Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 112
PASCO – A bill changing the name and membership of the Commission on Pesticide Registration sponsored by a local lawmaker was signed into law April 6. Senate Bill 5143, sponsored by Pasco Republican Sen. Nikki Torres, goes into effect July 23. It is her first bill to make it through the legislative process. "I'm pleased that my first piece of legislation to become law is about serving our agricultural community," the freshman senator said. "Washington has a robust a...
CONNELL — The March drought report shows good news for farmers across much of Washington state and Franklin County. According to the report released earlier this month, the state is drought-free. But, some "abnormally dry" areas remain. Conditions remain abnormally dry in the Othello area, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a division of the USDA. But with a better-than-average snowpack and rain in the forecast, farmers should be ready for the spring g...
PASCO — AgWest Farm Credit and Northwest Agricultural Consultants are partnering with Second Harvest to help celebrate the impact our region’s ag community makes for people facing hunger, In addition, the companies will match the first $15,000 donated this month, Ag Month, to Second Harvest, which supports food banks and pantries and other efforts to help feed indigent residents. “We are so fortunate to live in a region that provides a cornucopia of healthy food,” Second Harvest CEO Jason Clark said. “Our friends at AgWest...
Clearwater Supply, 1086 S. First Ave., Othello, hosted its annual Farming Kickoff lunch and barbecue on Friday, March 10. The firm invited area farmers, community members and law enforcement members to attend the event marking the start of the spring season....
OLYMPIA - Under a bill making its way through the Legislature, irrigation districts would be required to move to all-mail ballots for elections. Senate Bill 5709, introduced by Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, would eliminate polling places and absentee ballots for election of irrigation district directors. The bill passed the Senate, 47-0, on Tuesday, Feb.28. The bill now moves to the House. According to state officials, the measure applies to about 100 irrigation districts,...
SPOKANE – Forecasts from the Natural Resources Conservation Service shows a probability for above-normal precipitation and temperatures across Washington. This annual report opens with a general outlook, indicating among other things that much of Washington remains in a "D0" status, which is abnormally dry, except for the Spokane area. Spokane river basin snowpack was measured at 133% of the median, compared with last year's 105%. Precipitation charts for December show S...
OLYMPIA — The state Senate has unanimously approved Sen. Nikki Torres’ legislation to expand the state’s farm internship program. Torres’ legislation is the first Republican bill passed by the Senate this session, and reflects the freshman senator’s concern for agriculture, which is a cornerstone of Washington’s economy. “This is a great opportunity for those who want to learn how to farm or learn how to run a farm,” said Torres, R-Pasco, who represents the 15th Legislative District, which includes parts of five central Wa...
HATTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering a grant award to a local company to expand fertilizer production. Perfect Blend, LLC, manufactures organic plant food at its 771 Kulm Road location northwest of Hatton. The company has applied to the USDA for a grant to help build a 4,000-square-foot addition to increase capacity. Details on the amount of the grant being considered and other information has yet to be released by the USDA. The project is one of 21 the USDA is considering; USDA officials are expected t...
HATTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering a grant award to a local company to expand fertilizer production. Perfect Blend, LLC, manufactures organic plant food at its 771 Kulm Road location northwest of Hatton. The company has applied to the USDA for a grant to help build a 4,000-square-foot addition to increase capacity. Details on the amount of the grant being considered and other information has yet to be released by the USDA. The project is one of 21 the USDA is considering; USDA officials are expected t...
OLYMPIA - The state Senate has unanimously approved Sen. Nikki Torres' legislation to expand the state's farm internship program. Torres' legislation is the first Republican bill passed by the Senate this session, and reflects the freshman senator's concern for agriculture, which is a cornerstone of Washington's economy. "This is a great opportunity for those who want to learn how to farm or learn how to run a farm," said Torres, R-Pasco, who represents the 15th Legislative...
RITZVILLE — Dryland wheat producers will meet Jan. 24 to hear presentations from a number of speakers. The producer meeting runs from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the American Legion hall, 106 W. Broadway Ave. The program includes presentations on: Soil-Active Herbicide Application in Fields of Fallow, presented by Larry Lutcher, a Morrow Count y, Ore., agronomist. Wheat, Weeds, Wireworms: A Look Back Over the Last 25 Years, presented by Ritzville agronomist Aaron Esser. Winter Whe4at Variety Selection for Low Rainfall Regions, p...
CENTRAL FERRY — The U.S. government has reached an agreement with a rancher accused of allowing his cattle to trespass on federally managed lands along the Snake River. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington approved the settlement of case no, 2:18-cv-00024-SAB (E.D. Wash.), involving conflict between federal managers of the Central Ferry Habitat Management Unit adjacent and Riley’s River Ranch. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington Vanessa R. Waldreff said the settlement agreement bet...
RITZVILLE – It all started a hundred years ago. Back then, government officials and others saw great potential in the high desert lands of Adams County and surrounding areas. Originally, the Columbia Basin Project — with Grand Coulee Dam as its centerpiece — was designed to provide irrigation water to over a million acres of land in the central part of Washington State, including the counties of Adams, Douglas, Franklin, Stevens, Okanogan, Grant, Lincoln and Walla Walla. But the project stalled and remains unfinished. Colum...
