W L

W
L
HEAT IFE
The official publication of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
CRP EXPLAINED
Examining what happened
in the last general sign-up
Also in this issue:
Wheat College is in session
Shuttling grain from train to train
Latin America meets Pacific Northwest
A Wheat Week that lasts until harvest
Washington Association of Wheat Growers
109 East First Avenue, Ritzville, WA 99169
Address Service Requested

W
WAWG MEMBERSHIP
(509) 659-0610 • (800) 598-6890
$125 per year
EDITOR
Trista Crossley • editor@wawg.org
(435) 260-8888
AD SALES MANAGER
Kevin Gaffney • KevinGaffney@mac.com
(509) 235-2715
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Devin Taylor • Trista Crossley
AD BILLING
Michelle Hennings • michelle@wawg.org
(509) 659-0610 • (800) 598-6890
CIRCULATION
Address changes, extra copies, subscriptions
Chauna Carlson • chauna@wawg.org
(509) 659-0610 • (800) 598-6890
Subscriptions are $50 per year
WAWG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Michelle Hennings
WAWG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT
Kevin Klein • Edwall
VICE PRESIDENT
Ben Adams • Coulee City
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Marci Green • Fairfield
PRESIDENT EMERITUS
Larry Cochran • Colfax
APPOINTED MEMBERS
Jeffrey Shawver • Connell
Ryan Poe • Hartline
Ben Barstow • Palouse
L
HEAT IFE
Volume 59 • Number 08
www.wheatlife.org
The official publication of
WASHINGTON
ASSOCIATION OF
WHEAT GROWERS
109 East First Avenue
Ritzville, WA 99169-2394
(509) 659-0610 • (800) 598-6890
Wheat Life (ISSN 0043-4701) is published by the
Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG):
109 E. First Avenue • Ritzville, WA 99169-2394
Eleven issues per year with a combined August/
September issue. Standard (A) postage paid at
Ritzville, Wash., and additional entry offices.
Contents of this publication may not be reprinted
without permission.
Advertising in Wheat Life does not indicate endorsement
of an organization, product or political
candidate by WAWG.
President’s Perspective
Where did all the farmers go?
By Kevin Klein
There has been a kernel of statistical information that
has stuck with me since reading the last issue of the Pacific
Northwest Direct Seed Association’s newsletter. In there
was a promo for the “License to Farm” documentary that
said, “When President Lincoln created the U.S. Department
of Agriculture in 1862, around 90 out of every 100
Americans were farmers. Today, that number has shrunk
to just 2 out of every 100 Americans.”
Being an active member of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers
(WAWG) is making me realize the importance of being aware of upcoming issues
within the wheat industry. Our excellent staff members at WAWG and the
Washington Grain Commission have pushed themselves to maintain quality
relationships with other ag stakeholders. As a result, there seems to be less drama
dealing with rising issues, and everyone is more willing to work together to find
resolutions. The 2018 Farm Bill has been one of the top issues we need to start
working on, figuring out what we, as wheat growers, need to keep or change in
the next go round. The importance of the Conservation Reserve Program and the
declining number of general sign-up acres is just one topic at the heart of the farm
bill issue as you will read on page 24.
Wheat farmers are an important part of the Washington state ag industry, but
I’d like to remind everyone that we continue to become more of a minority all the
time. Many nonagricultural eyes are watching and wondering what we are actually
doing. Our consumers are demanding more and more from us. Support your
wheat industry and help us battle the issues together.
For me, the three weeks before harvest is one of the busiest and draining times
of the year. How many more combine bearings do I change? Is all the other equipment
serviced and ready? Are the weeds under control? Is all the paperwork sufficiently
taken care of for another month? At first, it always seems I’ll have plenty of
time to get it all taken care of and maybe even have time to take my wife out on an
anniversary date before the combine hits the swath. Guess what. I ran out of time
again and will probably have to make up my anniversary dinner at a later date—
unless Mother Nature decides to help me out with a sizable shot of rain!
As farmers we are dependent on Mother Nature for our livelihood. I know the
cool July weather and rain have been a blessing for my spring wheat. Talking
with other farmers, I hear most crops have been on the outstanding side, which is
extremely nice, but of course, other challenges will follow (can anyone say wheat
price?). We will always face challenges, but I’d like to emphasize putting a little extra
care, time and effort into what we do because an ounce of prevention is worth
more than the hassle or added regulation that could follow.
Cover photo: As of mid-July, the wheat piles at Tri-Cities Grain in Pasco were well on their way to being
mountains. When full, one pile will hold between 1.2 and 1.4 million bushels of wheat. All photos are
Shutterstock images or taken by Wheat Life staff unless otherwise noted.
2 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WAWG President’s Perspective 2
Membership Form 4
WAWG at Work 6
Policy Matters 16
Contributors
Building a Foundation 22
Conservatively speaking
Where did all the general CRP acreage go? 24
A different perspective
Policy research with a side of facts 34
Wheat College
Uncovering the secrets of healthy soil 38
Profiles
Todd Scholz, USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council 46
WGC Chairman’s Column 53
WGC Review 54
It’s a small world after all
The PNW’s border with Latin America 58
A tale of (more than) two trains
A look at the new HighLine Grain facility 61
Breeders share honor
Co-chairs named to WSU endowed position 65
Triple threat
Barley possibilities bear watching 67
Wheat Watch 70
A continuing education
Wheat Week goes long 72
The Bottom Line 78
Your Wheat Life 80
Quoteworthy 82
Happenings 84
Advertiser Index 86
Kevin Klein, president, Washington Association of Wheat Growers
Mike Miller, chairman, Washington Grain Commission
Scott Yates, communications director, Washington Grain Commission
Kevin Gaffney, ad sales manager, Wheat Life
Lori Williams, outreach coordinator, Washington Association of
Wheat Growers
Inside This Issue
Rich Koenig, associate dean and director, Washington State
University Extension
Kevin Murphy, assistant professor, Washington State University
Mike Krueger, president and founder, The Money Tree
Tim Cobb, Hatley/Cobb Farmland Management
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 3

WAWG MEMBERSHIP FORM
Please check level of membership
Name
Student $75
Grower $125
Landlord $125
Family $200 (up to 2 members)
Farm or Business
Address
City
State
Phone
Email
County Affiliation (if none, write state)
Partnership $500
(up to 5 partners)
Convention $600
Lifetime $2,500
Return this form with your check to:
WAWG • 109 East First Ave. • Ritzville, WA 99169.
Or call 800-598-6890 and use your credit card to enroll by phone.
Zip
Fax
Circle all that apply:
Producer Landlord Individual Industry Rep. Business Owner Student Other
Thank you to our
current members
We fight every day to ensure that life on the
family farm continues to prosper and grow.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.
If you are not a member, please consider joining today.
LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP
Greensheet
Newsletter
Wheat Life
Magazine
National Wheat
Grower Newsletter
Annual Harvest
Prints
WAWG Convention
Free Registration
One Vote per
Member
Producer/Landowners (Voting Membership)
Grower or Landlord $125
X X X X
Family $200
(2 family members)
X X X X
Partnership $500
(1-5 family members)
X X X X X
Convention $600
(2 individuals)
X X X X X
Lifetime $2,500
(1 individual)
X X X X X
Non-Voting Membership
Student $75 X X X
WAWG’s current top priorities are:
✔ Fighting mandatory carbon emissions
regulations.
✔ Maintaining a safe and sound
transportation system that includes rail,
river and roads.
More member benefits:
• Greensheet ALERTS • WAWG updates
• Voice to WAWG through opinion surveys
• National Wheat Grower updates
• State and national legislative updates
✔ Preserving the ag tax preferences:
• Sales tax exemption on fertilizer and pesticides
• Ag wholesale B&O exemption
• Off-road fuel tax exemption
• Repair parts exemption
Washington state continues to look for more revenue,
and farmers’ tax exemptions are on the list. If these are important
to your operation, join today and help us fight.
Washington Association
of Wheat Growers
109 East First Ave. • Ritzville, WA 99169
509-659-0610 • 800-598-6890 • 509-659-4302 (fax)
www.wawg.org
Call 800-598-6890 or visit www.wawg.org

BLUE MEANS SUPERIOR
PRODUCTIVITY
THE RIGHT COMPACT DISC HARROW
FOR ALL APPLICATIONS
Financing available*
1.99% FOR 36 MONTHS
2.99% FOR 48 MONTHS
3.99% FOR 60 MONTHS
See your local LEMKEN dealer for terms and conditions
Heliodor 9
Rubin 9
Rubin 12
With the Heliodor 9, the Rubin 9 and the Rubin 12 LEMKEN offers a complete range of compact disc harrows. Disc diameters of 20“ on the Heliodor 9,
24.5“ on the Rubin 9, and 29“ on the Rubin 12 allow LEMKEN compact disc harrows to perform perfectly in applications from minimum tillage and seedbed
preparation to high residue primary tillage in only one pass. The aggressive dual cutting angle ensures that the whole soil profile is worked and an unrivaled
mixing intensity is achieved. Various rollers from LEMKEN’s wide range offer optimal crumbling, leveling and firming as well as precise depth control for different
soil and working conditions leaving your field ready to plant.
“The intensive mixing in combination with the good crumbling, levelling and
firming make the Rubin 9 a very versatile tool. I use it for primary tillage as well as
for seedbed preparation. The high working speed and the possibility to eliminate
passes save me a lot of time and money. It’s the most universal and best tillage
implement I’ve ever owned.“
Chad Egge,Egge Seed Nursery, Eugene, OR
“The Rubin 12 is the machine I was always looking for to handle high amounts of
crop residue. Before I owned this machine I had to disc and plow my field several
times when I was going corn after corn. Besides the very good incorporation the
Rubin 12 also leaves a levelled and uniform seedbed.”
Brent Hillman, Hillman Farms, Idaho Falls, ID
THE COMPACT-SOLITAIR DRILL COMBINATION –
PRECISION WITH HIGH EFFICIENCY
The Compact-Solitair is ideally suited for both intensive and minimum till
seeding. It combines great efficiency with optimum seedbed preparation
and can be com bined with a wide range of different soil cultivation
implements. Discover the many benefits of a one-pass Seed Drill Combination
yourself:
"I don’t have to disc my fields in the spring anymore because the
Compact-Solitair is doing everything in one pass. The firmness with the
additional steel roller is very impressive. The young plants always have
access to moisture. I can save about 10 % of my seed because of the perfect
germination conditions."
Brian Huettig, Huettig Farms, Hazelton, ID
■ Heliodor Compact Disc Harrow that mixes residue, crumbles the soil and brings
moisture to the seed horizon
■ Generously dimensioned wheels for optimum firming and precise depth control
■ Additional roller that pre-firms the seed rows for an optimum soil contact of the seed
mtvieweq.com
LEMKEN USA Contact:
Cord Diekmann 205-680-7015
Richard Johnson 208-715-0088
Mountain View Equipment
Contact: 800-769-1025
Kirk Oswalt 509-840-5475
northamerica.lemken.com

WAWG WORK
at
ADVOCATING FOR THE WHEAT FARMERS OF EASTERN WASHINGTON
Low commodity prices trigger
loan rates in some areas
Current low prices mean Washington’s grain farmers
may be eligible for a price support program available
through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm
Service Agency (FSA). Farmers need to sign a form at their
local FSA office before delivering their harvested crop to
a warehouse or buyer according to Washington State FSA
Executive Director Judy Olson.
The 2014 Farm Bill authorizes FSA to offer nonrecourse
marketing assistance loans (MALs) and loan deficiency
payments (LDPs) to farmers who raise certain crops. With
these marketing tools, farmers have interim financing
while raising the crops. The tools also allow farmers to
sell at a more opportune time than immediately following
harvest.
LDPs are direct payments made in lieu of a marketing
assistance loan. LDPs are available when local county
prices for a crop fall below an established county loan rate.
An LDP payment can be made based on the difference between
the prices. The amount can be significant depending
on the crop yield according to Olson. Farmers must fill
out an LDP Agreement and Request form with the FSA
prior to losing beneficial interest in a crop.
The following crops may be eligible for an LDP: barley,
canola, chickpeas, corn, crambe, dry peas, flaxseed,
grain sorghum, honey, lentils, mohair, mustard seed, oats,
rapeseed, safflower, sesame seeds, soybeans, sunflower,
unshorn pelts, wheat and wool.
“As farmers prepare for the 2016 crop harvest, crop
prices are continuing to fall particularly for hard red
winter wheat. Recently, the price of hard red winter wheat
was within five cents of the loan rate in several counties.
So it’s vital that farmers ensure they retain eligibility for a
Loan Deficiency Payment if a rate is announced between
harvest and selling their crops,” said Olson. “It has been
awhile since an LDP rate was in effect for crops grown in
our state. Many farmers may not be thinking about it during
the busy harvest season.”
LDP provisions are intended to minimize potential delivery,
storage, and related costs of agricultural commodities
to the government when prices fall and crops used as
QUIET BEFORE THE STORM. With harvest time just around the corner, Whitman County growers gathered in mid-July at Randy Suess’s house to socialize
and enjoy a meal.
6 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WL
WAWG AT WORK
loan collateral are forfeited to the
government.
You can check daily LDP rates for
your county by going to fsa.usda.
gov/programs-and-services/pricesupport/Index.
After selecting the
blue “Daily LDP Rate” link, you will
enter your state, county and the applicable
crop year.
New siphons
deliver water
to Odessa farmers
With the flip of a switch and the
raising of a gate, water from the
Columbia River poured through
newly built siphons to be delivered
to farmers growing potatoes, corn,
alfalfa, wheat and seed crops in the
rolling hills near Warden, Wash. The
new Lind Coulee Siphon complex is
part of a 10-year effort to bring surface
water to hundreds of deep-well
irrigators now relying on a declining
aquifer in the Odessa Subarea.
“Today beautifully illustrates
how together we can achieve water
solutions for farmers and growing
communities and benefit the natural
environment,” said Washington
State Department of Ecology
Director Maia Bellon. “Through
these siphons, we will deliver water
to farmers who need it; support a
$1.5 billion agricultural industry; put
good food on our tables; and protect
a precious aquifer that has dropped
by as much as 200 feet since 1980.”
The East Columbia Basin
Irrigation District (ECBID) oversaw
the construction of the two additional
siphons for the Lind Coulee
Siphon complex. The new siphons
run parallel to existing siphons first
built in the 1950s. The 14-foot-8-inch
diameter siphons, with 17-inch walls
of steel-reinforced concrete, stretch
Ten questions with Howard McDonald
1. What do you grow on your farm? Wheat
2. Is there a crop you’d like to grow, but can’t? No
3. What’s the biggest change on your farm that you’ve seen in your lifetime?
GPS
4. What is your favorite piece of equipment and why? I don’t have a favorite
as they are all important to farming.
5. What’s the oldest piece of equipment you have on your farm that you
still use? 1949 IHM Tractor
6. What’s the one piece of equipment or tool that you couldn’t do without?
Rock picker
7. What worry keeps you up at night in regards to farming? Rain. No Rain.
Money.
8. What’s the most important life lesson you’ve learned from farming. Be
patient.
9. What’s the most valuable piece of farming advice you’ve ever gotten?
Take care of the ground because there can’t be any more dirt made!
10. John Deere green or IH red? We mostly farm red, but we do have a little
green in the mix.
McDonald is the Washington Association of Wheat Growers state board representative
for Douglas County.
nearly 4,500 feet underground south of Interstate 90 as part of the Columbia
Basin Project. The $14.6-million project is part of the Odessa Groundwater
Replacement Program. The project builds on the widening of the East Low
Canal, also funded by the state, and the Weber Siphon complex constructed in
2009 with federal stimulus recovery money.
“This new siphon gives us the extra capacity needed to offer groundwater
farmers access to surface water along 31 miles of the widened canal,” said
ECBID District Manager Craig Simpson. “We can now tap into water from Lake
Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam and serve 17,700 acres of farmland under
a master water service contract we have with Reclamation.”
When the project is fully built out, federal surface water will be made available
to an additional 70,000 acres now using groundwater, providing relief to a
total of 87,700 agricultural acres. Eligible Odessa Subarea farmers will have their
state-issued groundwater rights put into reserve when they take delivery of the
irrigation project water and shut off their wells.
NASS begins collecting ARMS data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) is beginning to collect data from more than 100,000 farmers and
ranchers for its annual Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). The
survey looks at all aspects of U.S. agricultural production, including farm finan-
8 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

MAXIMIZE YOUR MICROS,
MAXIMIZE YOUR YIELD
VERSATILE ® products are chelated micronutrients, formulated with IDS chelate,
which is an efficient and effective chelating agent that biodegrades in the soil
and provides quick deficiency correction. All VERSATILE products also contain
EDTA to provide dual chelation.
ag.wilburellis.com
For information only. Not a label. Prior to use, always read and follow the product label directions.
WILBUR-ELLIS logo, Ideas to Grow With and VERSATILE are registered trademarks, and VERSATILE logo is a trademark of Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC. K-0716-772

WL
WAWG AT WORK
cial well being, chemical usage and
various farm characteristics.
In 2016, the survey will take a
closer look at corn production and
both organic and conventional milk
production in the U.S.
ARMS is a joint effort of NASS
and USDA’s Economic Research
Service. The information the agencies
obtain through the survey
influences national and state policymaking
decisions. In addition,
ARMS data is used to calculate the
farm sector portion of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). The survey
also collects detailed information
on production practices, costs and
returns for 13 principal commodities
on a rotating basis. The last time
ARMS focused on corn and dairy
was in 2010.
“The 2014 Farm Bill introduced
important changes in agricultural
policy, by expanding the range
of crop insurance options while
eliminating several commodity support
programs,” said Barbara Rater,
director of NASS Census and Survey
Division. “Data from the 2016 ARMS
will be used to assess the crop insurance
choices made by farmers, helping
policymakers better understand
the impact of crop insurance offerings
on farm production decisions
and financial outcomes.”
NASS is already working with
producers on the first phase of this
survey. The survey is conducted in
three phases from May 2016 through
April 2017. The current, first, phase
screens participants to make sure
they accurately represent the entire
U.S. farm sector. During the second
phase, NASS will collect information
on production practices and chemical
use for specific commodities. In
the final phase, NASS will survey
producers on cost of production,
farm income and production expenditures.
Where are program payments going?
Farmers can receive government farm program payments from three broad
categories of agricultural programs: commodity-related programs, workingland
conservation programs and land-retirement conservation programs. The
distribution of payments in each category varies by farm type.
In 2014, nearly 70 percent of commodity-related program payments went
to moderate-sales, midsize and large family farms, roughly proportional to
their 80-percent share of acres in program-eligible crops. Midsize and large
family farms together received about 60 percent of working-land payments
that help farmers adopt conservation practices on agricultural land in
production.
Land-retirement programs pay farmers to remove environmentally sensitive
land from production. Retirement, off-farm occupation and low-sales
farms received about three-fourths of these payments. Retired farmers and
older farmers on low-sales farms may be more likely to take land out of
production as they scale back their operations. Although government farm
program payments can be important to the farms receiving them, 75 percent
of farms in 2014 received no government payments.
(This data summarizes payments made in 2014. The Farm Act that was passed
in 2014 introduced changes to commodity programs as part of a shift to greater
reliance on crop insurance; most of those changes will be reflected in the source
data beginning in 2015. Nevertheless, who receives particular government payments
will continue to reflect farm and operator characteristics.)
10 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

Programmed
For Profit...
Planting seed of unknown quality or
origin can be costly. You could end
up with a crop that bears little resemblance
to the variety you intended to
grow. Perhaps worse, you might plant
seed that emerges poorly or is infested
with noxious weeds like goatgrass or
wild oats.
To be sure you’re buying quality seed,
you need to know its identity, purity
and germination potential. That’s what
the Certified Seed tag is all about.
The blue tag tells you that the seed
you’re buying is only two generations
removed from the breeder’s original
seed, and that it has gone through a
rigorous program of field inspection,
special harvesting and conditioning
procedures, and laboratory testing to
confirm its purity and high germination
potential. Plus, each lot of Certified
Seed is backed by an official analysis
from the Washington State Department
of Agriculture Seed Lab.
This fall, go for the quality that comes
with the blue. For the names of the Certified
Seed dealers in your area, Call us
at 509-334-0461.
Always Plant Certified Seed
Guaranteed Quality Cleaner Fields Higher Yields
Washington State Crop
Improvement Association, Inc.
2575 N.E. Hopkins Court, Pullman, WA 99163
509-334-0461
www.washingtoncrop.com

WL
WAWG AT WORK
“We strongly encourage every producer contacted for
ARMS to participate, as their response represents not just
their own farm, but many other similar operations across
the country,” added Rater. “To make responding as convenient
as possible, the survey can be completed online at
agcounts.usda.gov, and NASS representatives are available
by phone. Producers can also complete and mail the paper
form.”
NAWG, Foundation
celebrate legacy and building
Thirty-eight years ago, National Association of Wheat
Growers (NAWG) President Glenn Moore was nearing the
end of his tenure when he realized that the way to ensure
NAWG’s continuing influence as a commodity organization
in Washington, D.C., was to purchase a building and
build NAWG’s visibility.
In July, NAWG and the National Wheat Foundation
(NWF) celebrated the paying off of the mortgage on the
building purchased nearly forty years ago. Moore’s inspiring
vision for the future of NAWG and NWF led to the
investment in the building, and his huge bargain has manifested
itself in wheat’s stable position as the third largest
commodity in the country with an ambitious and active
agenda. After consulting with the state organizations, and
some minor setbacks, NAWG and NWF settled on 2nd
Street in Capitol Hill to continue their advocacy work for
wheat growers across the country.
With the Foundation newly created, a project was needed
to bolster public attention for the new organization,
and they began working with universities and private
industries to promote and continue important research for
wheat. With DuPont, Union Carbide and the Rockefeller
Foundation involved in the National Wheat Foundation’s
agenda, NAWG and NWF were considered to be the most
influential commodity organization in Washington, D.C.
Their work is now continued in the areas of trade policy,
environmental regulation, research and technology and
the industry projects of the National Wheat Foundation.
With the backing of the National Wheat Foundation,
NAWG is positioning itself to go into the creation of the
next farm bill with the needs and priorities of U.S. wheat
growers at the forefront of its drive to protect wheat growers
and provide them with the tools to continue wheat’s
legacy as an influential and successful commodity.
12 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

Go ahead,
lay your eggs.
Make my day.
Protect stored grains from insect infestations.
From silos and grain elevators to warehouses and storage bins,
Diacon ® IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) goes where stored product
insects go to provide long-term control and profit protection.
Diacon ® IGR is insect tested and stored food product sound. It’s
available in two formulations – Diacon ® IGR, a versatile liquid, or
Diacon ® -D IGR, a convenient dry formulation – that can meet your
varying needs when preventing stored product infestations.
Call 800.248.7763 or visit bugfreegrains.com to learn more.
Insect ID Web App identifies stored grain insects! Try it now at www.grainbugs.com.
We went from 20% IDK, to zero.
FRANK RIEDL, Great Bend Coop
Listen to what our customers
are saying at bugfreegrains.com
Always read and follow label directions. Diacon and Diacon with design are trademarks of Wellmark International.
©2015 Wellmark International.

