farming Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Farmers Got Big Government Pandemic Relief In 2020, Even Those Who Didn’t Need It

By NPR News December 31, 2020

The aid, delivered in two separate packages over the course of the year, went to a wide variety of people in agriculture, including corn and soybean farmers, cattle ranchers, and fruit and vegetable producers. The $46 billion in direct government payments to farmers in 2020 broke the previous annual record by about $10 billion, even after accounting for inflation. Read More

Farmers Are Warming Up To The Fight Against Climate Change

By NPR News November 20, 2020

Del Ficke, a farmer in Pleasant Dale, Neb., has embraced the cause of building carbon-rich soil, capturing carbon dioxide from the air in the process. CREDIT: Dan Charles/NPR

Several big farm groups, traditionally hostile to environmental regulations, are now working with environmental advocates in support of farmer-friendly actions to reduce carbon emissions. Continue Reading Farmers Are Warming Up To The Fight Against Read More

How Absentee Landowners Keep Farmers From Protecting Water And Soil

By NPR News July 14, 2020

Prairie strips in fields of corn or soybeans can protect the soil and allow wildlife to flourish. This strip was established in a field near Traer, Iowa, in 2015. Omar de Kok-Mercado, Iowa State University

Cover crops are a vegetation that farmers can plant in the off-season to protect and enrich the soil. It's great for the environment — and in the long run, for crops, too — but it costs money upfront. Farmers who rent land, and who may not have access to that land in the long run, are reluctant to spend that money. Read More

Shipping Woes, Weather Foes Mean Higher Prices And Smiles For Northwest Asparagus Farmers

By Anna King May 8, 2020

For the last decade, the Northwest asparagus industry has been challenged by lower-cost imports, labor shortages and increased farming costs. But this year, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the foreign asparagus supply, increasing sales for the Northwest’s crop. Read More

COVID-19 Considerations Sprout Confusion, Uncertainty To Northwest Family Farms

By NWPB News April 30, 2020

Liepold Farms in Boring, Ore., on Friday, April 3, 2020.

Across the Northwest, small and mid-sized farms are grappling with a range of challenges brought about by coronavirus. Continue Reading COVID-19 Considerations Sprout Confusion, Uncertainty To Northwest Family FarmsRead More

Immigrant Farmworkers Face Unique Challenges As Coronavirus Continues To Spread

By Monica Samayoa April 12, 2020

Migrant farmer Martin Zavala-Martinez prunes a pear tree at Avalon Orchards in Parkdale, Ore., Thursday, April 2, 2020. People needing H-2A work visas are facing delays at the U.S.-Mexico border due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

One of the most vulnerable groups currently working through the coronavirus pandemic is made up of immigrant farmworkers. As this population works through some of the unique challenges they face due to the coronavirus, one Tri-Cities radio station is trying to help. Read More

White House Seeks To Lower Foreign Guest Farmworker Pay To Help U.S. Farm Owners

By NPR News April 10, 2020

Farmworkers work at a winery in Clarksburg, Calif., on March 24. Farms continue to operate as essential businesses even as the coronavirus has hurt the agriculture industry. CREDIT: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is working with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to see how wage rates for immigrant farmworkers can be reduced. Critics say it will hurt all workers. Continue Reading White House Seeks Read More

Water, Water (Most) Everywhere, As Northwest Snowpack Is Good. But Some Areas Are Low

By Courtney Flatt April 10, 2020

A snow-machine rider takes a snowpack reading as part of Community Snow Observations, a NASA-sponsored citizen science project. CREDIT: Oregon State University/Flickr

For much of the Northwest, snowpack is above normal. That’s a good sign this time of year, when snowpack usually reaches its peak. Having enough snowpack is critical for spring and summer runoff that will supply water for irrigation and salmon runs. But that doesn’t mean everywhere has that much snow. Read More

Tale Of Two Crops: Pandemic Yields Different Realities For Northwest Potato And Apple Growers

By Anna King April 7, 2020

Potatoes scoot by on fast belts at Balcom & Moe in Pasco. The potatoes get a rinse, are sized and then put in bags destined for America’s supermarkets. The potato farmer and packer-shipper has been in business since the 1920’s. CREDIT: ANNA KING/NW NEWS NETWORK

The coronavirus pandemic continues to make its presence known in all facets of daily life, including agriculture. That extends to some supply and demand economics lessons for Northwest apple and potato growers. Continue Read More

Stumbling Toward Spring: Northwest Growers Scramble To Start During Coronavirus Crisis

By Anna King April 3, 2020

Freshly planted furrows span out across the Columbia Basin as farmers get ready for the coming season as worries of COVID-19 spread in central and eastern Washington.

