Five-acre farm produced 65,000 pounds last year for Tom Douglas Restaurants Jackie Cross had no intention of owning a farm in Prosser as she and her husband Tom Douglas spend most of their days on the west side of the state.As the owners of more than a dozen Seattle-area restaurants,...
By Paul G. NeifferFarm couples can be worth about $11 million and not owe any federal estate tax. However, farmers in Washington state are subject to a state estate tax which starts at a little more than $2 million of net worth and the tax rate reaches 20 percent at...
By Michelle DuplerBenton County and Washington state marijuana retail sales bloomed in fiscal year 2016, and the high appears to have continued into 2017, according to data from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.[blockquote quote="We’re your grandma’s cannabis store." source="Steve Lee, owner of Green2Go" align="right" max_width="300px"]Retail sales in Benton...
By Marilou SheaThis column is exclusively about one of our universally favorite things: food. Marilou Shea,Pasco Specialty KitchenIt contributes to our economy in all kinds of ways, from agriculture, processing and manufacturers, to talented entrepreneurs, cultural heritage, restaurants, food trucks, farmers markets and farm-to-table efforts.Farm-to-table is a cool concept but...
It’s too early to tell how the Trump administration will affect agriculture in Eastern Washington. But if the president’s budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Agriculture survives intact, it could chop a serious chunk out of the Washington Department of Agriculture’s budget. Derek Sandison,Washington Department of AgricultureThat’s what Derek Sandison,...
Middleton Six Sons Farms bought 15 carts for its workersThe asparagus served at several Tri-City restaurants likely features spears picked by experts at Middleton Six Sons Farms who have worked in the fields for more than three decades.It’s a lot of work to get the springtime favorite from field to...
By Beau RuffAs the center of Washington’s agricultural empire, it is important to recognize the planning opportunities afforded the Washington farmer in the Tri-Cities. This column explores the use of the family farm LLC for business succession planning. Beau Ruff,Cornerstone Wealth StrategiesThe quintessential farmer is land rich and cash poor....
By Aaron SparksIn a tight agricultural labor market, many Washington state farmers and fruit growers struggle to find workers during harvest season. In Washington, of course, much of the discussion revolves around apples, the state’s top crop, which, at $2.4 billion, accounts for nearly 25 percent of the state’s agricultural...
$750,000 facility took two years to build, replaces smaller greenhouseA new $750,000 greenhouse to support the state’s tree fruit industry recently opened in Prosser.Construction of the greenhouse and installation of specialized equipment took more than two years to complete. Money to pay for the greenhouse came through assessments on nurseries...
Although the temperatures were edging into the high 80s by 9 a.m., Fields of Grace volunteers continued reaching high into the trees, picking handful after handful of crimson cherries.The group, which consisted of 15 or so, spend their springs and summers gleaning everything from fruit to spuds to donate to...
