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According to NASS, the value of Washington’s Agricultural production in 2023 totaled almost $14 billion, up 6% year-over year.  The value of Washington’s crop production in 2023 was $7.71 billion, down about 10% from the record high value of $8.56 billion in 2022.  ...

In August, many consumers were happy to hear that grocery store food prices fell 0.1% from July to August.  However, the Food Price Index during September did a big bounce back, going up by almost half a percent.   “That is the highest monthly growth in grocery prices since January," noted USDA economist Megan Sweitzer.  She added the Amer...

On Friday, representatives from USDA’s Rural Development were in the Tri-Cities, attending a ribbon-cutting for a new biofuels facility.  The facility, owned by Vancouver-WA based Tidwater Terminal Company, received over $3 million via the Inflation Reduction Act, which looked to increase the availability of domestic biofuels.  Betsy Dirkson...

Last week, USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that USDA is partnering with farmers and small businesses to expand access to clean energy and lower energy bills through the Rural Energy for America Program.  The USDA announced $104 million in loans and grants to support over 300 clean energy projects in 34 states.  That in...

Agriculture Department economists are predicting that this year the foods we buy at the grocery store will go up in price by an average of 1.1%.  However, “Food away from home or restaurant, prices are predicted to increase by 4.1%, noted USDA econo...

It's not the greatest of times right now for the nation's Turkey producers.   “Production continues to decline and prices are declining as well.”    And that breaks the rules of supply and demand economics.  All of this from USDA's ...

Late last week, the USDA designated Yakima County as a Primary Natural Disaster Area for Drought.  The designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from drought through emergency loans.  Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certa

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.   “...

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...

The USDA is making funding available for businesses and organizations to remove hazardous wildfire fuels from national forests.  The program will pay groups to transport the material to be turned into wood products or services.  Hazardous fuels are typically woody material with little commercial value, but can become useful as other products, although, transportation costs are often prohibitive.