Pacific Northwest Ag Network

Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture announced the first investment of a $1 billion effort to mitigate wildfire risks as the nation faces an ongoing wildfire crisis.  USDA announced a $197 million investment for 100 projects that benefit 22 states as part of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program.  The For...

The potato is one step closer to becoming the state vegetable of Oregon.  State Senator Bill Hansell posed this question before this week's vote.   "Should the potato the Oregon vegetable be, or not to be, that is the question before us."   Hans...

Last month, central Washington Republican Dan Newhouse was once again named Co-Chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus alongside California’s Mike Thompson.  Newhouse said this 2nd run as Co-Chair is great news for the Washington wine industry.   “Wheth...

Washington State University's Matthew Boenzli talks about the 2022 crop, and what's taking place at the Tri-Cities based Wine Science Center this time of year.     If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-9791, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsqu...

Feeding America this week announced the launch of Farmers Feed America.  The organization says the broad coalition shows that farmers and food banks are united in calling for a strong 2023 Farm Bill that meets the needs of America's farmers and protects federal nutrition programs.  Th...

A tough budget environment and expected falling crop prices will make it even more challenging to write the next Farm Bill.  Senate Ag Republican Chief Economist John Newton said producers are facing soaring input costs, an unrealistic farm safety net and gloomy Congressional Budget Office crop projections.   “...

Formal educational attainment in rural America has grown, but still lags behind urban communities.  USDA’s Economic Research Service data shows the share of adults ages 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased in rural areas from 15% to 21%.  In the same time sp...

After three straight months of readings slightly above growth neutral, the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index fell below the growth neutral threshold.  The March index slumped from 50.1 in February to a reading of 45.6 in March.  Despite...

The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service is accepting applications from eligible organizations for fiscal year 2024 funding for five export market development programs.  FAS recently published the FY 2024 Notices of Funding Opportunity for the Market Access Program, Foreign Market Development Program, Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program, the Quality Samples Program, and the Emerging Ma

Representative Josh Gotthemier this week urged electric vehicle manufacturers to include AM radio in their cars and trucks.  The New Jersey Democrat says, "I would think that if Elon Musk has enough money to buy Twitter and send rockets to space, he can afford to include AM radio in his Teslas."  H...

Gresham, OR-based Scenic Fruit Company has recalled its frozen "Organic Strawberries” sold at Costco, Aldi, KeHE, Vital Choice Seafood and PCC Community Markets, as well as frozen “Organic Tropical Fruit Blend” sold at Trader Joe’s, due to an outbreak of hepatitis A illnesses.  Five outbreak-associa...

The 17th annual Three Rivers Grazing Conference sponsored by University of Idaho Extension will take place Tuesday, March 28th, in Lewiston, ID. Meranda Small with UI Extension said after hitting the pause button because of COVID-19, they had a variety of people reach out, asking that the all-day conference returns.  ...

Chad Mueller talks about the local and regional reaction to Eastern's Ag Entrepreneurship program.     If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-9791, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com 

With warmer weather in the weeks ahead, sugarbeet growers will focus more on their fields and the 2023 crop.  But that doesn’t mean things have been quiet since harvest.  Samantha Parrott, Executive Director of the Snake River Sugarbeet Growers Association, says their growers have been hard at work over recent months advocating for issues vital to the ag industry, both at the state and federal lev

With a global population now just north of eight billion people, the agriculture industry will be called on more to feed people across the planet.  One of those areas that can help farmers meet those needs, said Christ Voigt, is continued research and development, not only of commodities, but of technology to make the farming process more efficient.  The Exe...

In today's Focus On Fruit, Oregon State University Extension's Ashley Thompson discusses Little Cherry Disease and what growers can do to remove infected trees.     If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-9791, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@to...

As part of the National Ag Day Celebration this week, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture released its annual Feeding the Economy Report.  The data shows food and agriculture industries and their suppliers contribute over $8.6 trillio...

With April 1st just around the corner, the snowpack across Idaho is looking good for this time of year.  That’s the assessment from Erin Whorton with NRCS-Idaho, who noted that the Willow/Blackfoot/Portneuf as well as the Bear River basins above 150% of normal for this time of year, and the Owyhee at 163% of typical for this time of year.  She said whil...

According to NASS, Hop Stocks across the Pacific Northwest fell 4% from 2022’s numbers.  The inventory of hops held by growers, dealers, and brewers on March 1st, totaled 186 million pounds, off from the 193 million pounds reported last year.   That’s...

As producers prepare for another growing season across the Pacific Northwest, UPL's Kendall Johnson explains why it's so important for growers to get out and scout their orchards.     If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-9791, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@to...

The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging Congress to pass legislation freezing the “flawed” 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rate, or AEWR.  AFBF said the rate distorts labor costs for farmers across the country who hire nearly 400,000 employees through the H-2A program.   The bipartis...