agriculture Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Farmers Got Big Government Pandemic Relief In 2020, Even Those Who Didn’t Need It

By NPR News December 31, 2020

The aid, delivered in two separate packages over the course of the year, went to a wide variety of people in agriculture, including corn and soybean farmers, cattle ranchers, and fruit and vegetable producers. The $46 billion in direct government payments to farmers in 2020 broke the previous annual record by about $10 billion, even after accounting for inflation.Read More

Farmers Are Warming Up To The Fight Against Climate Change

By NPR News November 20, 2020

Del Ficke, a farmer in Pleasant Dale, Neb., has embraced the cause of building carbon-rich soil, capturing carbon dioxide from the air in the process. CREDIT: Dan Charles/NPR

Several big farm groups, traditionally hostile to environmental regulations, are now working with environmental advocates in support of farmer-friendly actions to reduce carbon emissions. Read More

Environmental Groups And Dairy Farmers Unhappy With State’s Regulation In Central Washington

By Courtney Flatt November 18, 2020

Environmental groups and the Washington dairy industry are unhappy with a state permit that regulates pollutants. The groups made their cases before a state appeals court this week. In 2017, the Washington Department of Ecology issued what’s known as a discharge permit for large dairies or other concentrated animal feeding operations. Read More

Central Washington Farms Fined For Violating COVID-19 Protections For Workers

By NWPB News November 13, 2020

Farmworkers in Yakima’s fruit-packing industry walked off production lines in May and went on strike, demanding more protections against the coronavirus pandemic. Above, Emmanuel Anguiano-Mendoza (left) and Agustin López hold posters featuring David Cruz, a worker who died on May 30. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

Three Mid-Columbia farms are among those receiving the biggest fines in the state from the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries for serious violations of agriculture regulations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. More than 20 farms have been cited for inadequate COVID precautions, The Tri-City Herald reported.Read More

Iowa Derecho This August Was Most Costly Thunderstorm Event In Modern U.S. History

By NPR News October 18, 2020

A tree fell across vehicles at a home in West Des Moines after a severe thunderstorm moved across Iowa on Aug. 10. It was the costliest storm system in modern U.S. history. CREDIT: David Pitt/AP

The derecho, which raced through the Midwest and focused its attention on Iowa, led to $7.5 billion in damage. That's more expensive than some hurricanes.Read More

Why An Irrigation District Wants To Flood A Kennewick Family’s Pumpkin Farm

By Anna King October 9, 2020

Crews throw pumpkins onto a tractor and trailer from the field on the Cox farm outside of Kennewick, Washington. A proposed reservoir from the Kennewick Irrigation District would flood the farm. The Cox family isn't interested in selling. CREDIT: Anna King/N3

The Kennewick Irrigation District, or KID, wants to flood 400 acres of land for a new reservoir. It’d take at least eight to 10 years to design, permit and build. A project on this scale hasn’t been built in the Yakima Basin since the 1930’s. And this 65-acre pumpkin farm is in the way. Read More

How Imports Are Squeezing The Big U.S. (And Northwest) Blueberry Business

By Anna King September 30, 2020

These blueberries, grown in Oregon, were for sale in a Northwest grocery story that's a national chain on Sept. 29, 2020. CREDIT: Scott Leadingham / NWPB

“Now basically, we have Mexican fruit coming in from March all the way to June. We start getting Peruvian fruit come August,” says Rob Dhaliwal, a blueberry grower from Lynden, Washington. “Even in July. Then we start getting fruit from British Columbia. So there is a good 10 months of foreign product coming into the country.”Read More

Smoke On The Vineyard: Winemakers Fret Over Possible Taint Of Valuable Northwest Grapes

By Anna King September 23, 2020

Recent wildfires and associated smoke that innundated the Northwest in September means grape growers and winemakers are scrambling to test for smoke taint. CREDIT: Anna King/N3

Even if a wildfire doesn’t burn a vineyard, smoke can get into grapes. Smoke taint tastes like a small bit of ashtray, creosote post or burnt tires — so it’s not desirable in your pinot or merlot. Read More

