Pacific Northwest Ag Network

Efforts to keep AM radio in the dashboards of U.S. vehicles have taken a step forward in the House.  The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45-2 to send the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the full House for a vote.   “It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” said Representative Jeff Duncan, a South Carolina Republican. “Having AM radio available...

After recent unsatisfactory public meetings and a growing series of unanswered questions, the National Chicken Council requested a 90-day extension to the comment period for FSIS’ proposed Salmonella Framework. The Council wants more time to properly analyze the proposal and provide more meaningful comments.  ...

In late August, the Washington Farm Bureau Legal Foundation and the Washington Trucking Association filed an appeal to the state Supreme Court for the recent dismissal of their litigation against the state Department of Ecology.  The appeal follows Thurston County Superior Court Judge Lanese’s dismissal of the case which sought to reopen rulemaking for the recently implemented Climate Commitment A

Pear Bureau Northwest is out with its first estimate of the 2024-25 fresh pear crop.  The expectation is Washington and Oregon growers will harvest 10.6 million standard box equivalents, which is down 31% from the five-year average.   ...

This summer, the University of Idaho held a workshop with the intent of raising up the next generation of ranchers.  Beef 101 took place on the Moscow campus, and the U of I’s Phil Bass says the three-day workshop covered everything about being a rancher, from beginning to end.   “We ab...

Last week, Idaho Senator Jim Risch and Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin called for the American dairy industry to be protected.  A bipartisan group of lawmakers say they want to ensure that plant-based imitation products are not equated in upcoming dietary guideline changes.   The le...

Last week, Walla Walla-based Capital Call Vintners announced the acquisition of Barons Winery brand.  The original partners, which founded the label in 1999, announced their retirement.   “When the Barons leadership decided it was time to retire, we jumped at the chance to acquire this highly regarded brand,” said Steve Bruere, a founding partner in Capital Call Vintners. “Barons has long history

Over 100 climate groups are pressuring JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and other private banks to stop financing global meat and dairy companies.  According Agriculturedive.com, the institutions’ lending activities undermine the environmental commitments of those groups.  An open lette...

Fire season continues in the Pacific Northwest.  But Carol Connolly, with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, says conditions are improving.   “We just took five large fires off the board over the last 24 hours. Four of those were ...

An awareness generated right about harvest time for several parts of the country, farm safety and health concerned efforts to address this issue has led to progress yet.   “I first started doing this in the year 2000 and we were averaging 730 fatalities per year, so getting down to 417 is a good stride, but we're never going to get down to 0 during my working lifetime, “said Dan Neenan of the Nati