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A Washington Statewide Farm Bill Conference
moses lake, Washington
April 20, 2006
Interest in the 2007 reauthorization of the federal farm bill is as intense in the state of Washington as it is anywhere in the country. Washington is home to hugely valuable agriculture sectors including apples, milk, wheat, cattle and potatoes. It is among the most diverse agricultural states in the nation, producing some 250 different crops for a total market value of roughly $6 billion annually (which generates perhaps four to six times that value in economic impact). Washington’s highly productive wheat industry—ranked fourth in the nation—produces about 10 percent of the state’s agricultural value and is the third most valuable crop grown in Washington. Whitman County, located in southwest Washington’s Palouse country, produces more wheat and barley than any other county in the United States.
With the 2007 Farm Bill shaping up to be a potential watershed event, Washington farmers and those affected by the farm industry are wondering what is likely to happen. Will our nation continue to support dry bulk commodity price support programs in the face of mounting international trade pressures, or will we focus on other ways to help American agriculture? Or, more troubling, will the funding that our nation now spends on commodity programs be eliminated and poured, instead, into addressing the massive federal budget deficit?
To address these questions and to begin shaping some constructive ways our community can respond to the farm bill, American Farmland Trust’s Pacific Northwest field office organized a statewide conference entitled: “Visions of the Federal Farm Bill”. The conference was keynoted by Washington’s Director of Agriculture, Valoria Loveland, and featured a luncheon address by Congressman Doc Hastings of Washington’s 4th Congressional District. Speaker panels addressed aspects of four major farm bill topics: risk management, conservation stewardship, economic opportunity and foundations for the future. Participants heard experts discuss the issues and contributed their own farm bill ideas for inclusion in a farm bill summary document that will be provided to members of Washington’s Congressional delegation; to organizations working to influence U.S. farm policy; and to others who are interested.
Supporting the prime sponsorship by American Farmland Trust, the event was co-sponsored by the Washington Farm Bureau, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, the Washington State Grange, the Washington Association of Conservation Districts, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture. For further information, contact Don Stuart at dstuart@farmland.org or (253) 446-9384 or Sara Nikolic at farmbill@soleauconsulting.com or (206) 226-1914.
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