Washington’s Republican Congressional delegation is asking U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to prioritize the hiring of state executives for the Farm Service Agency to help process a backlog of disaster relief applications.  Jamie Herrera-Beutler, Dan Newhouse, and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers say in a letter to Vilsack that agricultural operations in Washington have been significantly impacted by wildfires and ongoing severe drought.  They add constituents tell them that creeks have gone dry and that cattle and crops have been lost.  The trio says eligible producers are now waiting months for paperwork to be approved solely due to a lack of staffing.  They add getting timely assistance out to ranchers and farmers could mean the difference for many operations between being able to stay open or closing for good.