Joe Schmick

Last week, when Governor Bob Ferguson signed Washington’s $77.9 billion two-year operating budget, eastern Washington irrigators celebrated.  That massive budget includes $44 million for the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project .  Supporters of this proj...

Thursday, March 6th, was the halfway point of the Washington legislative session.  How has the farming community fared this go around in Olympia?   “We've not seen a lot of the bad stuff that we had expected," noted Colfax Representative Joe Schmick.  "But so far so goo...

“Come to find out, Washington is one of the top states for foreign ownership of agricultural land. This bill takes a stab at not allowing foreign adversaries, and that's listed by the U.S. State Department, to be able to purchase farm ground. I ju...

Last week, legislation was introduced in the Washington House Environment and Energy Committee that would monitor methane emissions in dairy and beef cattle.  House Bill 1630, introduced by Olympia area Democrat Representative Lisa Parshley, states if Ecology finds an operation produces sufficient methane, they would likely need to come under the Climate Commitment Act as covered entities.   “You'

Colfax Republican Joe Schmick says rural patients may not have a choice from where they get their prescription drugs, and he’s looking to change that.   He noted this past summer, the Washington Public Employee Benefit Board as well as the School Employee Benefit Board approved Kaiser Permanente as a health insurance provider.  He said ...

Despite assurances it would not happen when proposed by Governor Jay Inslee and cleared by the Washington legislature in 2021, cap-and-trade is impacting farmers across the Evergreen State.  While farmers and those that transport food are to be exempt from the 40 cent per gallon tax, many have been paying it since implementation January 1st.  In resp...

A Washington state lawmaker has introduced legislation to provide fuel rebates to farmers impacted by new climate policies.  When Governor Jay Inslee’s cap-and-trade bill passed two years ago, it contained an exemption for fuel used to produce and transport farm goods.  However, seve...

On Wednesday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law a bill that established overtime for the Ag community. The new law will step the hours per week need to trigger overtime until it hits 40 hours in early 2024. Colfax Republican Joe Schmick said for him, that Ag overtime legislation was the biggest win for the farming community during the virtual session ...

Over the weekend, Washington lawmakers approved a cap and trade bill, which opponents say will cost consumers more money and the state jobs. Colfax Representative Joe Schmick said there are a lot of exemptions, such as Ag fuel, but it may not be that way long after the bill is put into law ...

In late February, the federal government released its draft EIS saying that removing the four lower Snake River dams would be detrimental to the region, and those dams should remain. However, supporters of the dams are quick to point out that the fight is not over ...