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).

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 linked to neurological damage in children, even though a federal court said last year there was "no justification" for such a decision.In a notice to the Federal Register on Thursday,...

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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

FILE – In this Aug. 9, 2016 file photo, avocados are displayed for sale in a market in Mexico City. Mexicans are dismayed by the continued increases in the price for avocados, a staple of the countryâ€™s cuisine. The government said in June 2019 that an increased demand in the United States and a slight drop in production are to blame. (AP Photo/Nick Wagner, File) XLAT119 XLAT119

July 12, 2019 at 9:16 am

Guacamole blues: Mexicans dismayed by avocado price climb VIEW

The Mexican government says increased demand in the United States and a slight drop in production are to blame for the Mexico's high price of...

Business

July 9, 2019 at 2:27 am

Russian officials raise alarm over bee deaths

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials are raising the alarm about mass bee deaths across the country. The Russian Agricultural Ministry said in a statement on...

July 8, 2019 at 6:54 am

Father attacks son with bulldozer at Snohomish County plant nursery, police say

John Postema, 78, the owner of Flower World, reportedly has had disputes with his son in the past.

FILE – A new version of the Beyond Meat’s vegan burger at Haven’s Kitchen in New York, March 31, 2016. Tyson, the countryâ€™s largest meat processor, announced that it is investing an undisclosed amount for a 5 percent stake in Beyond Meat, which makes the plant-protein Beyond Burger. (Angel Franco/The New York Times)

July 5, 2019 at 2:02 am

Beyond Meat fever turns the tiny pea into America’s hot new crop

The pea, long an afterthought for most farmers, has suddenly gotten pulled into the alt-protein craze fueled by the likes of Beyond Meat and the...

Business

July 3, 2019 at 9:07 am

Soggy start to grilling season is a double whammy for meatpackers

America's meat companies can't seem to catch a break. As if rising feed costs weren't enough, this year's biblical rains have also poured cold water...

Business

Jonathan Cammack, chief operating officer at EVO Conversion Systems, displays dried black soldier fly larvae at the company’s facilities in College Station, Texas. MUST CREDIT: Photo for The Washington Post by Loren Elliot BugEconomy_03

July 3, 2019 at 8:38 am

Protein-rich maggots could revolutionize the global food supply VIEW

The larvae of black soldier flies are already being sold as food for pets such as lizards, birds, even hedgehogs. The burgeoning industry also has...

Business

In this Thursday, June 20, 2019, photo, farmer Bernard Peterson leans on a tractor at his farm in Loretto, Ky. When the Trump administration announced a $12 billion aid package for farmers struggling under the financial strain of his trade dispute with China, the payments were capped. But records obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act show that many large farming operations easily found legal ways around the limits to collect big checks. At Peterson’s farm, eight members of the family partnership collected a total $863,560 for crops they grow on over 15,000 acres in seven counties, including wheat and corn used at the nearby Maker’s Mark bourbon distillery. Peterson said that it didn’t make up for all their losses at a time when it was already hard to be profitable. The $1.65 per bushel aid payments for soybeans fell well short of losses he estimated at $2 to $2.50 per bushel, factoring in the loss of the Chinese market that took years to develop. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan) RPDL401 RPDL401

July 3, 2019 at 12:01 am

Big farms find easy ways around limits on Trump trade-war aid

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When President Donald Trump's administration announced a $12 billion aid package for farmers struggling under the financial strain of his trade dispute...

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