Fire-Evacuated Farmworkers From Bridgeport Slept In A Brewster Park As The Pearl Hill Fire Burned

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa September 18, 2020

File photo. Brewster, in Okanogan County, shown here in 2013, is one of the primary areas of north-central Washington's tree-fruit industry -- for growing, packing and shipping. CREDIT: Jessica Robinson/N3

According to community members in Bridgeport and Brewster, and farmworkers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, orchard supervisors told workers they needed to evacuate with little to no warning. Workers said they were told to grab their documents and quickly board company buses. Then, they were taken to a city park in Brewster, across the Columbia River. Read More

Governor Came To Eastern Washington Bearing Gifts. But The Banned Apples Had Maggot Larvae

By NWPB News September 16, 2020

A screenshot of a Facebook post of the apples that Gov. Jay Inslee brought to eastern Washington. The apples were found to be infested with apple maggots, a dangerous pest.

Thurston County, where Inslee lives in the governor’s mansion, is under apple maggot quarantine, whereas Douglas County is not. It’s illegal to bring apples to Douglas County, apple country, from Thurston County.Read More

Washington Plans To Distribute Hundreds Of Thousands Of Masks To Farmworkers As Smoke Persists

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa September 15, 2020

Workers in dust masks wash fresh red bell peppers in smoky conditions outside of Eltopia, Wash. Even with the masks, the smoke is still causing tight chests, itchy eyes and dry throats. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

Farmworkers continue to pick Washington apples in the height of the state's harvest – even as the sustained smoke makes it hazardous to be outside, especially while doing strenuous work or exercise.Read More

Milk-Shaken: Moving Northwest Dairy Cows Out Of Wildfire Danger Is Not Fun

By Anna King September 11, 2020

With widespread wildfires across the Northwest, dairy farmers have to make the difficult decision to move hundreds of cattle to safer ground or stay put.

With at least two dozen Oregon dairies threatened by raging wildfires, farmers are grappling with the delicate task of moving them to safer ground — or staying put. Read More

Too Flush Crush: COVID And Over Planting Mean Too Many Northwest Wine Grapes Hanging Out

By Anna King August 27, 2020

Cabernet sauvignon hangs on Red Mountain, almost ready to pick. Many wine grape growers worry there are too many grapes this year for the market.

Across the Northwest, there are too many wine grapes and not enough demand. It started with an overly optimistic industry planting too much. Then came the coronavirus pandemic. Now, vineyard managers and wineries are being forced to think creatively to cope with 2020’s bumper crop. Read More

Washington State To Create $40M Fund For Undocumented Workers Hurt By Pandemic

By NWPB News August 11, 2020

Sarbanand Farms farmworkers demonstrate after coworker's death in August 2017.

Undocumented workers who lost income because of the coronavirus pandemic, but were passed over for federal assistance, will finally be getting some help in Washington state, thanks to a new $40 million relief fund.Read More

Late Spring Rains Save Northwest Wheat Crop Yields, But Price Still Down

By Anna King August 10, 2020

Golden wheat got a recent crew cut outside of Walla Walla, Washington. Experts say the 2020 Washington and Oregon crops look about average, saved by late-spring rains.

The latest harvest estimates say Washington ranchers will harvest nearly 153 million bushels of wheat and Oregon 44 million bushels. That’s around average for both states. A typical barge holds around 122,500 bushels of wheat — meaning 44 million bushels would be about 360 barges full of grain on the Snake and Columbia Rivers heading toward export terminals.Read More

Farmworker Safety Takes Center Stage In Race For Central Washington State House Seat

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa August 8, 2020

Eduardo Castañeda-Díaz, the Democratic challenger in the race for Washington state House in the 13th Legislative District, leads a march down Mattawa’s main street July 29, 2020. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

In the Columbia Basin, the Democratic challenger for Washington state’s 13th Legislative District house seat has focused his message on farmworker safety and called for the boycott of fruit. It’s quite a move for a candidate in a district where the economy is dominated by agriculture.Read More

