Pacific Northwest Ag Network

Think dam failures are rare? Think again. Washington State has numerous dams at risk

From 2023-2024, farm bankruptcies increased 55% and are trending even higher in 2025.  Farmers are continuing to struggle with low prices for their agricultural commodities and the high costs of inputs needed to grow those crops.   Bloomberg said unpredictable tariffs, immigration overhauls, federal programs being cut, and frozen USDA funding are now part of the challenges farmers face as they loo

Washington State University is warning pear and apple growers to watch for fire blight.  WSU's Tianna Dupont explains what growers need to watch for, and steps they need to take.     If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsqu...

Business Oregon is asking businesses and other organizations to take part in a survey to determine the impacts of tariffs.  Governor Tina Kotek said the responses cover a broad part of Oregon's economy.   “The top four respondent industries are: manufacturing, retail, agriculture and construction,” Kotek.   The Governor note...

For a variety of reasons, the potato industry struggled last year, with demand for the spud down.  Consumers habits have changed after the pandemic, and the U.S. is not exporting as many potato products as growers and industry leader would like to see.  On top ...

According to the USDA’s April Cattle on Feed report, the national cattle herd remains smaller year-over-year, despite efforts to increase inventory.  What do the marketing trends in the industry look like?   USDA livestock analyst Anthony Fischer says when it comes to the number of cattle on feed over 150 days, which he pointed out is typically an indicator of how fast cattle are being marketed, t

USDA layoffs and office consolidations are raising bipartisan concern in Congress.  Staffing levels could be pared by nearly 10% starting by early May, with the remaining staff relocated to three hubs around the country.  That’s according to briefed USDA officials, who are cited in a report by Government Executive, a government business news daily.   The layoffs and ...

Many provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are set to expire this year.  The American Farm Bureau Federation says that adds a big task to the Congressional to-do list: updating the tax code.   Many of those expiring provisions provide important relief for farm families.  AFBF Associa...

The USDA reminds agricultural producers that the final date to apply for or make changes to their existing crop insurance coverage is quickly approaching for summer planted crops, annual forage, and forage seeding. Sales closing dates vary by crop, but the next major sales closing dates are May 1, July 15, and July 31...

Earlier this week, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative took targeted action to restore American shipbuilding and address China’s efforts to dominate maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors.  These actions come after a year-long Section 301 investigation.   “Ships...

The Bureau of Reclamation announced Monday afternoon that anticipated water demands for Klamath Project water contractors are "likely to be met" as the Basin pivots from consecutive years of drought.  Described in the 2025 Klamath Project Annual Operations Plan, the initial water supply allocations from Reclamation are based on modeled estimates of water available for irrigation delivery

A team of buyers from major Japanese beef importers recently visited Idaho, as well as Kansas and Colorado to learn about the beef supply chain, from ranch to feedlot, processing to retail.   “We had about a dozen buyers that represented four of the major beef importing companies in Japan come to visit us here in Idaho," said Agri Beef’s Jay Theiler, one of the hosts of the tour.  "We ha

On Tuesday, we told you the state of Washington achieved Stage Four status in the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy program.  The designation means the state’s dairy herd is free of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.   Markus Rolli...

The Bureau of Land Management has distributed more than $27.7 million in timber revenue payments to 18 western Oregon counties.  BLM said the payments are supported by the timber harvested from public lands and support local services, including emergency response and education.   “...

On Tuesday, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1141 into law, extending collective bargaining rights to agricultural cannabis workers in the state.  Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self, sponsor for the bill says the legislation “corrects a historical exclusion by granting these workers the right to unionize—an important step toward equity in one of the state’s fastest-growing industr

A U.S. District Court has stopped a logging project in northern Idaho that environmental groups claim could harm the Selkirk grizzly population habitat.  Estimates say roughly 50 grizzlies live in that portion of Idaho.  Mike Garrity head of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, a Montana-based conservation organization, which has been in litigation with the Forest Service over this issue for nearly

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is asking for your help identifying those responsible for the illegal killing of a pronghorn in the southeast corner of the state.  The dead adult pronghorn doe was discovered outside of Aberdeen, near the intersection of Gehring Rd. and Lava...

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins has announced $340.6 million in USDA disaster assistance to deliver relief to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities impacted by natural disasters that have caused devastation across the country.  Secretary Rollins is delivering critical aid through the USDA Disaster Assistance Fund to provide immediate relief to communities that have waited too long for the assistanc

The buzz around biologicals has never been louder, but the noise can make it difficult to figure out what biologicals are, how they fit into a cropping plan, and how to use them.  Jon Treloar, senior technical agronomist for Novonesis, offers advice for growers on how to cut through the noise.  ...

U.S. egg production totaled 8.63 billion during March 2025, down 7% from last year.  Production included 7.35 billion table eggs and 1.28 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.18 billion were broiler-type and 104 million were egg-type.  The ave...

Ever found yourself stuck behind a slow-moving tractor? Discover the speed limits for farm equipment on Washington roads