WPC: Farm To Free Market Dinner A Success

The Washington Policy Center says it’s Farm to Free Market Dinner in Pasco in early February was a huge success.  The WPC’s Madi Clark says over 250 people filed in to the Red Lion to hear from Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, as well as Maurice McTeague, former member of the New Zealand parliament.  She said the message throughout the night was a consistent one, farmers need to enjoy more open, and more free markets to be successful.

“We want the farms to compete in a free market, but it also has to go back from the market to the farm.  So the farmers must be able to feel what the market wants and meet those demands.  So, it’s kind of a two-way street.”

Clark says she hopes that while the farm bill has been around since the 1930's, the ag industry will take the time to question the legislation to see if it’s best for small business owners.

“The farm is a changing industry.  It’s growing, its consolidating and how do farmer adapt to that, adapt to the new technology, adapt to the new information that we have.  And part of that is, allowing farmers to respond to the market and sometimes government subsidies get in the way of that.  Not always, but sometimes.”

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