Bunk Beds And Working Conditions For Washington H-2A Farmworkers Prompt Lawsuits

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa July 20, 2020

Stemilt Growers, based in Wenatchee, Wash., adopted a ladybug in its logos as part of a "Responsible Choice" campaign in 1989. Courtesy Stemilt Growers

In a lawsuit against fruit-growing giant Stemilt, workers say allegations stemmed from a change in production standards set forth in the company's guest worker contract. A separate case involved a challenge to Washington's rules on farmworker housing and sleeping quarters during the pandemic.Read More

How Absentee Landowners Keep Farmers From Protecting Water And Soil

By NPR News July 14, 2020

Prairie strips in fields of corn or soybeans can protect the soil and allow wildlife to flourish. This strip was established in a field near Traer, Iowa, in 2015. Omar de Kok-Mercado, Iowa State University

Cover crops are a vegetation that farmers can plant in the off-season to protect and enrich the soil. It's great for the environment — and in the long run, for crops, too — but it costs money upfront. Farmers who rent land, and who may not have access to that land in the long run, are reluctant to spend that money.Read More

The Economics Of Food Supply, Explained Through One Idaho Farmer’s Mountain Of Potatoes

By NPR News June 26, 2020

Potatoes scoot by on fast belts at Balcom & Moe in Pasco. The potatoes get a rinse, are sized and then put in bags destined for America’s supermarkets. The potato farmer and packer-shipper has been in business since the 1920’s. CREDIT: ANNA KING/NW NEWS NETWORK

Instead of letting his harvest rot, a farmer in Idaho came up with a creative outcome for his mountain of potatoes.Read More

Monsanto To Pay Washington State $95M Over PCB Pollution And Dangers From Weedkiller Roundup

By NWPB News June 24, 2020

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, left, speaks as Gov. Jay Inslee looks on during a news conference, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, in Seattle, where Ferguson announced a lawsuit against agrochemical giant Monsanto over pollution from PCBs.

The announcement Wednesday from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson came as Bayer, which acquired Monsanto two years ago, said it would pay $820 million to resolve PCB pollution claims and up to $10.9 billion to resolve many claims, both current and future, over contamination from or exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller.Read More

During Pandemic, Yakima Farmworkers Kept Their Jobs, Raising Risk Of Infection

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa June 13, 2020

Yakima County has the most COVID-19 cases per capita among West Coast states. The largely Latinx agricultural workforce helped secure the backbone of the local economy.Read More

‘More Than Cows And Cotton Candy’: Washington Fairs Cancel Events For 2020, Hoping For Big 2021

By Nicholas Deshais June 11, 2020

The Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo won't take place in 2020, but it hopes to return bigger and stronger in 2021. It's just one of 65 county and state fairs in Washington to have called off events this year. Courtesy of Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo

The Spokane Interstate Fair and Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo joined more than 40 others that have canceled this year. In all, Washington has 65 state and county fairs every summer and fall. Read More

Northwest Cherries Are Almost Here, But There Will Be Less Fruit Than Usual

By Anna King May 23, 2020

An example of how so-called "little cherry disease" affects their growth and presentation on trees. Courtesy of Washington State University Extension

From The Dalles, Oregon to Brewster, Washington, Northwest cherry growers are checking their orchards now, just before harvest. Infected trees have to be cut down. And the disease can spread like wildfire from tree to tree until an entire orchard is just stumps. Read More

‘Are Their Apples Worth More Than Our Lives?’ Yakima Valley Fruit Workers Strike For Protections, Pay

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa May 21, 2020

Perla Torres, a fruit packer at Jack Frost Fruit, poses for a photograph wearing a mask she says she bought from a supervisor. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB

So far this month, more than 400 Yakima Valley fruit packing workers have gone on strike, according to Familias Unidas Por La Justicia. The farmworker advocacy group, based in Skagit County, is helping these workers organize committees, negotiate with employers and seek legal advice. Read More

