WACD Reading List

In November, the US Department of Agriculture approved a program that will open a path for beef producers to market their meat as low-carbon. Producers who can prove that their cattle are raised in a way that emits 10 percent less greenhouse gases than an industry baseline can qualify for the certification scheme, which is run by a private company called Low Carbon Beef.

“When you call 988, you’re talking to a clinician, they do a suicide assessment, they triage what services you need,” said Washington Democratic Rep. Tina Orwall.

A permanent culture of remote or hybrid work has its pros and cons when it comes to this new concept of "office hours." We probably won't ever go back to a world where workers are truly free from Friday evening until Monday morning.

Don’t visit the emergency room if you have mild COVID-19 symptoms or if you need a walk-in COVID-19 test.

"There are so many different things involved in succession planning. It's not just a will and trust," said Nellie McAdams, executive director of Oregon Agricultural Trust. "It can sort of seem like unraveling a ball of yarn and not knowing where the end is."

King Tides represent unusually high water levels, which occur when the geometry of the sun and moon are just right. But this year, the predicted tide got a major boost in Seattle, thanks to the atmosphere.

Recent COVID-19 trends suggest that the U.S. omicron wave may have peaked in several of the jurisdictions where it was first evident.

Helen Price Johnson, RD State Director for Washington - A third-generation small business owner, Helen Price Johnson concluded three terms on the Island County Commission in 2021. She is a past president of the Washington State Association of Counties, a two-term member of the South Whidbey School Board and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Whidbey Community Foundation. In these roles, she worked statewide advocating for small towns, small businesses and rural lands.

The state Department of Agriculture has released new data on murder hornets found in Whatcom County last summer.

“RCPP is public-private partnership at its best,” said Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Terry Cosby. “We’re harnessing the power of partnership to create lasting solutions to global challenges, like climate change, and support producers and communities who have been underserved in the past.”

we’ve opened applications for the Largest Urban and Community Forestry Grant Funding Cycle in DNR Agency History

Spokane County’s coronavirus case rate has tripled in the last few weeks, according to data from the Spokane Regional Health District.

As the Omicron variant spreads like wildfire across the United States, it's likely just about everybody will be exposed to the strain, but vaccinated people will still fare better, the nation's leading infectious disease expert said Tuesday.

A variety of NRCS Conservation Practice Standards can be used to implement agroforestry practices.

But state officials and water policy experts are still urging caution even in these wet conditions, pushing for water-saving measures as the drought is expected to continue throughout much of the West.

Climate change is weakening communities of colorful creatures in the rocky intertidal zone on the Oregon Coast.

The USDA is using the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP, and the Conservation Stewardship Program, or CSP, to help farmers use methods such as cover crops to sequester carbon.

A recent study suggests that while more employees are comfortable discussing mental health in the workplace, the conversations they’re having aren’t always fruitful.

Because I had said yes to every assignment, in hopes that would help me move on to my next opportunity, I had become indispensable, and my manager wouldn’t let me go. Being indispensable had temporarily killed my career.

“Through partnerships like this one, we are ensuring that historically underserved landowners and producers have the tools they need to successfully integrate conservation practices on their forest and agricultural lands,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “Equity in our programs and services is essential for addressing the unique natural resource needs and challenges across the country.”

NRCS accepts applications for conservation programs – including EQIP and CSP – year-round, however producers and landowners should apply by state-specific, signup dates to be considered for each year’s funding. To apply, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!—A Hybrid Model of Association Management

For the third straight year, the King Conservation District (KCD) will be running its annual elections through a smartphone voting platform.

In December 2021, several months after this article was originally published, Governor Inslee and legislative leaders announced that changes will be made to the long-term care program and that the Employment Security Department will not be collecting long-term care premiums from employers at this time in order to provide the legislature time to make these changes.

The effort will go toward rehabilitating site of 2020 Indian Creek Fire that destroyed more than 48,000 acres

“It’s so transmissible,” said Dr. Katie Sharff, infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente. “It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen.”

Under a broad range of values for each of these assumptions, at least 50% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections was estimated to have originated from exposure to individuals with infection but without symptoms.