As the Administration continues its push to reduce the government workforce, hop growers are feeling the impact.
The Washington Hop Commission says more than $1.5 million was spent on a lab at Washington State University, but now, their researchers no longer work there.
“So that’s establishing a lab, all the instruments that go in the lab, a six-acre research plot, as well as a hop yard, as well as a hop picker, and a kiln facility. There’s a lot of infrastructure that went into place, which was meant to serve him his entire career and to help us with this research. Unfortunately, as of now, that laboratory is empty, and all of his research work is indefinite. We don’t know what’s going to happen next,” said Maggie Elliott.
That facility was established as a hop stress physiology lab. Elliott says the Washington Hop Commission along with other groups invested around $300,000 to launch the program.
Regulatory uncertainty could slow the growth of fiber and grain hemp unless implementation is delayed.
February 04, 2026 05:00 PM
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Joined by her parents and sisters, we go beyond Kirbe’s job hosting FarmHER + RanchHER to discover the person and story behind the show.
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We caught up with John Deere’s Hay & Forage Got-To Market Manager Kaylene Ballesteros to learn how tech is evolving how producers make hay, from baling efficiency to operator confidence.
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U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas discusses expected changes to the 45Z tax credit and what they could mean for agriculture and rural America.
February 04, 2026 11:13 AM
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Purdue University Professor of Agricultural Economics Dr. Jim Mintert shares a closer look at farmer sentiment and the key issues shaping the agricultural economy in January.
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China-led demand continues to anchor soybean and sorghum exports despite weekly swings.
February 04, 2026 06:00 AM
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