Washington State

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson asked a court Monday to grant summary judgment and penalties for the Grocery Manufacturers Association in a suit stemming from the group's campaign against GMO labeling. GMA, a Washington D.C.-based trade association, was the largest donor to the “No on 522” campaign, which sought to block genetic labeling requirements in 2013.

"Americans have been falling hard for new apples," says the New York Times. Three recently developed varieties - Ambrosia, Honeycrisp and Jazz - are in the top 10 for sales and were the only ones to record a sales increase in 2014. Mainstays such as Red Delicious and McIntosh slumped. Fruit breeders are creating new varieties with names such as SweeTango, SnapDragon and Cosmic Crisp.

This year's drought in Washington State "is by far the worst since 1977" and covers nearly all of the state, says Capital Press.

A cattle rancher in central Washington State says he still believes his herd can co-exist with wolves despite losing a yearling Angus on state-owned grazing land, reports Capital Press.

Topsoil and subsoil moisture levels continue to decline in the Pacific Northwest, where streamflows have shriveled to record or near-record lows, says the weekly Drought Monitor.

"A massive toxic algae bloom has closed shellfish fisheries along the West Coast," says the Portland Oregonian. Beaches were closed to clamming and oyster harvesting along the Oregon and Washington State coastlines.

The governor of Washington state declared a drought emergency in three regions of the state, including key agricultural areas, due to record-low snowpack levels, said Reuters.

China agreed to open its market to imports of all varieties of U.S.-grown apples, a step thatUSDA said could expand apple exports, worth $1 billion in 2013, by 10 percent.

Two types of highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N2 and H5N8, were found in Washington state outside of commercial poultry farms, said USDA.

All the birds in a non-commercial flock in Port Angeles, Wash, were killed to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, said Capital Press, which said bird flu also was reported in a backyard flock in Idaho.

Drought will persist or intensify during winter in Washington state, Oregon and the northern two-thirds of California as well as the wheat-growing southern Plains, forecasts the National Weather Service.

Along with discovery of two strains of avian influenza in Washington state, bird flu was reported for the first time in Italy this week, says the ThePoultrySite.com.

Seed and chemical company Monsanto announced an agreement with soft white wheat growers to settle three class-action lawsuits that arose from the discovery that some of its experimental genetically engineered wheat was growing wild in eastern Oregon.

Political analysts say the outcome of Oregon's statewide referendum on labeling foods made with genetically modified organisms will depend on whether opponents can win over liberal-leaning urban voters, says the Portland Tribune. Analysts expect the opposition to out-spend the pro-labeling campaign. Around 80 percent of the state population lives in urban areas.

Reps Mike Pompeo of Kansas and GK Butterfield of North Carolina will unveil a bill today to set a federal standard for labeling genetically engineered foods and block states from adopting labeling laws of their own.

Nineteen poultry processors, including industry leader Tyson Foods, are accused of conspiring to fix chicken prices in a lawsuit filed by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The suit asks for restitution for Washington consumers that could potentially run into the millions of dollars.