growers who have seen the quality of their crops affected by smoke from the region’s wildfires this year.
WSDA prepares assault on gypsy moth lairs
With the press the Asian giant hornet has gotten this year, it’s easy to forget it’s only one of a number of invasive pests the Washington State Department of Agriculture battles every day.
