Wildfire smoke hasn’t tainted this year’s grape harvest – yet
Washington wine lovers will be pleased to know that the wildfire smoke inundating the skies and reducing air quality over much of the state...
The growing market for mass timber
In recent years, significant state legislation and building code changes have occurred related to cross-laminated timber (CLT) – also known as mass timber –...
Lens Video: Washington’s trade future
Lens sat down with Lori Otto Punke, President of the Washington Council on International Trade, to discuss what Washington state industries reliant on global...
Guest worker rule could dampen strong apple harvest
As the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) considers a proposed emergency rule for guest worker housing, Washington apple farmers say an exceptional,...
Lawmakers Want Feds To Protect Lower Snake River Dams
Nine months after a U.S. District Court ruling demanded three federal agencies consider breaching four Lower Snake River dams to protect threatened salmon and...
Washington dairy and the USMCA
Representatives from Washington state’s trade and agricultural sectors are praising the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The trade deal would govern trade relations among...
Washington’s agricultural industry weighs in on second round of NAFTA reworks
As the second round of discussions regarding changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) wrap up this week, U.S. and Washington representatives...
Stakeholders weigh in on rangeland associations
Earlier this year Washington state lawmakers considered HB 1188 sponsored by Rep. Tom Dent (R-13) that would allow the creation of rangeland fire protection...
U.S. wheat industry: No Chinese tariffs
While China still negotiates potential tariffs on American imports, the U.S. wheat industry hopes the country will abandon the plan. If the tariffs are...
Emergency labor rule avoids “potential food shortage”
The state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) and the Department of Health have approved an emergency rule for H-2A worker housing that provides...
Washington Industries Appeal EPA State Water Quality Standards
A group of Washington employers and associations are appealing a newly-adopted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule for water quality standards in favor of a...
Grape growers expect great harvest
Washington’s wine harvest is well underway, and representatives from the wine industry are expecting a large harvest with low disease risk. Grape growers say...
WWU study highlights economic benefits of agribusiness in Whatcom County
As a recent Western Washington University (WWU) study highlights the benefits of agriculture to Whatcom County businesses, one of the study’s authors as well...
Improving Washington’s drought response
As the state Department of Ecology has declared a water drought in nearly half all Washington’s watersheds, a joint committee may make recommendations to...
Weed-Like Growth for Washington’s Cannabis Industry
The recreational pot industry in Washington State is growing fast. It's expected to hit the one billion dollar-mark in sales for the 2016 fiscal...
Lens Video: Challenges for Washington’s small, local farmers
Lens traveled to Kent-based Windy Acre Farm to ask owner Chris Sechrist about any obstacles to his farm's success while operating within King County...
Trade impacts “mixed bag” for agriculture
Though the full effects of the COVID-19 response on Washington trade have yet to be determined, a new report by the Washington Council on...
Addressing Paid Rest Breaks For Washington’s Growers
Many Washington state growers have dealt with a string of lawsuits stemming from a 2015 Supreme Court ruling related to compensating piece-time workers for...
State Ag Dept: Funding needed to offset tariffs
Amidst ongoing trade negotiations and retaliatory tariffs, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is putting forward a proposal to assist state growers who...
Northwest dairy shares its unique stake in NAFTA
As the U.S., Canada and Mexico prepare to enter the third round of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) discussions at the end...
“Cosmic Crisp” bred for Washington growers
After more than two decades of development in collaboration with the Washington State University Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington producers plan to...
A Full Plate For Washington Agriculture: Labor Needs, Visa And Immigration Reform
The national trend in agriculture is an unsettling one, and hits close to home in Washington state. Despite growing demand for output, there are...
Giving local farms a boost
One of the hardest challenges for a small, local farm is spreading awareness of its products and pushing its goods into market. In Woodinville,...
Growers prepare for harvest amid COVID-19
As summer approaches, Washington growers are preparing for a harvest marked by additional safety precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the extra...
Uncovering Natural Resource Sector Job Opportunities
This week, the Washington State House Higher Education Committee passed a workforce study bill to better align the state's teachers with the workforce needs...
Fighting for future of farming
As the dust settles from the Nov. 6 election, members of Washington’s agricultural industry are preparing for next year’s legislative session and what they...
Washington apple growers may regain Indonesia trade access
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer this month reaffirmed that Indonesian import licensing regulations for horticultural and animal products violated World Trade Organization (WTO)...