What’s Driving The High Rate Of COVID-19 In Yakima County

By NWPB News May 20, 2020

In this photo taken Oct. 15, 2019, workers sort Granny Smith apples to ready them for shipping in a packing plant in Yakima, Wash. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP

Yakima County has the highest rate of COVID-19 infections among counties on the West Coast. That means a larger portion of the county's population has tested positive for the coronavirus compared to other counties.Read More

Tyson’s Largest Pork Plant Reopens As Tests Show Surge In Coronavirus Cases

By NPR News May 8, 2020

Vehicles sit in a near empty parking lot outside the Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 1. CREDIT: Charlie Neibergall/AP

The Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo, Iowa, reopened Thursday after a coronavirus outbreak there. Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson says he'd support a second shutdown if the changes aren't enough.Read More

Shipping Woes, Weather Foes Mean Higher Prices And Smiles For Northwest Asparagus Farmers

By Anna King May 8, 2020

For the last decade, the Northwest asparagus industry has been challenged by lower-cost imports, labor shortages and increased farming costs. But this year, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the foreign asparagus supply, increasing sales for the Northwest’s crop. Read More

I Said Hay, What’s Going On? Supply Chain Breakdown Hurting Big Northwest Ag Exports

By Anna King May 2, 2020

File photo. Central Washington is a hay growing and exporting powerhouse. But supply chain disruptions have caused slowdowns at West Coast and East Coast ports.

An unprecedented number of ships have canceled their calls to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. So far this year, there have been 32 canceled international sailings since January 1. That has created the shortage of shipping containers at those Northwest ports.Read More

COVID-19 Considerations Sprout Confusion, Uncertainty To Northwest Family Farms

By NWPB News April 30, 2020

Liepold Farms in Boring, Ore., on Friday, April 3, 2020.

Across the Northwest, small and mid-sized farms are grappling with a range of challenges brought about by coronavirus.Read More

10 Pioneer-Era Apple Types Thought Extinct Found In The Northwest

By NWPB News April 20, 2020

Apples collected by amateur botanists David Benscoter and EJ Brandt of the Lost Apple Project near Genesee, Idaho.

A team of retirees that scours the remote ravines and windswept plains of the Pacific Northwest for long-forgotten pioneer orchards has rediscovered 10 apple varieties that were believed to be extinct — the largest number ever unearthed in a single season by the non-profit Lost Apple Project.Read More

Immigrant Farmworkers Face Unique Challenges As Coronavirus Continues To Spread

By Monica Samayoa April 12, 2020

Migrant farmer Martin Zavala-Martinez prunes a pear tree at Avalon Orchards in Parkdale, Ore., Thursday, April 2, 2020. People needing H-2A work visas are facing delays at the U.S.-Mexico border due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

One of the most vulnerable groups currently working through the coronavirus pandemic is made up of immigrant farmworkers. As this population works through some of the unique challenges they face due to the coronavirus, one Tri-Cities radio station is trying to help.Read More

White House Seeks To Lower Foreign Guest Farmworker Pay To Help U.S. Farm Owners

By NPR News April 10, 2020

Farmworkers work at a winery in Clarksburg, Calif., on March 24. Farms continue to operate as essential businesses even as the coronavirus has hurt the agriculture industry. CREDIT: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is working with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to see how wage rates for immigrant farmworkers can be reduced. Critics say it will hurt all workers.Read More

Water, Water (Most) Everywhere, As Northwest Snowpack Is Good. But Some Areas Are Low

By Courtney Flatt April 10, 2020

A snow-machine rider takes a snowpack reading as part of Community Snow Observations, a NASA-sponsored citizen science project. CREDIT: Oregon State University/Flickr

For much of the Northwest, snowpack is above normal. That’s a good sign this time of year, when snowpack usually reaches its peak. Having enough snowpack is critical for spring and summer runoff that will supply water for irrigation and salmon runs. But that doesn’t mean everywhere has that much snow.Read More

Tale Of Two Crops: Pandemic Yields Different Realities For Northwest Potato And Apple Growers

By Anna King April 7, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic continues to make its presence known in all facets of daily life, including agriculture. That extends to some supply and demand economics lessons for Northwest apple and potato growers.Read More

Stumbling Toward Spring: Northwest Growers Scramble To Start During Coronavirus Crisis

By Anna King April 3, 2020

Freshly planted furrows span out across the Columbia Basin as farmers get ready for the coming season as worries of COVID-19 spread in central and eastern Washington.