Register
online at
wawg.org
2016
States
without
borders
Tri-State
GRAIN
GROWERS
CONVENTION
Held at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, ID
Early bird
deadline is
Oct. 9!
Sessions and speakers include:
Captain Charlie Plumb, Tough
Choices in Challenging Times. As
a farm kid from Kansas, Charlie
Plumb fantasized about airplanes.
Code named “Plumber”, he
completed Navy Flight Training
and flew the first adversarial
flights of what is currently known
as “TOP GUN”. On his 75th combat
mission over North Vietnam, Plumb was shot down over Hanoi, taken
prisoner, tortured, and spent the next 2,103 days as a Prisoner of War.
Plumb will take you on a journey of how lessons learned as a POW can help
you make Tough Choices in Challenging Times.
Bryce Anderson,
After El Niño,
Now What?
Bryce Anderson
has brought
indepth
analysis and forecasts on
agricultural weather and market
impact to DTN readers in the U.S.
and worldwide for more than 20
years.
Other break-out sessions Include:
• Trans-Pacific Partnership
• Farm Bill 2018
• Voluntary conservation efforts
• Influences and forecasts of the
U.S. beer and barley industries
• Herbicide efficacy
John Phipps, What
Could Possibly Go
Right?: Agriculture
is doomed. Or
maybe not. With
anecdotes, new
research and logic, John Phipps
will make the case that farmers are
ready and capable of prospering in
whatever future comes. Phipps will
also serve as the 2016 emcee.
• Understanding and explaining
GMOs to the public
• Tax strategy and challenges for
beginning and retiring farmers
• Crop insurance panel
• Election implications analysis
The Coeur d’Alene Resort
invites you to enjoy beautiful
lakeside surroundings,
luxury amenities and a
service staff second to none
during the convention.
Book your room by calling
(800) 688-5253 or using
the link at wawg.org under
the convention tab.
AUCTION and DINNER: Silent and live auctions will
be held Friday, Nov 11, at 6 p.m. Social hour starts at 5:30
p.m. Donation forms can be found at wawg.org. The 2016
Tri-State Convention auctioneer is Tanner Beymer of
Beymer & Co Auctions.
Benefits of attending
Convention:
• Networking opportunities
with fellow growers and
industry professionals.
• Learn from leading experts
addressing ag policy,
technologies, markets, etc..
• Set organization policy.
• Celebrate our industry and
more!
November 9-12, 2016
For more information call (800) 598-6890 • Online registration and convention schedule is available at wawg.org

2016 Convention Registration
Farm or Business Name ________________________________________________________________________
Name __________________________________________Spouse ___________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________________________________________________
City ____________________________ State _________ Zip ___________ Phone Number __________________
Email _____________________________________ State Affiliation (circle) WAWG OWGL IGPA
FULL REGISTRATION (includes meals)
#ATTENDING
AMOUNT
Regular Registration ______x $210 = $________
Spouse Registration ______x $210 = $________
After 10/9/16 ______x $250 = $________
Non-Member ______x $320 = $________
*Note: FULL Convention Registration includes Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday meetings and all meals.
SINGLE DAY REGISTRATION
Single Day ______x $150 = $________Thursday, Friday
Single Day ______x $100 = $________Saturday
Non-Member Single Day ______x $200 = $________Thursday, Friday, Saturday
dINNER & aUCTION - hEADS & tAILS **auction fundraiser**
______x $10 per person = $________
ADDITIONAL meal tickets *available only with a full registration
___Individual Breakfast ______x $30 = $________
___Individual Lunch ______x $45 = $________
___State Banquet ______x $50 = $________
___Dinner & Auction ______x $70 = $________
Please Indicate Which Meals you will be attending (for head count purposes):
___National Organization ___Oregon Banquet (Thurs) ___Luncheon - Cpt. Charlie Plumb (Friday)
Update Breakfast (Thurs) ___Washington Banquet (Thurs) ___Dinner & Auction (Friday)
___Tri-State Luncheon (Thurs) ___Idaho Banquet (Thurs) ___Breakfast - Bryce Anderson (Saturday)
___Opening Breakfast - John Phipps (Friday)
Please Indicate All that apply:
___Speaker ___Committee Chairperson ___Past Washington Wheat Commissioner
___Exhibitor ___Idaho Wheat Commissioner ___Past Washington Barley Commissioner
___Sponsor ___Idaho Barley Commissioner ___Wheat Foundation
___Past President ___Oregon Wheat Commissioner ___First Time Attendee
___State Officer ___Washington Grain Commissioner ___15x40 Attendee
___County President ___Past Idaho Wheat Commissioner ___WA Lifetime Member
___Board Member
___Past Idaho Barley Commissioner
___Executive Committee ___Past Oregon Wheat Commissioner
Payment Information
**Please make your check payable to WAWG
_________Check _________Visa _________MasterCard Total Paid $_________________________
Card #____________________________________________________________________________ Exp. __________________________________
Name on Card __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
REGISTER ONLINE at www.wawg.org
or mail/fax to 109 E. 1st Ave, Ritzville WA 99169 • 509-659-4302
For Questions call 509-659-0610

POLICY MATTERS
HRW: To split or not to split;
WAWG asks the question
By Lori Williams
WAWG Outreach Coordinator
One issue currently being discussed by the Washington
Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) leadership team
is submitting a formal request to the Risk Management
Agency (RMA) to recognize hard red wheat (HRW) as a
separate class for crop insurance purposes.
Crop insurance is a critical risk management tool for
wheat producers. According to the RMA, 90 percent of
Washington planted wheat acres were enrolled in 2015
crop insurance programs. The agency currently has three
methods of calculating crop insurance payments on
wheat: winter, spring and organic.
Some of our county wheat grower associations increasingly
support separating soft white wheat (SWW) and
HRW in RMA’s crop insurance pricing structure. On average,
hard red winter makes up approximately 10 percent
of Washington’s planted wheat acres. See chart for the full
breakout of wheat percentages by class.
Analysis by WAWG, with data provided by U.S. Wheat
Associates, shows that over the past 10 years, HRW wheat
has averaged a higher price than SWW. When looking at
Portland prices over the course of a marketing year, HRW
averages about $.53 higher. This is based on data comparing
unspecified SWW and 11.5 protein for HRW.
Rick Williams and Ben Thiel from RMA’s Spokane office
called in to talk to growers at WAWG’s June board meeting.
They explained that HRW is a publicly traded commodity
and a structure is in place for it to be priced off of
the Kansas City Exchange.
However, a
Total Washington planted acres
in 2015 were 2,245,000
Winter wheat Spring wheat Total
Soft white 63% 17% 80%
Hard white 0.7% 0.3% 1%
Hard red 10% 9% 19%
Source: NASS
request could be put forth to include a Portland basis
adjustment, similar to the SWW structure. SWW would
continue to be priced off of the Chicago Board of Trade
with a basis adjustment. If implemented, there would be
no opt-out option.
It is important to note that our analysis was for a full
marketing year based on Portland prices, and RMA has
not completed a full analysis of a potential HRW structure.
This process would begin with a formal request with
intent to implement a new program.
Some of the potential impacts of this are:
• Risk Pool. If classes are separated, the risk profile may
change, affecting premium costs. The county t-yield
may need to reflect the difference in actuary tables.
As per RMA, the coverage would remain at up to 85
percent.
• Recertification of acres and production. Insurance
agents would need to recode SWW growers in the system.
Growers who grow both SWW and HRW would
need to split out SWW/HRW 10-year acre and production
history.
Based on conversations with RMA, if these classes are
separated, impacts to SWW growers are minimal. The impacts
on HRW growers are a potential change in the risk
profile, but could result in more accurately priced wheat as
long as HRW maintains a price advantage over SWW.
WAWG leadership has asked board members to take
this issue back to their counties and solicit feedback.
Growers can also contact the WAWG
office at (509) 659-0610 to leave
feedback. This issue is expected to
be voted on at the Sept. 13 board
meeting. If WAWG decides to pursue
this, the next step would be to
submit a formal request to RMA.
16 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

Seeding and Tillage
Equipment
Turbo-Max ® With
New Turbo-Seeder TM
Vertical Tillage & Seeding In One Pass!
• Easy to Install Seeding Attachment to Turbo-Max
• Plant Cover Crops And Small Grains
• Available For 2400, 3000, and 3500 Turbo-Max
• Includes Ladder and Walkboard For Safe Access
NEW!
Max-Chisel TM Excellent Seedbed Prep
Nutri-Pro ® Systems Precision Application
7000 Series Disk Harrow
1006NT No-Till Compact Drill
3S-4010 HD No-Till Drill
3P-3025AH 30’ Stack-Fold Planter
16 Bar Flex Harrow
3S-5000 HD 50’ Min-Till Drill
Introducing the New X-PRESS TM
Compact Disc Harrow
• Adjustable Disc Angle
• High Speed Shallow Cultivation
• Has Finishing Packing System
• Trailed or Mounted Models
For these implements and many more, contact your local Great Plains dealer.
FARM & HOME SUPPLY
Pomeroy, WA — 509-843-3395
WALTER IMPLEMENT, INC.
Odessa, WA — 509-982-2644
WASHINGTON TRACTOR, INC.
Quincy, WA — 509-787-4553
CENTRAL MACHINERY SALES
Moses Lake, WA — 509-765-1257
FARM EQUIPMENT HEADQUARTERS
Pendleton, OR — 541-276-6222
CENTRAL MACHINERY SALES
Pasco, WA — 509-547-8920
WASHINGTON TRACTOR, INC.
Yakima, WA — 509-452-2880
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
Wasco, OR — 800-824-7185
WASHINGTON TRACTOR, INC.
Ellensburg, WA — 509-962-6801
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
Lexington, OR — 800-452-7396
CENTRAL MACHINERY SALES
Sunnyside, WA — 509-837-3833
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 17

WL
POLICY MATTERS
GMO labeling bill heading
to President’s desk for signing
From NAWG
In mid-July, the U.S. House passed the GMO labeling
agreement designed by Senate Agriculture Committee
Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.)
and Ranking Member Debbie
Stabenow (D-Mich.) by a vote of
306-117. The Senate had passed
the bill a week earlier by a vote of
63 to 30. As of press time, the bill
was waiting for President Obama’s
signature.
In 2014, President Obama wrote
to Julie Borlaug, granddaughter
of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient
and notable wheat researcher,
Norman Borlaug, publicly stating
his support for biotechnology and
his belief, shared with Norman
Borlaug, that biotech will be part of
the solution to the planet’s agricultural
programs. The National
Association of Wheat Growers
(NAWG) encourages President
Obama to stand by his statement
by signing this important bill into
law and creating real progress in
achieving public acceptance of
biotechnology.
This bill is a crucial step forward
in informing customers about a
safe and sustainable technology
Senate Agriculture
Committee Chairman Pat
Roberts (R-Kan.)
Ranking Member of
the Senate Agriculture
Committee Debbie
Stabenow (D-Mich.)
that ensures access to affordable food for consumers. The
labeling options allowed in this law will encourage public
acceptance of this reliable technology, while preempting
the state-by-state patchwork that Vermont’s law, alongside
other potential future state laws, could cause. This technology,
which has been proven safe for human consumption,
is one of the most reliable ways forward in assuring global
food security and access to sustainably produced food.
“We applaud the House’s action in clearing this bill and
sending it to President Obama,” said NAWG President
Gordon Stoner. “We urge him to see that this bill will inform
consumers about the technologies which make their
food safe and affordable, and we hope that he will sign it
immediately. It is crucial that American consumers receive
clear and simple information about their food, so that they
will see the benefit of these technologies that supply safe,
sustainably-produced food.”
EPA, Interior appropriations
bill passed by U.S. House
From NAWG
The U.S. House recently approved legislation funding
the Department of the Interior, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and other related agencies,
providing a total of $32 billion, which is $64 million below
the FY16 enacted level and $1 billion below the President’s
request.
The EPA’s funding is provided at $7.98 billion, which is
$165 million below FY16 enacted level and $291 million
below the President’s request. Included in this bill is a prohibition
implementing the Administration’s recent changes
to the definition of waters of the U.S. under the “Clean
Water Act.” The bill also delays changes to the listing
status of the sage grouse under the Endangered Species
Act. During floor consideration, the House passed an
amendment to raise the threshold for farm oil storage that
is subject to Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure
requirements. The provision would increase the single,
above-ground container storage to 10,000 gallons and
increase the aggregate level to 42,000 gallons. The National
Association of Wheat Growers supports the inclusion of
these policy provisions in the annual funding bill.
Newhouse introduces
regulatory certainty bill
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) recently introduced
bipartisan legislation that protects agricultural operations
from rules intended to govern
solid wastes in landfills. The legislation
also protects farmers from
lawsuits if those farmers are working
to comply with federal orders.
“As a farmer myself, I know
how seriously farmers take our
responsibility to be good stewards,”
Newhouse said. “The goal
of environmental rules should be
to assist agriculture producers to
improve nutrient management and
Rep. Dan Newhouse
(R-Wash.)
reduce their environmental footprint, not subject them to
lawsuits and put them out of business. It is unfair for agri-
18 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

YIELD POTENTIAL
TEST WEIGHT • PROTEIN
MILLING/BAKING QUALITY
STANDABILITY • YELLOW (STRIPE)
RUST • MATURITY • PLANT HEIGHT
TAN SPOT • LEAF RUST • BARLEY YELLOW DWARF
Bred for You
Talk to your local seed supplier
for more information, or find a
supplier at WestBred.com
Monsanto and Vine Design ® , WestBred and Design ® and WestBred ® are registered trademarks of Monsanto
Technology, LLC. The UNIQUE CLEARFIELD SYMBOL and CLEARFIELD are trademarks of BASF.
All Rights Reserved. ©2016 Monsanto Company. MWEST-16039-WL-070116

WL
POLICY MATTERS
cultural nutrients to be exempt from
a law, then have a court find farmers
at fault for noncompliance with the
law. Farmers need certainty to what
rules apply to them. Complying
with appropriate federal regulations
should never be a guessing game
that results in increased liability,
especially when many farmers are
taking proactive, voluntary steps to
manage land and water quality.”
HR 5685, the Farm Regulatory
Certainty Act, comes after environmental
activists filed a lawsuit
against several Washington state
dairies, saying manure nitrates are a
solid waste and should be regulated
using the Resources Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976,
which is intended to govern landfills
and to prevent the open dumping of
solid wastes. In 2015, a federal judge
in Spokane, Wash., found in favor of
the activists.
HR 5685 would:
• Reaffirm and clarify congressional
intent regarding the inappropriateness
of subjecting agricultural
byproducts to RCRA;
• Codify the Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations
regarding the treatment
of agricultural byproducts under
RCRA; and
• Prevent farmers who are already
engaged in legal action or are
making a diligent attempt to
work with the state or federal
government to address nutrient
management issues from being
targeted by citizen suits.
Are you receiving
your ALERT?
With their annual membership,
Washington Association of Wheat
Growers members can receive industry
updates through the weekly
digital Greensheet ALERT via email. If you are not receiving this ALERT, there
are two possible problems. Either we don’t have your current email address
on file, or our ALERT is going into your spam folder. Please check your email’s
spam folder for the ALERT and unspam it. You can also call our office at (509)
659-0610 to make sure we have your current email address.
How are we doing?
Like something you read in Wheat Life? Disagree with something you read in
Wheat Life? Email your comments to editor@wawg.org or mail them to 109 East
First Avenue, Ritzville, Wash., 99169-2394. Please keep submissions less than 350
words. Submissions may be edited for length.
Farm, Ranch, Crop & Agribusiness
Nobody protects the Pacific Northwest better.
We know that every farm and ranch is unique, so we
develop customized insurance and risk solutions
that fit your needs.
Farm,
Crop & Ranch
Risk Management
Employee Benefits
Call one of our advisors today.
www.hubnw.com | 844.632.5136
#LetsDoSomething
20 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

UNLEASH THE POWER
OF AN AVALANCHE!
Brent® Avalanche® grain carts have set powerful standards for unloading
speed, convenience, capacity and durability since 1998. That ongoing
commitment continues with the 96 series.
• Capacities of 2,000, 1,500, 1,300 and 1,100 bushels
• Unloading speed up to 1,000 bushels per minute
• Pivoting unloading auger with more than 5’ height adjustability;
up to 8’11” extendable reach
• Remote control auger raise/lower; pivot up/down; downspout
left/right and front/rear for precise grain movement
Put the harvesting efficiency power of an Avalanche grain cart to work
in your operation. See your nearest Brent dealer today for complete
details on all the 96 series models; visit the website at brentequip.com
or call 1-800-322-6301.
Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc. • P.O. Box 357 • Kalida, OH 45853 • 419.532.3121 • 1-800-322-6301

BUILDING A FOUNDATION
JUNE SHOOT RESULTS
With a beautiful day, a challenging course and a scenic backdrop, this year’s June Shoot
proved to be a great success. The annual event, held at Landt Farms in Nine Mile Falls,
Wash., utilizes the newest equipment available and offers a variety of exciting shooting
games for shooters of all levels including beginners up through expert shooters.
The shoot is organized and run by Foundation trustee and Lincoln County attorney Rusty
McGuire. Not only does McGuire head the event, he is a competitor in the sporting clays
course contest, this year shooting an 80 and placing second to Terry Utecht who won with a
score of 86. “With 21 shooters and the course in great shape, it was an awesome event. Food
was served by Longhorn BBQ so you knew that it was going to be good,” McGuire said. The
shoot raises funds for the Foundation, which go towards grants, scholarships and education.
The Foundation would like to extend their appreciation and support to the following sponsors:
Longhorn BBQ, Walla Walla County Association of Wheat Growers, Clifton Larson
Allen LLP, and Carpenter, McGuire & DeWulf PS.
FOUNDATION FACELIFT
The Foundation will soon unveil a new look with a fresh a new logo to go along with our
educational campaign, Let’s Grow Together (LGT). With more and more followers frequenting
the LGT blog, an updated look is just
what the website needs to convey our
PMS 139
message to consumers and producers
alike. Visit wawheat.org to check for the
new updated logo, learn more about the
PMS 114
Foundation and find ways that you can contribute. Don’t forget to visit the blog at
letsgrowtogether.ws and share the informational articles and links to help promote the
wheat and small grains industry.
HARVEST CLASSIC GOLF TOURNAMENT
As the Foundation makes plans for the annual Harvest Classic Golf Tournament at Palouse
Ridge Golf Course at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., we are on the look out
for participants and sponsors. Carved into the rolling hills, Palouse Ridge Golf Club boasts
a 7,308-yard layout and showcases the best that Pullman has to offer. With lunch and dinner
included and prizes along the course and at the conclusion of the tournament, the event
PMS BLACK
provides a great time for golfers of all levels. Visit the Foundation website or contact event
organizer Ric Wesselman for sponsorship and entry forms.
AMBASSADOR UPDATE
The 2013 Washington Wheat Ambassador and Oklahoma State University senior JD
Rosman is currently working at the American Angus Association in Saint Joseph, Mo., as the
Angus Media Communications intern. He assists with print stories, television scripts, photography,
videography, graphic design and engages in all facets of Angus communications
including coverage of the recent National Junior Angus Show in Grand Island, Neb., where
he was also the recipient of the Angus Gold Award and the Western States National Junior
Angus Scholarship.
LET’S GROW TOGETHER UPDATE
New public service announcements will be hitting the airwaves soon, covering topics such
as precision agriculture, high-tech wheat farming and science and technology in modern
farming practices. Spread the word. For more information, visit letsgrowtogether.ws.
Working to advance the
small grains industry
by building support for
programs and activities
that increase public
awareness of farming.
Calendar:
Washington Wheat
Foundation Meeting
August 29, at the
Wheat Foundation
building in Ritzville.
Harvest Classic Golf
Tournament Sept. 8
at Palouse Ridge in
Pullman.
Reminders:
• Like the National
Wheat Foundation
Facebook page.
Keep up with
wheat industry
news, foundation
updates and links to
informative articles.
• Remember the
Foundation in your
charitable giving. Go
to wawheat.org to find
out more about ways
that you can support
your industry.
• Visit and share the
new “Let’s Grow
Together” blog and
Facebook page.
Washington Wheat Foundation: P.O. Box 252, Ritzville, WA 99169 • (509) 659-1987 • wawheat.org
22 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WASHINGTON WHEAT AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
There’s more to
farming
than sitting on a tractor.
We help build leaders.
High school seniors apply today.
www.wawg.org/washington-wheat-ambassador-program
509-659-0610
Deadline: October 15, 2016
This is a program of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers
Contributions made in part by the Washington Wheat Foundation

WL
FEATURE
Conservatively speaking
THE LATEST CRP GENERAL SIGN-UP SAW A 40 PERCENT DROP
IN WASHINGTON STATE’S ACCEPTANCE RATE. WHAT HAPPENED?
By Trista Crossley
24 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

FEATURE WL
For some Eastern Washington
producers, the latest conservation
sign-up left them holding
dust instead of a new contract.
In the past few years, Washington
state has averaged a Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) acceptance
rate of about 90 percent, but for the
2016 general sign-up, that rate plummeted
to approximately 50 percent.
In fact, several counties had no acres
accepted. The pain was felt across
the U.S., where the average acceptance
rate was 23 percent. According
to the Farm Service Agency (FSA),
which administers CRP, Washington
state had the highest number of
acres accepted at 116,000. The next
highest state was Colorado with
48,000 acres accepted.
“I think there are areas in the state
that have natural resource concerns
and need CRP in their business
plan,” said Nicole Berg, Washington
Association of Wheat Growers’
Natural Resource Committee chair.
“So when a county doesn’t get
anything in CRP, especially when
it’s land that’s been in CRP before, I
think we really need to take a step
back at the state level and figure out
a way to get this conservation tool
back into those farmers’ toolboxes.”
For Berg, one of her biggest concerns
is land that is highly erodible
and hard to grow crops on didn’t get
accepted into the program.
“CRP did a lot for air and water
quality and to take that tool
away is not in the best interests of
Washington state,” she explained.
“That those lands didn’t get back in
with a resource issue like that gives
me great concern.”
CRP was signed into law in 1985
by President Reagan. Under CRP,
producers agree to remove environmentally
sensitive land from
production and plant species that
will improve air, water and/or wildlife
habitat quality in exchange for a
General CRP Sign-up 49 results for Washington state
Offers Acres Offers Acres Percentage of
County received offered accepted accepted offers accepted
Adams 256 33,153.60 181 22,134.73 70.7%
Asotin 9 2,243.90 0 0.00 0.0%
Benton 131 22,236.70 30 2,619.49 22.9%
Columbia 56 8,661.60 29 7,422.01 51.8%
Douglas 1/
Franklin 89 15,642.50 64 9,849.75 71.9%
Garfield 52 5,187.30 16 1,310.28 30.8%
Grant 156 23,317.10 89 11,997.97 57.1%
Kittitas 1/
Klickitat 43 6,387.40 10 1,483.88 23.3%
Lincoln 432 50,160.10 274 32,954.89 63.4%
Spokane 55 2,791.10 0 0.00 0.0%
Stevens 1/
Walla Walla 43 10,890.00 16 4,654.55 37.2%
Whitman 208 39,556.60 61 15,541.76 29.3%
Yakima 30 6,325.10 12 3,050.43 40.0%
Total 1569 227,074.80 785 113,232.34 50.0%
1/ Data not reported due to 5 or fewer offers.
Source: Farm Service Agency
yearly payment. In order to qualify to even apply for a CRP contract, a producer
must have owned the land for at least 12 months (except in cases of a death or
foreclosure), and there must be a cropping history for the land. CRP contracts
are generally 10 to 15 years in length, and there are two kinds of sign-ups: general
and continuous.
“We put everything in CRP into a practice,” explained Rod Hamilton, farm
program chief for Washington State FSA. “General sign-up practices are generally
designed for big acreages, like whole fields. Continuous sign-up practices
are very narrowly defined, such as riparian buffers, grass waterways,
etc. Typically in Washington state, the average general sign-up practice might
be 150 acres. Average continuous sign-up practice might be eight or 10 acres.
Continuous sign-ups are almost always smaller, and they are very targeted to
more environmentally sensitive areas and issues.”
General sign-ups are held no more than once a year (and may even skip
years), while producers can enroll continuous acres at anytime. Producers can
have both types of CRP on their farm at the same time, but as Hamilton said,
“…a given acre is either in one or the other.” In the last few years, FSA has seen a
record number of acres enrolled in the continuous sign-up.
The main reason for the dramatic decrease in accepted general acres in 2016
began back in the 2014 Farm Bill where Congress directed the FSA to lower
the total number of CRP acres from 32 million to 24 million by fiscal year 2017.
Keira Franz, the National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) environmental
policy advisor, explained that at that time, wheat prices were significantly
higher than today’s prices and enrollment in CRP was dropping as farmers put
more land back into production. Funding for the farm bill’s overall conservation
title was cut by almost $4 billion with CRP taking one of the biggest hits.
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 25

