Benton County

The WSDA is gearing up to tackle the Japanese beetle invasion, but they need your help. Our gardens depend on community cooperation this season.

Japanese beetles have made their first appearances of the year in the Lower Yakima Valley.  The Washington State Department of Agriculture said nine beetles were detected in ten traps in Grandview and one beetle was detected in a trap in Wapato on June 9.   ...

According to the state Department of Ecology, drought conditions continue in central Washington and may be developing in the northern and even western parts of the state.  And the recent Water Supply Availability Committee meeting indicated existing drought conditions are likely to persist through the summer, and in some areas, conditions may worsen. T...

This year, as in year’s past, the Washington State Department of Agriculture will deploy thousands of traps to monitor for Japanese beetle adults.  While the program traps around nurseries and farms throughout the state, most traps are placed at pathways like airports, railways, or transfer stations.  The Departmen...

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to hear your thoughts on 20 proposed public land acquisitions that the Department says could contribute to fish and wildlife conservation and as well as public access.  The proposals encompass about 13,749 acres with acquisitions in Asotin, Benton, Douglas, Jefferson, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, Pacific, and Thurston counties.  The pr

According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, homeowners who live in a previous Japanese beetle treatment area in Yakima or Benton counties can now give consent and sign up for 2025 Japanese beetle treatments.  WSDA said southcentral Washington homeowners can get these free treatments by getting a consent form, either in English or in Spanish, filling it out and returning it to the

Late last week, the USDA designated Yakima County as a Primary Natural Disaster Area for Drought.  The designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from drought through emergency loans.  Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certa

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has expanded the Japanese beetle quarantine in the south-central portion of the state.  The original quarantine was established in 2022 and included 49 square miles in the Grandview area.  But, be...

FSA has designated half a dozen Washington counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought.  The designation allows for the FSA to send emergency credit through emergency loans to producers in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, Okanagan and Skagit counties.  According to the ...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Pest Program is now seeking treatment consent from residents of Yakima, Benton, and Franklin counties.