Recent Events Make It More Challenging To Farm In Washington

Thanks to the war in Iran, and instability globally, fuel and fertilizer prices have jumped as of recent; farm country is hopeful those prices have spiked.  But for growers and producers across Washington, this increase is the latest in a long list of challenges making it more difficult to farm in the Evergreen state.

Jason Vander Kooy, Save Family Farming Vice President said producers, regardless of where you farm in the U.S., don’t control many of the biggest factors impacting their paychecks, whether that’s geopolitical or commodity prices.

“When these input prices increase, now we're seeing 25% on fuel and fertilizer in the last couple of weeks, the math doesn't work," Vander Kooy said.  "How do we recoup those costs? Do we just go ahead and farm at a loss? Do we not plant the crop? There's some tough decisions coming up.”

Olympia Makes It Difficult For Us To Compete

Vander Kooy added it has truly become a struggle for farmers to survive in the state of Washington.

“As a dairy farmer, the milk prices we receive, you know, they're pretty much the same across the country within, you know, probably a dollar," he stated.  "Yet we farmed in probably the highest cost area in the nation. So, we're at a severe disadvantage when it comes to fertilizer, energy, land, and labor. We're at the top of the country in all those categories, so it puts us at a great disadvantage when we're trying to survive against states like Texas, South Dakota, and others that have a great cost advantage over us.”

The Numbers Show How Challenging It Is For Washington Farmers

Numbers indicate that Washington farmers were nearly $400 million in the red in 2024, and the numbers for 2025 aren’t expected to change.  Vander Kooy added leaders in Olympia can prevent the collapse of farming in the state by addressing “out-of-control costs they’ve placed on people simply working to grow food”.

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