WL
FEATURE
Farm bill conservation programs by type
(2002, 2008 and 2014 Farm Bills)
“That’s what we are running up against. FSA can’t have any more than 24
million acres enrolled in the program,” she said, adding that CRP is essentially
a land retirement program competing for funds against working land programs
such as the Conservation Stewardship Program or the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program. “There’s a debate over what type of program should the
government fund. Should it provide assistance to growers who are producing a
crop or not producing a crop?”
With the FY2017 deadline approaching and the number of continuously
signed-up acres rising, there were concerns FSA wouldn’t be able to meet that
deadline.
“I think as a consequence, even though we expected this to be a very competitive
sign-up with a pretty low acceptance rate, in the end, the national office
accepted even fewer offers than they may have anticipated because they saw so
much acreage going out the door for continuous acres,” Hamilton said. “I honestly
don’t think in the 30 years of CRP we’ve had anywhere even close to this
low of an acceptance rate in general CRP.”
Acreage set aside for initiatives was another factor in the 2016 general sign-up.
In recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has created special programs
that target specific issues and include specific practices, such as highly
erodible land, pollinator habitat and wildlife enhancement. The shrub-steppe
SAFE (State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement) in Lincoln, Grant and Okanogan
counties and the ferruginous hawk SAFE in Adams, Benton and Franklin
counties are examples of initiatives that target the preservation of Eastern
Washington’s shrub steppe habitat. Each initiative has a set amount of acreage
allotted to it, and sign-ups are continuous. Those allotments, whether they have
been used or not, are counted against CRP’s 24 million acre cap.
“In Washington (D.C.), when they are looking at all their acreage and staying
under the 24 million acres, even though we haven’t enrolled every one of those
initiative acres, they are assuming we are going to,” Hamilton said.
In order for land to be eligible to apply in a general CRP sign-up, it has to meet
one of three criteria:
• It is expiring CRP;
A silver lining?
From the beginning, producers
have used the Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) as a way
to retire, enrolling whole farms
into the program rather than selling
or leasing the land. Many of
those producers have since died,
and the nonfarming heirs are
faced with a big decision: what
to do with farmland that is no
longer eligible for CRP?
Rod Hamilton, farm program
chief for Washington State Farm
Service Agency (FSA), has a suggestion—take
a look at the TIP
program.
TIP, or Transition Incentives
Program, offers two additional
yearly CRP payments to landowners
who sell or rent land to a
beginning farmer or rancher or
to some one who is a member of
a socially disadvantaged group.
New landowners or renters must
return the land to production using
sustainable grazing or farming
methods. The biggest catch,
however, is finding a beginning
or social disadvantaged producer
who fits FSA’s criteria. To
help make things a little easier,
Hamilton said county FSA offices
will take down names of landowners
who are looking for a
renter or renters looking for land,
and with their permission, make
that information available.
• It is classified as highly erodible;
or
• It is in a Conservation Priority
Area (CPA).
Washington state’s CPA, which
is based on air quality and keeping
very fine, dusty soil on the
ground, played a big role in what
acres were or weren’t accepted this
26 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

CropScan
3000H
On Combine
Protein Analyzer
On the go protein, oil and
moisture analysis
with real time
field mapping
Real-time protein field maps
Protein, oil and moisture data is
collected every 7-12 seconds
Segregate or blend grain on the go
or in your grain bins
Increase yield and quality of future
crops using variable rate
fertilization
The CropScan 3000H On Combine Quality Analyzer provides
farmers with a cost effective instrument for measuring protein,
moisture, oil and starch in grains and oil seeds. Using near
infrared technology mounted on the combine, the CropScan
3000H provides accurate protein and moisture data for wheat
and barley. Canola is analyzed for protein, moisture and oil.
Yield
Protein
How much profit are you
leaving in your fields?
Use in conjunction with yield maps
to validate yield or fertilizer goals
Gain an understanding of the
variability of the soil and crop
production in your fields
TRIANGLE
AG - SERVICES
triangleag.com 406-622-3887
Jones Truck & Implement
3002 E Second St.
The Dalles OR 97058
541-298-6277
Brady, MT
2015 Winter Wheat
Jones Truck & Implement
425 Walla Walla Hwy.
Colfax WA 99111
509-397-4371
www.CropScanAg.com
www.CropScanAg.com
12.5 % Protein
Winter wheat grain with protein
less than 12.5% is associated
with nitrogen deficiency
(Montana State University, Fertilizer
Facts 34)
Jones Truck & Implement
304 N Ninth Avenue
Walla Walla WA 99362
509-525-6620

WL
FEATURE
year. Originally, CPAs could include up to 33
percent of a state’s cropland, but the national
FSA office cut that down to no more than 25
percent as a way to try to meet the 24 million
acre CRP cap. That meant Washington had
to cut its CPA from 2.65 million acres to 2.03
million acres, a reduction of approximately
620,000 acres. States were also hamstrung by
FSA’s requirement that CPAs follow defined
boundaries in their GIS system, namely watershed
boundaries.
Washington’s CPA lies in much of the
Columbia Basin where these soils, called
PM10 soils, are found in high concentrations.
Because the Basin is generally flat, much of
it isn’t classified as highly erodible, so using
an air quality CPA was a way FSA was able
to enroll that land into CRP. According to
Hamilton, as the state office started to consider
how to shrink Washington’s CPA while
following defined boundaries, it solicited
input from stakeholder groups. The general
advice was to keep the focus on improving
air quality. Some of the places that FSA
trimmed out of the CPA were watersheds
that held mostly irrigated cropland; watersheds
where most of the acreage qualified for
a SAFE or one of the other initiatives; areas
where the land was productive enough that
general CRP enrollment was historically low;
and areas where, if a dust event happened,
it wouldn’t affect more densely populated
areas.
John Christensen, Tri-Cities area
John Christensen has a 1,000-acre-sized dilemma that he’s not sure
how to handle.
By 2003, Christensen had put nearly all of his land south of
Kennewick into CRP and stopped farming wheat after more than 45
years. Because of the competitiveness of this latest general sign-up,
however, he’s got a big chunk of land that was rejected despite doing
everything he could to garner points.
“We don’t know what we are going to do,” he said. “There are no
good options. The contracts that were rejected are adjacent to and
upwind of I-82. My farm is directly upwind of Kennewick and the
growing South Ridge area. It is just impractical, with our light soils, to
go back into production. I would anger so many people (with blowing
dust).”
To make matters worse, some of the rejected land is locked behind
active CRP acreage, so even if Christensen could find somebody willing
to put it back into production, they wouldn’t even be able to get
to the land. He said he’s looked at some of the other options, including
signing up in a ferruginous hawk SAFE (State Acres for Wildlife
Enhancement). Unfortunately, his land lies between two SAFE circles.
“This is definitely going to affect my bottom line,” he said, adding
that he thought the points system used to rank land for CRP is relying
on outdated soil maps. “The people that are hardest hit will be off-site
landlords who wanted enough income to pay their taxes and maybe
go to dinner Friday night. They are in a quandary. Even if they wanted
somebody to farm their land, they probably couldn’t find anybody.”
While Christensen’s land isn’t considered highly erodible, it does
lie within the Conservation Priority Area, so he’ll have another shot at
re-enrolling during the next general sign-up.
FARM & HOME SUPPLY
1-888-643-3395 • 509-843-3395
www.fhsupply.com Pomeroy, WA
New CaseIH Steiger 500, triples, PTO ................. CALL
New Case IH 8240H Axial-Flow Combine, 40 ft.
MacDonald Draper Header............................... CALL
Case IH 550 Quad-Trac, PTO, 36” Tracks ..... $387,500
Kioti PX9020 Loader-Tractor, Cab, 4x4 .......... $64,975
Kioti DK-45 4x4, loader, cab .......................... $27,500
Kioti CK-35 4x4, loader, rototiller .................. $23,950
Available To Rent or Lease
Call To Reserve Today
40’ Great Plains 3S-4000 HD Grain Drill
30’ Great Plains 3010 NT No-Till Drill
Great Plains 29’ Disc
Schulte 5026 Rotary Mower - $12/Acre
New Unverferth Grain Carts & MORE!
JD 9400 Wheel Tractor, duals, 425HP .....$69,750 OBO
Case IH 160 Pull Sprayer, 1600 gal. tank, GPS, Ultra
sonic booms, forward fold ........................... $37,500
Cat D69U Tractor, 12’ Dozer Blade .................. $5,995
Winter Wheat Seed Varieties
Certified Soft White:
Eltan • Xerpha • Otto
Certified Imi-tolerant Soft White:
Mela CL+ • Curiosity CL+
Certified Club: Bruehl • Crescent
Central Washington
Grain Growers, Inc.
Alternative Crops Available
• Tri-Mark Fall Triticale
• Windham Winter Peas
[
Other wheat varieties
available by order.
[
Wilbur: 509-647-5510 • Waterville: 509-745-8551 • Visit us Online: www.cwgg.net
28 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

YOUR FARM TIRE
HEADQUARTERS
FARM TIRES • TRACKS • ATV TIRES • BATTERIES
Tracks built for
Les Schwab Country
We carry rubber tracks
for mini-excavators & skid
steer machines. Sprayer
packages available!
JOHN DEERE:
8000T/RT-9000T/RT,
16”-36” WIDTHS
CASE QUAD TRAC:
30” & 36” WIDTHS
CAT 35-95 SERIES, AGCO MT:
16”-36” WIDTHS
Les Schwab is proud to
support the FFA & 4-H!
OVER 450 STORES THROUGHOUT THE WEST! • WWW.LESSCHWAB.COM

WL
FEATURE
“So if your land isn’t highly erodible but is inside that
CPA line, you are eligible to make an offer,” Hamilton
said, acknowledging this could mean bad news for
dryland farmers in a mostly irrigated watershed. “If it is
outside the line, you aren’t eligible to make an offer, and
general CRP is not even an option for you. We tried to look
at a variety of criteria to determine the most equitable way
to reduce the acreage because, obviously, we knew whoever
got cut out wasn’t going to be happy.”
For producers whose offers were rejected from CRP,
there are a few options they might be able to consider.
First, check with the county FSA office to find out if the
acreage in question is within a SAFE area. Acres enrolled
in a SAFE work the same as acres accepted through a general
CRP sign-up in that whole fields can be enrolled, but
they often require more elaborate ground cover.
Hamilton also mentioned the pollinator habitat initiative
as an option (it is offered under continuous CRP),
but warned that the seed mixes can be quite expensive
and hard to grow, especially in a 12-inch rainfall zone.
Rick Geiger, Garfield
County
As farm manager and part
owner in L&M Ranch Inc., Rick
Geiger said having 150 acres
rejected in the latest CRP general
sign-up, while not great news, is
something he can deal with. He
is currently preparing the land
for planting winter wheat.
“Coming out of the 1990s,
CRP gave us a tool to save our
place,” Geiger said, explaining
that at that time, the farm was
struggling under a heavy debt
load, and CRP payments were
more lucrative than raising small
grains. “The farm wasn’t able
to service the debt, as is often
the case in agriculture. I could
look at CRP and say it saved this
farmland and entity for future
generations.”
Although the current agricultural
industry is in better shape
than it was coming out of the
1990s, the low prices do concern
Geiger, but he said the farm is in
better financial shape now than
it was back when he enrolled
the land in CRP. He is working
with the next generation to
teach them how to run the farm.
“I keep telling them that we’ve
faced worse problems. We’ve
had more debilitating news than
this. It’s not going to be a financial
wreck for us.”
Nicole Berg, Paterson
Seeing the results of the latest Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general
sign-up left Benton County farmer Nicole Berg scratching her head. Not only
was some of her most marginal land that had been in CRP since the beginning
of the program in 1986 left out, but why some acres scored higher than
similar, nearby acres left her puzzled.
“I’m still trying to digest what happened,” she said. “I realize the state is under
the gun to reduce CRP acreage, but I don’t think taking out some of those
areas was in the best interest of the state of Washington. With $5 wheat, if I
can’t have CRP in my toolbox, I might as well turn in my keys and not farm.”
Berg, who also heads up the Natural Resource Committee for the
Washington Association of Wheat Growers, said her family isn’t sure what
they are going to do with the land that didn’t get back into CRP. With the low
wheat prices and increased costs for inputs such as fuel and equipment, trying
to grow a crop on marginal land is questionable.
“We are kind of in shock. I feel like the rug got yanked out from beneath
us,” she said. “In some areas, the land doesn’t produce the amount of wheat it
should. It’s land that I could grow wheat on, but I have to keep it from blowing.
That’s why you have CRP, to keep the bad land from blowing away so you
can farm the good land.”
30 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

McKay Seed Company, Inc.
Synergy
HARD RED WINTER WHEAT LINES
Norwest 553 • Keldin
BEYOND RESISTANT LINES
ORCF 102 • ORCF 103 • Curiosity CL+
Mela CL+
SOFT WHITE WINTER WHEAT LINES
Otto • Xerpha • Madsen • Masami
WB 1529 • NEW Jasper • SY Ovation
SY 107 • WB 456 • WB 1604 • WB 523
WHITE CLUB WINTER WHEAT LINES
Bruehl • ARS Crescent
McKay Seed understands that each
microclimate within the PNW harbors
disease in a unique way. That’s why
we’ve partnered with Albaugh to create
a superior brand of customized seed
treatment based upon your individual
needs. Synergy specifically targets the
three most problematic pathogens in
your geography: Rhizoctonia, Fusarium,
and Pythium. Our focus is on your
crop, and we think Synergy is the
best product in the market to promote
seedling vigor and yield.
Rosalia, WA
(Wilhelm)
509-523-3471
Almira, WA
509-639-2293
800-998-6694
Moses Lake,WA
509-766-9894
800-258-4599
Driven by
HEALTHY ROOTS, HEALTHY PLANTS,
HEALTHY RETURNS.
Great crop returns start with ALPINE G22 ®
and the ALPINE Phazed Nutrition Program ®
Every seed gets Phos early with ALPINE G22 ®
Call 1-844-655-PHOS (7467)
Get the ALPINE ® team and the
Phazed Nutrition Program ® working for you.
www.alpinepfl.com
© 2016. NACHURS ALPINE SOLUTIONS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “ALPINE” IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK of NACHURS ALPINE SOLUTIONS.
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 31

WL
FEATURE
Continuous CRP is also an option,
but doesn’t allow for whole fields.
“So much of the continuous CRP
targets water, and if you don’t have
any water to filter, your options are
kind of limited,” Hamilton said.
“Some of the options that in theory
are on the table are really not a good
plan for either the producer or the
taxpayer. In a lot of cases, going back
into production in some fashion is
about the only viable option.”
With another farm bill and possibly
more cuts to CRP on the horizon,
Hamilton encouraged producers to
contact their legislators and grower
organizations to express any concerns
or support for how the program
is being implemented or might
be modified in the future. Franz said
NAWG supports both land retirement
and working land programs.
“I think it needs to be a balance
because NAWG policy does support
both types of programs,” she said.
“That’s something that we need to
have more producer input on as we
think about the next farm bill.”
Your ad
could be
here
getting read by
thousands of Pacific
Northwest farmers
and growers. What
are you waiting for?
Call Kevin Gaffney
at (509) 235-2715
Andy Juris, Bickleton
In Klickitat County, only about 23 percent of offers were accepted. WAWG
board member Andy Juris said despite having good stands of native species
on his CRP land, part of it was still rejected, mostly due to not meeting environmental
criteria.
“If you didn’t have excessive wind erosion, you didn’t make it into CRP.
Water runoff is the bigger problem in my area,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys
questioning what in the heck they are going to do.”
Unlike other areas where land coming out of CRP is farmable, Juris said
most of the land he’s aware of in his area is tough to farm, not to mention
there’s very few farmers able take it on. Juris hasn’t decided what he’ll be doing
with his former CRP land.
Connell Grange Supply
Shop With Us
Where
The Customer
Is STILL
The Company!
We Deliver
Top Quality
Fuels
• 24-Hour Pumps
• Bulk Fuel Tanks
For Sale
• Farm Hardware
In Stock
• Full Tire Services
• Cattle Equipment
343 S. Columbia • Connell, WA
http://www.connellgrange.com 509-234-2631
TRUCK SCALES • LIVESTOCK SCALES • WAREHOUSE SCALES • RENTAL SCALES
Your Truck and Livestock Scale Specialists
NEW SCALES
USED SCALES
MOBILE
We are happy to announce we have acquired
Sanstrom Scales in Twinfalls, ID. We look foward
STATIONARY
to serving their long-standing customers.
Steve Orr 503-510-3540 Oregon Washington Idaho
Scio • Bend Spokane • Benton City Twin Falls • Nampa
1-800-451-0187 509-535-4295 1-800-451-0187
www.scalesnw.com • SteveOrr@scalesnw.com
SCALE SERVICE • SYSTEMS • PARTS • SALES & CONSTRUCTION
32 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

RBR VECTOR 300
The solid option for the hills...and everywhere else.
370 HP CUMMINS • ALLISON AUTO • STAINLESS 1600 OR 2000 GALLON • MERITOR #33,000 AXLES
SPRAYFLEX ALUMINUM BOX BOOM • “DEEP SUMP” TANK • BOOM WIDTHS: 90-150 FT
Every company has test acreage.
We have proving ground.
Syngenta varieties from North America’s largest wheat breeding program
deliver agronomic traits you need for superior performance. Prove it on
your own acres with these new winter wheat varieties.
New SY Assure—Soft white variety
• Early maturity with short height, heavy test weight and high yield
New SY Touchstone—Hard red variety
• Heavy test weight with good protein and quality and high yield
Contact your AgriPro wheat seed associate, Syngenta retailer or visit
www.AgriProWheat.com for more information.
WWW.AGTRUCKSANDEQUIP.COM
509-338-7346 • 406-788-5361
©2016 Syngenta. PVPA 1994—Unauthorized propagation prohibited. Plant variety protection granted or applied for Syngenta varieties. AgriPro ® , the Alliance
Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.
17175017-2-B
TM
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 33

WL
FEATURE
When it comes to agriculture
and food, even
the most scientifically
solid argument can be
choked by an emotional
response to the messenger.
Fortunately, Washington state’s farmers
and ranchers just got a heaping spoonful
of good fortune.
The Washington Policy Center (WPC), regarded by the
public, legislators, stakeholders and the media as an organization
that can be relied on to
research and report on issues from
a nonbiased, fact-based standpoint,
recently created a position to
investigate Washington’s agricultural
issues and policies. The
agricultural research arm joins six
other key areas of research focus
including education, environment,
government reform, health care,
small business and transportation.
Chris Cargill, WPC’s Eastern Washington director, took a
moment to answer some questions about WPC’s mission
and its new ag position.
What is the Washington Policy Center, and
what is its purpose?
The Washington Policy Center (WPC) was established
in 1996 and is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) research
and educational organization. We are a statewide
organization with 18 employees and offices in Spokane,
the Tri-Cities, Seattle and Olympia. The WPC is funded
through donations from thousands of individual supporters
throughout our state, plus foundation grants and businesses.
Information on memberships can be found on our
website at washingtonpolicy.org under the “About” tab.
Our purpose is to research relevant public policy issues
and offer practical, common-sense recommendations for
citizens, lawmakers and the media. By doing so, our work
improves peoples’ lives and our state.
What are some of
the projects the
WPC has been
involved in?
We have an impressive track
record and bring a credible, freemarket
perspective to the public debate in
Washington state. Our research on public charter
schools in 2012 opened the door to a public discussion
and eventually the new law that enabled Washington to
become the 42nd state in the country to allow for this type
of education innovation. WPC research has also shown the
severe damage any state income tax proposal might cause
to Washington residents and businesses. Furthermore,
our staff is leading the way in efforts to bring remote
testimony in the state legislature to more places throughout
Washington, allowing citizens the opportunity to
testify before legislative committees without traveling to
Olympia during the legislative session.
The WPC recently hired a research director
focused on agriculture. Why did you feel
you needed someone in this position now?
For many years, we have focused on six areas of research:
education, environment, government reform,
health care, small business and transportation. When we
opened our Eastern Washington offices, our supporters
pointed out our work was missing that key ag component,
which is critical not only to Eastern Washington, but truly
the entire state. After meeting with state ag businesses and
leaders, we determined there was a need for a research
group like the WPC to be involved in producing marketbased
analysis and recommendations on agriculture
issues (see sidebar).
What kind of research do you think you’ll
be doing in/for the agricultural industry?
As many in the ag industry know, the list of issues that
need to be addressed is long and growing longer every
day. We’ve created an ag advisory group that will be helping
us finalize our first set of priority issues. We anticipate
34 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

CLASS 8 TRUCKS
521 N. EASTERN • SPOKANE, WA
(509) 534-9088 • class8trucks@aol.com
Crop insurance is all
the same...
agents are not.
(Left to right) Class 8’s Marc Lange
and Cathy and Frank Hart
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Northwest FCS Crop Insurance Agents specialize in what
they do, with the in-depth knowledge required to guide you
through the maze of ever-changing crop insurance rules
and regulations. Unlike other insurance providers, our
licensed agents focus solely on crop insurance, working
full time to help producers manage risk.
Call to see for yourself what sets Northwest FCS apart.
800.743.2125 | northwestfcs.com
The Harts farm north of Prosser, wheat
farmers and true stewards of the land...
busy people!
They needed something to fill the niche
of a water truck. We pulled the sleeper off
this Western Star and mounted a flatbed
to make things work just right. A powerful
CAT engine sealed the deal!
The Harts: “We really appreciate your
extra efforts...here’s a little something
special for you!”
They brought us an unexpected plate of
tasty, homemade cookies and brownies.
Now that’s a sweet deal for every one!
Marc B. Lange (509) 991-9088
Scott Lund (509) 995-5024
Jeff Miller (509) 599-9926
Butch Johnson (509) 990-3153
NOT JUST TRUCKS,
TRAILERS TOO!
www.class8trucksales.com
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 35

WL
FEATURE
covering roughly a dozen, in-depth issues
per year. We’ll also be covering many more
with shorter pieces on our blog at
washingtonpolicy.org. Those pieces might
include the amount farmers pay in both
state and local taxes, the impact of dam removal,
developing new irrigated farmland,
the impacts of the Columbia River Treaty
renewal, the federal regulatory overreach
impacting state farmers, the impact
of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on
Washington and much more.
How does the WPC go about
gathering the information it
needs?
The intellectual and practical capacity
of our staff is one way, but we also learn
lessons from other states. We take ideas
and approaches that other states have used
and see if they can work in Washington.
Neither political party has a monopoly on
good ideas.
Our research staff is made up of experts
in their fields. Our health care policy
analyst is a retired heart surgeon. Our
environmental policy analyst formerly
served on the executive team with the state
Department of Natural Resources and now
writes for The Wall Street Journal. Our government
reform director is considered one
of the state’s leading budget experts and
is someone many lawmakers go to both
before and after they cast their votes.
The WPC is known for being
bipartisan. How does it
maintain that position?
It is of the upmost importance. We are
not a political organization. We are a
research organization, and we keep our independence
by sticking to the facts. I think
that’s why you’ve seen members of both
political parties willing to work with us.
They might not agree with our recommendations,
but they know that our research
and data are indisputable.
In the final analysis, our job is to lay out
the research and make our best recommendation
that will improve lives.
New hire ready to tackle ag policy issues
Madilynne Clark may be a “Beaver” in “Cougar” country, but
she’s itching to claw her way deep into the issues surrounding
Washington state agriculture.
While Clark may have stepped into her new job as agriculture
research director for the Washington
Policy Center (WPC) just last month, she’s
been involved in agriculture most of her
life thanks to her father who was a large
animal veterinarian and her involvement
in FFA. She graduated from Oregon State
University with a degree in environmental
economics, policy and management and
got her master’s degree in agricultural and
resource economics from Colorado State
University. Her husband, Kyler, works as
a farm manager. The Clarks live in Kennewick, Wash., with their
three-month-old son.
Clark has previously done marketing and research work in ag
production, wholesale, retail and policy, but her new job allows
her to combine all three of her passions: agriculture, research and
policy. She said she is excited to be able to have more of a voice
through recommending policy based on extensive research.
“I think right now, there is such a disconnect between consumers
and farmers. Consumers are so far removed (from agriculture)
and voting on policies and encouraging policies that are
detrimental to ag,” she explained. “The WPC plays a critical role
in connecting these two parties, explaining where farmers are
coming from and how these policies consumers think are good
are actually harmful to agriculture and the market’s ability to
develop. It boils down to protecting what is on consumers’ dinner
table. When they vote for bad policies, it hurts their food supply.”
Based on responses from a survey the WPC sent out to ag
stakeholders earlier this year, Clark said some of the issues that
are on her radar include labor; GMO labeling; and water supplies
and water quality issues, especially concerning dairies and the
What’s Upstream media campaign that accused agriculture of
polluting the state’s water. As she settles into her new position,
Clark is keeping busy writing blog posts and opinion pieces; those
can be found at washingtonpolicy.org. She said she plans to use a
free-market ideology when looking at issues, letting the math and
numbers do the talking.
“The WPC promotes free-market solutions, and this agriculture
position was to promote free-market solutions for the industry
that help improve sustainability by providing solutions good for
both the farmer and consumer,” she said. “We’ll look at the issues
and figure out what is sustainable, not necessarily what is the easiest
answer.”
36 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

