department of agriculture

$380 Million Keepseagle II Settlement Reached in the landmark civil rights lawsuit by Indian farmers and ranchers against the Department of Ag for discriminatory lending practices. Plus, the rise in grain and wheat prices created a more optimistic outlook for farmers according to new monthly survey of producer attitudes by The Ag Economy Barometer, produced by Purdue University and the CME Group,

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Legislature has passed a bill that would allow licensed growers to produce industrial hemp in Washington as part of a research program. Senate Bill 6206 cleared the House on a unanimous vote Tuesday after passing the Senate last month. It ...

Prior to the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, Fidel Castro said on Thursday that the United States owes his government “millions of dollars” because of the decades-long embargo. The former Cuban president and prime minister turned 89 on Thursday...

Grain farmers should brace for a drop in net incomes this year as the prices for corn, soybeans and wheat have fallen significantly from recent years, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. The latest Agricultural Prices report by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, indicated the index of prices received for crop production was down 11 percentage points from the same time las

An annual survey of restaurant industry chains suggest that the burger is losing ground to the fast-casual coffee shop concept,. The “Chain Industry Restaurant Review” from GE Capital Franchise Finance shows that consumer dining habits have shifted dramatically as competition, technological challenges and rising costs for labor and commodities have taken hold...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced more than 3.8-million dollars through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative yesterday to support grants focused on using nanotechnology to find solutions to societal challenges...

A bill moving through the state legislature would help orchardists better monitor and eradicate apple maggots in the Yakima County area. While school children joke about worms in apples, the apple maggot is no laughing matter for the tree fruit industry in Washington...

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Dan Newhouse says he will not be retained as director of the state Department of Agriculture. The Yakima Herald-Republic reports that Newhouse sent an email to industry contacts on Monday notifying them of the decision by Democratic Gov...

No cases have been found in Yakima County so far this year but federal health officials say that West Nile virus cases are up 40 percent since last week and are on pace to rival the record years of 2002 and 2003. The centers for disease control and prevention has confirmed 1,590 cases of the mosquito-borne disease and 66 deaths so far this year...