7.14.20 The Philippines is the Pacific Northwest’s Number One market for soft white wheat and Joe Sowers, regional vice president for U.S. Wheat Associates in the region, is the man intended to keep it that way. Sowers is coming up on a decade of service with USW in the Philippines. During that time the country … Episode 186: Joe Sowers, Our Man in Manila Read More »

7.7.20 In another context 46 year old Steve Henning may be middle age, but in Eastern Washington where 58 is the average age of wheat farmers,  he’s still part of the  younger generation. In episode 185 entitled: Maximizing Farm & Family, Henning who farms near Thornton, Wash., discusses whether his age gives him an advantage … Episode 185: Maximizing Farm & Family Read More »

6.30.20 Are the lessons and challenges for wheat farming’s younger generation any different from those on the older end of the spectrum? Listen in as Andy Juris, a wheat farmer from the Horse Heaven Hills talks about the pluses and minuses of farming at 40 in episode 184 entitled: No Matter the Age, There Are … Episode 184: No Matter the Age, There Are No Free Rides In Farming Read More »

6.23.20 When you’ve been representing Eastern Washington in the Washington Legislature since 1993, you’re bound to have encountered a recession or two. COVID-19 has been an economic calamity for sure, but it’s not the first economic downturn that Senator Mark Schoesler has experienced while in state government, which is why episode 183 is entitled: Not … Episode 183: Not Senator Mark Schoesler’s First Recession Read More »

6.16.20 Farmers cooperate on a host of issues, why not at reducing the incidence of herbicide weed resistance? In episode 182 entitled: Working Together Communities of Farmers Can Reduce Herbicide Resistance, listen in as agriculture sociologist Katie Dentzman a post doctoral researcher at Washington State University, talks about why such cooperation is not only necessary, … Episode 182: Working Together Communities of Farmers Can Reduce Herbicide Resistance Read More »

6.9.20 The COVID-19 pandemic has upended many aspects of life in Eastern Washington including the cancellation of in-person Variety Testing Program plot tours for wheat and barley. But in episode 181 entitled: Clark Neely Leads WSU’s Variety Testing Program into a Brave New World, the new director of WSU’s testing program explains how a series … Episode 181: Clark Neely Leads WSU’s Variety Testing Program into a Brave New World, Read More »

6.2.20 Want to know why so many farmers question U.S. Department of Agriculture data? Mike Krueger suggests it may not be that the numbers are wrong, but rather because the entire system of reporting has changed so much over the last 15 years. In episode 180 entitled Older & Wiser, Insight from Money Farm Founder … Episode 180: Older & Wiser, Insight from Money Farm Founder Mike Krueger 2 Read More »

5.26.20 He recently retired from more than 40 years helping farmers sell their grain, but that hasn’t stopped Mike Krueger from having opinions about changes to the market that have occurred since he took his first job with Cargill in 1974. In episode 179, entitled: Older & Wiser, Insight from Money Farm Founder Mike Krueger, … Episode 179: Older & Wiser, Insight from Money Farm Founder Mike Krueger Read More »

5.19.20 The Philippines has been the No. 1 market for Pacific Northwest soft white wheat for four years running, reason enough to listen to a presentation given by the director of national sales of the flour division of Universal Robina Corporation based in Manilla. In episode 178 entitled: “A Philippine-Centric View of South Asia Wheat … Episode 178: A Philippine-Centric View of South Asia Wheat Demand Read More »

5.12.20 There have been a lot of changes around the world as a result of COVID-19, including an oil market that has collapsed. In episode 177 entitled, “Thrust and Parry—WSU Economist Randy Fortenbery Takes on Wheat and the World’s Woes 2,” listen in as he provides an expert view of the potential ripples from oil’s … Episode 177: Thrust and Parry—WSU Economist Randy Fortenbery Takes on Wheat and the World’s Woes 2 Read More »

5.5.20 What does a COVID-19 world look like to an agricultural economist? In episode 176 and next week’s episode 177 entitled: “Thrust and parry—WSU Economist Randy Fortenbery Takes on Wheat and the World’s Woes,” he discusses the lack of a market response to Russia’s recently announced wheat embargo, the impact of currency values on U.S. … Episode 176: Thrust and Parry—WSU Economist Randy Fortenbery Takes on Wheat and the World’s Woes Read More »

4.28.20 City-dwellers are dealing with major impacts from the coronavirus, but life on the farm is also undergoing changes. In episode 175 entitled: “Wheat in the Time of COVID-19”, listen in as six veteran farmers from Eastern Washington talk about how the pandemic and social distancing has affected their lives and the rural businesses they depend upon. Subscribe to Wheat All About It! on iTunes as well as podcast apps for Android phones like Stitcher and Pocket Casts. The podcast is also...

4.21.20 Wheat farming in the Pacific Northwest has many moving parts, not the least of which are research efforts aimed at ensuring the crop remains ahead of all the challenges nipping at its heels. In episode 174 entitled: The Inside Scoop on Northwest Wheat Research, listen in as five scientists from four land grant schools and the USDA brief colleagues about the direction of their work. The reports, part of the Pacific Northwest Wheat Quality Council meeting held January 30th and 31st at...