Spring work starts up, ready or not. And Northwest growers are scrambling to figure out how to work around the global coronavirus pandemic and still bring in the coming harvest. Continue Reading Stumbling Toward Spring: Read More

Washington Lawmakers Stop Short Of Banning Pesticide Linked To Neurological Problems

By Courtney Flatt March 14, 2020

File photo. A sign at the property of Eric and Mari Perez in Qunicy, Washington, where houses are surrounded by apple orchards. Some people don't want the pesticide chlorpyrifos drifting from orchards to their property. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Washington regulators must soon consider rules to limit the use of a controversial pesticide that can cause neurological and health problems, especially in young children. A bill passed by state lawmakers this session didn’t outright ban the pesticide, as health and farmworker activists had proposed. Read More

Climate Stewardship Connects Eastern Washington Faith And Farming To Legislative Action In Olympia

By Courtney Flatt March 5, 2020

Church members at Richland’s Shalom United Church of Christ sing environmental hymns during a service on Feb. 9, 2020, that addressed environmental issues, such as climate change. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

Climate change isn’t a new topic for progressive churches like Shalom United Church of Christ in Richland. But it is perhaps tinged with new urgency. Survey results from the Pew Research Center show that congregations are delving into environmental awareness recently. And so are farmers. Read More

An Airbnb For Cropland Hits A Snag, As Farmers Raise Data Privacy Concerns

By NPR News February 24, 2020

A mix of barley, peas and flax grows in a field at Casey Bailey's farm near Fort Benton, Mont. Bailey sells this crop to Montana dairy farmer Nate Brown, who has been feeding it to his goats.

American farmers spend about $32 billion each year to rent land, and Tillable CEO Corbett Kull thinks his company could be farmland's AirBnB or Zillow. "This is one of the beauties of digital marketplaces, where you can bring two parties together that otherwise might never meet," he says. Read More

In Washington’s Skagit Valley, Elk Raise Tensions Between Tribal Members And Farmers

By Eilís O'Neill January 28, 2020

Elk graze in Skagit Valley, populated for centuries by Native Americans and, more recently, by farmers. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

In Washington Skagit Valley, a conflict is unfolding between the Upper Skagit Tribe and farmers as elk are making a comeback there. Continue Reading In Washington’s Skagit Valley, Elk Raise Tensions Between Tribal Read More

Labor Shortage And Fall Weather Stack Up To Leave Apples Rotting In Orchards

By Anna King January 15, 2020

Apples remain unpicked in December 2019 in an orchard near Wallula, Washington. CREDIT: Mike Denny

For the love of Johnny Appleseed! Why are so many apples left hanging (and rotting) on trees in Northwest orchards after the fall harvest? Industry experts and growers says it’s a combination of factors – but really not due to tariffs, as some people think. Read More

In 2019 Farmers Got $22 Billion In Federal Subsidies — Mostly Without Congressional Approval

By NPR News January 2, 2020

A farmer operates a combine to harvest soybeans in Wyanet, Ill. Farmers got more than $22 billion in government payments in 2019. It's the highest level of farm subsidies in 14 years. CREDIT: Bloomberg via Getty Images

In 2019, the federal government delivered an extraordinary financial aid package to America's farmers. Farm subsidies jumped to their highest level in fourteen years, most of them paid out without any action by Congress. Read More

Shockingly Chewable: Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity

By NPR News November 30, 2019

Peter Melnik, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, owns Bar-Way Farm, Inc. in Deerfield, Mass. He has an anaerobic digester on his farm that converts food waste into renewable energy. CREDIT: Allison Aubrey/NPR

