texas

Last week, EPA Administrator Michael Regan defended his agency’s issuing its final WOTUS rule in December, ahead of what could be a watershed Supreme Court WOTUS ruling later this year.  Regan was pressed by Republican senators at an Environment and Public Works hearing on why EPA jumped ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling expected by June in Sackett vs. EPA, a case many bel...

The Biden administration's version of the Waters of the U.S. rule went into effect Monday, but not for everyone.  Over the weekend, a Texas federal judge put the updated WOTUS on hold in Idaho as well as the Lone Star State.  The Court’s order Sunday granted a preliminary injunction halting the Biden WOTUS rules only for Idaho and Texas, who co-led a lawsuit.  The suits argued that E...

When it comes to the condition of the winter wheat crop, there’s very little to report in the Northwest.  However, nationally, we’re seeing numbers come from the southern and central plains.   “It really highlights just how much stress there is on this 2022-2023 winter wheat crop," said USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey.   And when it comes ...

According to the latest numbers from Washington State University, stripe rust is forecasted to be in the moderate epidemic level in the eastern Pacific Northwest, which means 20-40% yield loss in the 2023 growing season.  Those estimates come from predication models using the weather data from November 2022 to February 2023.   ...

The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates 2022 crop losses due to weather and climate change at more than $21.4 billion.  The AFBF Market Intel analysis shows in 2022, 18 weather and climate disasters, each with damages exceeding $1 billion struck the United States.  As we t...

Food giant Dole said it recently was hit by a cyberattack that was determined to be ransomware.  Industrial Cyber said the attack disrupted the company’s operations and resulted in the temporary shutdown of production plants. It temporarily halted the company’s food shipments to stores.    Accor...

Many experts voiced surprise at the latest USDA winter wheat report that showed a sizeable increase in seedings nationwide.  USDA chief economist Seth Meyer said growers put in 37 million acres of winter wheat, which 11% higher than last year, and 2% greater than many had expected.  He note...

Last week, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture members and leadership traveled to Vietnam.  The delegation embarked on the organization's first trade mission to explore global emerging markets through the Department of Agriculture Emerging Markets Program.   ...

According to NASS, winter wheat seedings across the Northwest are up slightly from last year.  Oregon farmers planted 790,000 acres of winter wheat for the 2023, an 8% increase from this time last year.  Idaho growers seeded 770,000 acres, unchanged from 2022, but 8% above the 2021 crop.  Washington’s wint...

The overall condition of the nation's winter wheat crop is still near 30-year lows.   “But the good news is a few production areas have received much needed moisture in recent weeks and that has started to turn the condition around a little bit," noted USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey.  He said the i...