Reporting from this source, summarised, rewritten or translated and published under its name · 29 stories
EnvironmentWashington State University is breeding Bagous nodulosus, which feeds only on the invasive aquatic plant, to build a population for release over the next one to two years.
AgribusinessThe Federal Reserve's quarter-point rise in September, its first in three years, will push up variable-rate farm credit lines as farmers already face high costs and thin margins; Idaho economists advise fixing some rates and buying part of next year's fertiliser now.
FruitsMore than 20 cranberry farms on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula are wet-harvesting their bogs; one family reports a smaller crop this year, and growers are easing the work with a simple PVC spray bar that cleans and moves the floating berries.
EnvironmentWashington had an average year for rain and snow but its second-warmest water year since 1895, so the snowpack failed and a statewide drought was declared; September rain then let Yakima Valley irrigation districts deliver water into mid-October.
FruitsOnly about 300 acres of quince are grown commercially in the US, but Pacific Northwest growers, cider makers and the USDA's quince collection see a niche market growing, Capital Press reports ahead of Portland's third Quince Fest.
EnvironmentIn Capital Press's Ag 250 series, tribal and Washington State University experts describe how Pacific Northwest peoples built food security through salmon weirs, shellfish beds, root gardens and fire-managed prairies, and why tribes are reviving those food ways.
CropsSoybeans were left off the list of goods offered easier treatment after President Trump met President Xi Jinping, and futures fell 31 cents a bushel, costing growers about $20 an acre, an Iowa farmer says.
LivestockA USDA Economic Research Service study finds revenues at rural veterinary practices that treat food animals fell about 22% between 2021 and 2025, deepening shortages in cattle country.
FruitsProcessors will pay at least 75 to 90 cents a pound for the 2026 crop, down from $1.05 to $1.30, with final prices unlikely before spring.
CropsConservation, careful diversions and 60,000 acre-feet of mitigation water from groundwater pumpers kept deliveries going toward mid-October despite a one-third cut in May.
CropsLate frosts, warm nights and wildfire smoke have cut yields across Idaho's potato crop, though growers and the state potato commission say quality is consistent.
FruitsPlantings from a decade ago are reaching full production; a USDA outlook puts the US crop 18% above the 2025 record, while Turkish frost damage has lifted exports and prices.
AgribusinessAn Oregon State University survey of nearly 500 agritourism visitors to 11 farms found that recommendations from friends and family, not social media, are how most people find farms to visit, and that visitors want to learn.