Dairy farmers in Massachusetts are using food waste to create renewable energy. Each farm produces enough to power about 1,500 homes. This helps prevent the release of methane, a greenhouse gas. Continue Reading Shockingly Chewable: Farmers Read More

Like Your Hummus Wet? Then You Want Dry Beans. So Do Palouse Farmers Who Grow Garbanzos

By Anna King November 14, 2019

Kyle Hinrichs helps run the family business outside of Pullman, Wash. Right now the company is drying beans as fast as possible with several machines, but it’s an around the clock job. CREDIT: Anna King/N3

Heavy rains and even an early fall snow in October matted down the garbanzo bean plants tight to the land. That means Palouse-region farmers are scrambling to dry out beans to get them to silos and co-ops. It's on top of already depressed prices due to international trade wars. Read More

Farm Bankruptcies On The Rise Nationally, Most Pronounced For Northwest Families

By NWPB News November 5, 2019

A tractor plows soil where a failed wheat crop once stood on Matt Isgar's ranch and farm in Hesperus, Colo. Isgar is hoping the soil will get enough moisture in coming months so he can plant pinto beans next season. CREDIT: Kami Engstrom/Courtesy of Matt Isgar

The number of family farms seeking bankruptcy protection grew 24% over the last year, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation analysis of recent federal court data. The analysis found family farm bankruptcies are rising fastest in the Northwest. Read More

Diversifying Crops Is Good For The Planet. But Can It Be Good For Farmers’ Wallets?

By NPR News October 23, 2019

Fertilizer runoff is fueling the toxic algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico. Farmers could help by growing crops in rotation to reduce the need for fertilizer. But it's unclear who will buy them. Continue Reading Diversifying Crops Read More

‘You Have To Remain An Optimist.’ Northwest Farmers Wrap Wheat Harvest As Prices Depress

By Anna King August 20, 2019

Roger Hsieh and Daniel Berg walk toward a pickup truck in the Horse Heave Hills of south central Washington during wheat harvest this year. CREDIT: NICOLE BERG

Right now, Northwest wheat farmers are wrapping up their harvest in many areas. But across the country, farmers are losing money on every load of that golden grain. Continue Reading ‘You Have To Remain An Optimist.’ Read More

If We All Ate Enough Fruits And Vegetables, There’d Be Big Shortages

By NPR News July 18, 2019

If everyone around the globe began to eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, there wouldn't be enough to go around. That's the conclusion of a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health. Continue Reading If We All Ate Read More

Willapa Bay Oyster Farmers Struggle As Shrimp Population Booms

By Molly Solomon June 18, 2019

Kathleen Nisbet Moncy is a second generation oyster farmer. Her family has been farming in Willapa Bay for the past four decades. CREDIT: KAYLEE DOMZALSKI/OPB

Of the 70,000 acres of mudflats in Willapa Bay, less than 10,000 acres are used for shellfish cultivation. Researchers estimate about a quarter of that farmable land has already been taken over by burrowing shrimp. But the battle over land between shellfish growers and the shrimp is not entirely new. Read More

Organic Farming Has A Plastic Problem. One Solution Is Controversial

By NPR News June 7, 2019

Lettuce sprouts amid rows of plastic covering the ground at One Straw Farm, an organic operation north of Baltimore. Although conventional farmers also use plastic mulch, organic produce farms like One Straw rely on the material even more because they must avoid chemical weed killers, which are banned in organic farming. CREDIT: LISA ELAINE HELD/NPR

Plastic is under attack these days for the environmental problems it causes. But sustainability-minded shoppers might not be aware that many organic farmers — like their conventional farming neighbors — also rely on plastic. It's spread over the ground as a form of mulch to suppress weeds, conserve water and aid plant growth. Read More

Critics Say USDA Plan To Move Agricultural Agencies Could Hurt Research Vital For Farmers

