Agriculture

Easterday Idaho: What’s to become of a water-rich northwest ranch

The saga of the troubled Easterday ag empire is spreading to rural Idaho. At issue: The fate of an Easterday ranch centered on a beautiful meadow that contributes water to the Spokane region.

Health

WA issues new protections for outdoor workers following extreme heat wave

New emergency rules from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries will soon require employers to provide shade from the sun and breaks for outdoor workers to cool down.

Science

This heat wave will be 'historic,' Washington climatologist says

Most of the western U.S. is experiencing an intense heat wave. And that can have serious environmental and agricultural consequences.

Environment

Asian giant hornet carcass found in Snohomish County

Scientists have confirmed an Asian giant hornet has been found in Marysville, about 50 miles farther south than the invasive insect has been spotted before.

Environment

'Somber harvest': Crops may fail, cattle sold as the NW descends into drought

Nicole Berg wades into her stunted wheat field. It’s so short and sparse, she doesn’t think the combine can even reach the wheat without eating rocks. “Combines don’t like dirt and rocks,” Berg says. “They get indigestion.” Berg is a dryland wheat farmer in the sweeping Horse Heaven Hills of south-eastern Washington. She shows off one head of half-turned golden wheat amid a sea of them. Besides being too short, the plant’s kernels didn’t fill out properly.

Crime

Alleged Massive-Scale Easterday Heist Is The New Brand Of Cattle Rustling

Cattle rustling is as old as the West. And a recent $225 million alleged cattle heist involving Easterday Ranches and Tyson Fresh Meats in Washington is one of the largest cases in U.S. history. And that case, like others nowadays, happened on paper, not on the range.