Pam Lewison

The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act has earmarked a lot of funding for climate smart Ag, in an effort according to the USDA, to battle greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and soil tillage.  But Washington Policy Center’s Ag Director, Pam Lewison said the farming community already does a lot of the things listed in this legislation.   “And I...

Just a few months after the state of Washington began its first year of requiring time-and-a-half to farmworkers, Oregon has its own version of Ag overtime on the books. And, according to Pam Lewison with the Washington Policy Center, Oregon’s bill is better than Washington’s bill. “Th ...

Many in the farming community are well aware of the urban-rural divide that exists not just in the Northwest, but across the country. But where does the blame for the divide belong? Some say the media in larger, more metropolitan areas deserve much of that blame ...

The Washington farming community is buzzing about legislation that many fear will kill the Ag economy across the state. House Bill 1838, looks to mandate riparian buffers around all waters statewide in an effort to help fish restoration and address climate change ...

With the Washington Legislative Session set to get underway in a few weeks, the state’s farming community is reminded to be proactive and share their story. Pam Lewison with the Washington Policy Center said it will be vital for farmers to engage with those who are different or think differently. She ...

Starting this weekend, overtime rules for the farming community in Washington change. As of January 1st, overtime kicks in once an employee works more than 55 hours in a week. It’s the first step in legislation that will require overtime pay for work over 40 hours starting in 2024. Pam ...

The Oregon Farming community has sounded the alarm about efforts to get IP-13 on the 2022 ballot. If approved by voters, the initiative would outlaw many practices currently done by the livestock and farming community, as well as other industries ...

Ask many in the Washington farm community, and they’ll tell you those not connected with the agriculture community not only don’t know what is taking place on today’s farm, they also don’t care. Statistic show fewer and fewer Americans are connected with farming on a personal level, which supporters of farm country say is evident when you look at legislative decisions being made on the state and

During the 2021 legislative session, Washington lawmakers passed a new capital gains tax; a tax that will be challenged in court. Pam Lewison with the Washington Policy Center said with no exemptions for farm lands, the tax will have severe impacts on producers statewide. ...

The future of the farm worker in Washington remains unclear after last week’s passage of legislation in the state Senate brining the 40-hour work week of the Ag industry. In addition, Senate Bill 5172 looks to prevent some, but not all, back pay lawsuits against the Ag industry. Tho ...