Washington Organic Week, NASS Surveys & WSPC Addition

Washington Organic Week continues today as the Tilth Producers of Washington, partnered with Washington growers, retailers, and organic supporters, celebrate all things organic with statewide events highlighting organic Washington grown products. So far, consumers have been able to participate in multiple organic cider, chocolate, and beer making and tasting events. WOW week wraps up on Saturday with the “Under the Harvest Moon Tilth Producers of Washington Benefit Auction and Gala” in Seattle. For event information visit www.tilthproducers.org.

In early August and September the USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service sent out a small grain survey to farmers. Jo Lynne Seufer with the USDA Risk Management Agency urges farmers to return their surveys.

SEUFER: These surveys are crucial to get information on small grain production at the county level basis. We want to remind producers to return those surveys as well for our sister agency, because all of us, including USDA, rely on Ag Statistics to collect these surveys so we can adequately evaluate and administer our commodity, credit, conservation, crop insurance, disaster, and loan programs.

WSU alumna Raina Spence recently joined the Washington State Potato Commission as the Director of Industry Outreach. As an experienced plant pathologist, Spence will be overseeing various WSPC research projects, along with providing assistance and technical advice to the industry when it comes to food safety, pest and plant diagnostics, and sustainability programs.

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