By NPR News May 18, 2019

File photo. Ripe ears of wheat lit by the morning sunlight. CREDIT: WSU News

A couple of federal agencies you probably haven't heard of keep track of what farmers grow, what Americans eat and how the country's entire food system operates. And the Trump administration wants them out of Washington, D.C. Read More

Farmers Nervous As Major Northwest Crops Are Weeks Late In Planting

By Anna King April 10, 2019

Grain silos outside of Connell, Wash. reflect in the mud puddles left by heavy spring rains. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

Several major crops in Oregon and Washington are significantly delayed from foul winter weather and a cool spring. Wheat farmers are having trouble planting in the wet ground. Potatoes are still being planted a month late. And fruit tree buds are developing slowly. Read More

Study Says Growing Corn Is A Major Contributor To Air Pollution

By NPR News April 1, 2019

An aerial view of a combine harvesting corn in a field near Jarrettsville, Md. A new study ties an estimated 4,300 premature deaths a year to the air pollution caused by corn production in the U.S. CREDIT: Edwin Remsburg/Getty Images

Researchers found that corn production accounts for 4,300 premature deaths related to air pollution every year. Ammonia from fertilizer application was by far the largest contributor to corn's air pollution footprint. Continue Reading Study Says Read More

Northwest’s Late-Winter Snow Means Nation’s French Fries Could Be In Danger

By Anna King March 28, 2019

Ed Schneider, 63, has grown french-fry-making spuds for 40 years outside of Pasco, Wash. He says in all his years of farming, he’s never seen planting be pushed this late. Most potato farmers have to dig on a contracted day to feed processors that run nearly year round. CREDIT: ANNA KING/N3

The fertile fields in Washington and Oregon, are just now drying out from severe winter snows not seen for 100 years. And potato farmers like Schneider are a month behind in planting. A cool spring -- along with this late start -- could throw Schneider’s yields off 30 to 40 percent. Read More

Market Saturation: Why So Many Farmers Markets Are Failing

By NPR News March 17, 2019

Nationwide, there are too few farmers to populate market stalls and too few customers filling their canvas bags with fresh produce at each market. Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

Farmers aren't producing enough to keep up with the number of smaller markets that keep popping up, often in close proximity to others. This results in fewer customers, unsold food and maybe closure. Continue Reading Market Saturation: Why So Many Read More

Across The West, Much Is At Stake For Farmers In The Weekly Drought Map

By NPR News December 26, 2018

U.S. Drought map showing western U.S. for 12-20-2018

As drought has deepened across the West, much attention is paid to a colorful map that shows the hardest-hit areas. The scientists who update the map each week face enormous pressure to get it right. Continue Reading Across The West, Read More

This Pesticide Poisons, But It’s Still Sprayed On Washington Orchards — Including Christmas Trees

By Eilís O'Neill December 14, 2018

Cristina Campos removes damaged apples from the flume, the front end of the packing line, on Tuesday November, 20, 2018, at Gilbert Orchards in Yakima. CREDIT: KUOW PHOTO/MEGAN FARMER

The chemical’s especially dangerous for babies and small children because it can have lasting neurological effects. Chlorpyrifos can blow from orchards into nearby houses; parents who work in orchards can transport the chemical home on their clothes and in their cars; and chlorpyrifos can make its way into developing fetuses through umbilical cord blood. Read More

Mountain West Farmers Turn To Twitter To Discuss Depression Amid Concern For Their Well Being

By NWPB News December 10, 2018

Larry McMillan drives a combine as he harvests barley Friday, Aug. 24, 2007, near Moscow, Idaho. The region's warm and dry weather has provided optimal conditions for the continued harvest season. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Ranchers and farmers living in the Mountain West are vulnerable to all kinds of things—drought, fluctuating crop prices, trade wars—and in part because of those things - depression and suicide. But there's some help out there, from an unlikely source: Twitter. Read More

Northwest Farmers Anxiously Watch Federal Farm Bill, As Time Ticks On End Of Congressional Session

By Anna King December 4, 2018

Standing in bluegrass seed field, farmer Nicole Berg says the farm bill's Conservation Reserve Program is critical to the mix of incomes on her family farm. CREDIT: ANNA KING

