County Wheat Growers will meet March 20

Whitman County Association of Wheat Growers will meet at noon March 20 at Eddy's Restaurant in Colfax. Lunch will be provided to WAWG members attending the one-hour meeting, where a re-cap of the last month's activities will be presented. Attendees will also hear an update on legislative activity in Olympia.

At the Feb. 15 meeting in the Washington Wheat Commission office in Spokane, it was reported that only two Whitman County Wheat Growers attended the annual lobbying session in Olympia. There was a total of 50 appointments with legislative offices, the governor's office and state agencies. Changes in DNR lease procedures, legislation relating to exempt wells, capital budget requests for agricultural buildings at WSU and the proposed carbon tax were among the issues discussed. Reportedly, a future carbon tax initiative campaign will be backed by a $10 million war-chest.

On the national scene, the Washington Grain Commission and the Washington Association of Wheat Growers asked USDA-ARS and a congressional delegation for an additional $1 million for falling numbers research, specifically to develop better, more rapid testing and for genetic research into its causes. Twenty wheat growers from across the state, including two from Whitman County, met in Pullman to help decide which wheat and barley research projects at WSU should receive Washington Wheat Commission assessment dollars. Three new projects were presented.