Updating Water Quality Standards & Why Commodity Classic is the Place To Be

I'm Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

The state Department of Ecology will be holding public hearings in March on the proposed updates for the state's water quality standards for toxics. The updates are directly linked to the toxics reduction legislation that Governor Inslee proposed last summer. The formal draft rule to update the water quality standards for toxics mirrors the preliminary draft that Ecology made public in September. The hearings are scheduled for March 3 in Spokane, March 4 in Yakima, and March 12 in Lacey. For more information visit Ecology's rule making website.

Commodity Classic, "America's largest farmer-led, farmer-focused convention and trade show", is going on this week in Phoenix. Several Washington growers and ag industry leaders are in attendance, along with Ag Network's Davis Sparks. We caught up with Michelle Hennings, Executive Director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, who's attending Commodity Classic to ask her why this is such an important event for producers.

HENNINGS: The Trade Show is absolutely amazing. It's one of the biggest trade shows for agriculture. They also have great educational breakout sessions and keynote speakers. There's a lot of good information. It's a good experience to go outside the state and get national information. It's great for networking. And farmers get a first-hand hands-on look at the latest technology, equipment, and advancements.

That's Washington Ag Today.

I'm Lacy Gray with the Ag Information Network of the West.