Northwest Farmers Plant More Wheat

Northwest wheat growers know a good thing when they see it.

After getting better prices for their 1995 crop than they have in years, the region’s grain farmers have increased seeding for the 1996 crop, especially winter wheat.

Across the Northwest, farmers have planted about 4.19 million acres in winter wheat, a 5 percent increase over the 1995 crop, Washington state Department of Agriculture statistician Doug Hasslen said.

In Washington state, farmers planted about 2.4 million acres in winter wheat, a 7 percent increase over the 1995 crop, Hasslen said.

On Tuesday, soft white wheat, the kind grown in most areas of the Inland Northwest, brought about $5.40 cents a bushel, compared with an average price of about $3.20 a bushel for the 1993 crop. , DataTimes