PASCO – The deadline to apply for the 2023 USDA Conservation Stewardship Program is Oct. 13. The program is open to producers seeking technical and financial assistance with conservation efforts. Under the program, farmers can receive payments for managing, maintaining and expanding conservation measures like planting cover crops and buffer strips, as well as improving pollinator habitat. Farmers can also receive help with irrigation monitoring, herbicide application, grazing systems and more. Applicants will be required t...
BASIN CITY — With the end of the growing season looming, the South Columbia Irrigation District will be shutting off water Friday, Oct. 21. The announcement made Friday, Aug. 12, also came with the announcement that ditchrider services will drop from six days per week to five effective Sept. 17. Irrigation officials said the reduced service comes as the end of the irrigation and growing seasons loom. The final day the district will deliver irrigation water to Franklin County and southwestern Adams County will be Friday, O...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will award up to $12 million to increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands. Ranchers and farmers can apply for the grants through Sept. 22. “Privately owned grazing lands cover nearly 30% of the national landscape, which means we have a tremendous opportunity to address climate change and conserve natural resources through voluntary, private lands conservation,” the USDA's Terry Cosby said Friday, Aug. 12. "These partnerships will also help us expan...
CONNELL – Farmers relying on the Potholes Canal for irrigation water can rest a little easier today after crews repaired a located and repaired a "significant" breach overnight Thursday night, July 7. "Full flows were restored to the canal mid-morning on Friday, July 8," South Columbia Basin Irrigation District officials said in a press released posted to the district webpage. The canal starts at the outflow of Chance Lake, south of Bruce and west of Connell. It provides i...
OLYMPIA – The state Board of Health is wading into manure management with a proposed “odor management” rule. But farmers are calling bull, noting its duplicative and unnecessary overregulation of animal waste by the state. Under the Dairy Nutrient Management and Federal Clean Water Acts, manure is already regulated by the state Departments of Ecology and Agriculture. State Board of Health officials declined to comment on the objection It calls a “misconception” in a so-called fact sheet available online. According to the fa...
GARFIELD – Heavy rains over the last week brought more than just water, localized flooding and mudslides to the area. They also may have brought a delay in the harvest season for local farmers. Garfield farmer Russel Jamison said Tuesday, June 7, he now expects a late harvest due to recent rainfall. "The fall-planted grain and winter-planted grain really love the weather," he said. "It's cool and there is plenty of moisture for the wheat. The lentils and the peas in the e...
MESA – Rural residents are encouraged to sign up and be counted in the 2022 Ag Census. Agriculture producers who did not receive the 2017 Census of Agriculture and do not receive other USDA surveys or censuses have until June 30 to sign up to receive the 2022 Census of Agriculture at nass.usda.gov/AgCensus. This once-every-five-years data collection begins this November. The Ag Census includes every American operation – large or small, urban or rural – from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products are produced and sold,...
RITZVILLE – University of Washington faculty visited Sen. Mark Schoesler's farm recently to learn about Eastern Washington agriculture. "I was more than happy to meet Wednesday afternoon with a group of UW faculty members who stopped by my farm as part of their annual tour of eastern Washington, which was activated again after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic," Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said last week. Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, including m...
State allows axe-throwing at businesses with liquor licenses The Center Square OLYMPIA — The state Liquor and Cannabis Board voted to allow axe-throwing inside liquor establishments as early as July 9. Previously, bars and taverns were prohibited from having axe-throwing in the state. The rule change was prompted by requests from businesses wanting to offer the newly popular activity. "Axe-throwing has become increasingly popular as an activity that businesses would like to offer in combination with liquor services – exc...
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – A recent ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals against a Washington state couple challenging the Mandatory Repatriation Tax could open the door to all manner of wealth taxes, a lawyer representing the couple said. Charles and Kathleen Moore of Redmond, Wash., sued the government in 2019, arguing a tax on repatriated assets – created as part of major tax reform legislation passed by Congress in 2017 – violates the U.S. Constitution’s apportionment clause and the Fifth Amendment’s due process c...
TUMWATER — The majority of Washington residents are priced out of purchasing a new home, according to a report completed done by one of the largest home building organizations in America. The Tumwater-based Building Industry Association of Washington, which represents 800 members, calculates that households need $130,409 of income to qualify for a mortgage in the state. Given Washington’s median household income is $73,775, that translates into 76% of households not being able to afford a median-priced new home. “When we lo...
RIZVILLE – “We’re north of a dollar more in diesel than where we were before the invasion,” Sen. Mark Schoesler began in a recent interview. Schoesler, a farmer himself, represents the 9th Legislative District, including Whitman County. His comments came during an interview on the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on diesel fuel and farming. Fuel prices continue to rise leaving farmers forced to save and to hope for prices to drop, he said. “I still consider myself a farmer first and a senator second,” Schoesler said. “Ther...