yakima valley

The growing season is just getting started, but there are already concerns that it could be difficult year for producers in central Washington.  Scott Ravell, manager of the Roza Irrigation District said the Yakima Valley is dealing with some difficult economic conditions.   “...

The Bureau of Reclamation released its April total water supply available forecast for the Yakima basin, which shows little change in the anticipated water supply for the season ahead.  Like the March report, this month’s forecast indicates the water supply will not fully meet irrigation demands this season.  The estimate ...

A recent decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold an EPA’s preliminary injunction against a group of Yakima Valley dairies means those dairies must continue to test for nitrate contamination.  That recent ruling follows an appeal by the dairy farms against a previous court order mandating the expanded tests.   Larry ...

Vote your buns off so that we can have bragging rights as the #1 wine country in the USA!

Fall is a heavy harvest season for many crops, and a heavy top wire is being harvested for hops as well.

Late last week, the EPA announced it had reached settlements with several Yakima Valley cold storage facilities. The settlements come from alleged civil chemical accident prevention and preparedness violations with three separate companies operating eight cold storage facilities ...

In a 5-4 ruling Thursday, the Washington Supreme Court said farmworkers should receive overtime pay. The decision eliminates an exemption from the state’s minimum wage law the farm community has used for decades. According to the Capital Press, one of the majority opinion judges said he would look favorably on applying the decision retroactively, allowing farmworkers to sue for back pay. Col ...

Last week, Central Washington Representative Dan Newhouse hosted the Western Caucus foundation roundtable. The Fall Policy Roundtable: “When Agencies Weaponize Fake Science", highlighted the ongoing struggles Northwest dairies face because of a controversial 2012 EPA report that looked at the role Yakima Valley dairies played in nitrate levels in local groundwater. A h ...

For the second time this month, the state of Washington has been awarded another American Viticultural Area. It was made official Friday, as the Final Rule for the Candy Mountain AVA was published, buy the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ...

After last months’ ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, denying an EPA motion to dismiss the case, the Washington state Dairy Federation and EPA are bound for federal court over a 2012-13 study regarding groundwater contamination in the lower Yakima Valley. The ...