Washington State Farm Bureau Report

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse will spend his final term in office as Chair of the House Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.

USTR Chief Ag Trade Negotiator Julie Callahan recently addressed rumors that the six-year review of USMCA this year could turn into separate bilateral talks with Canada and Mexico.

The Supreme Court’s decision on tariffs was closely watched by America’s farmers, who rely on trade for one-fifth of their income.

President Trump’s temporary tariffs to replace those the Supreme Court struck down are a bridge back to highly discretionary levies, according to trade experts.

While it’s not the only challenge facing farmers and the ag industry today, ag labor reform is probably at the top of the list.

After the Supreme Court ruled the President lacks authority to impose sweeping tariffs under the IEEPA, we now wait to see what happens to those invalidated levies, including removing tariffs on Canada, a major trading partners that we share a border with.

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins talked at last week’s Ag Outlook Forum about a farm economy still facing strong headwinds.

Congress could soon be considering not just a new farm bill, but farm labor legislation.

Recent news that House Ag Chair GT Thompson, of Pennsylvania, announced a new bit of legislation that could lead to the new Farm Bill is getting an enthusiastic welcome.

Growing leaders in the potato industry is what the Potato Leadership Education Foundation, or Potato LEAF, is all about.

Renewal of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement won strong bipartisan support at a Senate Finance hearing as the trade deal that replaced NAFTA comes up for its six-year review.

With the review process of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement sent to begin later this year, the Senate Finance Committee took a closer look at the deal last week.

Newly released farm income data confirms the economic crisis in rural America is real, and American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says the solution could be found in passing a new farm bill.

New data from U.S. court filings indicate farm bankruptcy has risen again.

John Mesko, CEO at the Potato Sustainability Alliance, says they help improve the economic, environmental and social aspects of potato production in the U.S. and Canada.

USDA released its initial 2026 farm income forecast and as expected, shows a further decline in overall farm income, offset only by government payments.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr is asking cattle producers to increase their herd size.

House Ag Chair “GT” Thompson outlined his Farm Bill 2.0 priorities at this year’s annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

The USDA projects that net farm income will slip lower in 2026 and remain about $48 billion under the record highs of 2022.

GreenLight Biosciences’ Jonathan Adamson says they’ve shown that RNA can be a viable solution to control the pests that potato growers deal with regularly.

U.S. meat exports are improving over the past year, with shipments growing to Latin America, Indonesia, South Korea and others, but there are two other significant markets that are sounding pretty good!

Super Bowl Sunday is consistently one of the highest demand days for food across the U.S., supporting the farm economy.

It’s no secret that the cost of agricultural labor is a major expense for farmers, but it has exploded in recent years to a level that many cannot afford.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says a balanced diet shouldn’t be about elevating one food group over another.

The Columbia Plateau cactus could be on its way to becoming Washington’s official state cactus.

When it comes to pests when growing your potatoes, or any other crop for that matter, they can be a nightmare. But Syngenta has a new product they think could be a real difference maker.

U.S. Apple sales saw some significant growth in November, part of that driven by exports, which were up dramatically … many of which were from here in Washington state that produces a vast majority if the nation’s export apples.

U.S. beef, Dan Halstrom, President and CEO at the U.S. Meat Export Federation, says without China, things are down but other markets are stepping up.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says Congress must take action now to ensure that farmers and ranchers can survive.

While some progress has been made in stabilizing the farm economy through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program and Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, recent numbers show farmers still need help.

To say specialty crop leaders are disappointed that the House final spending bill, released Tuesday, did NOT include emergency economic relief for specialty crops would be a huge understatement.

A decision from the Supreme Court is expected regarding the legality of President Trump’s tariff policy, and that decision could have immense implications. But Arlan Suderman, Chief Commodities Economist for StoneX Group, says the Trump Administration does have a “Plan B”.

If being greener in your efforts to produce high-quality potatoes and other tubers is important to you, Pro Farm Group has a new product you might be interested in.

National Potato Council CEO, Kam Quarles says it’s amazing how far the potato has come in the latest dietary guidelines, considering where it was headed under recent administrations.

There has been a lot of talk since the new Dietary Guidelines were released, and most of it from the ag industry has been positive.

We are seeing a lot more protests across the country lately, and that includes so-called “animal rights activists” who continue to make life harder for many farmers and ranchers.

Folks from the potato industry here in the Pacific Northwest and from around the world gathered in Dallas, Texas last week for the 2026 Potato Expo, put on by the National Potato Council.

Are farmers ready for the future? Are they going to be able to keep up technologically with all of the changes in the way things are done.

Are farmers ready for the future? Are they going to be able to keep up technologically with all of the changes in the way things are done.

It was quite a year for the beef industry in 2025. Bob Rodenberger of Stockman’s Livestock Auction in Oklahoma says we ended the year trading them at $3.80, prices we hadn't seen ... so what's 2026 looking like?