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LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — Some wheat farmers in the northwest are considering switching crops as prices slip below the break-even mark.
Soft white wheat and club wheat — two varieties commonly grown in parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho — were selling for $4.67 to $4.90 a bushel last week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Portland.
Washington Wheat Commission member Gary Bailey told the Lewiston Tribune (http://bit.ly/2mfM44P) that many farmers are looking for new avenues of income. He says some eastern Washington farmers are putting more acres into garbanzo beans, which fetch a higher price.
Sam White of the Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative in Genesee, Idaho says there hasn't been a wheat crop failure in three years, with Russia, Ukraine and Argentina all harvesting good crops last year and Australia reported to have a record harvest this year.
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Information from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com
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