Wheat Worries Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. As wheat season approaches a year after severe drought really hit growers hard, worries and challenges still exist.
Michelle Hennings, Executive Director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, says the weather is better than last year but we’re not out of the woods yet…
HENNINGS … “I know that, you know, when we talk about the percentage of good, fair, bad, we’re right in the fair and good percentages. We don’t have a lot in the bad yet. So if, hopefully, we get more moisture to help this wheat along as it grows, otherwise we probably could see some potential negative impacts again.”
But still, Hennings says a LITTLE sunshine would be nice …
HENNINGS … “Yeah, we all want to see sun, but I always say, we can’t complain about the moisture. We definitely need. We need it for pastures, we need it for the wheat, we need it for everything, especially in Eastern Washington.”
Hennings says, yeah, weather is the constant question mark …
HENNINGS … “And that’s why we advocate so much for crop insurance and this is a prime example of farmers need that program if, for instance, we have a major drought like we did last year. That’s what can protect farmers and keep them in business moving on to the next year. So, it’s a vital program that we advocate as our number one priority in the Farm Bill.”
Listen tomorrow for more on other challenges facing our wheat growers and how Hennings thinks we’ll navigate them.
