Save Family Farming

While farmers aren’t excited about higher fuel and fertilizer bills resulting from the recent conflict in Iran, the additional cost wouldn’t be as big of a threat to farms in Washington state if it weren’t for the costly decisions in Olympia that have already pushed many farms across the state to the brink of insolvency. Jason Vander Kooy, a Mount Vernon-area multigenerational family dairy farmer and Save Family Farming’s Vice President, joins Dillon with details on the impacts he’s seeing, and why pundits who only focus on the Iran conflict’s affects are missing the bigger picture for farming here in Washington.

A Whatcom County berry farmer is opening up about the recent ICE arrest of two of his key employees, voicing concern about the impact federal immigration enforcement activity is having on local farming. Randy Kraght, who owns and runs Barbie’s Berries with his wife Barb, tells Dillon he’s worried about the upcoming harvest season, as reports of ICE arrests of farmworkers in northwest Washington have increased significantly within the last couple of months.

As word spreads of the farming viability crisis unfolding here in Washington state, leaders are beginning to talk more about efforts that could help the farming community. WA State Rep. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, joins Dillon to share her perspective as House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee Chair on the growing crisis and what’s being done about it, including her work on the so-called “Washington Farm Bill.”

Big news for water users in Whatcom County preparing to file their court claims in the state’s water rights adjudication lawsuit: a court ruling has pushed back the filing deadline for many people, creating a single due date of June 1, 2027 for everyone. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers‘ Executive Director, and Gavin Willis, Administrator of the Ag Water Board of Whatcom County, join Dillon with details on the March 9th decision from Whatcom County Superior Court Judge David Freeman, as well as more on how the filing process works.

Most food grown in Washington needs to be kept cool before it ends up on our plates, so refrigeration systems are critical for food and farming production across the state. While almost all farmers and others years ago changed storage refrigeration equipment to technology that protects the Earth’s ozone layer, regulators now fear the chemicals in these newer systems are a global warming risk. Because of this, lawmakers have clamped down on cold storage facilities and pushed them to convert to different refrigeration technology–yet again. Emily Merk, the storage manager for an Othello, Washington-area onion warehouse, and the communications coordinator for the North American Potato Storage Organization (NAPSO), tells Dillon not only are the new rules strict, but they’ve been rolled out on a short timeline, posing huge challenges–and costs in the millions–for food and farming facilities, at a time when many farms are already barely surviving.

The latest data is painting a clearer picture of what Washington’s farming community has already been feeling in recent years: farming in this state is struggling more than ever. Ben Tindall, Executive Director of Save Family Farming, joins Dillon with more on what the statewide farming advocacy group is working on to elevate the awareness of the growing problem, and ultimately spur state leaders to make changes to help WA farming survive.

The Whatcom County Dairy Ambassador and her alternate are about to wrap up their term and pass on the torch. Ambassador Maddie DeLange and Alternate Sarah Van Berkum join Dillon to share what it’s like to advocate for dairy farming and dairy products in schools and at events all over the local community.

Five to 10 years in prison was the penalty lawmakers in Olympia considered enacting for people who break certain water or air quality laws in Washington state. Farmers feared a mistake on the farm could be mischaracterized as a deliberate criminal act under the proposed change. Thankfully, the misguided proposal failed to move forward in Olympia’s current session, and John Stuhlmiller, Washington State Water Resources Association Executive Director, joins Dillon with details.

For 10 years, the Whatcom Conservation District has been hosting the Whatcom Farm Expo. Alexi Guddal, District Outreach & Education Specialist, joins Dillon with details on the annual local event that’s grown bigger than ever.

The State of Washington’s false accusations and abusive tactics against King Ranch caught the eye of top federal officials, including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and other state attacks on farming are also getting the attention of leading national authorities. Shad Sullivan, a 5-th generation Texas rancher and farming advocate with the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America, or R-CALF USA, joins Dillon with an outside take on Washington State’s anti-farming actions, and how farmers and ranchers can fight back.