䄀 䌀 伀 一 一 䔀 䰀 䰀 伀 䤀 䰀 䤀 一 䌀 伀 刀 倀 伀 刀 䄀 吀 䔀 䐀 䌀 伀 䴀 倀 䄀 一 夀
アパート ㈀ 圀 ⸀ 䘀 椀 爀 猀 琀 䄀 瘀 攀 ⸀ 刀 椀 琀 稀 瘀 椀 氀 氀 攀 圀 䄀
㔀 㤀 ⴀ 㘀 㔀 㤀 ⴀ 㔀 アパート㈀ 戀 爀 漀 渀 挀 漀 昀 愀 爀 洀 猀 甀 瀀 瀀 氀 礀 ⸀ 挀 漀 洀
䰀 椀 瘀 攀 猀 琀 漀 挀 欀 䘀 攀 攀 搀 猀 ∠ 匀 洀 愀 爀 琀 氀 椀 挀 匀 甀 瀀 瀀 氀 攀 洀 攀 渀 琀 猀
匀 琀 漀 挀 欀 吀 愀 渀 欀 猀 ∠ 䜀 愀 氀 氀 愀 最 栀 攀 爀 䘀 攀 渀 挀 椀 渀 最 ∠ 倀 攀 琀 匀 甀 瀀 瀀 氀 椀 攀 猀
⬀
匀 琀 漀 瀀 椀 渀 愀 渀 搀 氀 攀 琀 甀 猀 猀 栀 漀 眀
礀 漀 甀 愀 氀 氀 眀 攀 栀 愀 瘀 攀 琀 漀 漀 昀 昀 攀 爀 ℀
夀 漀 甀 爀 匀 甀 瀀 瀀 氀 椀 攀 爀 漀 昀 儀 甀 愀 氀 椀 琀 礀 䘀 甀 攀 氀 猀 愀 渀 搀
䰀 甀 戀 爀 椀 挀 愀 渀 琀 猀 䤀 渀 䔀 愀 猀 琀 攀 爀 渀 圀 愀 猀 栀 椀 渀 最 琀 漀 渀
倀 甀 洀 瀀 猀 ∠ 匀 瀀 爀 愀 礀 攀 爀 猀 ∠ 䠀 椀 儀 甀 愀 氀 䰀 椀 瘀 攀 猀 琀 漀 挀 欀 䔀 焀 甀 椀 瀀 洀 攀 渀 琀
䬀 攀 礀 圀 漀 爀 欀 䄀 瀀 瀀 愀 爀 攀 氀 ☀ 䴀 漀 爀 攀
伀 渀 氀 椀 渀 攀 漀 爀 搀 攀 爀 猀 㨀 眀 眀 眀 ⸀ 挀 漀 渀 渀 攀 氀 氀 漀 椀 氀 ⸀ 挀 漀 洀
⬀
䐀 䤀 匀 吀 刀 䤀 䈀 唀 吀 伀 刀 䘀 伀 刀 㨀
Washington
Wheat
Foundation
Annex
(in Ritzville, Wash.)
Rental Includes:
Seats 100 • Full service kitchen • Wi-Fi
Free coffee and tea • Pull out wall divider
2 large screens • Free parking
18 x 22 lobby to gather or serve buffet
Separate board meeting room (seats 12)
$50 (0-4 hours) or $100 (4+ hours)
Contact Chauna Carlson
at the Washington Wheat Foundation rental line
(509) 659-1987
Helping Our Owners Grow with Superior
Service & Product Knowledge
• Seed Department Manager: Marion Rice 509-760-4015
• Seed Sales: Roland Wynhoff 509-760-0016
Austin Davis 509-539-9999
and Tom Clayton 509-318-0866
Together, we have over 80 years of experience in seed
and agronomy. Contact us today and we can help
with all your variety selections!
FALL VARIETIES
HARD RED WINTER: WB Arrowhead,
WB Keldan, SY Clearstone CL, WSU Farnum
Connell Office: 800-572-5932
Moses Lake Office: 509-765-3898
SOFT WHITE WINTER: WB 1529, WB 528,
WB 1604, SY Ovation, WSU Puma, WSU Otto,
WSU Curiosity CL+, WSU Mela CL+
DNS: WB Expresso, SY Basalt
TRITICALE: TriCal® 102, TriCal® 103BB,
TriCal® 141, TriCal® 718, TriCal® 815
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 37

WL
FEATURE
Uncovering the secrets
of healthy soil
Wheat College explores the ingredients for good ground
38 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

FEATURE WL
By Trista Crossley
School might be out for the summer, but that didn’t
stop nearly 100 farmers from attending the Washington
Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) 2016 Wheat
College last month.
Part of the Agricultural Marketing and Management
Organization, this year’s wheat college focused on life
in the soil, presented by Dr. Elaine Ingham, the founder,
president and director of research for Soil Foodweb Inc., a
business that grew out of her research program at Oregon
State University. Her focus during wheat college was
to convince farmers “to get biology back in the soil” by
explaining how a balance of the right organisms in the
ground promotes plant growth and reduces farmers’ reliance
on chemicals.
The day started off at Washington State University’s
(WSU) Wilke Research and Extension Farm in Davenport,
Wash. After enjoying coffee and sweets, attendees broke
into groups and spent time at three stations:
• Soil profiles and horizons. Dr. Ingham used dampened
core samples to demonstrate different soil “horizons.”
She talked about how organic matter moves down
through the soil and how bacteria and fungi help with soil
structure by unlocking nutrients and allowing water to
move through the ground. She explained that soil is composed
of mineral matter such as sand, silt or clay; organic
matter; and organisms.
“If you only have matter, it is dirt,” she said. “No soil
lacks the nutrients to grow plants. What form those nutrients
are in is the question.”
• Fall-planted peas and canola research. At the second
station, the focus shifted to crops that are often used
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 39

WL
FEATURE
(Above) Featured presenter Dr. Elaine Ingham uses dampened core samples to demonstrate different soil “horizons” or profiles. (Below) Washington State
University Research Associate Ivan Milosavljevic updates growers on the latest wireworm research.
in rotation with wheat. Howard Nelson, a manager
with Central Washington Grain Growers, talked
about research being done on fall-planted peas for the
intermediate to dry zones of Eastern Washington. He
said they’ve been limited by the lack of winter hardiness,
but a couple of new varieties in the pipeline are
addressing that issue.
Nelson suggested that wheat yields have leveled
off somewhat, and the solution might be the lack of
crop rotations. He said in trials, they’ve seen a bump
in wheat yields following a pea crop, possibly due to nitrogen
fixing or disease suppression of root pathogens.
Canola and the effects of mowing was the other topic
at this station. Frank Young from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
explained that according to preliminary data, mowing
doesn’t seem to affect canola’s moisture use. And
similar to peas, some growers are reporting increased
wheat yields and fewer weeds when canola is used as a
rotational crop.
• Soil health with a wireworm research update.
WSU Research Associate Ivan Milosavljevic updated
growers on the latest WSU research on using crop
tolerance and chemical and/or biological controls to
manage wireworm populations. Dave Huggins, a soil
40 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

Insurance for
Whatever You Grow
Whether you raise cattle or grow nursery
stock, row crops, grain, hay or fruit,
COUNTRY Financial ® has got you covered.
Your local nancial representative can help
balance your need to protect what you have
with your desire to build for the future. We
o er great coverage for farm vehicles, too.
Grow your own way with COUNTRY Financial.
Your Rural Property Specialist
realtordad@aol.com
Farmland, timberland, recreational
properties, Lake Roosevelt and homes
on acreage!
I work all over Eastern Washington...
If you want to BUY or SELL, call me!
Contact Greg Schuster, Broker
Rural Property Sales
Coldwell Banker Tomlinson
509-993-2545
James Penning LUTCF
Yakima
(800) 741.6135
Paul Koethke LUTCF
Moses Lake
(800) 689.9259
Joe Shannon HOF
Ellensburg
(509) 933.3000
Laurie Mooney LUTCF FSS
Wenatchee
(509) 663.3800
UP TO 682 HORSES TRAINED AND
READY.
New T9 Series 4WD tractors give you
the comfort you want and more of
the power you need. High-capacity
axles, advanced transmission control
and ultra-efficient power engines
are housed in a chassis size to match
your business needs. If the extreme
level of engine and hydraulic power
doesn’t turn your head, the sleek
design and the largest cab in the
industry certainly will.
Hermiston, OR
(541) 567-3001
Lakeview, OR
(541) 947-2188
Hines, OR
(541) 573-1280
La Grande, OR
(541) 963-8144
Albany, OR
(541) 757-8112
Moses Lake, WA
(509) 764-8447
Pasco, WA
(509) 547-1795
Quincy, WA
(509) 787-3595
Walla Walla, WA
(509) 522-9800
Policies issued by COUNTRY Mutual
Insurance Company ® , Bloomington, IL.
- HO
Christmas Valley, OR
(541) 576-3026
Othello, WA
(509) 488-9606
www.sseqinc.com
© 2016 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland is a trademark registered in the
United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or
affiliates. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland Construction are trademarks in the United States and
many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 41

WL
FEATURE
scientist with the ARS, talked about some of the soil issues
Pacific Northwest growers face, including erosion, compaction
and acidification, which is increasingly becoming
a problem throughout the region.
“If you think you have an issue (with acidification), let’s
go test it,” he told farmers.
After the morning session, Wheat College moved
inside to the Davenport Memorial Hall for updates on
Washington state agriculture from WAWG Executive
Director Michelle Hennings; Washington Grain
Commissioner Mike Miller; WSU Associate Dean Rich
Koenig; and Washington State Department of Agriculture
Deputy Director Kirk Robinson. Ingham also continued
talking about life in the soil and the different organisms
the help break down nutrients into a form plants can use.
According to Ingham, a healthy food web uses bacteria
and fungi to:
• Suppress disease by competition, inhibition and consumption
and reduces pesticides;
• Retain nutrients by stopping runoff or leaching;
• Make nutrients available at the rates plants require,
allowing for the reduced use of fertilizer;
• Decompose toxins; and
• Build soil structure, which reduces water use, increases
water-holding capacity and increases rooting depth.
Ingham advocated using perennial cover crops to
Pulling off a successful Wheat College is due to the hard work of the staff
members of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) and
the Washington Grain Commission (WGC). Clockwise from right are WAWG
Executive Director Michelle Hennings; WAWG Administrative Assistant
Chauna Carlson; Wheat Life Editor Trista Crossley; WAWG Outreach
Coordinator Lori Williams; and WGC Vice President Mary Palmer Sullivan.
Howard Nelson, a manager with Central Washington Grain Growers, talks about research being done on fall-planted peas for the intermediate to dry zones of
Eastern Washington.
42 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

The Versatile DeltaTrack is a fully integrated purposebuilt
four track system from Versatile. Available in three
models 450DT, 500DT and 550DT, the DeltaTrack
exceeds the performance and durability of existing
track systems. The DeltaTrack is built using the most
advanced track design in the agriculture industry
and features proven Cummins engine technology,
rugged CAT® powershift transmissions, and
legendary Versatile reliability and serviceability.
©2013 Buhler Versatile Inc. » 888.524.1003 » info@versatile-ag.com » www.versatile-ag.com
Please call 877-253-WEST (9378)
or Greg at Dealer 541-786-1000 Name / Contact Information
Now 4
convenient
locations
10200 Wallowa Lake Highway 84083 Alpine Ln 378 Briar Place 206 W Main St
La Grande, OR 97850 Joseph, OR 97846 Belgrade, MT 59714 Dayton, WA 99328
VARIETIES AVAILABLE
VARIETIES FOR FALL
FALL AVAILABLE 2016
2010
FOR FALL 2010
SOFT WHITE WINTER WHEAT:
CERTIFIED SOFT WHITE OTTO WINTER CERTIFIED WHEAT: LEGION
CERTIFIED SOFT WHITE PUMA LEGION WINTER CERTIFIED – BY ORDER WHEAT: XERPHA ONLY –
CERTIFIED
ELTAN
JASPER-NEW*
CERTIFIED LEGION – CERTIFIED BY ORDER ONLY TUBBS –
CERTIFIED MADSEN ELTAN
CERTIFIED ROD TUBBS
CERTIFIED CLEARFIELD XERPHA MADSEN WINTER CERTIFIED WHEAT: ROD
CERTIFIED CERTIFIED XERPHA CURIOSITY CL+ (SWW)
CLEARFIELD CERTIFIED SY CLEARSTONE WINTER CL+ WHEAT: (HRW)
CLEARFIELD CERTIFIED WINTER ORCF 103WHEAT:
HARD RED CERTIFIED – BY ORDER WINTER ORCF ONLY 103 – WHEAT:
CERTIFIED – BY ORDER JET-NEW* ORCF ONLY 102 –
CERTIFIED ORCF KELDIN 102
RED WINTER WHEAT:
CLUB RED CERTIFIED WINTER WHETSTONE WHEAT:
CERTIFIED CERTIFIED WHETSTONE BRUEHL
CERTIFIED CRESCENT
CLUB WINTER WHEAT:
CLUB CERTIFIED BRUEHL
WINTER
WINTER
CANOLA:
WHEAT:
CERTIFIED BRUEHL
CALL FOR AVAILABILITY
REARDAN SEED
REARDAN SEED
Company, Inc.
Company, Inc.
Call Us Today for details on
Call Varieties Us Today and for Prices details on
Varieties and Prices
509-796-2575
509-796-2575
Fred J. Fleming 509-979-1162
Fred J. Fleming 509-979-1162
Rock Steel Structures, Inc.
Offering quality you can depend on:
Grain Storage For Farms or Warehouses
Grain Handling • Grain Bin Accessories
Farm Storage ! Hopper Bottom Bins
Grain Bin Accessories
Water Storage Tanks ! Aeration Systems
Handling Equipment
www.SCAFCO.com
Shops • Warehouses • Equipment Storage
Steel Buildings • Steel Stud Pole Buildings
Water Storage Tanks • Aeration Systems
Hopper Bottom Bins • Catwalks, Ladders and Towers
Dealer Info
Contact Scott Rock 509-764-9700
scott@rocksteel.com
Moses Lake, Wash.
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 43

WL
FEATURE
Nearly 100 growers attended this year’s Wheat College in Davenport, Wash., to learn about life in the soil.
help build up organic matter in the soil and gave several
examples of projects where she was able to increase soil
health by introducing and balancing the organisms in the
soil through composting and no-till methods. She also
used microscope slides to help attendees identify different
types of bacteria and fungi in the soil.
Nancy Allison and her husband, John Maneely, traveled
from Lake Oswego, Ore., to attend Wheat College. The
couple recently inherited a Waterville, Wash., farm from
Allison’s mother, which they lease out to a family member.
Neither Allison nor Maneely grew up on a farm.
“The information (on dryland farming) that we have is
what I learned from my mother over the years and has all
been at arm’s length,” Allison explained. “Farming has
become fairly sophisticated, and I think we could probably
know more than we do to appreciate the entire operation.
We’ve been especially wondering about optimizing soil
health and the usefulness of no-till and crop rotations as
well as where they can be employed.”
“We came to gather information,” Maneely added. “We
aren’t farmers, but we both have science degrees, so we
understand most of the basic principles.”
Reardan grower Kyle Carstens said he’d be taking
home the idea of looking at different types of rotational
crops that show promise in yield improvement and weed
control. He was also interested in researching the use of
compost for soil nutrient improvement and the rules and
regulations governing that practice.
Robin and Dan Dormaier of Almira were particularly
interested in the research being done on peas as a rotational
crop with wheat. While they were fascinated by
Ingham’s information, they weren’t sure how it would
actually work on their farm.
“If it does work, that would be great,” Dan said.
Growers who are interested in following Ingham’s principles
should start by assessing their soil to find out what
kind of beneficial organisms are present and establishing
a starting point.
“Then you have two choices. You can start growing
perennial cover plants that will start to build soil health,
or you start making your own compost, put that on the
ground and then put the perennial covers in there,”
Ingham said. “We don’t pay attention to the messages that
Mother Nature is sending us. If we keep fighting with
Mother Nature, she is going to win hands down.”
For more information on Soil Foodweb Inc. and Dr.
Ingham’s research and lab, visit her website at
soilfoodweb.com.
Wheat College giveaways were sponsored by AgLink,
Helena Chemical Company, Syngenta and Wilbur Ellis.
44 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

Boost your yields!
with Wagner Seed
POMEROY GRAIN GROWERS
Winter Wheat Varieties
• Yield Star 261 Soft White Wheat
• Yield Star 221 Soft White Wheat
• Yield Star 215 Soft White Wheat
ALSO AVAILABLE For Fall Seeding:
Cashup • Eltan • Madsen
NW 553 • Stephens
WAGNER SEED
509-349-8094
20600 Road 1 SE, Warden WA
Serving farmers for over 85 years
Pomeroy Grain Growers, Inc.
Pomeroy Grain Office 509-843-1694
Pomeroy Agronomy 509-843-1394
Farm Commodities-Colfax 800-424-5056
www.pomeroygrain.com
25 Years Growing
®
I N C O R P O R A T E D
• CRP, SAFE & Pollinator Mixes
• Hay and Pasture Mixes
• Alfalfa and Legumes
• Habitat Mixes
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 45

WL PROFILES
Nonprofit organization promotes pulse crops worldwide
Todd Scholz, USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council
By Kevin Gaffney
As a Whitman County farm
kid, and later, as a major in the
U.S. Army, Todd Scholz never
anticipated he would one day find
his dream job a short distance
from their family farm located
just east of Colfax.
As it turns out, growing up on
a wheat farm that included lentils
in their crop rotation was a harbinger
of things to come.
“Working with farmers is
rewarding,” noted Scholz. “Being
able to help them raise better
grain crops and grow pulse crops
that produce delicious foods
makes it even better. All pulse
crops fix nitrogen into the soil and
are high in protein, fiber and folic
acid. Pulse crops provide food
products that are tasty and very
healthy.
“All of our growers are wheat growers. They have told
me they get a yield boost of about five bushels per acre on
wheat crops following pulse rotations.”
Following his graduation from Colfax high school in
1974, Scholz felt like he needed a bigger adventure than
traveling 20 miles down the road to attend Washington
State University in Pullman. Utilizing an ROTC scholarship,
Scholz earned a bachelor degree in business from
Oregon State University. Shortly thereafter, he joined the
Army.
Scholz met Roxanna, his wife, while stationed at Ft.
Lewis in Washington. During his 14-year stint in the
service, Scholz also was stationed in Germany, Fort Ben
Harrison, Ind., and at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
“Military spouses are true heroes,” said Scholz. “At
the time I was transferred to Indiana, Roxanna was nine
months pregnant. She still organized and executed our
move across the country.”
As the years went by, their family grew to four children,
evenly split between boys and girls. When a lucrative assignment
in Turkey at a USA-NATO post came up, Scholz
realized he couldn’t turn it down.
“Once again, Roxanna embraced the challenge,” said
Todd Scholz explains the pulse crop test plots on acreage adjacent to the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council
offices near Moscow, Idaho.
Scholz. “I served in Turkey for 18 months while she stayed
in Arizona and raised the kids.”
The first Gulf War in Iraq broke out while Scholz was
in Turkey. Once the war was essentially over, a peace
dividend effort began, along with the transition to an allvolunteer
force. Certain groups of officers were tabbed for
reductions, including those from 1978, the year Scholz had
signed up.
“They made me a good offer, and after due consideration
and some consultation with Roxanna and dad, I
decided to take it. So, I returned back to the farm in 1992.
“Unfortunately, my return to the farm coincided with
some terrible crop prices,” remembered Scholz. “It wasn’t
easy, as I was leasing the land from the family farm business.
To top it all off, dad had a stroke in September that
year.”
Scholz farmed for about ten years, and after his dad
passed on, he and his mother decided to place the farm
into the Conservation Reserve Program, where most of it
remains now. Learning about an opening at the USA Dry
Pea and Lentil Council (Council), Scholz applied for the
job and was hired.
The Council is an umbrella organization. Founded
in 1965, the roots of the Council go back to 1949 when
46 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

Manley Crop Insurance Agency
For outstanding product knowledge and a detail oriented agency ...
Call Ann Q. Manley
1-888-786-7730
All Types of Federally Funded Insurance
Manley Crop Insurance Agency
424 Wine Country Road, Suite 2
Prosser, WA 99350
(509) 786-7730
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER
5026 ROTARY CUTTER 15’, 26’, 30’ & 42’ Models
Hydraulic phasing
cylinders for level lift
Spring steel bushings
at all major pivots
1000 RPM heavy-duty
dive line
Suspension for center
& wing frames
RS320 ROCK PICKER
3.2 Cubic yard hopper
Superior rock picking performance
SRW 1400 ROCK WINDROWER
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 47

WL
PROFILES
Washington and Idaho pea processors formed the Pacific
Northwest Dry Pea Processors Association to enhance
trade in the pulse crop (legume) industry.
At the same time, a group of pulse crop growers based
in Eastern Washington and northern Idaho each formed
pea and lentil growers associations to help promote pulse
crops. The growers established an assessment on every
pound of dry peas, lentils and chickpeas sold in the commercial
market to provide funding. Both state legislatures
approved their respective associations.
Harold Blain was hired as joint administrator for both
associations. Understanding that significant savings
could be realized with a single staff and office serving
both states, Blain had a trailer placed directly on
the Washington-Idaho state line between Pullman and
Moscow. This established legal authority in both states.
The story goes that occasionally, controversy over which
state was getting more of Blain’s time and efforts came up.
Blain had a novel solution. He painted a thick line up the
walls and across the ceiling of his office, marking the state
border. When a grower would call with a complaint, Blain
would simply roll his chair to the appropriate side of the
line and explain that all his efforts were now exclusively
being put forth for that grower’s state.
The offices of the Council are now located across the
road from the original site, and they have some acreage
being used for pulse crop test plots. The office complex
still straddles the state borders of Washington and Idaho.
They are nearing completion of a major remodeling project
which is adding state-of-the-art teleconferencing, larger
conference and meeting rooms and additional office space.
The nonprofit Council was officially established in 1970,
comprising the two state associations and the pea processors
group. This brought growers, processors and exporters
all together into one group dedicated to education,
research and marketing for the pulse crop industry.
Educating the public, lawmakers and government agencies
is an important mission of the Council. Working to
maintain food aid programs, eliminating trade barriers
and fighting for continued inclusion in farm programs
are key components of their work. Pulse crops were not
included in the federal farm bill until 2002.
Currently, contributing organizations are growers
from Washington, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.
Additionally, the Western Pulse Growers Association
and the US Pea and Lentil Trade Association are funding
members.
The Council has a full-time staff of nine people and also
employs interns. In addition, there are six affiliated international
representatives situated worldwide helping to
(Above) Lentil plants have pods that are often described as being shaped
similar to contact lenses. The lentil plant grows closer to the ground than
peas and chickpeas, sometimes making weed control more problematic.
(Below) Pea plants from one of many pulse crop test plots at the USA Dry
Pea and Lentil Council. The test plots are managed by Kurt Braunwart of
ProGene LLC.
service established markets and open up new ones. Export
sales are extremely important. Seventy-five percent of the
lentils grown in the western U.S. are exported. More than
60 percent of the peas are exported. There is competition,
as Canada and Australia are major pulse crop exporters.
The largest U.S. export markets are India and China.
Approximately half of U.S. chickpeas (also known as
garbanzo beans) are exported, much of them to Europe.
Domestic sales of chickpeas have taken off recently with
48 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

