Timely Topics

In the 1990s, when I was beginning my academic career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, Monsanto still held the patent for glyphosate, and it could only be purchased…

Soil health is often defined as the ability of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem. When the underlying functionality of soil is supported within the agroecosystem it often results in many benefits on…

What a difference a year makes! It is not an understatement to say that 2021 was a challenging year for wheat production across Washington state due to the drought, and that was particularly true for…

Soil health is often defined as the ability of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem. When the underlying functionality of soil is supported within the agroecosystem it often results in many benefits on…

Soil health is often defined as the ability of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem. When the underlying functionality of soil is supported within the agroecosystem it often results in many benefits…

The 2021 WSU Weed Control Report is now available on the Wheat and Small Grains website. Drew Lyon and Ian Burke, WSU weed scientists, manage numerous field studies to evaluate new herbicides, and new uses…

Thanks to a tightening of wheat stocks-to-use ratios in both the domestic and international markets, prices remain at a near decade high (figure 1). However…

As the snow begins to fall, memories of the 2021 crop season begin to fade and thoughts about what lies ahead in 2022 start to take center stage. I would like to use this Timely…

It’s no secret that 2021 will go down in the record books as one of the driest years on record for Washington State and the PNW as a whole.  In fact, yields were down on…

The Wheat and Small Grains Extension team is happy to announce the development of a new Spring Canola Nitrogen Rate Calculator. The calculator estimates the (nitrogen) N fertilizer rate required to grow a particular yield…

With winter canola heading into dormancy, it’s time to finalize your fertility plans for winter canola. Most research from the University of Idaho, Oregon State University, and Washington State University has shown that most of…

The University of Idaho needs our help! Researchers with the Department of Entomology are working on USDA-funded project titled “Harnessing artificial intelligence for implementing integrated pest management in small-grain production systems”. The project goal is…

Have you ever had a bad day on the farm? The tractor wouldn’t start or the pickup truck had a flat tire? The answer is most likely yes. Things like this can be frustrating especially…

Some questions have been raised concerning the determination of the price used in calculating revenue crop insurance payments for Washington wheat producers.  Selecting an insurance plan can be complicated, and there are lots of options…

Winter canola establishment has always been a challenge in Washington. Canola prefers to be seeded shallow (0.5-1.5”) and in good moisture. The dry summers of the inland Pacific Northwest that cause moisture to recede deeper…

First COVID-19 and now DROUGHT-21. We just can’t seem to catch a break. As I drive around the region, I see a lot of green fields, but that green often turns out to be common…

The 2021 fire season is upon us. The Batterman Rd fire in Douglas County, is one of four fires currently burning in Washington State as of (7/8/21). It has burned over 14,000 acres which is…

With wheat harvest starting, the crop year 2021 has been one of, if not the most challenging years we’ve experienced here in eastern Washington and across the Pacific Northwest mostly because of a record dry…

Dr. Michelle Moyer, Extension Viticulturalist located at Prosser, WA recently contacted me and told me that she was getting an uptick in calls from grape growers suffering 2,4-D damage in their vineyards. It has been…

I do not need to tell anyone in the farming community that it has been a very dry spring, but I wanted to put some context to the spring of 2021 and how it compares to other years.

For growers still considering their winter wheat variety options for fall 2021, there is a new mobile app they may want to check out. The WSU Variety Testing Program has just released a new mobile-friendly…

The 2020 crop tour season will soon be starting and provides opportunities to view field trials and interact with Washington State University personnel and others about cereal varieties and crop management practices.

Insect pests such as Hessian fly, Wireworms, Cereal Leaf Beetle, Aphids (especially the new Wheat Grass Aphid), Pea Weevils (pdf), and Cabbage Seedpod Weevils have the potential to severely impact crop yields and thus…

Young spring canola plants may fall prey to a variety of biotic and abiotic threats. Many biotic threats such as insects may be controlled by thorough scouting and timely management. Flea beetles are one such…

Unfortunately, 2021 is shaping up to be an unusually dry year with large portions of the Western U.S. experiencing drought. With approximately 37% of the area of cattle inventory experiencing drought as of April 13th…