LivestockA Pierce County facility is under quarantine after the first detection in commercial poultry in Washington this year. No human cases have been found among workers so far.
AgrotechAg robotics hub Reservoir will open a site in Washington's Yakima Valley in spring 2027, where robotics startups will test machines for apples, pears, cherries and blueberries on working farms alongside growers.
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.
LivestockThe Couse pack has attacked cattle in Asotin County at least seven times since February, and a new attack a week after one wolf was shot has the state considering another removal.
AgribusinessA US bankruptcy judge said he will approve the sale of Gebbers Farms' flagship Brewster Heights Packing and Orchards to Legendary Fruit Company, keeping the Washington tree-fruit business running.
FruitsA spring frost cut the Pacific Northwest harvest from 23.6 million boxes, returns of 70-80 cents a pound barely cleared costs of 65-70 cents, and small organic growers say packers will no longer take their fruit.
