Pacific Northwest Ag Network

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said America is bracing for the impact of the massive dockworker strike that threatens to paralyze goods in and out of the U.S.  He pointed out that our nation relies on international trade for everything from electronics to machinery.   “...

An effort is underway to try and reform the Endangered Species Act after over a half-century of what some have called an “abysmal failure”.  House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, and Central Washington’s Dan Newhouse, have introduced the ESA Amendment Act.   “Which is a produc...

It’s a new effort to promote agriculture and local foods in the Evergreen state.  September has been designated “Eat Local Month” by the state of Washington, with events celebrating locally-grown foods and products.  The groups Eat Local Firs...

Kicking off an expected loosening of U.S. monetary policy, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point earlier this week.  The move brings a larger-than-normal reduction in the cost of borrowing, which followed growing concern about the health of America’s job market.  According to ...

Efforts to keep AM radio in the dashboards of U.S. vehicles have taken a step forward in the House.  The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45-2 to send the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the full House for a vote.   “It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” said Representative Jeff Duncan, a South Carolina Republican. “Having AM radio available...

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization says its Food Price Index stood at 120.7 points in August, down marginally from July. Decreases in the price indexes for sugar, meat, and cereals outweighed increases for those in vegetable oils and dairy products. The ...

The Agriculture Department is expecting at home food prices this year to increase by 1.2%, which is a slight increase from the 1% that USDA economists had expected.  USDA economist Meghan Schweitzer says prices for a couple of key food categories have been higher than expected, inching that rate up.   “...

A federal judge blocked the U.S. Labor Department from enforcing a rule in 17 states that would prevent agricultural employers from retaliating against migrant workers with H-2A visas for joining labor unions.  Employers also couldn’t retaliate for workers organizing against wage theft, trafficking, and other abuses.   Courth...

In 2023. farmers and truckers of agricultural goods in Washington started paying a Climate Commitment Act fuel tax that, even through, by law, they are exempt.  Since then, Ag groups have been pushing for a fix to this exemption problem, with little help from the Department of Ecology.   “So, ...

It's an effort within our nation going on almost a decade now.  “In 2015, USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a national goal to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030,” noted Jean Busby who has been involved in these efforts for several years now as USDA’s Food Loss and Waste Liaison.    That include...