Spring work starts up, ready or not. And Northwest growers are scrambling to figure out how to work around the global coronavirus pandemic and still bring in the coming harvest. Read More

‘Essential’ Status Means Jobs For Farmworkers, But Greater Virus Risk

By NPR News March 28, 2020

Farmworkers pick organic strawberries at Stehly Farms Organics in Valley Center, Calif., on March 25. CREDIT: Ariana Drehsler/AFP via Getty Images

Farmworkers are still working during the coronavirus epidemic. They're essential. But they're also at greater risk of infection.Read More

Washington Lawmakers Stop Short Of Banning Pesticide Linked To Neurological Problems

By Courtney Flatt March 14, 2020

File photo. A sign at the property of Eric and Mari Perez in Qunicy, Washington, where houses are surrounded by apple orchards. Some people don't want the pesticide chlorpyrifos drifting from orchards to their property. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Washington regulators must soon consider rules to limit the use of a controversial pesticide that can cause neurological and health problems, especially in young children. A bill passed by state lawmakers this session didn’t outright ban the pesticide, as health and farmworker activists had proposed. Read More

Climate Stewardship Connects Eastern Washington Faith And Farming To Legislative Action In Olympia

By Courtney Flatt March 5, 2020

Church members at Richland’s Shalom United Church of Christ sing environmental hymns during a service on Feb. 9, 2020, that addressed environmental issues, such as climate change. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

Climate change isn’t a new topic for progressive churches like Shalom United Church of Christ in Richland. But it is perhaps tinged with new urgency. Survey results from the Pew Research Center show that congregations are delving into environmental awareness recently. And so are farmers.Read More

An Airbnb For Cropland Hits A Snag, As Farmers Raise Data Privacy Concerns

By NPR News February 24, 2020

A mix of barley, peas and flax grows in a field at Casey Bailey's farm near Fort Benton, Mont. Bailey sells this crop to Montana dairy farmer Nate Brown, who has been feeding it to his goats.

American farmers spend about $32 billion each year to rent land, and Tillable CEO Corbett Kull thinks his company could be farmland's AirBnB or Zillow. "This is one of the beauties of digital marketplaces, where you can bring two parties together that otherwise might never meet," he says.Read More

In Washington’s Skagit Valley, Elk Raise Tensions Between Tribal Members And Farmers

By Eilís O'Neill January 28, 2020

Elk graze in Skagit Valley, populated for centuries by Native Americans and, more recently, by farmers. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

In Washington Skagit Valley, a conflict is unfolding between the Upper Skagit Tribe and farmers as elk are making a comeback there. Read More

What Is The Toll Of Trade Wars On U.S. Agriculture?

By PBS Newshour January 27, 2020

Larry McMillan drives a combine as he harvests barley Friday, Aug. 24, 2007, near Moscow, Idaho. The region's warm and dry weather has provided optimal conditions for the continued harvest season. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The recently signed Phase 1 U.S.-China deal promises some relief. Details remain unclear, but the United States government’s interpretation of this deal is that China will purchase $40 billion of agricultural goods in 2020. Some analysts have questioned how realistic those estimates are, given that the highest level of farm products the United States has ever exported to Read More

Labor Shortage And Fall Weather Stack Up To Leave Apples Rotting In Orchards

By Anna King January 15, 2020

Apples remain unpicked in December 2019 in an orchard near Wallula, Washington. CREDIT: Mike Denny

For the love of Johnny Appleseed! Why are so many apples left hanging (and rotting) on trees in Northwest orchards after the fall harvest? Industry experts and growers says it’s a combination of factors – but really not due to tariffs, as some people think.Read More

