The U.S. Agriculture Department scientists who gave us the Bradford pear thought they were improving our world. Instead, they left an environmental time bomb that has now exploded: Invasive offspring that form an impenetrable thicket with three-inch thorns.
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).
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The wonder of the fresh hop: How Washington’s special autumn beer gets made VIEW
Fresh-hop beers are widely coveted, but few brewers can make them cheaper or fresher than in Washington state, as the Yakima Valley produces 75 percent...
Washington wheat harvest is strong, but trade concerns weigh on growers
Good weather this year provided farmers with an amazing crop, but trade decisions could hurt the market in the future.
Plant-killing disease taking root in Canada puts canola windfall at risk
Clubroot is taking hold in parts of Canada's vast prairies. The invasive disease grows like a cancer on canola roots, cutting yields and potentially killing...
Meat industry’s anxiety over plant-based alternatives underscored by legal tussle
Although products like veggie burgers and sausages have been sold for years, the debate over how they can be described has become particularly contentious as...
800,000 more farmed Atlantic salmon coming to Puget Sound before industry’s permits expire
The juvenile fish will be placed in pens this fall, more than a year after thousands of fish escaped from a Cooke Aquaculture facility.
As China retaliates in Trump trade war, damage for Northwest cherry growers could reach $86 million
Four members of Washington’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking that cherry growers be included in a $12 billion aid...
Gala outpaces Red Delicious to become most popular apple
U.S. growers in 2018 will produce 52.4 million boxes of Gala apples, up 5.8 percent from last year, and 51.7 million of Red Delicious, down...
Ste. Michelle CEO Ted Baseler retiring after 34 years with Woodinville winery | The Grapevine
Ted Baseler, who is stepping down as the president and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, led the Woodinville winery to the top of the...