Certified Soft White Winter Wheat
ORCF 102 • ORCF 103
Xerpha • Jasper • AP Legacy
Curiosity CL+ • Masami • Otto
Certified Winter Club Wheat
Crescent • Bruehl
SEED DIVISION
Retail & Wholesale Seed Sales
In-Dirt or Clean
Custom Seed Blends and
Seed Treatments on Demand
Max Cereal
We recommend our WSCIA Certified Seed!
For more information call:
Harrington Seed Office: 509-253-4604
Eric’s Cell: 509-348-0060
Odessa Seed Office: 509-982-2691
e-mail: eric@agventuresnw.com
website: www.agventuresnw.com
$95,000
Low Lease and
Finance Rates
Available Through
Ag Direct!
9518T 120’ Boom, 1800 Gallon Tank,
Loaded with all Options
953 3 Point, 90’ Boom, 750 Gallon Tank
In Stock and Priced to Sell!!!
spraycenter.com
Spray Center Electronics
9721 W Flight Drive, Spokane WA
www.spraycenter.com
800-477-7729
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 49

WL
PROFILES
the rising popularity of hummus.
“One of our best selling points to
consumers is that these are healthy
foods, even when made into snacks,”
explained Scholz. “China uses yellow
peas to make a clear, vermicellistyle
noodle from pea protein. They
also have started buying green peas
and frying them to make snack
foods.”
As vice president of research and
member services, Scholz has diverse
duties. In addition to working on
membership, he deals directly with
growers on problems in raising
pulse crops. Scholz identifies the
best researchers to solve the problems,
then secures funds for the
research to find solutions.
“I’m not a researcher myself. I help
prioritize and facilitate getting our
research projects completed,” he
explained. “This really is a fantastic
job, I love what I’m doing. Eighty
percent of the crop protection products
for pulse crops over the years
were developed with involvement
by our Council.
“As part of my job, I’ve traveled
extensively, including to China and
Africa. It is gratifying that the work
of our Council makes a difference to
pulse growers.”
One major goal in the pulse crop
industry is to develop better winter
pea varieties. The vast majority
of the pea acreage in the Pacific
Northwest is spring planted. Winter
acreage would likely increase dramatically
if the right winter varieties
were developed. Both public and private
breeders are working diligently
to develop winter peas with better
winter hardiness, good disease resistance
and high yields. The pulse industry
works with the Washington
State Crop Improvement Association
to release certified seed, much like
the wheat breeding industry.
“For many years, I’ve been saying
that a really good winter pea variety
is a couple years away,” Scholz said
with a laugh. “Now, I’m saying that, and I believe it’s really going to happen.”
Peas have the least acres of the pulse crops, partly because the price for them
recently has been about half of what lentils or chickpeas bring. Lentils are a little
tricky to grow, according to Scholz. The plants are much shorter than peas or
chickpeas. Yields might average 1,800 to 2,000 pounds per acre. A really good
year might yield 2,500 pounds.
“With spring peas or chickpeas, a farmer is pretty happy if he beats 2,000
pounds per acre. Winter peas might beat 5,000 pounds or even hit 7,000 pounds
per acre. So, you can see why the push is on to develop improved winter varieties,”
he said.
There are around 300,000 total acres of pulse crops in the Palouse region of
Washington and Idaho. Chickpeas comprise about 175,000 acres and lentils
around 90,000 acres with peas accounting for the remaining acreage. North
Dakota and Montana also have considerable acreage in pulse crops.
Recent prices have peas at about $.12 per pound; lentils at $.32-$.40 cents; and
chickpeas at $.28-$.30 cents. Lentils and chickpeas had been as high as $.50 per
pound before settling back down to current levels.
This year was designated the International Year of Pulses by the United
Nations.
“We’re excited because it has already brought a lot of attention to pulse crops.
One of the main targets was to get pulse crop exposure to millennials on social
media. We were hoping for at least 500,000 impressions, and we have more than
2.2 billion impressions already, just past halfway through the year.”
The annual National Lentil Festival also promotes pulse crops. Held in
Pullman each year, the festival showcases pulse crop food recipes during the
two-day event. In its 27th year, it continues to grow and features a world-record,
650-gallon bowl of lentil chili. This year, the Lentil Festival will be held Aug.
19-20.
To find out more about pulse crops and the efforts of the USA Dry Pea and
Lentil Council, visit them online at usapulses.org. You can also visit their offices
and test plots at West Pullman Road, straddling the state line on the outskirts of
Moscow, Idaho.
AGPRO designs the drill to YOUR specs…..
Three Drill Frame Designs! Two Opener Styles!
Four Seed/Fertilizer Point Options! Seed Boxes from 70-210 bushel!
Drill Widths up to 53 Feet!
Ultra-Low Disturbance
Cross Slot Openers!
Seed, Fertilizer &
Chemical Application
Equipment
Drill Frames with 2 or 3 Ranks
and High Flotation Tires
Call for details at 800-492-2212
1112 Airway Ave. Email: agpro@agproinc.com
Lewiston, ID 893501
www.agproinc.com
50 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

These dollars will be used to support
candidates that understand what
is critical to our industry and the
livelihood of our members
Political advocacy is
something many of us
think we can never get
involved in; the Washington
Wheat PAC is out
to change that.
The Washington Wheat PAC is a nonpartisan political
action committee that is dedicated to supporting
ag-friendly candidates.
The Washington Wheat PAC pledges to promote and
support elected officials from all parts of the state that
positively influence agriculture.
Why Support the Washington Wheat PAC?
Washington farmers are losing ground politically! The
ability to protect our interests is slowly dwindling.
Washington wheat producers need elected officials
who know and understand the industry. Without
these relationships our ability to remain competitive
is at risk. During the legislative session, thousands of
bills are introduced; many not favorable to farming.
Now is the time for the industry to join together and
proactively influence legislation that directly impacts
the Washington wheat producer.
Please join our efforts by financially supporting
the Washington Wheat PAC. Your contribution will
strengthen the network of elected officials who
understand the wheat industry’s goals and objectives
by fighting for what is critical to the livelihood of our
members.
Protect your interests by supporting farm-friendly candidates
who can make a difference in Olympia.
Yes, I would like to join with the Washington Wheat PAC’s vision and support their actions with my donation.
When you make a donation to the Washington Wheat PAC, you are investing in the future of agriculture in Washington State.
Please send form along with payment to PO Box 184, Ritzville, WA 99169. Checks should be made out to the Washington Wheat PAC.

Anhydrous Ammonia Has Changed Forever..
Better yields at Walla Walla.
Exactrix makes the difference.
TAPPS
No-till, High Speed Single Disc Banding, Bourgault, Case, Deere, and Mustang.
Need help getting 12% more net margin? Less is More at www.exactrix.com
Exactrix TAPPS is 166% more crop available. Highest performance at 1% CV.
North Central
Washington
Fence L.L.C.
• Industrial
• Commercial
• Residential
. planters . fertilizer applicators . rippers . chisels . cultivators . planters. harvesters . rod-weeders .
rod-weeders . chisels . choppers . rippers . fertilizer applicators
• Vinyl Fence • Split Cedar • Chain Link
Distributor For: FLAT IRON GATES
Black Pipe Gates - Black Mesh Gates
• Powdercoated, galvanized steel • Great Prices
Serving All Eastern Washington
509-765-2950
Ask About Wheat Grower Discount
NORTHNCW954K4
Grain augers big and small
Belt conveyors
Grain storage and unloading equipment
CHROME ALLOY WEAR PARTS
R&H offers hundreds of abrasion-resistant solid Chrome Alloy
replacement parts that have proven themselves for over 50 years
in all areas of the country and in all soil types.
If abrasive wear is your problem ~ ~ ~
R & H Machine has your answer!
More information at: NwGrainAugers.com
R & H MACHINE 115 ROEDEL AVE. CALDWELL, ID 83605 1-800-321-6568 www.rhmachine.com
Setting the Standard for Wear!
. planters . fertilizer applicators . rippers . chisels . cultivators . planters. . harvesters rod-weeders .
rod-weeders . chisels . choppers . rippers . fertilizer applicators
509.535.1177
“A story of
agriculture will
be told. It would
be better if it
were told by
you.”
— Jerry McReynolds,
past president of the National
Association of Wheat Growers
52 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

By Mike Miller
I go to a lot of conferences as chairman of the
Washington Grain Commission (WGC), as well as vice
chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates. Most of the time,
I’m up to speed on the subjects the speakers are talking
about. Futures and options, check. World wheat supply
and demand, check. New wheat technologies on the
horizon, check.
But every now and then comes along a conference
speaker who delivers a “Wow!” moment. At the Latin
America and Caribbean Buyers Conference in Portland,
Ore., June 22-24, Amer Badawi, vice president at
Columbia Grain, was one of those speakers.
Badawi revealed a world of ocean transport that I
didn’t know existed. First of all, how many commercial,
sea-going ships do you think are crisscrossing the planet
at any given moment? That’s right, 34,438 at last count.
As of the first week of May, 10,705 of those were bulk
carriers used to move all sorts of commodities including
wheat. Just 12 years ago, there were only 5,846 bulk carriers.
Isn’t trade wonderful!
For those of us who know next to nothing about ocean
transportation, Badawi brought us up to speed. The
days of the shipping industry being run by Greeks and
Germans is mostly over. The Greeks still own about 20
percent of the world’s ships, but Asian interests are in
the majority because countries with a demand for cargo
space want to own the ships that provide it.
Badawi said Columbia Grain owns some of its own
ships for transporting commodities around the world,
but doesn’t treat them as exclusive company transport. If
a charter is available and makes sense, that’s what they’ll
do, doesn’t matter if it’s with a competitor.
The same downturn in wheat that we are experiencing
as farmers is being experienced by ship owners who
overbuilt and overleveraged during the commodity
boom. Iron ore and coal imports are both way down.
Right now, some shippers are beginning to eat their seed
corn, selling ships one by one as they need cash because
no one in the financial industry will loan them money.
You might think a bright spot would be increased
world trade in wheat and coarse grains, but it’s a small
sliver of total demand. As Badawi put it, “We are not a
market for ship owners. We take what we are given by
market forces.”
I have heard about the big ships that are being built,
but I had no idea how big. If you stood the largest bulk
carrier on end, it would be as tall as the Empire State
Building. Of course, ships are wider too, which is why
the Panama Canal had to be widened. Badawi said one
of the largest bulk carriers could hold Idaho’s entire
yearly harvest of wheat.
This movement toward large ships—and it is a movement—has
me concerned because only the biggest ports
in the world can actually accommodate 75 feet of draft.
Just try getting the Empire State Building across the bar
and up the Columbia River to Portland.
I was skeptical of the alternatives Badawi showed
during his PowerPoint presentation, but I must say,
the shipping industry is thinking about how to carry
cargo to smaller ports. One of his slides showed a huge
mother ship transporting what looked to be 25 smaller
ships, each loaded with the cargo they’ll deliver under
their own power when released. Another slide showed
a ship loaded with 30 large modules. The mother ship
is designed to sink into the water, allowing the modules
to float off and be delivered to their destination by
tugs. Both examples use the advantage of a large ship’s
economy of scale crossing an ocean while still being able
to deliver the cargo wherever it needs to go.
Badawi’s presentation was not only eye opening in
terms of shipping, it got me thinking about the importance
of infrastructure along every link of the grain
chain and how that ties into the WGC’s marketing directive.
We can and do grow the best wheat in the world,
but closing the deal often comes down to logistics.
Obviously, there’s more challenges facing the wheat
industry than we can address at the WGC, but it is our
duty to anticipate the future and maybe even provide
some out-of-the-box ideas of our own. We want options
that provide customers the opportunity to land, off load
and deliver our wheat in an economical manner wherever
they may be located.
As businessmen, we know there are things we do because
they make sense, and we know there are things we
do because that’s just the way they’ve always been done.
The wheat we grow in the Pacific Northwest utilizes a
sophisticated transportation system. But if any part of
the system from trucks at the farm to railroads, barges
and ships costs too much or won’t work with existing
infrastructure, we won’t “close the deal.” And that’s just
not acceptable.
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 53

WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
Never enough
In another universe, one where common sense and the belief that man doesn’t
need to return to a primitive lifestyle in order to conserve threatened and
endangered species, the success of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the
Bonneville Power Administration in helping return salmon to the Snake River
would be held out as a beacon of enlightened, creative management. Alas, that
universe is not the one we inhabit. In our universe, a 20-year sustained increase
in salmon populations is not enough to avoid lawsuits and judicial rulings that
specifically ignore what has been achieved. Take the fact that in 2015, adult
salmon returns past McNary dam were the highest recorded since the dam was
completed in 1957, or that thanks to re-engineering all eight of the dams’ spillways
and generators, 95 to 98 percent of all juvenile salmon make it past each
one of the structures on the Columbia-Snake River System. That kind of success
should result in awards and honors. Instead, recently, it lands the issue on the
New York Times editorial page which opined that, “These dams are seen by many
biologists as the single biggest obstacle to salmon recovery, and studies have
shown that the power they generate can be replaced.” For the record, the four
Snake River dams generate enough power to supply nearly 2 million homes.
Snap, crackle,
ca-ching!
If you happen to be in the Big Apple
within the next year or so, go to Times
Square and get yourself a bowl of cereal—for
$7.50. Kellogg’s has launched
an all-day cereal cafe called, what else,
Kellogg’s New York. For the money, you
don’t just get cereal and milk, you get
names that remind you of Ben and Jerry’s
ice cream, like, Berry Me In Green Tea,
which is a combination of Rice Krispies,
strawberries and green tea powder.
The beat goes on
Judging from coverage in the news
media, you can almost watch the pendulum
swinging back in bread’s favor.
After books like “Wheat Belly” and “Grain
Brain” vilified wheat and the products
it makes, stories are now appearing in
magazines and newspapers which laud
bread. One article in the Wall St. Journal
was headlined, “A Call to Carbs,” and detailed
a revolution in bakeries across the
country “where highly processed flour is
giving way to freshly milled whole grain”
with a suggestion that, “It might just be
okay to love bread again.” Another article
in the journal Modern Farming suggests
you can tell the difference “between
heirloom wheat hand-tended in small
plots and nameless factory wheat.” Some
of the words used to describe the different
flavors in wheat include nutty, earthy,
bright, chewy, warm and gratifying.
54 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WGC REVIEW WL
Emergency label
for wireworm control
withdrawn from EPA
In early 2016, the Washington Grain Commission
(WGC) submitted a request to the Washington State
Department of Agriculture (WSDA) to support
and apply to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) for an emergency exemption Section 18 for
Fipronil to control wireworms in wheat. The process
started in late 2015 with the support of Albaugh
LLC. The WSDA submitted the Section 18 application
to the EPA in March 2016, and the EPA has been
reviewing the submission over the past few months.
The WGC informed the WSDA that the Section 18
decision needed to be in place the first part of July so
that it could be supported and supplied to growers
via the commercial seed industry. Unfortunately, it
became very clear that the EPA was not going to be
able to approve the application within the timeline
required to successfully implement the Section 18. In
addition, the EPA must perform a multidisciplinary
risk assessment of the requested use, relying largely
on data that has already been reviewed for the
pesticide. A dietary risk assessment, an occupational
risk assessment, an ecological and environmental
risk assessment and an assessment of the emergency
are conducted prior to making a decision. Through
this process, EPA indicated that they had concerns
with an occupational risk exposure, and this would
require more indepth information to help the EPA
make the correct risk assessment.
The WGC consulted with all cooperating partners
in the Section 18 application, and it was determined
that it was better to withdraw the application versus
receiving a rejection letter from the EPA based on
the gap in the risk assessment. The withdrawal
of the Section 18 will allow both the WGC and
Albaugh LLC the time necessary to properly access
and provide the appropriate information to the EPA.
An EPA rejection letter for the Section 18 would
have made it very difficult for a resubmission process
to take place. The good news is this process has
created great awareness with both the WSDA and
EPA on the wireworm issue and that wireworms are
a significant and threatening pest to cereal growers
in Washington state. This awareness will help with
future product evaluations and potential Albaugh
LLC registrations.
Concluding their three-day swing through Eastern Washington, a team from
Nippon, Japan’s second largest miller, posed with two of their three tour
guides during the visit. From left is Scott Yates, director of communications
at the Washington Grain Commission (WGC); Tomoya Shigeishi, Nippon
administrative division; Jun Yoshikawa, assistant manager in the company’s
wheat flour business department; and Glen Squires, CEO of the WGC.
We’ve got a winner!
A two-person team from Japan’s No. 2 miller hit the trifecta
during a recent visit to Eastern Washington. Jun Yoshikawa, assistant
manager in Nippon’s Wheat Flour Business Department,
and Tomoya Shigeishi of the company’s administrative division
had the opportunity to be led by all three of the Washington
Grain Commission’s (WGC) executive staff during portions of
their visit. WGC CEO Glen Squires picked up Yoshikawa at the
Spokane Airport on a Wednesday and took him to an evening
field day at WGC Chairman Mike Miller’s farm. On Thursday,
WGC Vice President Mary Palmer Sullivan picked Shigeishi up at
the airport and took both men out Highway 2 and on to Odessa
where they walked through a field of club wheat and met with
Pearson Burke at Odessa Union Warehouse. The final day, Scott
Yates, WGC director of communications, took the team south,
stopping in Tekoa to visit John Heaton at State Line Processors
before continuing on to the Top Notch Café in Colfax where
Shigeishi said eating the Top Notch Burger was like eating a
piece of America. The Western Wheat Quality Lab was the final
stop where Craig Morris, director of the lab; Kim Campbell, club
wheat breeder; and Mike Pumphrey, spring wheat breeder,
took time to explain their programs. The visit finished up with
dinner at a downtown Spokane eatery.
Flying carpet of the future?
All this time we’ve been waiting for a flying car when we should
have been looking forward to a passenger drone. Unlike helicopters,
which are notoriously difficult to fly, flying a drone is a
snap. Imagine taking a trip to town skimming over wheat fields
in your German-made Volocopter which has 18 separate rotors
and can be operated with just one hand. For now, make sure
your destination is located within 30 minutes and has electricity
to recharge batteries for the flight home.
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 55

WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WL
WGC REVIEW
Blurring the food/medicine line
If you believe that Nestlé, the huge, Swiss-based food company, knows what it’s doing,
then developing foods that are healthy and can even deliver cutting edge medicines
is in the future. Medical foods are one of the company’s big hopes for sales growth, including
prescription-based powders and drinks intended to meet specific nutritional
requirements to treat diseases. Medical foods are intended for people with chronic
diseases rather than for healthy people and must be used under medical supervision.
Reflecting Nestlé’s long-term strategy in health foods, the company recently hired Ulf
Mark Schneider as the company’s chief executive officer. Schneider had been CEO of a
Germany-based health care company. He is the first outsider to run the food conglomerate
since 1922.
A sour song
Horned larks, a common native North American songbird
that inhabits open areas and fallow fields, have been eating
canola plants by the thousands since about 2006. Given that
canola is one of the crops farmers can rotate with wheat and is
hard enough to get established without birds eating it, the predation
is no laughing matter. Bill Schillinger, agronomist in charge
of the Lind Dryland Research Station, said he has grown canola on
the research farm since 2000, but it was only beginning in 2006
that problems with horned larks began to occur. That year, the birds wiped out a oneacre
research plot, poking through the soil to eat the plant’s tender cotyeldons—the
initial two leaves that sprout from the tiny seeds—before they could even get out of
the ground. The problem extends into commercial fields. One farmer recently saw
10,000 horned larks descend upon his irrigated field and destroy his pre-emerged
canola seedlings. Schillinger called the feeding behavior of the larks as “frantic.” Curtis
Hennings, a former Washington Grain Commission board member and a leader in
the canola industry, said the larks appear to favor irrigated fields over dryland acreage.
“I’ve only heard irrigated people complain (about the larks). I haven’t seen it be a
problem with summer-planted winter canola on dryland acreage, and it hasn’t been a
problem on my farm,” he said.
Mr. Peanut
wouldn’t approve
Peanut residue found in soft red winter wheat
flour last May has prompted numerous recalls.
Kellogg’s, Mars Chocolate North America and
Frito-Lay all recalled products as a result of the
problem. Grain Craft, a Chattanooga-based
operation which owns the former Pendleton
Flour Mill, in Pendleton, Ore., issued its own
recall of flour that could contain traces of
peanuts. Two illnesses have been reported
because of the presence of peanut residue in
products associated with the recall.
More, please
Discussions between Monsanto
and Bayer AG concerning the
latter’s offer to buy the American
seed company are continuing,
but $62 billion was just too low
according to Monsanto. So Bayer
upped the initial price to $65 billion
or $125 a share. Hugh Grant,
Monsanto’s CEO, said there could
be “substantial benefits” to a deal,
but Bayer’s offer “significantly
undervalues the company.” He
suggests that any price below
$140 a share is not enough.
Monsanto’s share price in mid-July
was $104. If Bayer is ultimately successful,
the deal would reshape
the Germany-based
company, making
agriculture roughly
half its overall shares
with health care and pharmaceuticals
the other half. Declining prices
for major crops over the last three
years have pressured companies
that sell farmers seeds, fertilizers
and chemicals to look for partnerships.
The U.S. Department
of Agriculture is projecting that
farm incomes in the U.S. this year
will fall to their lowest level since
2002.
Manna from heaven
Although wheat prices are not where farmers want them, there have
been reports of tremendous yields throughout the U.S. and in Eastern
Washington at the start of the state’s harvest in July. As the saying goes,
rain makes grain. The weekly weather statistics from the Northwest
Regional Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service, reveals that as of July 10, most Eastern
Washington stations were reporting well-above-average precipitation.
Lind, Wash., has 13 inches of moisture for the season, 3.65 inches of precipitation
more than average. Ritzville had 14.20 inches, 2.67 inches above
normal. Spokane just nudged past average at 16.23 inches or .67 more
than normal. Pullman did a little better at 21.15 inches of precipitation
or 1.49 inches more than normal. Although Whitman Mission came in at
just more than 4 inches above average at 17.54 inches, nearby Walla Walla
came in at almost an inch less than average at 18.65 inches of moisture.
56 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

