washington policy center

Farmers and producers across Washington could be paying higher fuel prices than they should.  The state’s Climate Commitment Act, or cap-and-trade, went into effect January 1st, establishing a cap on emissions and creating a carbon tax of around 40 cents per gallon.  While farmers...

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

A July op-ed by the Washington Policy Center’s Pam Lewison is very critical of the Governor Jay Inslee’s Office and the Washington state Department of Ecology for failing to protect wheat farmers and other grain growers during this summer’s record heat. In her piece ti ...