Northwest farmers are anxiously watching Washington, D.C.’s lame duck session to see if a Farm Bill will be passed before the New Year. Continue Reading Northwest Farmers Anxiously Watch Federal Farm Bill, As Read More

Study: A Common Insecticide Is Harming Bees And Their Ability To Pollinate Crops

By NPR News November 11, 2018

A bumblebee outfitted with a unique tracking tag forages outdoors. CREDIT: James Crall /Science

Bees exposed to a type of insecticides called neonicotinoids dramatically changed their behavior — becoming sluggish, antisocial and spending less time caring for the colony's young, researchers say. Continue Reading Study: A Read More

Bye-Bye, Beer? Brewers Say They’ve Got A Plan On Climate Change Ahead Of Possible Price Jump

By NPR News October 20, 2018

The barley used to make beer as we know it may take a hit under climate change, but growers say they are already preparing by planting it further north in colder locations. CREDIT: DEAN HUTTON/BLOOMBERG

Newly published research predicting beer prices could double as rising global temperatures and more volatile weather cause shortages of barley created a big splash. But brewers and barley growers say you shouldn't drown your sorrows just yet: They have a plan. Read More

In One Generation, A Farmworker Family Grows College Ambitions

By NPR News September 2, 2018

For as long as he can remember, Angel Benavides, 14, has missed the beginning of the school year in Texas because his parents, Juan and Aracely Benavides, work in North Dakota until the harvest is through. CREDIT: ELISSA NADWORNY

For as long as he can remember, Angel has missed the beginning of the school year in Texas because his family stays in North Dakota through the harvest. It's weather-dependent, so there's no hard end; all Angel knows is they'll head home to Texas sometime in October or November. Read More

Insects Could Eat Twice As Much Wheat By The End Of The Century

By NWPB News August 30, 2018

A burn scar near Moro, Oregon, from the Substation Fire. CREDIT: ERICKA CRUZ GUEVARRA

Climate change might lead to bigger populations of hungrier insects. This could have serious consequences for grain-growing regions in the Northwest and across the world. Continue Reading Insects Could Eat Twice As Much Wheat By The End Of The Read More

In MeToo Era, A Yakima Valley Dairy Worker Finds Her Voice

By Esmy Jimenez August 23, 2018

The old DeRuyter Brothers Dairy sits in Outlook, Wash. According to state records, before it sold, the operation had around 5,000 head of cattle on 500 hundred acres, making it one of the largest dairies in the Yakima Valley. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ

Maria Gonzalez started at DeRuyter Brothers dairy in February 2015. At the time, she was the first and only woman working as a milker. For Maria, working there was a step up in career and pay. But it also meant facing sexual harassment from a male coworker. It ended with losing her job. Read More

Watch This Native Pollinator Build Her Bee-Jeweled Nest

By NPR News August 20, 2018

A female blue orchard bee forages for nectar and pollen on Phacelia tanacetifolia flowers, also known as blue or purple tansy. Blue orchard bees are solitary bees that help pollinate California's almond orchards. CREDIT: JOSH CASSIDY

While honeybees and their buzzing hives and hyper-fertile queens get all the press for pollinating our food supply, the hard-working blue orchard bee is one of 4,000 bee species native to North America that does its solitary work in relative obscurity. That is, until now. Read More

Big Oregon Substation Fire Burning Lots Of Wheat — And Exports — For Northwest Farmers

By Anna King July 19, 2018

Charred grasslands from the Substation Fire near Moro, Oregon, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. CREDIT: MOLLY SOLOMON/OPB

East of The Dalles, Oregon, the Substation Fire has charred over 50,000 acres and is still spreading. A lot of that charred ground so far is golden, soft white wheat. And when grain burns, farmers can lose a lot of money – even if they have crop insurance. Read More

Native Bees And Alfalfa Seeds: A Northwest Love Story

By Aaron Scott June 29, 2018

The alkali bee has to "trip" the alfalfa flower's lower petal to access its pollen, receiving a floral bop on the head from the stamen. CREDIT: DOUG WALSH

