Wheat All About It

12.4.18 In episode 102 of Wheat All About It!  WSU Ag Economist Randy Fortenbery continues to mine USDA numbers from the second part of a presentation he gave during the Washington State Crop Improvement Association annual meeting Nov. 12, 2018. The numbers project a European Union that will soon become the world’s biggest wheat exporter as U.S. market share shrinks.  Some argue that’s not a problem if U.S. farmers get top dollar for their production, but Fortenbery warned market share can influence price. He further cautioned that once disruptions shifts markets, trade doesn’t necessarily come back if another origin can continue to satisfy the demand. All that and more in the second half of the economist’s presentation to WSCIA membership entitled WSU’s Randy Fortenbery Paints a Troubling Economic Picture in Hopeful Colors, 2.

11.20.18 The 100th episode of Wheat All About It! finds farmer and WGC Commissioner Mike Carstensen behind the microphone as he “Interviews the Interviewer”. Carstensen takes over podcast duties to interview Scott Yates, director of communications and producer relations for the Washington Grain Commission. Join Carstensen as he quizzes Yates about his family, his career and what he’s learned after more than three decades observing the wheat industry. Subscribe to Wheat All About It on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Cast, Player FM and other podcast apps and never miss an episode. For those with iPhones: touch the purple podcast icon, and type “Wheat All About It” in the finder to listen quickly! Don’t have a smart phone? Listen on your computer at wagrains.org.

10.6.18 The battle between wheat farmers wanting to maintain fire as a tool and air activists wanting to extinguish the practice, was hard fought nearly 20 years ago. Today, burning wheat stubble in Eastern Washington remains an alternative, but it is done with nary a complaint over smoke, thanks to the Washington Department of Ecology’s agricultural burning program. Join Scott Yates, director of communications and producer relations for the Washington Grain Commission, as he talks with Ecology burn program supervisor Kary Peterson, about the relationship between wild fires and ag burning, the impact of baling wheat straw on a widespread basis and reasons behind the increase in orchard pile burning with a simultaneous decline in wheat stubble burning. All that and more in episode 98 entitled: Ag Burning: A Program That Works. Subscribe to Wheat All About It on Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Cast, Player FM and other podcast apps and never miss an episode. For those with iPhones: touch the purple podcast icon, and type “Wheat All About It” in the finder to listen quickly!

10.23.18 Sensors planted in fields and drones flying overhead, both collecting data to improve crops and reduce inputs is not science fiction anymore. In episode 96 entitled, "The Brave New World of Farming Comes to Farmington", Andrew Nelson explains what he’s hoping to accomplish as part of an effort that has him partnering with Microsoft. With a degree in computer software engineering and as a farmer, Nelson believes its possible to significantly reduce input costs and improve crop efficiency. To achieve those goals, however, it’s necessary to access “the cloud”, the internet based inventory of programs and products necessary to truly bring agriculture into the 21st Century—and Nelson is working on that too. Subscribe to Wheat All About It on Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Cast, Player FM and other podcast apps and never miss an episode. For those with iPhones: touch the purple podcast icon, and type “Wheat All About It” in the finder to listen quickly! Find the complete archive of podcast episodes at wagrains.org.

10.9.18 Episode 94 continues an engaging discussion with Dennis Solbrack, new product engineer at the Pape Machinery location outside Colfax, Wash. In the second of two parts, Solbrack talks about the ownership of data that today’s machinery spews by the second, exactly what sort of work farmers can perform on today’s software laden equipment, competition for the market with Case IH, the future of driverless combines and tractors—and more! Join Scott Yates, director of communications and producer relations for the Washington Grain Commission as he continues his conversation in the episode entitled: Dennis Solbrack May Not Bleed Green, But He Lives Green—John Deere Green! Subscribe to Wheat All About It! and never miss an episode. Those with iPhones can touch their purple podcast icon and type in Wheat All About It in the finder. Or subscribe with the podcast’s newest app, Stitcher.