Dealing with Washington’s drought
A drought was announced in Washington state in April, with 27 watersheds now included in the declaration. Although this hasn’t negatively affected some agricultural...
EPA-Funded “What’s Upstream” Campaign Hit With PDC Complaint By Farmers
The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) this week began investigating allegations by farmers that a taxpayer-funded public education campaign called “What’s Upstream” engaged in...
Trade war bites Washington apple industry
Washington state may be losing its largest market for apples given Mexico’s new retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports. Agricultural stakeholders say they are disappointed...
Fight Over Snake River Dams Continues
Although prospects are bleak for a proposed Senate resolution calling on the federal government to protect the Lower Snake River Dams, the outlook for...
Ag stakeholders: Farm bill a win for WA
Representatives from Washington’s ag community and U.S. lawmakers say the recently passed farm bill is important for providing certainty for the state’s farmers and...
Low carbon fuel standard moves forward
A bill calling for a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) program in Washington has cleared the House Transportation Committee and is on its way...
Farmers: Flawed EPA study puts family farming at risk
Washington family dairy farmers are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a scientific review of its 2013 study claiming dairy farmers...
Washington State Lawmakers Get An Earful On Growth Management Act Reform
Representatives of Washington cities, counties, schools and citizens groups packed a committee meeting room in Olympia this week to urge that lawmakers amend the...
Milking Washington’s small dairy farms…to death
Two feet doesn’t seem that far. Yet, industry members warn it’s a distance enough to threaten the survival of many Western Washington dairy farms...
Lawmakers, Agriculture Community Express Concern Over Findings of Campaign Audit
In the wake of a national audit of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-funded and Washington state-based "What's Upstream” campaign targeting the agriculture community, U.S. lawmakers and state...
Can growth and farming coexist?
As Washington state’s population grows, agricultural industry advocates say that farmers need more flexibility with their land designated for farming under the Growth Management...
Drones on the rise in agriculture
Agriculture’s most helpful tool may be flying over farmers’ heads. The use of drone technology is on the rise in agriculture, which assists the...
Labor, trade issues continue to hurt Washington farmers
While trade disputes and labor costs continue to affect Washington agriculture, Wenatchee-based McDougall & Sons, Inc. co-owner Scott McDougall says the situation could get...
Concerns Deepen On EPA’s Campaign Targeting Washington State Agriculture
Months before it was under heavy fire and halted funding of a tribal consortium's "What’s Upstream" campaign targeting Washington agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) knew...
Washington’s stake in farm bills’ trade provisions
Both the U.S. House and Senate and have passed their respective versions of the farm bill which would make changes to major U.S. Department...
Federal Bill Aims to Energize Agricultural Exports
In hopes of bolstering American agricultural exports, two U.S. Congressmen this month introduced a bill that would increase market promotion and the ability to...
Trade war piles up casualties in Washington
Although President Donald Trump announced an extension of the Mar. 1 deadline for the ceasefire in tariff increases between the US and China, Washington...
Seasonal worker housing divides small town community
A controversy within a tiny Central Washington community over a proposed housing unit on private land along its Main Street for foreign seasonal workers...
Cosmic Crisp a hit with consumers
The Cosmic Crisp apple has been released after 20 years of development, research, planting and harvesting. The combination of Enterprise and Honeycrisp apples is...
Washington State Wary Of Trade Wars
President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on staunch opposition to global trade expansion, threatening among other things tariffs of 45% on U.S. imports from China. Yet his emerging team of economic advisors is split between those favoring...
Washington growers: Remove the tariffs
Washington’s agricultural stakeholders continue asking the Trump administration to resolve problems stemming from the current trade war between the U.S. and other major trading...
Washington Craft Breweries Flourish In The “Home Of The Hops”
Washington craft brewers had more to celebrate last weekend than just the 12th annual Brewers Festival hosted by the Washington Beer Commission. Equally worthy...
Unanimous Senate vote on agricultural hemp
Early last week, Senate lawmakers voted unanimously on ESSSB 5276 legalizing agricultural hemp production. If approved by the House and signed by Governor Jay...
Lens Video: Promoting free trade for agriculture
Darigold President and CEO Stan Ryan discusses the importance of free trade for the agricultural industry during the 2018 Washington Council on International Trade...
