WACD Reading List
Economic Review - March 3, 2021
We expect a 1.3% increase in Washington employment this year which is down from the 3.5% increase in the November forecast. We expect above average growth through the remainder of the forecast as the economy
recovers from this deep recession. We expect employment growth to average 2.2% per year in 2022 through 2025 compared to the 1.7% average rate expected in November. Our forecast for nominal personal income growth this year is 3.9%, up from a 1.1% decline in the November forecast.
Equity commission will root out systemic racism in USDA programs, says Vilsack | Successful Farming
Federal funding, “and a very significant amount of it,” will be needed to bring broadband access to all of rural America, he said. “I’m skeptical the private sector by itself is ever going to do what it needs to make sure that every remote area of this country has access to high-speed internet” because of the cost of providing service. The government took a prominent role during the New Deal in electrifying rural America.
State legislative report 0302: Action moves to Senate, House floor | WAWG
Monday, Feb. 22, was the second legislative deadline, when all bills must have been voted out of their respective fiscal committees to remain “alive.” Since then, the Legislature has mostly ceased committee action and is focused on floor action for the time being, which entails the entire chamber (either the House of Representatives or the Senate) considering and voting on bills. Once a bill passes out of its original chamber, it moves to the other chamber, and the entire committee process repeats.
Climate mitigation ‘designed by farmers for farmers’ | Successful Farming
Producers could see three new revenue streams from climate mitigation, he said. They were income from carbon markets, from conversion of agricultural waste into products ranging from chemicals to fabrics, and capture of methane from manure for use as a renewable fuel.
Discrimination in the Workplace (Workshop) | Central Washington University
Discrimination in the Workplace
March 2, 4-5pm
Please join us for an informational webinar that will cover what discrimination is, the various types of discrimination, and what to do if you believe you have been adversely affected by discrimination.
12th District Senator Brad Hawkins Utility Wildfire Legislation Passes Out of State Senate – NewsRadio 560 KPQ
The Senate unanimously passed 12th District Senator Brad Hawkins Senate Bill 5158, legislation to implement the Electric Utilities Wildland Fire Prevention Task Force recommendations for wildfire prevention.
‘We don’t have a day to waste’ on climate mitigation, says Vilsack | Successful Farming
U.S. agriculture faces a triple imperative — market, environment, and income — in responding to climate change, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday, his first day on the job. “We don’t have a day to waste on this,” he told reporters while indicating that the USDA will move at deliberate speed to identify and support successful mitigation practices.
What conservationists want to see in upcoming budget proposals - Washington State Wire
To hear about what key players in Washington’s broad environmental coalition would like to see prioritized in budget proposals, I spoke to Adam Maxwell, Campaigns Manager for the Washington Audubon Society, a group focused on conserving natural ecosystems and building healthy communities.
Voices Crying in the Wilderness: The Legal Rights of Nature - PA TIMES Online | PA TIMES Online
The question of the legal rights of nature—or standing of inanimate objects to sue—was perhaps first raised in an article in 1972 by Christopher Stone, in the Southern California Law Review, titled Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights of Natural Objects. The article was subsequently referenced in a celebrated dissent by Justice William O. Douglas in the Supreme Court case Sierra Club v. Morton, 405 U.S. 727 (1972).
Washington senator: Righting agriculture's history won't be 'cheap' | Dairy | capitalpress.com
Saldana's assertion that denying farmworkers overtime pay was grounded in racism comes as lawmakers consider whether to intervene and shield agricultural employers from backpay lawsuits, suits that farm groups warn pose existential threats to some producers.
Shrub-steppe Fire Recovery & Resilience — The Nature Conservancy in Washington
The fire impacted rabbits and sage grouse across their range, further complicating the recovery of each of these very at-risk species. Burned-bare soil across the landscape lies vulnerable to rapid colonization by quick-spreading invasive plants and grasses.
'Zoom fatigue' is a real thing now, according to science
“On Zoom, behavior ordinarily reserved for close relationships — such as long stretches of direct eye gaze and faces seen close up — has suddenly become the way we interact with casual acquaintances, co-workers, and even strangers,” he writes.
Geologists predict sweeping debris flows in in area scarred by Palmer Fire in Okanogan County | Columbia Basin | ifiberone.com
LOOMIS - The United States Geological Survey recently reported that the area just east of Palmer Lake will likely experience drastic flooding this spring as the snow melts and rain falls.
The flood risk and debris flow hazard is a result of burn scarring caused by the 13,000-acre Palmer Fire in mid-August of 2020.
Newhouse: The Return Of Vilsack Good News For Northwest Ag – PNW AG Network
Dan Newhouse says Tom Vilsack returning to head the USDA is a good thing for the farming community. The Chair of the Western Congressional Caucus, and a central Washington farmer himself, Newhouse said Vilsack can hit the ground running. Adding the Secretary understands many of the issues before Northwest producers.
The template for climate mitigation is soil conservation, says farm-enviro alliance | Successful Farming
The new era of climate mitigation on the farm would look like a beefed-up version of longstanding USDA conservation programs, augmented by a carbon bank that sets a floor price for carbon sequestration and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, said leaders of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) on Wednesday. “That’s what we’ve modeled it after,” said Chuck Connor, a founding member of the alliance and a former deputy agriculture secretary.
Apply — NATIVE YOUTH COMMUNITY ADAPTATION AND LEADERSHIP CONGRESS
Applications are now open until April 12, 2021.
NYCALC will take place online from July 5 - July 29, 2021. Sessions will be held on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 2pm-6pm EST. The week of July 19th will be offline to accommodate community engagement projects.
Decade of Ag VISION – U.S. Farmers and Ranchers In Action
The Future We Desire: A resilient, restorative, economically viable, and climate-smart agricultural system that produces abundant and nutritious food, natural fiber, and clean energy for a sustainable, vibrant, and prosperous America.
Vilsack Confirmed As Ag Secretary – PNW AG Network
By a 92-7 vote Tuesday, the Senate confirmed former Iowa Governor and two term Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack to head the USDA yet again. There was really no debate Tuesday, but there was some bipartisan praise from Senate Ag chair Debbie Stabenow and ranking committee member John Boozman.
Public Broadband Act Passes House – Washington State House Democrats
Washington’s long-held restriction on public utilities offering public broadband service directly to residents is one step closer to being overturned after the House voted 60-37 to pass the Public Broadband Act (HB 1336).