Rising sun rising
Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, rolled to an easy
election victory in July with his Liberal Democratic Party
now holding a healthy majority in both houses.
Abe and his policies aren’t particularly liked
in Japan, but voters apparently believe the
alternative is worse. After three years of
effort, his so-called Abenomics plan to get
Japan on its financial feet again, has met
with only modest success. After the election,
Abe said he wants to strengthen agriculture
exports from rural areas, improve infrastructure
and welcome more tourists. “We have promised
through this election campaign that we will sell the
world the agricultural products and tourism resources
each region is proud of,” he said. But the election win also
sets up Japan to revise its post war pacifist constitution for
the first time. Now, Japan’s military can only be used for defensive
purposes, and war as a means to settle international
disputes is outlawed. A new constitution would allow Japan
to join with the U.S. to help contain China’s expansion in the
South China Sea.
Bad, but not as bad as the 1980s
As commodity prices head south, U.S. banks are tightening their credit
requirements for farmers, and in some cases, sending them to nontraditional
financial sources. CHS Inc., the farmer-owned cooperative, reported its loans
to farmers this year have risen 48 percent in both number and volume over
2014. Demand for help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm
Service Agency is expected to increase 23 percent in 2016. Things don’t look
better for 2017. The USDA estimated on July 12 that the U.S.
carryover of wheat on June 1, 2017, will be 1.1 billion bushels,
the largest overhang since 1.2 billion bushels in 1988. This
year’s wheat production is currently estimated at 1.63 billion
bushels, up 19 percent from last year’s crop. Given that U.S.
storage bins still hold surpluses from last year, exactly where
this year’s crops will go is a conundrum, but it’s expected
trucks will be moving longer distances to dump their cargo
at elevators with space. The USDA forecast average farm
price for wheat in 2016/17 to fall in a range between $3.40 to
$4.20 per bushel. Prices are so low in places that after nearly
15 years, programs like the Loan Deficiency Program
(LDP) are already paying farmers in some parts of
the nation. Despite all the gloom, the good news is
that bankers generally don’t expect anything like the
financial strain of the 1980s when plunging land values
and rising indebtedness forced many farmers
out of business.
Hip, hip, hurrah!
WGC REVIEW WL
Fifty years of dedication to the Lind Dryland Research
Station was honored during the Lind Field Day on June 16.
Thirty years of the half century of service belonged to Bruce
Sauer (center), the 1,320-acre station’s farm manager. Brian
Fode (right), the station’s utility worker, received his 15-year
service award, and John Jacobsen, research technician for
the station’s agronomist, Bill Schillinger, received his fiveyear
service award.
Another
nail?
The insect control
product
maker Ortho
said it will
transition away from
using neonicotinoidbased
pesticides for
outdoor use. Lowes and Home Depot announced
last year they would stop selling
such products in their garden care sections.
Tim Martin, general manager of the
Ortho brand, said the decision was made
after careful consideration regarding the
range of possible threats to honeybees
and other pollinators. “While agencies in
the United States are still evaluating the
overall impact of neonics on pollinator
populations, it’s time for Ortho to move
on,” he said, adding that he encourages
other companies to follow his company’s
lead.
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 57

EPORTS RWASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
The PNW’s
border with
Latin America,
Caribbean
PORTLAND CONFERENCE
DRAWS SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE CROWD
By Scott A. Yates
It might not have been the obvious choice to locate a
conference that seeks to attract participants from Central
and South America, including the Caribbean, but U.S.
Wheat Associates’ (USW) gamble to make Portland, Ore.,
the venue for the 12th annual Latin America Buyers
Conference (LABC) certainly paid off.
A semi-annual conference that brings scores of Latin
American milling and baking industry representatives to
one spot, the LABC has always been held in more southern
climes: New Orleans, La.; Austin, Texas; Aventura,
Fla.; San Jose, Costa Rica; and Bogota, Colombia, to name
a few. The meeting sites were largely reflective of Gulf of
Mexico ports being closer to the region where 83 percent
of U.S. soft red winter exports, 46 percent of the hard red
winter exports and 22 percent of hard red spring exports
flowed last year.
Although only about 10 percent of the Pacific
Northwest soft white wheat crop went south in 2015, that
10 percent is 100 percent more than was being exported
to the region 20 years ago. In fact, Latin America is
becoming an ever more important destination for every
class of wheat in the U.S. In 1994, 8 million metric tons
(mmt) of wheat were exported to the region. That number
recently surpassed 23 mmt.
With much of the Middle East, especially Egypt, now
receiving most of its wheat from the so-called Black Sea
States including Russia and Ukraine, USW, as well as the
Washington Grain Commission (WGC), realized more
than a decade ago that Latin America was a realistic—
and much needed—alternative for the soft white market.
The process was helped along by serendipity. During a
fact-finding mission to South America 11 years ago, several
commissioners were introduced to a process used
by one bakery in Chile to blend soft white wheat with
the hard “protein” wheats to create superior breads at a
lower cost. Bringing the “discovery” back to Washington
state, the WGC hired cereal chemist Art Bettge to find
out exactly what was happening when the hard protein
wheats and soft white are combined. His work resulted
in the “sweet spot” study which determined that in
blends “soft white wheat acts as a buffer and an additional
component in ensuring superior loaf volume as
well as quality.”
Using that information, in 2013, the Washington,
Oregon and Idaho wheat and grain commissions in
collaboration with USW, joined together to hire a Latin
American consultant who could demonstrate as well
as extoll the virtues of the soft white blend as a way of
getting more for less. Andrea Saturno, a Venezuelan
with 35 years of experience as a milling technologist and
university professor, fit the bill. Drawing upon the markets
USW has developed, Saturno has visited 17 mills
in seven countries since he started. Today, Guatemala
and El Salvador are consistent buyers of soft white in the
58 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WGC REPORTS WL
region regardless of the price difference
with soft red winter wheat.
But price remains a stumbling
block in many countries. Marcelo
Mitre Dieste, technical specialist
with USW in Mexico City, accompanies
Saturno on his soft white
blending trips throughout Central
America. He said the technical part
of the program has been excellent
and well received.
“All of our blending trials have
worked very well, and the mills
have been very positively surprised,”
he said, adding, however,
that logistics and soft white cost
still present problems.
Speaking of cost, there was a lot
of talk by speakers at the LABC
about Russia, the underlying
theme of which was, don’t trust the
Bear! Vince Peterson, USW’s vice
president of overseas operations,
pointed out that Russia has suffered
12 documented droughts in the last
50 years. Since they’ve become a
world wheat exporter, each of their
droughts has corresponded to big
wheat deficit years.
And they have no mature marketing
system like the U.S. where
wheat is always for sale. As Jeff
McPike, manager of global marketing
for McDonald Pelz Global
Commodity, put it, “When Russia
doesn’t have a good wheat crop,
they don’t export. Russia will take
care of its domestic market first,
second and third.”
USW wasn’t sure what to expect
when they announced the location
of the 12th LABC. By the time registration
was complete, however, the
room block in the hotel where the
conference was being held was full,
and the overflow was being booked
into a hotel across the street. In the
end, nearly 170 participants registered
for the Portland conference,
which appears to be a record.
Andrea Saturno, a Venezuelan-based wheat milling technologist who helps promote soft
white wheat blending in Latin America, speaks with Glen Squires, CEO of the Washington Grain
Commission, during the Latin America Buyers Conference held in Portland, Ore., in June.
The U.S. Wheat Associates-sponsored Latin America Buyers Conference held in Portland, Ore., in
June, saw the highest attendance ever for the semi-annual event that has previously been held in
Southern climes.
Brit Ausman (left), a Washington Grain Commission board member and farmer in Asotin County,
speaks with German Dario Zapata of Servicios Nutresa S.A.S. Corporative of Colombia during the
Latin America Buyers Conference in Portland, Ore. Zapata was interested in learning more about the
sustainability of Ausman’s farming operation.
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 59

WL
WGC REPORTS
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
The turnout pleased Peterson.
He called Latin America and the
Caribbean “perhaps some of the most
important countries for U.S. wheat
producers and exporters of all the
destinations we deal with.” He said the
importance of the event, which began
in 1998, is to assemble everyone from a
widely disbursed geographical region
into one place “where we can have a
conversation with them about the markets,
about their businesses and about
our relationships with them.”
German Zapata with Servicios
Nutresa S.A.S. Corporative of
Colombia, an operation that is working
to include more soft white wheat
in their purchases, was especially
pleased by the tour that took participants
to Oregon Wheat Commission
Chairman Darren Padget’s farm above
the Columbia River Gorge. Many of the
millers had never before seen wheat
plants in a field.
“Many times you just go to a trader and you don’t have
the opportunity to experience what (farmers) are working.
So, the whole process—the land, the technology
Coming back from a working lunch during the Latin America Buyers Conference, Glen Squires (left),
chats with Osvaldo Seco (center), from the U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Santiago, Chile, office, while
Casey Chumrau, marketing manager for USW’s Santiago office, listens.
Glen Squires (right), CEO of the Washington Grain Commission (WGC), makes a point during a
private discussion among WGC commissioners and U.S. Wheat Associates personnel helping to
promote soft white wheat blending in Latin America at the Latin America Buyers Conference in
Portland, Ore. Others include (from left) Gary Bailey, WGC commissioner; Mike Miller, WGC chairman;
Marcelo Mitre Dieste (kneeling), USW technical specialist in Mexico City; Andrea Saturno, milling
technologist; Damon Filan, WGC commissioner; and Brit Ausman, WGC commissioner.
they have, how they work to buy the perfect seed—it is
amazing,” he said.
Jeremy Lampman, assistant general manager of
Molino Harinero Sula in Honduras, has
originated grain from other parts of
the world and been less than satisfied.
He said with U.S. wheat, his company
knows “the standards are always the
same, and the product isn’t going to
vary from day to day.”
Glen Squires, CEO of the WGC,
was thrilled with the turnout and the
opportunity to meet again with those
he has visited previously in Latin
America, as well as educate potential
new customers about the difference
between wheat price and wheat value.
“Customers may be able to get
cheaper wheat from other sources, but
as Latin American millers and bakers
become more sophisticated, they’re
realizing what our Asian customers
have known for a long time. Pacific
Northwest soft white wheat quality
makes a difference. Not to mention
its incredible versatility when used in
blends,” he said.
60 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WGC REPORTS WL
A better way
to work together
HighLine Grain shuttle loader a family farming affair
By Scott A. Yates
If the new HighLine Grain shuttle-loading facility
at Four Lakes outside of Cheney had a motto, it
might be, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
HighLine is no regular shuttle loader. In the
Midwest, where most of the round-track facilities
are found, corn or soybean farmers deliver their
crops directly to shuttle loaders by truck. In
Washington, trucks are also used to haul grain into
existing shuttle loaders at Ritzville and McCoy, but
they’re primarily 18-wheelers, often pulling a pup
behind, driven by professionals moving grain from
tributary locations in the country to the shuttle
loader. HighLine is different because it uses a train
to deliver to a train.
That idea may be confusing for those who think it
doesn’t make sense to unload wheat from one train
only to put it on another, but knowing the history
of Washington’s short-line railroads, most of which
have been abandoned and the tracks torn up, helps
fill in the gaps.
HighLine Grain is supplied by shippers along the
Washington state-owned, 108-mile-long Coulee City
Railroad that stretches from its namesake community
to Four Lakes. Hundreds of thousands of acres of
wheat along its rails are tributary to five grain companies:
Central Washington Grain Growers, Almira
Farmers Warehouse, Davenport Union, Odessa
Union Warehouse and Reardan Grain Growers, the
last two of which are overseen by AgVentures.
These five companies (four operating groups)
went in together to build the HighLine Grain
Facility, but not before they spent four years before
that working out the kinks of their partnership by
putting together co-loads of wheat built into shuttles
by using the sidings along the Coulee City line as
their building blocks. Launching a full-fledged
shuttle-train loader was “strongly encouraged” by
BNSF, which has a priority of using its equipment as
efficiently as possible.
The Coulee City Railroad is not up to Class I railroad
standards. A loaded train can only travel at 10
mph, but even at that speed, the railway potentially
keeps thousands of trucks off the road and reduces
the state’s carbon footprint, not to mention accidents.
By using cars owned by the state in tandem with
their own, HighLine is able to load, transport and
then position up to 60-car “scoot” trains on one
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION

WL
WGC REPORTS
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
Paul Katovich, manager of Central Washington Grain Growers in Waterville and CEO of HighLine Grain, demonstrates how employees at the region’s
newest shuttle-train loading facility have an array of options for segregating grains of different quality and protein during an open house held at the
facility June 24.
of the two pairs of tracks that encircle the Four Lakes
facility.
A typical “scoot” with its smaller cars carries about
165,000 bushels. A shuttle train of 115 cars, by contrast,
holds 425,000 bushels. Since April 15, Four Lakes has
shipped 10 shuttles. The added efficiency has come with
a benefit to farmers who have seen their off-coast shipping
costs decline.
Brad Wiley is facility superintendent of the Four Lakes
facility. He has 15 years of experience working with
Cargill in the Midwest, four of those on shuttle loaders
in Nebraska. He was operations manager for Mid-
Columbia Producers in Oregon immediately before he
came to HighLine.
At slightly less than $30 million to build, the Four
Lakes facility doesn’t take many people to operate. Five
full-time employees are on-site, but a shuttle can be
loaded by only two people. HighLine has employees authorized
to operate locomotives, but it is contracting with
the short-line operator, Eastern Washington Gateway
Railroad Co., to provide the needed power.
The facility at Four Lakes currently has a storage
capacity in concrete silos and one large steel bin of 2.1
million bushels. Although a shuttle can be loaded at the
same time a scoot train is being unloaded, Wiley said it’s
unlikely that ability will be utilized regularly because of
the drawback of not being able to simultaneously weigh
cars.
Wiley said the scoot-to-shuttle delivery system provides
HighLine with a competitive advantage and lets
the company address customer needs “with just about
anything they want” in a short time frame. While the
facility won’t be taking farmer-direct deliveries of grain
during harvest, two of the three dump pits are designed
to handle inbound trucks hauling from other elevator
grain companies. Farmers can also utilize the facility
outside the harvest window.
A train to a shuttle train may be unusual, but there are
other aspects of the five-company coalition that are also
cutting edge. Where other companies have yielded to
the urge to merge into mega-cooperatives, the boards of
the individual companies involved in HighLine wanted
to keep their identities separate. As a result, HighLine
Grain is a marketing umbrella with a board of directors
made up of the four operating group managers along
with farmer representatives from each company. All of
the usual functions performed by a company manager
and his or her employees are retained by the individual
cooperatives.
62 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WGC REPORTS WL
Paul Katovich is manager of Central Washington Grain
Growers in Waterville, but he’s also CEO of HighLine
Grain. He said the structure of the operation grew out of
the demand from the grower base to have some modicum
of local control, as well as the “fiercely independent
nature of the Pacific Northwest agriculture economy.”
He said when it comes to day-to-day activities, grower
members of the five involved companies won’t notice
much change.
One of the challenges for the HighLine entity was to
establish an accounting function so that each individual
company’s farmers are properly credited with their production.
This is an additional layer of responsibility, but
Katovich said it has worked well. There are mechanisms
for internal double checks in the design of the software
that has pleased the auditors who have reviewed the
system.
“There are more sets of eyes now. It has been a lot of
work, but it’s a healthy process,” he said.
Katovich said not all wheat in the five-company system
will go through the shuttle. Everything will be based on
the least-cost alternative, and shipping by barge on the
river system will continue to play an important role in
getting wheat to market.
Ty Jessup, the marketing manager for HighLine and
an industry representative on the Washington Grain
Commission, is the man responsible for getting the most
value possible out of farmers’ wheat. That means he’s the
guy who centrally coordinates all sales and makes the
decision where the market price point stands each day.
Individual companies can decide to be more competitive,
but if one raises their price per bushel, it comes out of the
individual company’s pocket.
“Each individual company operates as they have in the
past. HighLine is simply a marketing umbrella,” Jessup
said.
Keith Bailey, who manages Reardan Grain Growers
and Odessa Union Warehouse under the AgVentures
nameplate, is the chief operating officer at HighLine. He
praises the talent pool available at the various companies.
Beau Duff, manager of Davenport Union is the
chief financial officer of HighLine. Jim Bafus, manager at
Almira Farmers Warehouse, is HighLine’s secretary.
Wrestling everyone into a single marketing group has
involved some amount of struggle, Bailey said, owing to
competitive market forces that may exist at some locations
and not others. But he has been impressed by how
the four managers have worked together to resolve their
differences. Communication is key. New computer systems
have been installed at all the offices allowing managers
to see who’s on the phone and call them instantly
with the click of a button.
It’s all part of the premise that underlies the entire
HighLine experience—when people really need to do
something, they’ll figure out a way.
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
Brad Wiley, superintendent of the HighLine Grain shuttle loading facility at Four Lakes outside of Cheney, explains how grain is moved within the facility’s
2.1 million bushel-capacity concrete silos and one large steel bin during an open house.
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 63

WL
WGC REPORTS
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
State’s shuttle revolution largely complete
With the recent opening of HighLine Grain’s shuttle-train
loading facility outside Cheney, the state of
Washington now has four such facilities moving wheat
to market.
Ritzville Warehouse was the first to take the shuttle
plunge in 2002, when the company
built its facility adjacent to BNSF’s
mainline. A facility in Plymouth,
Wash., south of the Tri-Cities, which
brings in corn from the Midwest,
also loads out wheat heading to
Portland. It’s loop track was also
built in 2002. McCoy, a shuttle-loading
facility outside Oaksdale, saw
two companies, Pacific Northwest
Farmers Cooperative and Cooperative
Agricultural Producers Inc. (since
joined by Mid-Columbia Producers),
collaborate to open their shuttle-train
loader in 2013. HighLine Grain is also
a partnership of cooperatives including
Reardan Grain Growers, Odessa
Union Warehouse, Davenport Union, Almira Union and
Central Washington Grain Growers.
Greg Guthrie, director for agricultural products at
BNSF based in Portland, said it’s his sense that if the
construction of shuttle-loading facilities isn’t done yet in
Washington, it’s very close.
“Ultimately, the decision to build (shuttle loaders) is
based on a commercial company’s or cooperative’s decision
to expand their origination footprint, and each one
of those decisions is conducted on a case-by-case basis,”
he said.
Talking off the record to representatives of companies
that have built shuttle loaders, it appears the decision is
also based on BNSF’s desire to become more efficient.
From once moving single cars, the railroad transitioned
to 25-car units, then 50. Shuttles, which can be as long
as 120 cars, are the railroad’s modern quest to make the
process of moving grain to market as streamlined—and
profitable—as possible. The first shuttle movement was a
corn train from Illinois to Baton Rouge in 1967.
As Guthrie explained, a nonshuttle rail car can expect
to make one cycle a month—that is from load to destination
and back again. With shuttles, a piece of equipment
is now making three cycles a month.
“You obviously haul significantly more tons in a rail
car per month in shuttles than you can in manifest (mix
freight) service,” he said.
Although Union Pacific and other Class I railroads
provide BNSF competition, the Berkshire Hathawayowned
company hauls the majority of
wheat moved by rail in the country—55
percent. But even at 140 million tons, all
of the small grains moved on the railroads
are just 8 or 9 percent of the total.
For comparison sake, coal movement
in 2015 came in at 638 million tons or
in excess of 36 percent of the tonnage
moved by railroads. In total, railroads
moved 1.73 billion tons of freight in
2015.
Since then, however, Guthrie said
there has been a precipitous decline in
coal movement as well as petroleum.
So, from dealing with a severe service
crisis in 2013 when shuttle-train cycling
times declined to 1.9 trips per month, there are now 1,000
locomotives of a total 7,300 out of service.
In 2000, there were 77 shuttle car loaders served by
BNSF in the U.S. with a possible 41 destinations. In
2015, there were 229 shuttle loaders with 100 possible
destinations, 40 of which are ports. Guthrie said the
major growth in shuttles has occurred in North and
South Dakota where a changing crop mix has driven the
expansion.
“The change in crop acres from wheat to corn and
soybeans with production expanding north and west has
increased both the yield and the needed proximity to
elevators,” he said, explaining that with an average corn
crop yielding upward of 150 bushels an acre, the drawing
area can be much smaller than with a wheat crop
yielding an average 45 bushels an acre.
Today, Guthrie said, there are in excess of 120 shuttles
(varying from 110 to 120 cars long) in dedicated service.
When a shuttle is delivered to an elevator location, the
BNSF crew departs and a crew employed or hired by
the elevator takes over. There are incentives for loading
as fast as possible, a task that takes at least seven hours.
In the Pacific Northwest, the BNSF crew returns to take
control of the shuttle when the loading is completed,
upon which the journey to a port location commences.
64 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WGC REPORTS WL
“Mike and Arron are
not just great scientists
and wheat breeders, they
are friends of the wheat
family and excellent
industry partners. We
expect to see great things
from them in the years
ahead.”
—Glen Squires,
CEO of the Washington
Grain Commission
Two for the price of one!
WINTER AND SPRING WHEAT BREEDERS HONORED AS VOGEL CO-CHAIRS
By Rich Koenig
Associate Dean and Director of Washington State University
Extension and Interim Chair of the Department of Crop and Soil
Sciences
The O. A. Vogel Endowed Chair in Wheat Breeding and
Genetics, a recognition financed by a $1.5 million contribution
made by what was then the Washington Wheat
Commission in 1998, has not one, but two new custodians.
Arron Carter, Washington State University’s (WSU) winter
wheat breeder, and Mike Pumphrey, the university’s spring
wheat breeder, have been named Vogel Endowment co-chairs.
Kim Kidwell, executive associate dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and
Natural Resource Sciences, made the announcement at the 2016 Lind Dryland Field
Day. She said it was very important whoever attained the honor be an accomplished
scientist, wheat breeder, leader and outstanding collaborator within their college.
It also happens the two have a close association with Kidwell. Pumphrey replaced
her as spring wheat breeder when she left her job in research for administration in
2010, and Carter was her last Ph.D. student.
“This is almost surreal. I just don’t know if it is possible to have a better day than
this one” she said as she called the two up to the front of the Lind seed house crowd
of about 250.
Carter and Pumphrey were each presented with new business cards and plaques
designating their new title with an effective date of June 16, 2016. The plaques
feature the iconic image of Vogel holding up two bundles of wheat, one a standard
height variety and the other the famous semidwarf wheat, Gaines. Vogel was credited
with developing the variety which was first released to growers in 1961.
Vogel’s semidwarf wheats were an instant success. They not only increased
Washington wheat yields by 25 percent, they nearly eliminated lodging problems
associated with standard height varieties. Norman Borlaug, father of the Green
Revolution and recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, publicly credited Vogel and
his semidwarf wheat as key to the revolution’s success.
Kulvinder Gill was the Vogel Endowed Chair from 2003 until 2014, when a decision
was made by WSU to reassign the chair.
Glen Squires, CEO of the WGC, praised the decision to offer the chair to the two
current wheat breeders.
“Mike and Arron are not just great scientists and wheat breeders, they are friends
of the wheat family and excellent industry partners. We expect to see great things
from them in the years ahead,” Squires said.
The O. A. Vogel Endowed Chair in Wheat Breeding and Genetics honors Vogel
and his career achievements spanning 42 years as a U.S. Department of Agriculture
scientist located in Pullman. In addition to his achievements as a wheat breeder,
Vogel was credited with many planting and threshing inventions that advanced
variety development globally by allowing wheat and other small grains breeders to
more efficiently plant and harvest thousands of lines. He was also well known as a
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 65

