Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 98
OTHELLO – The USDA is moving ahead with a plan to draw water out of the Columbia River for irrigation in an effort to curtail aquifer groundwater depletion. In an announcement Wednesday, Nov. 1, the agency said it will accept the recommendation of the federal Bureau of Reclamation to use “new Columbia River diversions” for irrigation water for 70,000 acres of the Odessa subarea in the East Columbia River Irrigation District. Under the plan, water siphoned from the Columbia River will replace groundwater currently being withd...
OTHELLO – The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service is providing $40 million in grants to three projects designed to divert Columbia River water into irrigation canals while curtailing the drawdown of Odessa aquifer groundwater. The grants were announced Wednesday, Nov. 1, the same day the agency announced it plans to move ahead with an effort to supplant groundwater use with more water withdrawn from the Columbia River. The grants include $19.7 million to complete a...
WINONA — Trains are running over Rebel Flat Creek only two months after the Winona Fire destroyed the train trestle here. On Friday, Oct. 20, state officials announced that the trestle has been replaced and the trains are running. The trestle is a vital link connecting wheat farmers and suppliers in Adams and Whitman Counties. The 197-foot wooden trestle over the creek was destroyed Aug. 19 in the Winona Fire, which burned 2,525 acres as well as several buildings. "The b...
FOUR LAKES – The railway system serving Eastern Washington's wheat industry in Adams, Lincoln, Whitman and southern Spokane Counties will be getting a facelift, thanks to $112 million in grants. The state Department of Transportation has been awarded s $72.8 million grant for the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad Project. The grant, a product of the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement program, is dedicated to e...
It’s been a pretty nice season to go to the fairs around the region—in most cases not too hot and not too cool. Always nice to be able to connect with both our adult and youth producers. The fairs are certainly an American tradition and it’s great to see that people are out supporting them. When I talk with producers, I’m always happy when topics of conversation come up that lend themselves to an article. A recent conversation highlighted that concerns about mRNA vaccines and their use in cattle are circulating among the ind...
SPOKANE VALLEY – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s deadline for environmental incentives applications is Oct. 20. The environmental incentives program is a voluntary, technical and financial assistance program designed to help farmers, ranchers, forestland owners and tribes with conservation planning and implementation. Funds can be used for irrigation efficiency, animal waste management, native plant health removing fish passage obstructions, reducing erosion and improving wildl...
ELTOPIA - With world politics and economics unstable, agriculture leaders are noting the value of local commodities has increased, but so have costs. The U.S. Wheat Association reported a rise in wheat pricing by an average of 23 cents. Corn rose 20 cents and soybeans rose 29 cents in their third weekly price report for the month of July. The report noted the price hikes may be due in part to the European Union's request that the ban on Ukrainian wheat imports be extended as...
RITZVILLE — The local middle and high school agriculture program has received a statewide honor. The Lind-Ritzville middle and high school agricultural program was recently selected by the Washington Association of Agricultural Educators as the “Outstanding Program(s)” for the year 2023. High School Principal Kevin Terris spoke highly of the teachers – Lori Sanderson and Andy Williams – noting the program deserves the award due to the teachers’ ability to “connect the two communities of Lind and Ritzville in a fun and compe...
RITZVILLE – A Pasco woman has been hired as a reporter for Free Press Publishing. Abigail Beaton, 19, of Pasco, began Monday, June 12. She will cover Franklin County and southern and western Adams County, including Lind, Washtucna, Hatton, Othello and other areas. She will also contribute coverage of the Odessa area to the Record-Times newspaper in Davenport. "I look forwards to meeting and writing for the community," Beaton said. "Abby is the best applicant for the p...
OLYMPIA — The state House of Representatives advanced a pair of agricultural bills today, April 12, sponsored by a Pasco Republican. By a vote of 97-0, the House approved Senate Bill 5156, sponsored by 15th Legislative District Senator Nikki Torres. The measure expands the state's farm internship program. In a second unanimous vote, the House also approve Senate Bill 5330, which updates the Washington Pesticide Application Act. “Our farmers do a lot to feed not only Washingtonians, but Americans everywhere, and people aro...
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...
COLFAX - The Palouse Empire Threshing Association Spring Farming Days will occur this weekend, April 15-16, at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds on state Highway 26, west of Colfax, starting at around 9 a.m. Organizer Mike Schwartz stated that the event is a group effort between him and the other organizers. Schwartz explained that this would be the grain they harvest on Labor Day and that they won't plow this weekend. "They'll be fertilizing, spring tooth, and harrow," he said....
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...