Falling Numbers Remains Priority for New Congress

2016 was a challenging year for many wheat growers across the Inland Northwest, but not because of the weather or port slowdowns, but because of high falling numbers.  Eastern Washington representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers  said Falling Numbers will remain a top priority for 2017, since it has such a direct impact on wheat growers and ultimately the agriculture economy.

USDA said it won’t throw out this year’s results which had a higher than average batch of poor falling numbers.  So, now McMorris Rodgers said her attention is on the test itself.

“There were a lot of concerns raised about the inconsistency of the test itself, and the variations, which was really hard to explain.  And the importance of having an accurate test, and how we do that, we’re continuing to work with Washington State University.”

McMorris Rodgers said since the falling numbers test is not going away any time soon, it’s vital that all parties work together to ensure the test produces accurate information, for both growers and consumers.

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