Olympia

The State Department of Agriculture is asking Washingtonians to check their Christmas trees, wreathes and other purchased holiday greenery for invasive species.  Last week WSDA confirmed elongate hemlock scale, Fiorinia externa, on out-of-state sourced holiday greenery.  The Dep...

On Thursday, NASS released the results of the 2021 Organic Survey.  The survey shows total sales of $11.2 billion in organic products, an increase of $1.28 billion, or 13%, from 2019.  There were 17,445 certified organic farms nationwide, a 5% increase from 2019.   Calif...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a large commercial flock.  The Franklin County operation first reported a high number of sudden deaths of chickens to the WSDA last week.  Investi...

For the first time since being detected in the northwest corner of the state, the Washington state Department of Agriculture did not trap or confirm any sightings of the Northern Giant Hornet, formerly known as the Asian Giant.  WSDA noted while this is an encouraging step, the hornet is not yet considered eradicated.  Federal...

When Washington farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness leaders met in Wenatchee last week during the 102nd Washington Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, the 2022-2023 leadership team was elected.   Rosella Mosby, a King County vegetable farmer was elected to her second term as State President.  Sh...

WAFLA’s new CEO says he’s looking forward to representing farm workers and an industry that has been a big part of his entire life.  Enrique Gastelum took over leadership of the organization this spring, and says one of his biggest priorities is showing those in the farming community, and those outside the industry, the important role H-2A plays.  Gastelum says the v...

Unfortunately, it’s a familiar theme at many fairgrounds across the state of Washington; rundown facilities that have seen better days.  But the state Department of Agriculture is trying to help address some of those needs.  The Washington State Department of Agriculture and the State Legislature recognize the importance of Washington’s fairgrounds, especially to the rural, more remote locations a

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced this week the largest chicken producer in the nation will pay $10.5 million because of a lawsuit over price-fixing on chicken products.  The announcement is the third and largest resolution in Ferguson’s lawsuit against 19 broiler chicken producers.  The claims ag...

Backyard bird owners across Washington, and the entire Pacific Northwest, are reminded to practice strong biosecurity measures as migration season starts to increase across the region.  The Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Dr. Amber Itle say...

Farming is a multi-billion-dollar industry for the state of Washington, but Dan Newhouse says more ag business can be done in the Evergreen state.  The central Washington representative said there’s a lot of potential for growth and future development, such as the recent ground breaking of Darigold’s million-dollar facility outside of Pasco.  Newhouse says to en...