The PRCA Rodeo presented in conjunction with the Yakima Valley Fair will be reigned over this year by Misty Mahkee of Toppenish.

Two of the richest animal rights groups in the country have recently made the news; PETA killed 95% of the dogs and cats left in their care in 2008 (VA Department of AG), and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) contributed less than 4% of their $91.5 million budget to hands-on dog and cat shelters in 2007 (Center for Consumer Freedom).

The 2009 sweet cherry crop will come in a little later than usual, but it’s expected to be well worth waiting for.

The House of Representatives has passed an amendment authored by Congressman Doc Hastings (WA-04) that increases the number of canine air cargo detection teams, boosting cargo security and helping ensure that perishable fruits like cherries will not be unnecessarily delayed by bureaucratic red tape. 

The Washington Mint Growers Association has released crop reports from Northwest dealers.

I felt a twinge of sadness when I heard that the SEAM (Social Engineers And Manipulators) had declared BEETLESS TUESDAY in Missoula.  It cast a pall over folks in Montana.  Little school children begging the cafeteria lady, “Please, please, we need our beets!”

The way mint oil is extracted from the plant after harvest may soon become much less costly and more efficient, if tests now being conducted at the University of Oregon prove out.

It’s been a  long time since I’ve seen a  real cowboy walk into the urban world spotlight and take it by storm!  Not since Ben Johnson, Wilford Brimley, Nolan Ryan and Mac Baldridge, could I have pointed and said, “He’s one of us.”

Moses Lake, WA; Fri May 29, 2009; USDA Market News; Toppenish Livestock Auction, Toppenish, WA    Thursday - 5/28/09.

A swarm of honey bees rests in a tree on Beech Street in toppenish last week. This is the time of year when honey bees typically swarm, a process in which a queen takes worker bees and establishes a new hive. Since swarming can seriously deplete the old hive, it’s not desirable among domesticated bees, and bee keepers employ a number of methods to prevent their bees from swarming. Some bee keepers also may be interested in capturing bees that have swarmed, though some are reluctant to do so since insects from an unknown hive can transmit diseases.