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Getting wheat where it's going

Troy Moore slowly and carefully adjusts both the rudders and the throttle on the tugboat Lincoln as he maneuvers into the lock at The Dalles Dam. As pilot of Shaver Transportation’s tugboat Lincoln, he’s pushing four giant barges, each 42 feet wide, all more than 200 feet long with the longest nearly 300 feet, lashed together and filled with 13,000 tons of wheat. The tow — that’s what he calls the whole assembly of barges and tugboat — just barely fits in the lock, and Moore listens intently to deckhand Sean Malloy as he calls out numbers.“120 ... 110 ... 100,” Malloy said, telling Moore just how close the bow of the front left barge is from the long wall of the lock and how much space he has to port — the left side of the tow — so he can maneuver.  t’s something these inland sailors do at every dam lock and at every approach to a grain terminal. The tow is more than 600 feet long, and even five decks up in the Lincoln’s wheelhouse, Moore can’t easily see around the bow of the two front barges 500 feet in front of him.

June 3, 2026
Idaho’s U.S. Senator Frank Church Wrote BPA’s Rulebook. It Demands Reliable Power, Too.
An opinion editorial written by Will Hart, executive director of the Idaho Consumer-Owned Utilities Association, and Kurt Miller, executive director of the Northwest Public Power Association.
April 7, 2026
Changing diets and demographics creating new opportunities for U.S. wheat
Rising incomes, growing populations, and rapid industrialization is creating increased demand for wheat foods around the world.
April 7, 2026
Idaho ag economic impact hits records
The economic impact of agriculture in Idaho reached $44.5 billion in sales, 17.2% of the state’s total economic output.
April 7, 2026
What is the Most Important Asset on the Farm?
How much time do you spend making sure your equipment is properly maintained? From combines and drills to pickups and silos, the farm has spent a lot of money and you probably have a “correct” way to take care of the tools you’ve invested in. But what is the most important asset on the farm? Quick answer: you and the people around you. Do you allocate as much time and attention on those assets? Probably not.
April 7, 2026
ALERT: Warm Weather Threatens Wheat with Yield Loss
The warm winter weather throughout the state has experts concerned about increased fungal diseases creeping into fields and causing yield loss. Xianming Chen, USDA stripe rust expert in the PNW, is warning farmers to start checking their fields. Chen is predicting that stripe rust will be more widespread and extreme this year than in the past 15 years. The last particularly bad year for stripe rust was in 2011. Experts from the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative are also warning about fusarium head blight and vomitoxin (DON) in winter wheat. USWBSI is reminding farmers that the best time to apply fungicides for FHB and DON management is at Feekes growth stage 10.51, when 50% of the main tillers have reached early anthesis (flowering) and up to seven (7) days following.
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