WL
WGC REPORTS
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
Kim Kidwell (left), executive associate dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University, as well as
the college’s former spring wheat breeder, congratulates winter wheat breeder Arron Carter (center) and spring wheat breeder Mike Pumphrey on being
named co-chairs of the O. A. Vogel Endowed Chair in Wheat Breeding and Genetics at the Lind Dryland Station field day June 16.
highly practical and effective agronomist and a humble,
honorable man. Carter and Pumphrey embody the spirit
and intent of the endowment created to honor Vogel.
Each endowment at Washington State University is
governed by a gift use agreement (GUA), a signed legal
document that specifies uses and purposes for the funds.
The following criteria are taken directly from the Vogel
Chair GUA developed between the WGC and WSU:
• To honor Dr. Vogel’s leadership values and interests
in the well being of the wheat industry in
Washington state.
• To attract a faculty member with expertise in wheat
breeding and genetics to serve as a focal point for
continuing research of this nature and coordinate
the multidiscipline-related wheat research efforts
to enhance the total varietal research program at
Washington State University.
• To ensure dedication to wheat breeding and improvement
through the latest techniques in science
and cultivar development.
• To train undergraduate and graduate students and
research associates in wheat breeding and genetics.
• To complement the existing research, teaching and
extension programs in the Department of Crop and
Soil Sciences and other related departments.
• To teach one graduate level plant breeding or genetics
lecture class one semester per year and act as
advisor to selected graduate students.
Carter and Pumphrey fulfill each one of these criteria
and more. They are world class, up-and-coming scientists
recognized nationally and internationally for their
accomplishments and ability to work across disciplinary
and geographic lines to develop and advance wheat
varieties for growers in Washington state and the world.
They will share earnings from the endowment to collaboratively
advance their wheat breeding programs to develop
new and improved lines for Washington growers.
WSU plans to further honor Vogel by creating a display
honoring his career and legacy achievements in the
O. A. Vogel Plant Biosciences Building on the Pullman
campus. The display is expected to be complete in
September. The Vogel Plant Biosciences Building houses
the lab component of the wheat breeding programs
and most of the other Washington State University and
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research
Service research programs that support the Washington
wheat industry.
66 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WGC REPORTS WL
&
FEED
FOOD MALT
Of the 110,000 acres of barley that will be harvested
in Washington this year, most of the crop will go for
livestock rations with malting types for beer production
a distant second. Although food barley types presently
take an even thinner slice of the consumption pie, I
believe the ancient grain that once fueled the diets of our
ancestors is poised to make a comeback.
There is evidence barley was being eaten by humans
13,000 years ago. More recently, well-documented research
shows those early humans knew what they were
doing—barley has positive health and nutritional properties.
In 2005, prompted by a growing body of evidence
One crop, three markets | By Kevin Murphy
about the health value of beta-glucans, which naturally
occur at different levels in the cell walls of various cereals,
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permitted
labeling barley as a heart-healthy food that reduces the
risk of coronary heart disease.
Beta-glucans are an important part of the dietary fiber
profile of food barley and have been shown to lower
glycemic index and cholesterol. Compared to other leading
cereal crops, barley shines. Its beta glucan content is
much higher than those found in wheat, rice and corn.
Breeders at Washington State University (WSU) have
been breeding for hulless, or naked, food barley types,
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
Kevin Murphy looks back into his barley plots as he speaks
with a group of farmers at a Farmington Field Day in 2014.
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 67

WL
WGC REPORTS
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
The two-row spring barley, Havener, released in 2015 from Washington State University’s barley breeding program, is high in beta-glucan content, which
makes it heart healthy. Shown at the St. John variety testing plot tour in July, the variety is broadly adapted across many Washington locations and rainfall
zones.
for the last 30 years. I believe this novel and promising
market class makes barley a triple threat for Washington
growers.
Barley grown in the U.S. for domestic human food
typically comes from hulled barley, which is then dehulled
during pearling, a process which removes much of
the nutritionally rich bran. Tocols, phenols and mineral
nutrients are some of the beneficial nutritional compounds
found in barley bran.
Hulless barley is characterized by having a gene that
prevents the lemma and palea of the husks from attaching
to the caryopsis. In layman’s terms, that means the
grain kernels are allowed to thresh freely, an advantage
for the retention of beneficial nutrients and the reason
why I’ve made breeding hulless barley a priority.
Today, many food uses of barley utilize hulled barley
cultivars bred for feed purposes. These do not come
close to optimizing the unique and extensive nutritive
potential of the crop. Almost all barley used for food has
been pearled, which removes the hull and a significant
portion of the pericarp where many phytonutrients and
minerals are concentrated. The development of hulless,
nutritionally dense food barley varieties would provide
a value-added option for growers to counter traditionally
low feed barley prices.
So where are we now? A new, two-row spring barley
variety called “Havener” was released through WSU in
2015. Havener is a hulless food barley with high betaglucan
content that is broadly adapted across many locations
and rainfall zones of Eastern Washington. Havener
is currently being grown by the Washington State Crop
Improvement Association as foundation seed and will
be available in a limited quantity to seed dealers and
farmers beginning in 2017. Havener has between 31 and
38 percent higher heart-healthy beta-glucan content than
commonly-grown hulled barley cultivars.
With support from the Washington Grain Commission
and the Robert Nilan Endowment, we are continuing to
breed hulless food barley. Variation in beta-glucan content
has been observed among our WSU elite lines under
68 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WGC REPORTS WL
evaluation, and many of our diverse set of
breeding lines have shown potential for a
combined further increase in beta-glucan
content, protein content and grain yield.
Additional food barley traits of interest
include waxy types, proanthocyanidinfree
types and types with high soluble
fiber content. New crosses are being made
to combine the proanthocyanidin-free
trait into waxy hulless types to produce
better food types in terms of desirable
color and color retention. Crosses have
also been made to breed for low phytic
acid types to improve mineral quality of
barley and reduce phosphorus waste in
feeding operations.
I anticipate future releases of food
barley varieties with enhanced nutritional
and heart-healthy properties—and higher
yields. Increasing yield is critical in the
development and adoption of food barley
varieties. The hulless trait in barley has
historically been lower yielding than
hulled barley. But hulless barley does not
require pearling, which helps to preserve
its nutritional value and heart healthy attributes.
Hulless food barley would have
the additional advantage of reducing the
cost of pearling typically associated with
hulled feed barley varieties.
In addition to breeding new food
barley varieties, we are also working with
farmers and researchers to develop best
management practices for hulless barley.
In particular, we are evaluating the effect
of environment and rainfall zone on betaglucan
and protein content in the hulless
market class. We are also conducting a
genome-wide association study focusing
on health and nutritional traits that will
allow us to better understand and exploit
these characteristics in the barley genome.
With the support of Western
Sustainable Agriculture Research and
Extension (WSARE), we are also conducting
hulless barley variety trials and
agronomic trials on no-till farms in the
Palouse. Why no-till? Bill Schillinger,
WSU agronomist in charge of the Lind
Dryland Research Station, along with
his colleagues, has shown spring barley
Hulless Havener, also known as a naked barley type, is barley breeder Kevin Murphy’s
latest effort to jump start a food barley program in Washington state.
allows farmers to increase cropping intensity while decreasing erosion
in no-till systems. As well, when used in no-till rotations with wheat,
barley reduces rhizoctonia bare patch, a common problem in no-till
systems. Within the agronomic trials, we are testing different seeding
rates and fertility treatments using two unique hulless barley varieties
in order to determine management practices that optimize grain yield,
nutritional value and seed end-use quality.
It is the goal of the WSU barley program to return barley to its roots
as a human food. At the same time, we will continue to develop exceptional
feed types and specialty malting varieties actively sought by the
burgeoning craft beer market. Barley is a triple threat indeed!
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 69

WHEAT WATCH
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
Wheat: A curious case
By Mike Krueger
There hasn’t
been any bullish
news around the
wheat markets for
a very long time.
Funds continue
to carry a large short position in the
Chicago wheat market. There has
been no incentive for them to exit
those short positions, what with a
huge U.S. winter wheat crop and
no serious weather threat in the
U.S. corn and soybean markets. In
fact, the funds have completely reversed
their long corn position over
the last two weeks and are now
reportedly short a small amount, a
circumstance that changed following
the July 4th weekend when the
trade came back to work with rain
in the forecast.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) continued its
bearish outlook in their July World
Agricultural Supply and Demand
Estimates (WASDE) report by increasing
U.S. wheat ending supplies
to 1.1 billion bushels. The Kansas
wheat yield is now estimated to
beat the previous record yield by
a whopping nine bushels per acre.
That is an incredible number when
you consider that some crop analysts
were within weeks of declaring
the crop dead in mid-April.
Then the rains came.
The USDA’s July WASDE actually
reduced world wheat ending
supplies because of an 11 million
metric ton (mmt) increase in projected
feed usage—2.7 mmts of that
projected increase coming from the
U.S. See charts 1 and 2 for the latest
estimates of U.S. and world wheat
Chart 1: U.S. all wheat stocks-days of supply
Chart 2: World’s wheat-days of supply
ending stocks in terms of days of supply.
Despite the overwhelmingly bearish U.S. and world wheat ending supply
estimates, there are some things happening that bear watching:
• The French wheat crop is in trouble. It is declining rapidly in both volume
and quality. Some estimates have dropped the wheat crop in France to 32
mmt or lower. That compares to more than 40 mmt last year. If accurate,
that will cut EU wheat ending supplies in half. The Egypt market might
70 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

WHEAT WATCH WL
be left totally to the Black Sea. There is also some
question of quantity and quality in the German
wheat crop because of too much rain.
• The USDA forecasted an increase in wheat production
in Argentina while private groups there are
talking about a 10 percent reduction in wheat plantings
because of heavy rains and flooding.
• The U.S. hard red winter wheat crop is, as everyone
knows by now, huge. Everyone also knows it has a
real problem with low protein content, and, in some
cases, milling characteristics leave a lot to be desired.
Some analysts believe as much as 250 to 300 million
bushels is feed quality. That is about 25 percent of
this crop. The USDA acknowledged part of that by
increasing feed usage by 100 million bushels in the
July WASDE.
• There are also concerns about some quality issues
with the U.S. soft red winter wheat crop.
• There has been some chatter that the USDA is trying
to find a home for this low protein hard red winter
wheat crop through some sort of special wheat food
aid export program.
• The other problem the USDA might have is loan
forfeitures of winter wheat. Cash basis levels and
futures levels have dropped so much that government
loan rates in some places are above market
prices. Farmers will take the government (USDA)
loan. If prices don’t recover above the loan rate, they
can simply forfeit the wheat to the USDA rather than
repaying the loan.
• There is also a thing called the Loan Deficiency
Payment (LDP) that is still in play under the farm
program. This allows the USDA to set an LDP if the
cash price is below the loan rate. Instead of forfeiting
the wheat to the USDA, the farmer could take
the LDP. The LDP would be the calculation of the
difference between the actual loan rate and the local
cash price for wheat. For example, today the loan rate
is approximately $3.10 per bushel. If the cash price
drops below that level, the producer can elect to take
a per bushel payment and keep the wheat. If the
cash price dropped to $2.80, that payment would be
30 cents per bushel. The USDA might want to make
that LDP payment attractive enough to encourage
farmers to take it rather than default the actual wheat
to the USDA. This could result in some interesting
market dynamics IF the LDP comes into play. We
haven’t had to deal with loan rates, LDPs, etc., for a
very long time.
The USDA’s July white wheat production estimates
compared to 2015 are:
U.S. white wheat production (million bushels)
2015 2016
Winter Hard White 15,914 21,230
Winter Soft White 168,306 202,271
Spring Soft White 29,447 32,880
Spring Hard White 5,526 6,154
Total White Wheat 219,193 262,535
The 43 million bushel increase in production will
be partially offset by a 38 million bushel increase in
anticipated demand. White wheat ending supplies are
projected to increase by 15 million bushels. That is not a
significant increase.
The point continues to be that while total world wheat
numbers are big, milling quality wheat supplies are
getting tighter. The quality and protein of the North
American spring wheat crop will be important. That
harvest will start to get underway in three to four weeks.
Spring wheat and white wheat should both benefit from
the quality issues in the hard red winter and soft red
winter wheat crops.
Mike Krueger is president and founder of The Money Farm,
a grain advisory service located in Fargo, N.D. A licensed commodity
broker, Krueger is a past director of the Minneapolis
Grain Exchange and a senior analyst for World Perspectives, a
Washington, D.C., agricultural consulting group.
WASHINGTON GRAIN COMMISSION
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 71

WL
FEATURE
King County residents John and Yuki Lewis and
their three kids, Tom, Lilly and Quincy, took up
wheat farming on a micro level after
Tom’s Wheat Week experience.
A continuing
education
By Trista Crossley
For one King County family, Wheat Week has turned into more
than just five days.
In the past two years, the Lewis family of Snoqualmie, Wash.,
has had two children go through Wheat Week, the educational
program predominantly funded by the Washington Grain
Commission that brings a week of ag-based instruction to fourthand
fifth-grade classrooms across the state. The program uses a
wheat-based curriculum to teach children about water, soil, energy
and the impact agriculture has on our lives. Wheat Week is run
through the Franklin Conservation District.
Like the thousands of schoolchildren who participate in the program
each year, Tom and Lilly Lewis planted wheat seed and explored
how different levels of light and water affected the growing
Photos courtesy of the Lewis family
The Lewis family threshed the wheat in a bowl. Tom blew the chaff out while his dad,
John, moved the wheat kernels around. Younger brother Quincy helps out.
Wheat harvested! Tom displays the wheat harvested from
plants started in his classroom during Wheat Week. Younger
brother Quincy hams it up for the camera.
plants. Unlike many of the other kids, though,
Tom and Lilly continued the experiment at home.
Tom, who went through Wheat Week in 2015
(Lilly went through it this past spring), brought
his wheat plants home, moved them to a larger
pot and watched them grow. Once the wheat
was ripe, they harvested the grain, threshed it by
hand and turned the wheat berries into a small
salad. They are doing the same thing this year
with Lilly’s wheat.
Yuki Lewis, Tom and Lilly’s mother, said she
and her husband, John, wanted their children to
see what wheat looked like before it was harvested
and milled into flour.
“So we just kept on growing it so they could
see what it would look and feel like,” she explained.
“In class, Tom learned how to tell when
it was ready for harvest, so when he said it was
ready, we cut it. Then we couldn’t figure out how
to thresh it, so my husband rubbed the wheat
while Tom blew on it.”
When asked how he knew the wheat was ripe,
Tom said, “It’s ready when you chew it, and it
tastes like bland gum.”
72 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

䘀 愀 椀 爀 昀 椀 攀 氀 搀
㔀 㤀 ⴀ㈀ 㠀 アパートⴀ㈀アパートアパートアパート
䌀 伀 ⴀ 䄀 䜀 倀 爀 漀 搀 甀 挀 攀 爀 猀 Ⰰ 䤀 渀 挀 ⸀
㠀 ⴀ㈀ 㔀 㠀 ⴀ 㐀 ㈀ 㤀 アパート
㔀 㤀 ⴀ 㔀 ㈀アパートⴀアパート 㔀
眀 眀 眀 ⸀ 挀 漀 ⴀ 愀 最 ⸀ 挀 漀 洀
䘀 䄀 刀 䴀 䔀 刀 伀 圀 一 䔀 䐀 刀 䔀 匀 伀 唀 刀 䌀 䔀 匀
儀 甀 愀 氀 椀 琀 礀 匀 攀 攀 搀 倀 爀 漀 搀 甀 挀 琀 猀
䌀 漀 洀 洀 漀 搀 椀 琀 礀 䴀 愀 爀 欀 攀 琀 椀 渀 最
㈀ 䰀 漀 挀 愀 琀 椀 漀 渀 猀 倀 氀 甀 猀 刀 愀 椀 氀 ☀
刀 椀 瘀 攀 爀 吀 攀 爀 洀 椀 渀 愀 氀 䄀 挀 挀 攀 猀 猀
倀 爀 漀 挀 攀 猀 猀 椀 渀 最 ☀ 䔀 砀 瀀 漀 爀 琀 椀 渀 最
䰀 攀 最 甀 洀 攀 倀 爀 漀 搀 甀 挀 琀 猀
匀 攀 攀 搀 伀 昀 昀 椀 挀 攀 猀 㨀
伀 愀 欀 攀 猀 搀 愀 氀 攀
㔀 㤀 ⴀ㈀ 㠀 㔀 ⴀ 㔀 㔀 㘀
刀 漀 猀 愀 氀 椀 愀
㔀 㤀 ⴀ 㔀 ㈀アパートⴀアパート㈀
吀 攀 渀 猀 攀 搀 䜀 愀 爀 昀 椀 攀 氀 搀
CANOLA GROWERS:
We are receiving Canola
for Pacific Coast Canola
It Starts
With One.
Serving The Columbia Basin
and Central Washington
Wheat Growing Areas.
For Market Information & Storage Needs
Box 27, Wilson Creek, WA 98860
Call Wilson Creek at 509-345-2551
We Can
Custom Clean
and Treat
Your Seed
Storage and
Grain Marketing
Since 1909
㔀 㤀 ⴀ 㔀 アパート 㐀 ⴀアパート 㠀 ㈀
At State Bank, our AG Loans are the products we
grow. We care for them the way you nurture and
watch over your fields. Whether it’s the first seed
or the first meeting, everything has a beginning.
Choose to start at State Bank. Stop by today!
Choose local.
Choose State Bank Northwest.
Other Seed Treatments Available
Garfield Branch, 301 W. California St. 635-1361
Northpointe Spokane Branch, 9727 N. Nevada 464-2701
Spokane Valley Branch, 12902 E. Sprague 789-4335
www.statebanknorthwest.com
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 73

WL
FEATURE
None of the Lewis family had had much experience with
wheat. They are originally from Missouri, so Yuki said they are
more familiar with corn and soybeans.
“It was a wonderful experience to see another grain grow,”
she said. “Wheat is such a prevalent part of our culture. It was
really fascinating.”
Before Wheat Week, Tom said he hadn’t really thought much
about wheat, other than it had gluten and was used in a lot of
products. Besides learning how to tell when wheat is ready
for harvest, he said his favorite part of the class was planting
seeds and the competition to see which wheat plants would
thrive, those that had little or no sunlight vs. plants that sat on
a windowsill.
Lilly’s favorite part of her Wheat Week was going through
her family’s pantry and figuring out which products, besides
bread, had wheat in them. Yuki said Lilly was surprised to
realize just how much wheat an average person eats every
day. Lilly also enjoyed the water-cycle project, where the class
learned about how water seeps through the ground and moves
downhill.
Julie Gardunia, the North Bend Elementary teacher who
taught fifth grade to both Tom and Lilly, said she’s been participating
in Wheat Week for the past four or five years. She finds
the program valuable because it’s hands on and reinforces
many of the science topics her class has already studied, such
as different soil types, erosion, etc.
“It’s engaged learning,” Gardunia said. “The kids are getting
up and down, listening, but actually doing some investigations
as well as planting wheat and watching how quickly that seed
sprouts down with roots and then sprouts up so quickly.”
The week also gives students an appreciation of how important
agriculture is to Washington state and some of the
concerns that farmers deal with, such as erosion, watersheds,
irrigation, etc.
“I like having someone come in with a different voice,
adding to and reminding the kids what we’ve already talked
about,” Gardunia said.
As of the beginning of July, when this article was written,
Lilly’s wheat was thriving and just starting to turn yellow.
Yuki said the family was looking forward to harvesting that
wheat and cooking it up into another (small) meal.
“It’s so much more satisfying to eat the things you grow,” she
said.
For more information on Wheat Week, contact Kara Kaelber
at kara-kaelber@conservewa.net.
(Above) The Lewis family planted the wheat seedlings in a pot in the
spring. By mid-August, the wheat had matured (Tom tested them by
chewing on the kernels) and was ready to be harvested. From left
are Tom, dad John, Lilly and Quincy. (Below) Lilly shows off a wheat
kernel salad. The family reported that the wheat was easier to cook
than store-bought wheat.
74 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

five star
express
PRODUCTS
MATERIALS
MACHINERY
“
DRY VAN
REFRIGERATED
OPEN DECK
SPECIALIZED
YOUR TRUCK WAS GOOD,
SHOWED UP AT THE RIGHT TIME
WITH THE RIGHT SPACE ON THE TRAILER
-Reardan Seed Company, Inc-
509.368.7149
FREIGHT@SPOKANEFIVESTAR.COM
”
J&M Fabrication
Our shop will get the job done right!
NEW: Industrial Guarding Services
Machinery Guards • Secondary Containments
• Fall Prevention Systems & More!
12-Guage Clean Grain & Return Elevators
2.5 times stronger than EOM for newer Model CaseIHs
•Custom Welding
•Fuel Tanks
•Equipment
Repairs
•Tool Boxes
•Custom Truck
Bodies and
Flatbeds
•On-Site
Millwright
Work
•All Types Custom
Design Work
•Custom-Made
Combine Parts
16716 W SR 904 Cheney WA www.jandmfabrication.com
Call Justin Miller Today! 509-235-5711 or 509-993-2890 (cell)
“Our Vehicles Come With
WARRANTY FOREVER...
What’s in your driveway?”
See all of our inventory on our website:
www.JessFord.com
Store Manager: Wade Jess
Sales Manager: Clive Cole
522 Midway
Grand Coulee, WA 99133
509-633-0110
Store Manager: Jim Jess
Asst. Store Manager: Cody Jess
South 2590 Grand Avenue
Pullman, WA 99169
509-334-6000
*Only qualifying cars apply. See dealer for exclusions.
See Warranty Forever details on our website.
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 75

76 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016
Harvest 2016 gets rolling in one of Seth and
Curt Claassen’s fields in Garfield County.

