Landowner Survey, Streamlining Trade Agencies, And Winter Wheat Stats

Washington landowners with at least a half acre of land are currently being asked by the USDA to participate in the National Agricultural Classification Survey. Landowners will receive a form to fill out which will then be used to identify farms and ranches for the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Even landowners not actively farming are asked to complete and return the survey form.

Obama’s request to Congress to reinstate the president’s authority to streamline the Executive Branch of the federal government and has been met with skepticism.  The President wants the authority in order to streamline six government trade agencies into one; the U.S.Trade Representative’s office, the Small Business Administration, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Trade Development Agency. All have been directly involved in the development of agricultural exports over the years.

Winter wheat growers here in Washington seeded approximately 1.72 million acres of winter wheat for harvest in 2012. That’s down two percent from the area seeded in both 2011 and 2010.
2011 national wheat production totaled 1.999 billion bushels with an average yield of 43.7 bushels per acre. The Ag Network’s Greg Martin talks about winter wheat and the mild weather.

MARTIN: Mild winter temperatures could be a concern for wheat farmers throughout the state as warm weather can cause the crop to “break dormancy”, but as long as nighttime temperatures are below freezing for the most part, wheat will retain its winter-hardiness.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Ag Information Network.