California

Recreational crabbing is now open along the entire Oregon coast, from Washington to California.  That announcement was made Thursday by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and state Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Last month, the state closed crabbing between Bandon and the California border due to elevated levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid.   The cleara...

Last week, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced his agency is expanding efforts to reduce the risk of wildfires in the western U.S.  Funds will be invested to directly protect at-risk communities and critical infrastructure in 11 additional landscapes in Washington Oregon, Idaho California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.   “...

Late last week, Representative Dan Newhouse was named a co-Chair of the House Paper & Packaging Caucus.  The bipartisan caucus represents the American paper and wood products industry, which employees over 27,000 Washingtonians.   Newh...

Dairy operators looking to improve production, expand marketing and distribution, or looking to develop dairy products, funding to help is available.  Dairy farmers and processors in Washington, Oregon, as well as California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico are encouraged to apply for funding through the Pacific Coast Coalition Dairy Business Innovation Initiative.  It’s ex...

With recent systems moving in from the Pacific, is the west going to break free from drought?     If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-9791, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com 

The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have closed recreational crabbing from Bandon to the California border due to elevated levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid.  The closure includes the ocean, bays and estuaries, and on beaches, docks, piers and jetties.  Recreat...

Much of the country remains very dry as we start the second week of the New Year.  With the exception of Washington, drought numbers held steady last week across the Northwest and across the country.   Currently 37% of the Evergreen State is where it should be soil moisture wise for this time of year.  In addition,...

Earlier this week, the Bureau of Land Management announced a public meeting to solicit feedback on utility-scale solar energy planning.  BLM is considering updates to its 2012 Western Solar Plan that included six southwestern states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.  On top ...

The H-2A program continues to grow in popularity, or necessity, in farm country.  American agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers can fill seasonal farm jobs with temporary foreign workers through the H-2A Visa Program.  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...