Pacific Northwest Ag Network

A heat wave is heading to the Northwest later this week, with some areas expected to hit triple digits. Washington L&I is reminding employers they're legally required to provide shade, water, and cool-down breaks.

WSU researchers say apple fruit surfaces can reach temperatures well above 120 degrees Fahrenheit in direct sun — hot enough to kill cells and leave dark sunken spots on fruit that was fine the day before.

Seahawks rookie Grey Zabel came back to his hometown of Pierre with a Super Bowl ring and a message for South Dakota farmers: drought is just one day closer to a good rain.

This year's winter wheat harvest is shaping up to be the leanest in nearly a decade, with the USDA projecting the lowest yield per acre since 2015.

Katy Belles says while there are many great things about the farming community, one of her favorites is the relationships and friendships she's been able to build.

The USDA quietly revised its beef export numbers this week after a data entry mistake inflated sales figures by nearly 90% — raising fresh questions about government reporting during a stretch of historically high cattle prices.

Senator John Boozman says Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole were never just about hunger relief — they were also market tools for American farmers, and he wants them back under USDA jurisdiction in the next Farm Bill.

A new USDA portal is giving ranchers and rural business owners a place to flag regulatory problems, part of a multi-agency effort to address enforcement concerns more quickly.

Markets barely flinched when the U.S. skipped renewing USMCA — partly because agricultural goods between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have stayed off the tariff list so far.

CME Group, which has been running futures markets since 1848, just introduced a broad agriculture price benchmark and two new beef trim contracts that reflect how processors blend cuts for retail ground beef.

Only Hawaii and Arizona skip the clock change entirely. Washington has been trying to join that club since 2019. A vote this week in Congress could finally settle the argument.

The Pacific Northwest drought map is looking more serious this week, with Idaho, Oregon, and Washington all reporting expanding dry conditions and parts of Idaho near the Nevada border now at the highest drought classification on the scale.

More than 4,000 Snake River water rights holders in Idaho just got some good news — no irrigation curtailments in 2026, thanks to a deal between the state and Idaho Power.

Dr. Michelle Moyer at Washington State University is previewing what growers can expect at the upcoming Grape Field Day, set for July 30th on the WSU campus.

Farmers from across the country are heading to Capitol Hill this season, making the case for an H-2A visa overhaul before Congress runs out of time to act.

Colleen Donovan of the Washington State Farmers Market Association says when money changes hands at a local market, it tends to stay in the community longer than most people expect.

Property owners in Benton, Franklin, Yakima, and King counties can help protect local farms and gardens by signing a consent form allowing the state to treat their land for Japanese beetles — a pest already well established back East.

Central Washington hay growers had a rough go of it in 2026 — and for some, the way they tried to cut costs may have made things worse.

The National FARM Program is asking dairy farmers for input on proposed updates to animal care and workforce standards, with the comment period open through October 2nd.

John Deere just reached an agreement with the FTC and five states, promising farmers and independent mechanics full access to the diagnostic tools needed to fix their own equipment.

Winter wheat harvest is running ahead of schedule this year — but the quality story is a lot more complicated depending on where you look on the map.