Olympia

Washington state Senator Rebecca Saldaña has been elected by fellow Senate Democrats to chair of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.  The Democrat from Seattle succeeds Senator Karen Keiser, who is retiring after more than two decades of service in the Legislature.   “It is ...

In 2023. farmers and truckers of agricultural goods in Washington started paying a Climate Commitment Act fuel tax that, even through, by law, they are exempt.  Since then, Ag groups have been pushing for a fix to this exemption problem, with little help from the Department of Ecology.   “So, ...

Farm workers and their advocates say they won't’ be silenced, after two Washington state Senators allegedly manipulated testimony during a hearing in Olympia.  According to Save Family Farming, state Senator Rebecca Saldaña, began translating the testimony of Spanish-speaking workers into English, and reportedly manipulated those words and adding her own editorializing comments during a Senate Lab

Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said as growers get geared up for another growing season, he and many others in the industry are optimistic about what 2023 holds in store.   “I think so. If only b...

Over the last two legislative sessions, whenever the farming community heard about a new Riparian Bill coming from Olympia, concerns and worries started to grow.  But, this time, it could be different, so says state Representative Tom Dent.   ...

Farming is a multi-billion-dollar industry for the state of Washington, but Dan Newhouse says more ag business can be done in the Evergreen state.  The central Washington representative said there’s a lot of potential for growth and future development, such as the recent ground breaking of Darigold’s million-dollar facility outside of Pasco.  Newhouse says to en...

These are difficult days for the Washington farmer, but despite the many challenges, from Olympia, D.C. and of course Mother Nature, Rosella Mosby, president of the Washington Farm Bureau said it’s important that agriculture sticks together.  She...

This is the first year of new overtime pay requirements for the farming community in Washington, and while many questions remain, one thing is certain, the agriculture community is concerned about what this will do to the health of the state’s farm economy in the long run. Dan ...

The 2022 Washington Legislative session wrapped up Thursday, and according to Representative Tom Dent, lawmakers addressed a lot of bad legislation that could have harmed farmers and ranchers statewide. But, he noted, thankfully much of that legislation did not come to fruition ...

In an effort to encourage more farmers to see the value of the organization and to join, the Washington Farm Bureau recently created the Promotion and Education Committee. Chairman Kady Porterfield said it’s vital, regardless of commodity or location, that farmers statewide work together. She ...