Agriculture | The Seattle Times

Agriculture

Read the latest news about Washington state's top crops: apples and pears; wheat and hay; milk and dairy; potatoes and vegetables; cherries, grapes and hops. Topics also include Washington state wines and viticulture, beef cattle and other livestock; aquaculture; international trade in farm commodities; organic foods, pesticides, herbicides and the debate over genetically modified crops (GMO).

Leader of largest US organic food fraud gets 10-year term

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A judge on Friday sentenced the mastermind of the largest known organic food fraud scheme in U.S. history to 10 years in prison, saying he cheated thousands of customers into buying products they didn't want. U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams said Randy Constant orchestrated a massive fraud that did "extreme...

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In this photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, growlers of wine set to be shipped to retail outlets are on display at Wilridge Winery, in Seattle. Wine drinkers are one step closer to being able to purchase and refill their favorite pours in reusable growlers closer to home instead of making a trip to the winery. Some state winemakers are pushing House Bill 1039 as a way to expand wine sales and reduce the carbon footprint of wine bottles. If approved, consumers would be able to bring or buy refillable growlers at any business that has the license to sell wine. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

August 11, 2019 at 9:33 am

Washington’s wine industry adjusts to new wastewater requirements

Last month, the Department of Ecology implemented a new general permit that outlines and monitors the discharge of wastewater by winemaking operations that produce at...

Local News

Pickings from an orange grove in Zolfo Springs, Fla., April 9, 2019. In a decision to approve two antibacterial drugs for orange groves threatened by disease, the EPA largely ignored objections from the CDC and the FDA, which fear that it will spur germs to mutate and become resistant to the drugs, threatening the lives of millions. (Michael Adno/The New York Times) XNYT197 oranges green

August 8, 2019 at 8:40 am

Orange farmers wish you were drinking up their huge crop VIEW

A larger crop has undercut the price of orange juice.

Business

Jake Counne, founder of Backyard Fresh Farms, an indoor vertical farming facility located at The Plant, which houses food and agricultural startups, in Chicago on July 11, 2019. The pilot plant grows lettuce, kale, arugula and and other greens using innovative manufacturing processes designed to make the operation more efficient and profitable. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/TNS) 1384520 1384520

August 8, 2019 at 5:31 am

Many have tried and failed to make vertical indoor farming work. This entrepreneur thinks he can do it.

High costs have killed similar ventures. But a former real-estate investor said he believes his hydroponic farm has the technology to succeed where others have...

Business

July 31, 2019 at 4:54 pm

1 dead after personal boat hits Port Angeles harbor salmon pen

A 20-foot boat hit a fish-farm pen Tuesday night in Port Angeles Harbor, leaving one person dead, according to the Coast Guard. The recreational boat...

Local News

July 30, 2019 at 4:27 am

Trump lashes out at China ‘rip off’ as trade talks resume

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump lashed out at China for what he said is its unwillingness to buy American agricultural products and said it continues...

Business

July 22, 2019 at 3:00 am

Canada’s Arctic port set to begin shipping grain again

The 88-year-old port on the shores of Hudson's Bay will resume operations in the next few months, reducing by several days the shipping time to...

Business

July 18, 2019 at 12:54 pm

EPA will not ban use of controversial pesticide linked to children’s health problems

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency rejected a petition by environmental and public health groups Thursday to ban a widely used pesticide that has been...

Nation & World

July 15, 2019 at 7:01 am

Powerline fire in Grant County burns thousands of acres, threatens homes and farms

The blaze, which is being called the Powerline fire, began just after 12:30 p.m. Sunday and had spread to about 7,800 acres by Monday evening.

Employees fill molds with milk curds and whey at a cheese facility in Nicasio, California. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

July 14, 2019 at 5:00 pm

Forget synthetic meat, lab-grown dairy is here

Akin to lab-grown meat, the idea of creating dairy proteins without animals is being tested by companies such as Perfect Day. The challenges, the controversies...

Business

July 12, 2019 at 1:38 pm

EPA to allow use of pesticide considered ‘very highly toxic’ to bees

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved broad new applications Friday for a controversial insecticide, despite objections from environmental groups and beekeepers who say...

Nation & World

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