US WA: Out West, Pot Farming’s Future Still Uncertain

Tulsa World, 20 Jan 2013 – YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) – Irrigation canals line Washington’s Yakima Valley east of the Cascade Range, transforming a desert landscape into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world – including crops for some of America’s biggest vices. Thousands of acres of wine grapes dot the landscape, contributing to Washington’s No. 2 rank for premium wine production behind California. Farmers grow more than twothirds of U.S. hops for big beer companies and craft brewers alike, and a large tobacco field is flourishing.