Wheat Life

27/08/2026

The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s state office, Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association, and the Palouse, Whitman, Rock Lake, and Pine Creek conservation districts are inviting growers to attend a low-till/no-till drill demo in Whitman County on Sept. 15. https://wheatlife.org/drilling-for-success/

Register at palousecd.org/post/no-till-drill-demo-day-09-15-26

Building on the success of last year’s low-till/no-till drill demo in Franklin County, organizers are planning a similar event near Pullman, Wash., on Sept. 15. “Last year’s event was extremely well attended, and we heard from a number of producers that they’d like to have a similar event in...

25/08/2026

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife offers free technical and financial assistance to landowners, land managers, Tribes, corporations, schools, and nonprofits who are interested in improving wildlife habitat on the land they own or manage. Projects focus on benefiting federal trust species including migratory birds and endangered, threatened, and at-risk species. Read more about the program at

Eastern Washington producers looking to bump up wildlife habitat on their farm might be able to find financial help from a little-known U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program. The Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) program was established by Congress in 1987 and is accessible in all 50 states. Wit...

24/08/2026

Your Wheat Life photo: Connor McKinney (4.5) waiting on a truck at McKinney Farms in Walla Walla. Photo by Bret McKinney.

20/08/2026

Wheat Life reached out to Director Sixkiller to ask about his priorities, Ecology actions on Hangman and Spring Flat creeks, and how to foster a better relationship between the department and growers. Read his answers at

Casey Sixkiller was appointed as the 14th director of the Washington State Department of Ecology in early December 2024 by then Governor-elect Bob Ferguson. As director, Sixkiller oversees a biennial budget of $2.8 billion and a workforce of 2,200 employees dedicated to protecting Washington’s air...

19/08/2026

Your Wheat Life photo: Reagan Appel (9) helping her grandfather, Jim Hughes, haul wheat. Photo by Jim Hughes.

18/08/2026

Every year, ag stakeholders bring legislators and staff to visit the people and companies that raise and process the products grown in the state. This year’s food and farm tour was held in Benton and Franklin counties and included stops at a wheat farm, a potato farm, an irrigated farm, Second Harvest, and a potato processor. The tour was sponsored by the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), the Washington State Potato Commission, Second Harvest, and the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District.

In mid-July, legislators got down in the dirt to hear directly from producers about how bills passed in Olympia are affecting the state’s agricultural industry. Every year, ag stakeholders bring legislators and staff to visit the people and companies that raise and process the products grown in th...

17/08/2026

Your Wheat Life photo: Taylor, Renzie (1), and Mitchell Powers at Powers Ranches in Dot. Photo by Lance Powers.

14/08/2026

The August/September Wheat Life is now available to download. In this issue we follow a group of state legislators visiting Benton and Franklin County farmers to hear their issues and concerns; hear from Casey Sixkiller, director of Washington Department of Ecology; learn about a US Fish and Wildlife program that helps farms establish wildlife habitat; and hear from Dr. Jim Cook about his soil research.https://wheatlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/08_WLAugSept26web.pdf

12/08/2026

10/08/2026

Your Wheat Life photo: Don “The Eagle” Pierson waiting for a load of wheat in Kahlotus during harvest 2025. Photo by Travis Matthews.