4.14.20 Are you seeking a respite from the steady drumbeat of coronavirus coverage? Then it’s time to cue up the recurring Wheat All About It! feature entitled: More World Wheat O’Clock Report! in episode 173. A collection of news items that impacts the wheat industry, listeners will learn more about the narrowing of agriculture’s gender gap, the high cost of repairing paved county roads, how pesticide smuggling has grown into a major illegal trade, why older tractors are in demand, the...

4.7.20 Return to the second half of WSU Randy Fortenbery’s presentation before the Pacific Northwest Farm Forum in episode 172 entitled: “The Why’s and Wherefore’s of Wheat Prices—WSU Economist Randy Fortenbery Sets the Scene, 2”, as the economist focuses on wheat. Fortenbery spoke at Farm Forum February 5, 2020. The landscape has changed considerably since his presentation owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, and while  Fortenbery addressed the virus during his speech, the underlying fundamentals...

3.31.20 Almost two months have elapsed since WSU economist Randy Fortenbery spoke about wheat market fundamentals at the Pacific Northwest Farm Forum on February 5, 2020, a period which has seen wrenching changes around the world due to the coronavirus. But by definition, fundamentals refer to core principals and don’t change a lot even during a pandemic. In episode 171, entitled: “The Why’s and Wherefore’s of Wheat Prices—WSU Economist Randy Fortenbery Sets the Scene”, listen in as the...

3.24.20 The mystery behind the Late Maturity Alpha Amylase phenomenon continues to bedevil researchers, elevator companies and farmers, but even as much is left to learn, there is now much that is understood. Which is why episode 170 is entitled: Much Discovered, Much More to Learn: Four Voice From the Falling Number Summit. The four voices include David Honigs of PertenElmer, the Swedish company that makes the Perten Falling Number Machines, Amber Hauvermale, a post doc in WSU’s Crop and...

3.17.20 Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service and Washington State University are applying themselves to finding solutions to both manifestations of low falling numbers, that is Late Maturity Alpha Amylase and Pre-harvest Sprout. In episode 169 entitled: “Falling Numbers Summit Round 3: Some Answers, But a Whole Lot of Questions Too”, listen in as ARS scientists Kim Campbell and Camille Steber provide updates on research presented at the FN meeting held January 21 & 22 in...

3.10.20 Low falling number discounts caused by a cold shock in the spring don’t occur every year, but they occur more frequently in the region that comprises HighLine Grain’s draw area, which runs approximately from Spokane to Wenatchee, north of Interstate 90. Ty Jessup, the cooperative’s marketing manager has become an expert at loading trains that exceed the 300 second threshold needed to avoid discounts, but he and his staff are under constant strain not to make a mistake. Which is why...

3.3.20 Alex McGregor is chairman of the McGregor Company, but he’s also an advocate for farmers and it was in that latter role he addressed the third Falling Number Summit held in Spokane Jan. 21 & 22. In episode 167 entitled: One Falling Numbers Punch in the Gut is Enough!, McGregor argues that a repeat of 2016, when low falling numbers caused millions of dollars in discounts across the region, could put many farmers out of business. But researchers get funding for problems that are...

2.25.20 Long range weather meteorologist  Art Douglas delivered an almost ideal growing season forecast in his keynote address opening the Pacific Northwest Farm Forum February 4, 2020—except for the ending. Which is why episode 166 is entitled: “A Sunny Long Range Weather Forecast For Wheat Farmers. . . Until August”. Douglas has been serving up his weather predictions for more than three decades at Farm Forum. His spring and early summer forecast was very positive, but his anticipation of...

2.18.20 A new generation of leadership is bubbling to the surface of Eastern Washington’s agricultural landscape, personified by Lauren Port, manager of the Washington State Crop Improvement Association. In episode 165 entitled: “Setting Standards, Breaking Barriers at Today’s WSCIA”, listen in as Port describes her path from growing up on the West side of the state to helming a crucial organization in Washington’s grain chain. In addition to addressing services the WSCIA provides that help...

2.11.20 Wheat farmers in the Pacific Northwest are no strangers to advice from university weed scientists to rotate their modes of action, referring to the different groups of chemicals that kill weeds. But what if your neighbors don’t rotate their modes of action? In episode 164, the second part of: The Episodes about the Biggest Threat to PNW Production Agriculture 2, listen as Katie Dentzman and Doug Finkelnburg of the University of Idaho, address how farming communities can work together...

2.4.20 So many challenges are facing Pacific Northwest wheat farmers nowadays that it’s difficult to choose which one comes first on the list. According to one group of university researchers, however, herbicide weed resistance is in the pole position. Which is why episode 163 and next week’s episode 164 are entitled: The Episodes About the Biggest Threat to PNW Production Agriculture. The two podcasts are from a recording of a panel discussion that took place during the 2019 Tri State Grain...

1.28.20 Peter Zeihan, who spoke at the 2019 Tri State Grain Growers Convention in November, is like your smart, hip uncle, telling you things about the world that can leave you elated one minute and scared the next. In episode 162, entitled: The Old World Order is Dead! Long Live the New World Order! 2, Zeihan describes the underlaying motivations of world leaders and claims that when it comes to President Trump’s trade upheaval, there’s no putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. In fact,...