Tariffs unsettle hay market
Cheryl Schweizer <Staff Writer> | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 4 months AGO
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Farmers harvest alfalfa in a field near Royal City. The 2018 hay crop is coming into a market roiled by trade disputes.
MOSES LAKE — In any war, real or metaphorical, somebody gets caught in the crossfire. And in the 2018 trade wars, that could include Washington agricultural exports. Like hay.
For the uninitiated, there are two types of hay grown in Grant County for feed, timothy hay and alfalfa. The growing season in the county is long enough to harvest multiple crops, two in the case of timothy hay and three or four of alfalfa.
China is a major customer for Washington alfalfa, the third-largest export market in 2017, according to information from the Washington Department of Agriculture. China bought about $103.9 million of Washington hay last year, according to WSDA statistics.
Unfortunately, the Trump Administration is involved in a trade dispute with China, among other countries. The resulting rounds of tariffs have unsettled all markets, including agriculture. “It’s definitely confused the market,” said Mark Anderson, chief executive officer of Anderson Hay, Ellensburg. Other customers for Washington products including hay, both domestic and export, are waiting to see how events unfold.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture releases market reports each Friday, and as of July 27 the market was “slow to moderate.” Alfalfa rated good quality for export was selling at $180 to $185 per ton. Premium quality alfalfa for domestic sales was averaging $220 per ton.
Timothy hay prices as of July 27 were about $260 per ton for fair quality hay for export, according to the USDA.
The Trump Administration has pledged $12 billion in offset support for farmers affected by tariffs. But how that would be distributed is still to be determined.
Exporters “remain cautious,” the USDA report said.
“Meanwhile, we’re having a really good second (alfalfa) harvest cutting,” Anderson said. “We’ve had some good weather for second cutting.”
“Timothy harvest was a little more of a challenge,” Anderson said. Rain during harvest is bad for some products, cherries and hay among them. Both timothy and alfalfa growers battled the rain during first cutting, Anderson said.
The 2018 alfalfa crop could extend to four cuttings for some growers in the Columbia Basin, and two cuttings for some timothy growers.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER <STAFF WRITER>
Othello School Board approves property purchase
OTHELLO — The Othello School Board has approved an agreement to purchase 81.14 acres of land along 14th Street and Lee Road. The district will pay $2.4 million to the current owner, Terra Gold Farms. The draft agreement was approved during the regular board meeting Monday. The land is located at Lee Road between Seventh and 14th streets. Assistant superintendent Gina Bullis said there are no plans to build on the property now, but district officials plan to keep it as a site for any additional schools. The sale should be completed by the end of January. In other business, a discussion of a site visit to Wahitis Elementary prompted questions about traffic on 14th Street. Construction closed part of 14th Street during the spring, summer and fall, including the stretch in front of Wahitis Elementary. Prior to construction the road had a four-way stop outside Scootney Springs Elementary, but the stop signs were removed during construction and haven’t been replaced. Board member Juan Garza said he had received inquiries about the stop signs, and whether they would be reinstalled. “It sounds to me like they (the stop sign removals) are permanent, right? It’s going to stay that way.” Bullis said she had received inquiries too, and had asked city officials about them, including a question at the Othello City Council meeting earlier Monday evening. City manager Wade Faris told her, Bullis said, the city wasn’t required to reinstall them. The original purpose was to eliminate some of the congestion on 14th, Cemetery and Ash streets when kids and parents were coming and going from Scootney Springs. City officials think the extra lanes will accommodate any congestion, she said. Board member Mike Garza said the stop signs were installed as the result of a traffic study conducted by the district at the city’s request. He asked if the city had done an additional traffic study prior to removal. Bullis said city officials didn’t give a reason for the change. Mike Garza also asked if city officials planned to paint crosswalks across 14th Street at Wahitis Elementary. “I noticed there are no crosswalk designations across 14th” at the school, he said. Bullis said she would ask city officials.
Othello School District land purchase moves ahead
OTHELLO — The Othello School Board is scheduled to review a draft purchase and sale agreement for 78 acres of property along Lee Road at its Oct. 10 meeting.
Othello School Board discusses 14th Street with city officials
OTHELLO — Traffic, traffic flow and pedestrian safety, especially for elementary students, were the subjects of a lengthy discussion at the Othello School Board meeting Monday.