Dams Vs. Salmon: Workshops Aim To Get Past ‘My Study Can Beat Up Your Study’ On Snake River

By Courtney Flatt January 8, 2020

Protesters call for the removal of dams on the Snake River to help salmon spawn — and consequently feed Puget Sound orcas. The protest came outside a meeting of the governor’s orca task force in Wenatchee on Tuesday. CREDIT: ELLIS O'NEILL/KUOW/EARTHFIX

More than 300 people showed up to hear speakers talk about why it’s important to either keep or alter the dams. The panel stems from a Washington state study that will guide the state’s position on dam removal.Read More

In 2019 Farmers Got $22 Billion In Federal Subsidies — Mostly Without Congressional Approval

By NPR News January 2, 2020

A farmer operates a combine to harvest soybeans in Wyanet, Ill. Farmers got more than $22 billion in government payments in 2019. It's the highest level of farm subsidies in 14 years. CREDIT: Bloomberg via Getty Images

In 2019, the federal government delivered an extraordinary financial aid package to America's farmers. Farm subsidies jumped to their highest level in fourteen years, most of them paid out without any action by Congress.Read More

U.S. House Passes Bipartisan Bill For Relief To Undocumented Farmworkers, Farmers Short On Labor

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa December 13, 2019

The possible impeachment of President Donald Trump is not the only thing moving through the U.S. House of Representatives. On Wednesday, the House passed a bipartisan bill that could give undocumented farmworkers a path to legal residence and relief to farmers short on labor. Read More

Nature’s ‘Brita Filter’ Is Dying And Nobody Knows Why

By NPR News December 8, 2019

A recently dead pheasantshell mussel is rotting in its shell. Snails, crawfish and other river inhabitants will eat the flesh. "Nothing goes to waste," says Virginia biologist Tim Lane. CREDIT: Nathan Rott/NPR

A mysterious die-off of freshwater mussels has scientists scrambling to find a cause. Freshwater mussels clean water and provide habitat to countless other species.Read More

Suspicious Haystack Fires In Central Washington Means Major Export Is Up In Smoke

By Anna King December 3, 2019

A haystack on fire in Franklin County, north of Pasco, Washington, on Saturday, Nov. 30. CREDIT: Mike Harris / Franklin County Fire District 3

More than a dozen haystacks have been burned under suspicious circumstances in central Washington since early October. It’s concerning to the hay industry and law enforcement. Read More

Shockingly Chewable: Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity

By NPR News November 30, 2019

Peter Melnik, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, owns Bar-Way Farm, Inc. in Deerfield, Mass. He has an anaerobic digester on his farm that converts food waste into renewable energy. CREDIT: Allison Aubrey/NPR

Dairy farmers in Massachusetts are using food waste to create renewable energy. Each farm produces enough to power about 1,500 homes. This helps prevent the release of methane, a greenhouse gas.Read More

Like Your Hummus Wet? Then You Want Dry Beans. So Do Palouse Farmers Who Grow Garbanzos

By Anna King November 14, 2019

Kyle Hinrichs helps run the family business outside of Pullman, Wash. Right now the company is drying beans as fast as possible with several machines, but it’s an around the clock job. CREDIT: Anna King/N3

Heavy rains and even an early fall snow in October matted down the garbanzo bean plants tight to the land. That means Palouse-region farmers are scrambling to dry out beans to get them to silos and co-ops. It's on top of already depressed prices due to international trade wars.Read More

Farm Bankruptcies On The Rise Nationally, Most Pronounced For Northwest Families

By NWPB News November 5, 2019

A tractor plows soil where a failed wheat crop once stood on Matt Isgar's ranch and farm in Hesperus, Colo. Isgar is hoping the soil will get enough moisture in coming months so he can plant pinto beans next season. CREDIT: Kami Engstrom/Courtesy of Matt Isgar

The number of family farms seeking bankruptcy protection grew 24% over the last year, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation analysis of recent federal court data. The analysis found family farm bankruptcies are rising fastest in the Northwest.Read More