Introducing the
High Performance
Residue Management
COUGAR 250
5-Section 50 ft. Drill
• Anderson Razor Openers • Disk Leveler
• 7.5” Paired Row Spacing • Cutting Coulters
Also Introducing the
SW12000 Commodity Cart
• Non-Steerable Axle • Poly Tanks • Fill/Unload Auger
Double compartment cart can be configured For
Liquid Fertilizer & Seed or Dry Fertilizer & Seed
Field Tested in the Palouse!
Call Chuck Today For Details
• Clever alternative to vertical tillage and
tandem disc harrows
High • Excellent Performance soil/residue blending
• Machine widths of 18 to 35 ft.
Residue • 20 in. blades Management
set on 17° angle for optimum
soil engagement
• High working speeds of 8-12 mph
www.horsch.com
The Joker
• Clever alternative to vertical tillage and
tandem disc harrows
• Excellent soil/residue blending
• Machine widths of 18 to 35 ft.
• 20 in. blades set on 17° angle for optimum
soil engagement
• High working speeds of 8-12 mph
www.horsch.com
NORTH PINE AG EQUIPMENT, INC.
2007 E. Babb Road Rosalia, Washington
509-994-2133 or cschmidt@att.net
Washington
Wheat
Foundation
Annex
(in Ritzville, Wash.)
Rental Includes:
Seats 100 • Full service kitchen • Wi-Fi
Free coffee and tea • Pull out wall divider
2 large screens • Free parking
18 x 22 lobby to gather or serve buffet
Separate board meeting room (seats 12)
$50 (0-4 hours) or $100 (4+ hours)
Contact Chauna Carlson
at the Washington Wheat Foundation rental line
(509) 659-1987
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 77

THE
BOTTOM LINE
Key questions from landlords to tenants
By Tim Cobb
Hatley/Cobb Farmland Management
The art of asking the right question
at the right time and then
listening long enough to understand
the answer may be one of this life’s
greatest challenges. Clear and honest
communication in business will
provide the information necessary to
manage your most important business
relationships through changes
in weather, commodity price cycles
and ownership transfers.
Well thought-out questions from
farmland owners to operating tenants
provide a conversation into how
the land will need to be managed
during this year’s crop and in the
future.
According to the National
Coalition of Sustainable Agriculture,
“The average age of farmers in the
U.S. is 58.3, compared to 66.5 for
principal landlords or nonfarming
owners of rented farmland. More
than half (57 percent) of principal
landlords were 65 years or older in
Sponsored by the
Agricultural Marketing
& Management
Organization.
For more information and
a schedule of classes visit
wawg.org/ammo-workshops/
2014, while only 18 percent were under 55 years old. The large numbers of landlords
over the age of 65 raises important questions concerning the transfer of the
majority of rented farmland in the coming decades.”
Here’s four questions that landlords should be asking tenants;
How is our farmland producing, and are there things we can do together to
improve its productivity?
Most often these questions come from an earnest desire to have the land cared
for and producing at its highest level. Different from other investments, farmland
often includes a heritage or legacy component that causes an emotional tie
to the ownership, which leads to greater care and concern as well as a longerterm
view for repairs or improvements to be made.
From drain tile and fence maintenance to modified leases and tenant control
letters allowing for enrollment in current programs to improve the soil and
operating equipment, farmland owners are very interested in making sure the
stewardship of the land is the highest priority, and the key to that is the involvement
of the tenant engaged in the operation.
What does your 5- or 10-year business operational plan contain?
More and more, this question of who will be involved on the farm operation
in the coming years is on the minds of farmland owners. Much of the
heightened awareness is coming, as stated previously, from a large population
of producers that are similar in age and closer to retirement than ever before.
Farmland owners are often asking these questions for their own planning as
they are figuring out if it makes sense to keep the farm inside their own family
and how that will affect future ownership structures.
Communicated and clear plans will shape annual decisions and have a significant
impact in the overall potential for all farmland assets.
78 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

THE BOTTOM LINE WL
How is your business doing during these current price
and weather conditions?
An honest question deserves an honest answer. Owners
often have a window into the current regional growing
conditions and elevator-provided pricing models. With
that knowledge, it is critical to be upfront and ready to
work through any difficult times that might be occurring.
The key to strengthening a tenancy relationship in difficult
times is to have goals and contingency plans ready to
address uncontrollable price and weather fluctuations.
What steps are you taking to reduce the financial risk
of each crop?
There are many things operators are doing on a daily
basis to become more efficient, cut costs and improve output
of the land while reducing the financial risk shared by
all. Many of these keys to reducing risk will be welcomed
knowledge by the farmland owner and will deepen the
roots of understanding.
More than ever, the level of communication and updates
from the farm on changing conditions is critical to shortand
long-term success for all parties involved. Don’t shy
away from hard questions or the opportunity to make and
effectuate solid plans to preserve the productivity of the
land.
Tim Cobb grew up on an Upper Columbia Basin hay, grain
and cattle farm. He currently manages farms with Hatley/Cobb
Farmland Management in Spokane. Hatley/Cobb manages farms
for absentee land owners and provides farmland appraisals,
along with real estate brokerage and consulting services. Visit
HatleyCobb.com for more information.
Rhino ® RC Flails Shred Crop Materials
While Evenly Distributing Your Residue
NEW Rhino RC 125
Units Now In Stock
• Rhino ® RC Flails are designed to provide maximum shredding of crop material
while evenly distributing the residue.
• They are available in 12’, 15’, 18’, 20’, and 25’ widths.
• Drivetrain features a Cat 5 or 6 main driveline and a 207 HP gearbox.
• High blade tip speeds and dual “re-cutter” bars provide excellent shredding.
• The resulting mulch helps speed decomposition while providing ground cover.
DIESEL & MACHINE, INC.
227 20th St. North, Lewiston, ID 83501
Call Today! 208-743-7171
Servis & Rhino are registered trademark of Alamo Group, Inc. © 2005 Alamo Group, Inc. www.servis-rhino.com
Considering
Selling Your
FARMLAND or
SURPLUS
EQUIPMENT?
Take it to auction!
• Intense marketing.
• Seller in control-no extended
negotiations.
• Competition maximizes market
value.
• Turn expiring CRP contracts
into cash.
Now Scheduling
Fall 2016 Auctions
Call early for the best date!
Have a safe Harvest!!
C.D. “Butch” Booker
Broker/Auctioneer
Managing Broker/Auctioneer
809 N. Main
Colfax, WA 99111
509-397-4434
kincaidre@colfax.com
On the web:
kincaidrealestate.com
Licensed in Washington
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 79

Your wheat life...
Coda club wheat in Asotin County
in June.
Photo by Bruce Petty
Our dog, Diesel, at sunrise on our
115-year-old family farm between
Connell and Othello.
Photo by Ross Fox
Brantley Schluneger, 2, riding with his dad, Jeremy Schluneger, in the
sprayer near Tekoa while spraying spring wheat on Memorial Day
weekend. According to his dad, Brantley is very serious
about his farming.
Photo by Jeremy Schluneger
Send us photos
of your wheat life!
Email pictures to
editor@wawg.org.
Please include location of picture,
names of people appearing in the
picture and ages of all children.

Sunset near Harrington.
Photo by Stacey Timm-Rasmussen
Annie Petty, 10, brought her wheat plants home
from Wheat Week to raise. Annie attends Asotin
Elementary and will be a fifth grader this fall.
Photo by Bruce Petty
Charlotte Eckhart, 18 months, enjoys walking through
one of the family’s wheat fields on Wild Rose Prairie.
Photo by Samantha Eckhart

QUOTEWORTHY
“I have said this is the
most important food and
agriculture policy debate
of the last 20 years. I am
confident we have put
forward a comprehensive
solution that considers
all aspects of our food
production and delivery
system while keeping the
consumer top of mind.”
—Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said in a
statement cheering House passage of his GMO labeling bill.
“He was very engaged and
willing to help us on several
things. We’re encouraged it’s
somebody (with) their hand
on the pulse of agriculture
and … really probably knows
what end of the cow does
what.”
—Colin Woodall, National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association’s vice president of government
affairs, on Republic presidential candidate
Donald Trump’s choice of running mate,
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. (agri-pulse.com)
“Development is like
farming. You can’t speed
farm. It’s a process and the
process takes time.”
—Mike Boyle, strength and conditioning
coach for Boston University and the
2014 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team.
(usahockeymagazine.com)
“Defendants have failed
to protect and prevent
adverse modification of
certain rivers and streams
designated as bull trout
critical habitat.”
—Excerpted from an environmental
group’s lawsuit against several federal
agencies that claims the operation of
more than 2 dozen dams in the Pacific
Northwest is harming bull trout and
violating the Endangered Species Act.
(capitalpress.com)
“It’s a mode of labeling that is only available to a
certain percentage of Americans…it would exclude
somewhere up to 100 million Americans from actually
being able to access that labeling, and those are lowincome,
rural and the elderly. So that’s absolutely
discrimination on its face.”
—Andrew Kimbrell, the executive director for the Center for Food Safety, on the
new GMO labeling law passed by Congress. (Vermont Public Radio)
“One of the flaws in the Vermont design is that it reads
like a warning label. For people who don’t know much
about GMOs, it creates a bias that shies them away
from these products.”
—David Just, professor of behavioral economics at Cornell’s Dyson School of
Applied Economics and Management, on the new national GMO labeling bill.
(lancasterfarming.com)
“Scary as it is for the British and the Europeans, it
poses no real risk for the global food system. This will
be a ripple. It will barely make a dent in the global food
system when you diffuse that across a huge system.
—Michael Dwyer, chief economist of the U.S. Grains Council, on the United
Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union. (agri-pulse.com)
82 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

䤀 渀 琀 爀 椀 最 甀 攀 搀 戀 礀 挀 漀 瘀 攀 爀 挀 爀 漀 瀀 瀀 椀 渀 最 Ⰰ
戀 甀 琀 氀 愀 挀 欀 琀 栀 攀 洀 漀 椀 猀 琀 甀 爀 攀 琀 漀 瀀 甀 氀 氀 椀 琀 漀 昀 昀 㼀
䌀 刀 伀 倀 刀 伀 吀 䄀 吀 䤀 伀 一 匀 圀 䤀 䰀 䰀 䐀 伀 吀 䠀 䔀 䨀 伀 䈀 ℀
䈀 甀 椀 氀 搀 礀 漀 甀 爀 猀 漀 椀 氀 猀 昀 漀 爀 琀 栀 攀 昀 甀 琀 甀 爀 攀 ☠ 甀 猀 椀 渀 最 漀 氀 搀 猀 挀 椀 攀 渀 挀 攀 琀 栀 愀 琀 栀 愀 猀 眀 漀 爀 欀 攀 搀 昀 漀 爀 挀 攀 渀 琀 甀 爀 椀 攀 猀
圀 䤀 一 吀 䔀 刀 䌀 䄀 一 伀 䰀 䄀 㨀 㨀 一 伀 一 䜀 䴀 伀 㨀 㨀 䤀 䴀 䤀 ⴀ 吀 伀 䰀 䔀 刀 䄀 一 吀
刀 伀 唀 一 䐀 唀 倀 刀 䔀 䄀 䐀 夀 嘀 䄀 刀 䤀 䔀 吀 䤀 䔀 匀 䄀 䰀 匀 伀 䄀 嘀 䄀 䤀 䰀 䄀 䈀 䰀 䔀
吀 刀 䤀 吀 䤀 䌀 䄀 䰀 䔀 㨀 㨀 倀 䰀 伀 圀 ⴀ 䐀 伀 圀 一 䴀 唀 匀 吀 䄀 刀 䐀
匀 吀 䄀 刀 吀 䈀 唀 䰀 䐀 䤀 一 䜀 夀 伀 唀 刀 匀 伀 䤀 䰀 䠀 䔀 䄀 䰀 吀 䠀 一 伀 圀 ℀
匀 倀 䔀 䌀 吀 刀 唀 䴀 䌀 刀 伀 倀
䐀 䔀 嘀 䔀 䰀 伀 倀 䴀 䔀 一 吀
刀 䤀 吀 娀 嘀 䤀 䰀 䰀 䔀 圀 䄀
䌀 甀 爀 琀 椀 猀 㔀 㤀 ⴀ 㘀 㔀 㤀 ⴀ 㜀 㔀 㜀
吀 漀 搀 搀 㔀 㤀 ⴀ 㘀 㐀 ⴀ 㐀 アパート 㘀
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 83

HAPPENINGS
All dates and times are subject to change.
Please verify event before heading out.
AUGUST 2016
5-6 MOXEE HOP FESTIVAL. Beer
garden, live entertainment, food and
crafts, games, BBQ cookoff. Moxee, Wash.
moxeehopfestival.org
5-7 EPHRATA SAGE & SUN FESTIVAL.
Food vendors, 2016 Babe Ruth World
Series, Chili cook off, parade, Ephrata,
Wash. sagensun.org
5-7 KING SALMON DERBY. More than
$20,000 in prizes. Registration required.
Brewster, Wash. brewstersalmonderby.com
10-13 YAKIMA VALLEY FAIR AND
RODEO. ProWest rodeo, car show, parade,
beer garden. County Fair Park in
Grandview, Wash. yvfair-rodeo.org
11-14 OMAK STAMPEDE. Parade, carnival,
art show, rodeo dances and vendors.
Omak, Wash. omakstampede.org
13 SWIM THE SNAKE. Only .7 of a mile
on calm water, lots of flotilla support
including a certified dive master on site.
Come to Lyon’s Ferry to watch and enjoy
a BBQ. cityofwaitsburg.com/events.html
16-20 GRANT COUNTY FAIR. Ag
exhibits, gun show, antique tractor pull,
livestock competitions, carnival, arts and
crafts, entertainment, food. Moses Lake,
Wash. gcfairgrounds.com
16-21 SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
FAIR. Exhibits, gun show, live entertainment,
demolition derby. Chehalis, Wash.
southwestwashingtonfair.net
19-20 FOOD AND BREW FEST. Stop by
and see the world’s largest bowl of lentil
chili. Fun run, parade, softball tournament,
beer garden. Pullman, Wash.
lentilfest.com
23-27 BENTON FRANKLIN FAIR AND
RODEO. Demolition derby, BBQ cookoff,
parade, live entertainment. Kennewick,
Wash. bentonfranklinfair.com
24-28 NORTH IDAHO FAIR AND
RODEO. Fireworks, draft horse show and
pull, demolition derby, entertainment,
carnival. Kootenai County Fairgrounds
in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. northidahofair.com
25-27 LINCOLN COUNTY FAIR. Arts
and crafts, livestock, exhibits, food and
games. Davenport, Wash. co.lincoln.wa.us
25-28 NCW FAIR. Live entertainment,
carnival, livestock sale, rodeo and horse.
Waterville, Wash. ncwfair.org
25-28 NORTHEAST WASHINGTON
FAIR. Colville, Wash. www.co.stevens.
wa.us/NE_WA_Fair/new_fair_home_page.
htm
27-28 VINTAGE HARVEST. Ride with
the old-timers as they harvest wheat with
restored vintage combines, trucks and
tractors. Antique truck and tractor show.
Donations accepted and will benefit the
Lincoln County Historical Society. Big
Red Barn east of Davenport, Wash., on
Hwy 2. visitlincolncountywashington.com
28-30 CHEHALIS GARLIC FEST. Garlicthemed
cuisine, arts and crafts, antiques,
chef demonstrations and beer garden.
Southwest Washington Fairgrounds in
Chehalis, Wash. chehalisgarlicfest.com
31-SEPT. 5 PIG OUT IN THE PARK.
Music and food. Riverfront Park in
Spokane, Wash. spokanepigout.com
SEPTEMBER 2016
1-4 WHEAT LAND COMMUNITIES’
FAIR. Rodeo, exhibits, entertainment.
Ritzville Rodeo Grounds.
fair.goritzville.com
2-5 ELLENSBURG RODEO AND
KITTITAS COUNTY FAIR. Carnival,
midway, hoedown, pancake breakfast,
parade. Ellensburg, Wash.
ellensburgrodeo.com
8 HARVEST CLASSIC GOLF
TOURNAMENT. Palouse Ridge Golf Club
in Pullman. Hosted by the Washington
Wheat Foundation. wawheat.org
8-11 PALOUSE EMPIRE FAIR.
Community breakfast, 4-H livestock
shows, tractor driving contest, dog agility,
rodeo, carnival, entertainment. Palouse
Empire Fairground in Colfax, Wash.
palouseempirefair.org
9-18 SPOKANE COUNTY INTERSTATE
FAIR. Livestock exhibits, rides, food
booths, rodeo and entertainment. Fair
and Expo Center, Spokane Valley.
spokanecounty.org/fair/sif/
11 SPOKEFEST. Celebrate cycling.
Rides start and end at Kendall Yards in
Spokane, Wash. spokefest.org
13 WAWG BOARD MEETING. Meeting
starts at 10 a.m. at Washington Wheat
Foundation Building, Ritzville, Wash.
(509) 659-0610, wawg.org
14-17 ADAMS COUNTY FAIR. Adams
County Fairgrounds in Othello, Wash.
adamscountyfair.org
14-17 PENDLETON ROUNDUP. Rodeo,
parade, entertainment. Lee Brice will be
headlining. Pendleton, Ore.
pendletonroundup.com
16-17 OTHELLO PRCA RODEO. Rodeo,
parade, fair, demolition derby, straw
maze. Othello Rodeo Grounds in Othello,
Wash. othellorodeo.com
16-18 DEUTSCHESFEST. German music,
food and crafts. Parade. Biergarten,
fun run. Odessa, Wash. deutschesfest.com
17 PALOUSE DAYS. Parade, pancake
breakfast, car show, live music. Palouse,
Wash. palousedays.com
18 PIONEER FALL FESTIVAL. See how
the pioneers lived and check our arts and
crafts booths. Waitsburg, Wash.
cityofwaitsburg.com/events.html
22-25 NORTH IDAHO DRAFT HORSE
AND MULE SHOW. Bonner County
Fairgrounds in Sandpoint, Idaho.
idahodrafthorseshow.com
23-25 VALLEYFEST. Parade, duathlon,
family bike ride, arts and crafts, pancake
breakfast, entertainment. Mirabeau Point
Park in Spokane Valley, Wash.
valleyfest.org
23-25 SE SPOKANE COUNTY FAIR.
Exhibits, carnival, pancake breakfast,
parade, 3 on 3 basketball tournament, pie
eating contest, entertainment. Rockford,
Wash. sespokanecountyfair.org
23-25 GREAT PROSSER BALLOON
RALLY. Sunrise and night-time balloon
launches, harvest festival, farmers market,
street dance. Prosser, Wash. prosserballoonrally.org
23-OCT. 2 CENTRAL WASHINGTON
STATE FAIR. Entertainment, beer garden,
monster trucks, demo derby, food and
carnival. State Fair Park in Yakima, Wash.
statefairpark.org
24 ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SALMON BBQ.
Sponsored by the Lions Club. Dine on
fresh salmon and all the fixin’s at the
fairground. Alcohol will be served; must
be 21 to attend. Waitsburg, Wash.
cityofwaitsburg.com/events.html
84 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

28-29 WASHINGTON GRAIN
COMMISSION MEETING. Spokane,
Wash. (509) 456-2481
30-OCT. 1 OKTOBERFEST. Live
entertainment, German food, arts
and crafts, beer garden. Leavenworth,
Wash. leavenworthoktoberfest.com
OCTOBER 2016
1 14TH ANNUAL FRESH HOP ALE
FESTIVAL. Downtown Yakima, Wash.
freshhopalefestival.com
1-2 APPLE DAYS. Celebrate the apple
harvest. Cowboy shootouts, panning
for gold, pioneer demonstrations,
entertainment, apple pie contest.
Cashmere Museum and Pioneer
Village in Cashmere, Wash.
cashmeremuseum.org/events.html
7-8 OKTOBERFEST. Live entertainment,
German food, arts and crafts,
beer garden. Leavenworth, Wash.
leavenworthoktoberfest.com
11 WAWG BOARD MEETING.
Meeting starts at 10 a.m. at
Washington Wheat Foundation
Building, Ritzville, Wash. (509) 659-
0610, wawg.org
12-16 BALLOON STAMPEDE.
Howard Tietan Park in Walla Walla,
Wash. wallawallaballoonstampede.com
14-15 OKTOBERFEST. Live entertainment,
German food, arts and
crafts, beer garden. Leavenworth,
Wash. leavenworthoktoberfest.com
21-22 HAUNTED PALOUSE.
Haunted houses and a haunted hay
ride. Downtown Palouse, Wash.
visitpalouse.com
28-29 HAUNTED PALOUSE.
Haunted houses and a haunted hay
ride. Downtown Palouse, Wash.
visitpalouse.com
At Edward Jones, we stop to ask you the question: “What’s
important to you?” Without that insight and a real understanding
of your goals, investing holds little meaning.
Contact your Edward Jones financial advisor for a one-on-one
appointment to discuss what’s really important: your goals.
Ryan Brault CFP ®
Financial Advisor
3616 W. Court St. Ste. I
Pasco, WA 99301
509-545-8121
888-545-8126
Brian E. Bailey AAMS ®
Financial Advisor
303 Bridge Street Ste 3
Clarkston, WA 99403
509-758-8731
866-758-9595
Chris Grover AAMS ®
Financial Advisor
1835 First Street
Cheney, WA 99004
509-235-4920
866-235-4920
Joy Behen
Financial Advisor
6115 Burden Blvd., Ste. A
Pasco, WA 99301
509-542-1626
877-542-1626
Jay Mlazgar AAMS ®
Financial Advisor
609 S. Washington
Ste. 203
Moscow, ID 83843
208-882-1234
.
.ye
Submissions
Listings must be received by
the 10th of each month for the
next month’s Wheat Life. Email
listings to editor@wawg.org.
Include date, time and location
of event, plus contact info and a
short description.
Terry A. Sliger
Financial Advisor
1329 Aaron Drive
Richland, WA 99352
509-943-2920
888-943-2920
Larry Kopczynski
Financial Advisor
2501 17th Street
Lewiston, ID 83501
208-798-4732
866-798-4732
Mike Wallace
Financial Advisor
1721 W. Kennewick Ave. Ste 2C
Kennewick, WA 99336
509-582-3611
877-582-3611
Greg Bloom
Financial Advisor
Professional Mall I I
1260 SE Bishop Blvd. Ste. C
Pullman, WA 99163
509-332-1564
www.edwardjones.com
Hank Worden
Financial Advisor
109 S. Second Ave
Walla Walla, WA 99362
509-529-9900
800-964-3558
WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016 85

AGPRO .........................50
AgraSyst ......................... 7
Ag Trucks & Equipment ..........33
AgVentures NW .................49
ALPINE ......................... 31
ATI Solutions LLC ................27
Barber Engineering ............. 31
BASF ...........................87
Butch Booker Auction ...........79
Byrnes Oil Co ...................30
Central Life Sciences ............ 13
Central Washington
Grain Growers ................28
CHS-Connell Grain Growers .....37
Class 8 Trucks ...................35
CO Energy-Bronco Farm Supply ..37
Coldwell Banker Tomlinson ...... 41
Cooperative Ag Producers .......73
Connell Grange Supply Inc ......32
Country Financial ............... 41
Custom Seed Conditioning ......73
Diesel & Machine ................79
Edward Jones ...................85
Evergreen Implement Inc ........86
Advertiser Index
Exactrix Global Systems .........52
Farm & Home Supply ............28
Five Star Express ................75
Great Plains Equipment ......... 17
HUB International ...............20
Inland Oil & Propane ............49
J&M Fabrication .................75
Jess Ford ........................75
Kincaid Real Estate ..............79
Landmark Native Seed ..........75
LEMKEN ......................... 5
Les Schwab Tire Centers .........29
Limagrain Cereal Seeds ..........88
Manley Crop Insurance ..........47
McKay Seed Co ................. 31
Micro-Ag .......................52
North Central Washington Fence. 52
North Pine Ag Equipment .......77
Northwest Farm Credit Services ..35
PNW Farmers Cooperative .......77
Perkins & Zlatich PS .............35
Pioneer West ....................43
Pomeroy Grain Growers Inc ......45
ProGene LLC ....................47
RH Machine .....................52
Rain & Hail Insurance ............49
Rainier Seeds Inc ................45
Reardan Seed ...................43
Rock Steel Structures ............43
Scales Northwest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Second Harvest .................83
Spectrum Crop Development ...83
Spray Center Electronics .........49
SS Equipment Inc ............... 41
State Bank Northwest ...........73
Syngenta-AgriPro ...............33
T & S Sales ......................52
Unverferth Manufacturing ....... 21
Wagner Seed ...................45
Walter Implement ...............47
Washington State Crop
Improvement Association ..... 11
WestBred-Monsanto ............ 19
Western Reclamation ............ 12
Wilbur-Ellis ....................... 9
Wilson Creek Union Warehouse ..73
Thank you to all of our advertisers.
Support those who support your industry.
Introducing the All New Starfire 6000
GPS Receiver
Now you can have accuracy and repeatability similar to
Radio RTK without line of sight restrictions!
An outstanding solution for planting, spraying and
harvesting dryland crops!
StarFire 6000 horizontal pass-to-pass
accuracy:
• SF1: +/- 15 cm (5.9 in.)
• SF3: +/- 3 cm (1.2 in.) NEW!!
• Radio RTK: +/- 2.5 cm (1.0 in.)
Tom Wells
ISD Manager
509-770-1271
twells@eiijd.com
Andy Garza
ISD Specialist
509-977-1286
agarza@eiijd.com
86 WHEAT LIFE AUG/SEPT 2016

wheat that
gets talked
about at the
elevator.
Grow Smart with the Clearfield Production System.
Get more control over what you grow, and what you
don’t, with the innovative Clearfield Production System for
wheat. Herbicide-tolerant seed varieties and a customized,
broad-spectrum BASF herbicide provide the solution for
sustainable, season-long control of tough grass and broadleaf
weeds. This can lead to cleaner grain at harvest with reduced
dockage — a clear advantage for your reputation and your
bottom line. Talk to your BASF authorized seed dealer or visit
GrowSmartWheat.com.
Always read and follow label directions.
Grow Smart is a trademark and Clearfield is a registered trademark of BASF Corporation. © 2016 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved. APN 16-DIV-0016

SOFT WHITE WINTER WHEAT
LCS Artdeco
Excels in High Rainfall Areas
SOFT WHITE WINTER WHEAT
LCS Drive
Hit the Long Ball
on Your Acreage
HARD RED WINTER WHEAT
LCS Jet
Supersonic Yield Potential
SOFT WHITE WINTER WHEAT
LCS Biancor
Outstanding Yield in
Idaho and Oregon
SOFT WHITE WINTER WHEAT
UI Magic CL+
It’s No Illusion
SOFT WHITE WINTER WHEAT
UI Castle CL+
Defend Your Fields
Only the best for your acres
Maximize your returns with LCS varieties
Contact Frank Curtis
E: frank.curtis@limagrain.com P: (970)498-2201
LimagrainCerealSeeds.com