When it comes to looking ahead at the state of agriculture, there is always some uncertainty on how Mother Nature will turn and how each crop will respond, says Josh Siler, Washington state president of AgWest Farm Credit, in Spokane. 

However, there are a few factors farmers are looking to get relief from in the new year that plagued them in 2024, including lower interest rates and a more affordable cost of doing overseas business, he says. 

“There is a good chance farmers will get some relief from these headwinds,” Siler says. 

He says that crop insurance has been a valuable tool for farmers these last couple of years and will likely continue to be.

Additionally, AgWest’s loan growth in 2024 will outpace growth in 2023 and finish the year slightly higher than what was budgeted, Siler says. Looking to 2025, the organization is budgeting for continued loan growth. 

Casey Chumrau, CEO of Spokane-based Washington Grain Commission, says fall planting conditions for wheat were variable and drier than usual in most regions of Washington, but ample November rains helped improve crop conditions as the plants enter their winter dormancy. Crops planted in the fall of 2023 for harvest in 2024 entered their winter slumber with a dry start, but significant moisture with mild winter and spring temperatures supported growth for the plants once they emerged from winter dormancy. 

“Despite lower than average spring precipitation, timely rain and cool temperatures through the end of May provided adequate conditions for spring wheat planting and overall crop development of both winter and spring wheat,” Chumrau says. 

The total wheat production for 2024 was 143.6 million bushels, or 3.9 million metric tons, up 27% compared to 113.1 million bushels in 2023, she says. Soft white wheat, which is used for making cookies, crackers, pastries, and sponge cakes, made up 89% of Washington’s wheat production, she says. 

According to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the value of Washington’s 2023 agricultural production totaled a record high of nearly $14 billion, up nearly 6% from 2022’s revised record of $13.2 billion and up from $10.1 billion in 2021. 

Washington state Department of Agriculture data shows the Evergreen state is home to over 35,000 farms, with about 2,500 in Spokane County.

Washington sent about $4.5 billion in agricultural exports to Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, and South Korea. 

Washington produces over 300 commodities with apples as the leading agricultural commodity in the state with a 2023 value of $1.99 billion, followed by cattle, milk, potatoes, hay, wheat, eggs, hops, onions, and grapes. 

Jennie Strong, international marketing specialist for the Wenatchee-based Washington Apple Commission, says it’s still too early to estimate the yield expected for apple production in the new year as many factors affect the apple crop. 

Storage reports for this season’s harvest show a total yield of about the equivalent of 135.1 million 40-pound boxes of Washington state fresh apples, down from last year’s total of 136.9 million box equivalents. 

According to the Washington Tree Fruit Association, apple growers have exported 2.3 million boxes of apples to India since that country's tariffs were lifted in June 2023.

A challenge for Washington tree fruit growers is a continued labor shortage and persistent increase in labor costs, the Washington Tree Fruit Association reports. Because there aren't enough domestic workers to deliver a harvest, growers supplement labor through H-2A contracts, a federal program that allows employers to bring foreign nationals to Washington for temporary work.