Walla Walla County might just be the only place on Earth where you have to brake for bees. Continue Reading Native Bees And Alfalfa Seeds: A Northwest Love StoryRead More

In Central Washington, Housing Crunch Exacerbated By Need For Foreign Farm Labor

By Esmy Jimenez June 11, 2018

Black and white photo of a Yakima neighborhood with text saying no vacancy

The housing shortage in Yakima is coupled with a farm labor shortage. When workers do come, where do they live? The largest farmworker complex in the state opened in Yakima this month. The revamped FairBridge hotel now hosts 800 beds for temporary farm workers. As it opens, critics think it may set a dangerous precedent: Other farmers might start buying up area housing for Read More

Northwest Farmers Fret Over Farm Bill, Crop Insurance

By Anna King May 23, 2018

The U.S. House of Representatives recently failed to pass a farm bill and Northwest farmers are worried that the process is not plowing ahead. Continue Reading Northwest Farmers Fret Over Farm Bill, Crop InsuranceRead More

Could Blue Bees Be Better For Northwest Crops?

By Esmy Jimenez April 27, 2018

Osmia lignaria or the blue orchard bee visits a blossom. While it won’t make honey, this bee is a superior pollinator than the honey bee. Credit: Natalie Boyle/US Department of Agriculture.

Honey bees are struggling with habitat loss, colony collapse disorder, and other challenges. One Northwest beekeeper is rethinking the kinds of bees we use to pollinate crops in the first place. Continue Reading Could Blue Bees Be Better For Northwest Crops?Read More

Like Your Fresh Washington Apples And Blueberries? Thank A Falcon For Keeping Away The Pests

By Esmy Jimenez April 13, 2018

A hooded falcon of Brad Felger used in his business

In the Northwest, we’re gearing up for a season of fresh berries, cherries, apples, and much more. Farmers of course want to avoid anything that could hurt crops: cold temperatures, tough tariffs, or even … pesky birds. Forget the clowns. Send in the falcons. Read More

Youth Farm In Hawaii Is Growing Food And Leaders

By NPR News March 28, 2018

Cheryse Sana, left, and Derrik Parker were interns 10 years ago and now help manage the farm's current interns as well as run the day-to-day operations. CREDIT: DAKOTA KIM

The program practices tough love — Hawaiians call it kuleana, or a sense of personal responsibility. Kids commit to more than two years of work, and get free college tuition for their "sweat equity." Continue Reading Youth Farm In Hawaii Is Growing Read More

Important Activist – Yet Largely Unknown

By Tom Hungate March 9, 2018

Independent Lens Presents “Dolores” on KTNW-TV One of the most important, yet least known, activists of our time, Dolores Huerta was an equal partner in founding the first farm workers union with César Chávez. Fighting for racial and labor justice, Huerta evolved into one of the most defiant feminists of the 20th century and she continues… Read More

Northwest Farmers Hope Tender Fruit Buds Can Withstand Cold Snap

By Anna King February 23, 2018

Ric Valicoff slices open tender fruit buds to see how his trees are doing in this arctic cold. CREDIT: ANNA KING

The recent bite of arctic air is causing real worry for Northwest fruit farmers. They’re fretting over their trees’ tender buds. And it all might get worse as things warm up. Continue Reading Northwest Farmers Hope Tender Fruit Buds Can Read More

These Citizen-Regulators In Arkansas Defied Monsanto. Now They’re Under Attack

By NPR News February 14, 2018

In Arkansas, a regulatory committee of farmers and small-business owners banned the latest weed-killing technology from the giant agrichemical company. Monsanto is taking them to court. Continue Reading These Citizen-Regulators In Arkansas Defied Read More

Northwest Farmers Worry As Fruit Buds ‘Push’ Early

By Anna King February 13, 2018

Workers prune back grape vines at McNary Vineyard outside of Plymouth, Washington. CREDIT: ANNA KING

East of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon -- it’s been about 5 to 10 degrees warmer than normal for most of the winter. And those usually warm conditions have buds on fruit trees and grapevines starting to “push,” or emerge early. That has farmers worried. Read More