POCATELLO — The recent revisions that USDA made to its coronavirus farm relief program are expected to provide some relief to potato farmers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.

University of Idaho Extension cereals pathologist Juliet Marshall was initially pessimistic about East Idaho’s grain crops, as many fields were set back by early season frost and an extremely wet spring.

New data suggests the coronavirus pandemic led Idaho farmers to plant spring wheat on tens of thousands of acres typically reserved for potatoes, barley and sugar beets.

POCATELLO – Scoular Co. has announced it will build a barley manufacturing facility that will initially process 1.9 million bushels of barley annually.

BOISE — The Idaho Wheat Commission’s new executive director, Casey Chumrau, knows she has big shoes to fill but leaders of the state’s wheat industry are confident she has the skills and experience to do that.

BOISE — Idaho’s wheat industry is losing one of its biggest assets as Blaine Jacobson retires after 18 years as executive director of the Idaho Wheat Commission.

U.S. barley growers suddenly have access to a tantalizing new market: China, the world’s most populous country and also the largest producer and consumer of beer.

A fungal pathogen that can cause considerable damage in grain crops known as stripe rust has been confirmed in western Idaho, University of Idaho Extension confirmed on Wednesday.

Most of the wheat grown in Idaho, Oregon and Washington is not eligible for USDA’s coronavirus farm relief payments.

POCATELLO – Just like the farmers and ranchers they serve, Idaho’s agricultural commissions and organizations are plowing ahead with their normal activities.

Three farmers in the American Falls area are entering their second year of raising specialized wheat varieties bred to appeal to health-conscious consumers who are wary of gluten and carbohydrates.

IDAHO FALLS — A University of Idaho cereals pathologist is advising Idaho farmers to plant spring wheat varieties that are resistant to a destructive fungal pathogen recently detected in the region, called stripe rust.

Idaho grain farmers have been meeting with top officials and lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and speaking at in-state events recently to build support for their federal legislative priorities.

Officials with the Washington State University Bread Lab believe a wheat variety they have in development with a large, blue-gray kernel will take grain production into a drastically new realm.

PORTLAND, Oregon — A group of Idaho wheat farmers and industry representatives visited Portland recently on a tour designed to give them a better understanding of the region’s wheat industry and the importance of the Columbia-Snake River system.

The American Malting Barley Association Board of Directors has approved the addition of AAC Connect, LCS Odyssey, Moravian 164 and Moravian 170 to the recommended list of malting barley varieties for 2020.

ABERDEEN — As a rule of thumb, Idaho farmers have fetched a small premium per bushel by raising hard white wheat — a class demanded both domestically and abroad for its light color and sweet flavor.

TWIN FALLS — Chobani started dabbling with non-dairy foods this year when it launched a coconut-based non-dairy product.

Idaho has a reputation for producing a high-quality wheat crop on a consistent basis and this year was no exception.

BOISE – Idaho will retain its spot as the nation’s top barley-producing state this year, and Idaho barley farmers produced almost a third of the United States’ total barley supply.

Unseasonably cold and wet October weather has delayed fall wheat planting and emergence, potentially putting fields at risk of winter kill, said University of Idaho Extension cereals pathologist Juliet Marshall.

SHELLEY — Ryan Searle suspects the ears of his first corn crop will be a bit light on grain, following a tough growing season.

Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on local grain economies. Part I covered the value consumers of local grain place on producers’ stories. Part II detailed the rise of small mills in the Northwest. All installments are posted online at postregister.com/farma…

Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a three-part series on local grain economies. Part I covered the value consumers of local grain place on producers’ stories. Part III, describing the Washington State University Bread Lab’s efforts to promote local grain as a flavorful and hea…

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a three-part series on local grain economies. Part II, detailing the rise of small mills in the Northwest, will run in the Oct. 11 edition of Farm & Ranch. Part III, describing the Washington State University Bread Lab’s efforts to promote …

MARQUAM, Ore. (AP) — Rancher Jerome Rosa sat in his mud-spattered pickup truck, glumly watching some of his cows resting on a grassy slope in Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley.

BOISE – Representatives of the Taiwan Flour Mills Association on Sept. 24 signed a letter of intent with the Idaho Wheat Commission to purchase 66.1 million bushels of U.S. wheat in 2020 and 2021.

BOISE — Gov. Brad Little joined representatives of the Idaho Wheat Commission and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle in the State Capitol today to sign a letter of intent for the Taiwan Flour Mills Association to purchase about $576 million in U.S. wheat over the next two years.

As with many other crops, the seeding of barley was delayed in some areas due to the cool-wet spring. One consequence has been a later and longer harvest period in many barley growing areas.

Big beer is still duking it out over corn syrup.

A Union Pacific train struck a tractor-trailer in Caribou County on Saturday night. The incident caused a grain spill but no injuries, authorities said.

Wheat farmers throughout the state are reporting average yields and good quality, though they’re harvesting about two weeks behind schedule, according to industry sources.

IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho Barley Commission has reduced its annual revenue projection by about 6 percent for the coming fiscal year, compared with last year.

POCATELLO – Idaho is famous for its iconic potatoes, Washington is known for producing a whole lot of apples and Oregon is well known for its nursery crops.

ABERDEEN — Participants in a recent tour of cereal research plots sampled a special ale, called American Blonde, made with a locally developed malt variety intended to better serve the needs of the growing craft brewing industry.

By John O’Connell

MOSCOW — A partnership between University of Idaho and an international wheat and barley breeding company is yielding its first collaborative wheat varieties, selected for planting in the Pacific Northwest.