The Organic Trade Association has petitioned USDA for a checkoff program for organic after more than 5,000 organic farms and businesses weighed in on the proposal and supported it 2 to 1. Click here for the full story.Subscribe to this pod

Roza District keeps looking for water; forecast drops May 20, 2015

May 20th, 2015

Summer water supply in Washington's Yakima Basin is now forecast at 44 percent of normal because of drought. A major irrigation district continues its quest for water to lease. Click here for full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes

State agency: Water prices high, supplies tight - AgMinute for April 28, 2015

Apr 28th, 2015

A state agency projects that water will be expensive and hard to come by in the drought-stricken Yakima Basin. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

WSU livestock specialist fights false food fears with education - AgMinute for April 24, 2015

Apr 24th, 2015

Washington State University Extension northeast regional livestock specialist Paul Kuber took over a key position in February. Kuber wants to provide processors and ranchers with the information they need to make important decisions. Click h

Water managers respond to deepening Yakima Basin drought - AgMinute for April 23, 2015

Apr 23rd, 2015

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has started drawing down Yakima Basin reservoirs and an irrigation district is rationing water — two signs the drought has taken hold. Click here for the full storiesSubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or yo

DOE rewriting rules for feedlot permits - AgMinute for April 21, 2015

Apr 21st, 2015

Washington Department of Ecology is rewriting rules for CAFO permits. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

Washington Senate and House agree on rail fertilier hauling - AgMinute for April 17, 2015

Apr 17th, 2015

The Washington Senate and House have agreed that trains hauling nitrogen fertilizer won’t have to add crew members, a proposal that farm lobbyists warned would have raised freight costs for growers. For more information visit www.capitalpres

Drought outlook deepens in Yakima Basin - AgMinute for April 7, 2015

Apr 7th, 2015

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reports the drought outlook is worsening in Yakima Basin. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

Apple issues continue in Mexico, China - AgMinute for April 6, 2015

Apr 6th, 2015

Washington apple shippers are trying to maintain access into Mexico and are waiting on process for the final green light for all varieties into China. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS r

Apple commission not eager to promote clubs - AgMinute for April 1, 2015

Apr 1st, 2015

An idea of promoting club apple varieties wasn't embraced by the Washington Apple Commission at a recent meeting. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

Warm winter increases chances of foot rot, researcher says - AgMinute for March 23, 2015

Mar 24th, 2015

A warm winter has increased the chances of strawbreaker foot rot impacting wheat appearing, a Washington State University Extension plant pathologist says. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite

Wanapum Dam repairs nearing completion - AgMinute for March 20, 2015

Mar 20th, 2015

Repairs on a cracked Columbia River dam in the center of Washington state are wrapping up and the dam's reservoir is being refilled. Irrigators will have water. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favo

Washington mounting case for drought declaration - AgMinute for March 12, 2015

Mar 12th, 2015

A comprehensive review of Washington's watersheds confirms that conditions are pointing toward the state's first drought in a decade. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

Hard cider makers lobby for their own association - AgMinute for February 27, 2015

Feb 27th, 2015

Washington hard cider makers are lobbying to break away from winemakers and form their own marketing association. For more information visit www.capitalpress.comSubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

$100 million or more at stake in Washington piece-rate case - AgMinute for February 13, 2015

Feb 13th, 2015

A lawsuit over whether piece-rate pay includes compensation for rest breaks will be heard by the Washington Supreme Court. If growers lose, it could cost them $100 million or more in back pay to employees. Click here for the full storySub

‘Dryland’ makes waves across region - AgMinute for January 26, 2015

Jan 28th, 2015

The agriculture-themed documentary, "Dryland," about two Lind, Wash., farmers coming of age, screens Feb. 6 at the Spokane International Film Festival. That's one of the latest stops for the film around the Pacific Northwest. Click here for

On need for manure bill, farm lobbyists say bull - AgMinute for January 21, 2015

Jan 28th, 2015

Farm groups are lobbying against a proposal to set up a new state program to regulate manure applications. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

Washington lawmakers push for higher minimum wage - AgMinute for January 19, 2015

Jan 28th, 2015

Washington lawmakers propose gradually raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2019. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

Washington lawmaker introduces ag-gag bill - AgMinute for January 15, 2015

Jan 28th, 2015

Washington Rep. Joe Schmick has introduced a bill modeled after Idaho's law. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

Bird flu barrier forces Washington hatchery to kill healthy chicks - AgMinute for January 14, 2015

Jan 14th, 2015

A Bellingham, Wash., hatchery was forced to euthanize 22,000 healthy chicks Jan. 9 because of trade restrictions imposed by Canada after bird flu was found in non-commercial flocks in south-central Washington. Click here for the full story

Washington Parks proposes farmers pay to use trails - AgMinute for December 10, 2014

Dec 10th, 2014

The Washington Parks and Recreation Commission iis working on a policy setting fees and terms for when farmers can use long-distance trails otherwise off-limits to motorized vehicles. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast

PNW cherry growers sell record crop - AgMinute for December 9, 2014

Dec 10th, 2014

Cherry growers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah are invited to the 72nd annual Cherry Institute in Yakima, Wash., Jan. 16. They will discuss the record 2014 crop and ways to sell more cherries. Click here for the full story

Irrigators seek support in Olympia for stalled project - AgMinute for December 8, 2014

Dec 10th, 2014

The Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association doesn't want state money, but it is asking for political support for a project to irrigate 14,000 acres in the Odessa Subarea. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTune

WSDA sets hearings on rules to trace livestock movements - AgMinute for December 2, 2014

Dec 2nd, 2014

The Washington Department of Agriculture will hold public hearings in Olympia and Ellensburg on two rules related to investigating livestock diseases. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS r

Growers thankful USDA gobbling up surplus cranberries - AgMinute for November 28, 2014

Dec 2nd, 2014

The USDA will buy more cranberries than New Jersey grows in a year. For that, a Washington farmer is grateful. Click here for the full storySubscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.

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