Save Family Farming

Whatcom Family Farmers’ 11th annual Whatcom Farm Circle event for 3rd grade students all over Whatcom County happens next week at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden. Aneka Sweeney and Adam Brayton with event sponsor Whatcom Conservation District join Dillon to talk about how closely connected farming and environmental issues are, and how they’re passionate about showing young people th...

The latest federal data show income for all Washington state farmers in 2025 jumping from the previous year’s abysmal quarter-billion-dollar loss up to nearly $1.3B in the black. But don’t be fooled–that could actually be a really bad sign. Pam Lewison, Director of Agriculture Policy at the Washington Policy Center, joins Dillon to dig into the numbers and explain how the “rebound” may actually be...

With record-high diesel prices, farmers in the throes of harvest season–already facing razor-thin margins–are looking for any help they can get. Bob Larson, Western Ag Network reporter, joins Dillon to discuss the challenges with delivering relief, including the complications with President Trump’s recent executive order allowing expanded use of tax-exempt, red-dyed off-road diesel.

The embattled Lower Snake River dams are being accused of killing fish — by a pro-dam advocate! But the reason is not at all what you might expect. Adam Ratliff, a social media influencer known as “The Armchair Engineer,” joins Dillon to explain what – and who – is really to blame for the harm to endangered salmon in the Snake River, and how it’s part of a sinister ploy to advocate for breaching t...

As evidence of the harm Washington state’s farming overtime law is causing farmworkers continues to mount, the state of Colorado has also grappled with the same problem, and state legislators there were able to acheive a bipartisan solution. Democratic Colorado State Representative Matthew Martinez joins Dillon to explain the problem overtime caused for farmworkers in his state, and share the stor...

A local reporter is uncovering the true history of what used to be a major Skagit Valley crop: green peas. Sophia Gates with Cascadia Daily News extensively researched the new article , and joins Dillon with details on why commercial pea farming has almost entirely disappeared from Skagit County, giving insight into the larger struggles all farmers in the region continue to face.

An embattled Moses Lake-area farm family finally got its day at Washington state’s high court, after suing the state Department of Ecology for breaking the law nearly a decade ago when it slapped the farm with a half-million dollar fine. Ben Tindall, Executive Director of Save Family Farming, joins Dillon with details of what happened at the Supreme Court of Washington on Thursday, Oct. 1 when the...

Farming in Washington state is in crisis, with more farms closing daily as farmers face costs that are often far exceeding what they get paid for their crops. Sadly, this has led to worsening mental health problems among farmers, as they grapple with crushing pressures and a looming sense of failure. State Rep. Tom Dent, a farmer himself, joins Dillon to explain how excessive state regulation has...

A Whatcom County government advisory committee is refusing to walk back false accusations it made against local farmers in its 2026 annual report to the County Council, instead claiming they “allow those contradictions to co-exist,” in a July 24 “Open Letter to the Whatcom County Council.” Mark Stremler, Whatcom County Council member, joins Dillon to share his frustration with the committee’s hand...

A new Washington State University study surveyed hundreds of farmworkers across the state, and found that most are losing income thanks to Olympia’s overtime law for farming. Maia Espinoza, Executive Director of the Center for Latino Leadership, joins Dillon to talk about the survey’s results, and how her organization assisted the WSU research effort.

Coming from schools all over Whatcom County, nearly 1,000 third grade students are slated to descend on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden in early November to hear from farmers about local farming. Ellie Corbin, Whatcom Family Farmers’ Education Coordinator, joins Dillon with details on the 11th annual Whatcom Farm Circle and how local businesses and others can support the important e...

Bureaucrats in Washington state have forced a new, strict environmental rule for forestry that would have few, if any benefits while costing farm foresters and the communities they support literally billions of dollars. Dr. Elaine Oneil, Executive Director of the Washington Farm Forestry Association, joins Dillon with an update on how foresters are fighting back, including a recent court win putti...

Family ranchers in Eastern Washington continue to fight for justice after the state Department of Ecology accused them of damaging wetlands and slapped them with massive fines, when they were simply cleaning longtime stockwater ponds. Oliver Dunford, a Pacific Legal Foundation attorney representing Wade and Teresa King and King Ranch, joins Dillon with the latest details in the ongoing legal saga.

The activist author of a misleading new UCLA-sponsored study claims farmers closely following the strict rules for hiring guest workers through the federal H-2A program are actually exploiting a “loophole.” Enrique Gastelum, CEO of the Worker and Farmer Labor Association, joins Dillon to expose the truth about this flawed research and the falsified conclusions its author reaches–not surprisingly,...

As the public’s concern about higher food prices–especially beef–is getting headlines and political attention from President Trump, farmers and ranchers are again pushing back against his move to incentivize more beef imports from foreign countries. Austin Allred, a beef producer and dairy farmer based near Royal City, WA joins Dillon with an inside look at the differences between what grocery sho...

Taking aim at the ‘Big 4’ meat processors, President Trump pledged in a social media post Friday to reduce red tape for farmers and ranchers and allow them to “PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD.” Chelcie Cargill, an eastern Oregon rancher, joins Dillon with reaction to the comments, as well as Trump’s previously-announced plan to temporarily drop tariffs on imported ground beef that’s angered many American b...

The biggest beef packing house in the Pacific Northwest has been put up for sale by its owner, multinational food giant Tyson Foods. Jack Fields, Executive Director of the Washington Cattle Feeders Association, joins Dillon to explain why the news has beef producers in the region on edge, and how the high cost of farming in Washington state contributes to their uncertain future.

Speaking out to protect Washington’s family farming community through advocacy, outreach, and education is what Save Family Farming is all about–but what specific areas is the advocacy group focused on right now? Ben Tindall, Executive Director of Save Family Farming, joins Dillon with a roundup of hot topics and issues the organization is working on currently.

As massive wildfires continue to burn across hundreds of thousands of acres of timber and grazing land in Washington state, the former longtime stewards of those lands are crying foul, pointing out how ideology-driven land management decisions have set the stage for the disaster now unfolding. Scott Vejraska, an Okanogan County Public Utility District Commissioner, rancher and lineman for the Nesp...

Wildfire is again wreaking havoc across parts of Washington state, devastating farms and ranches as well as homes and entire communities. While many have been led to believe that climate change is to blame for this destructive new trend of massive fire storms, state mismanagement of forests and rangeland are a major part of this recipe for disaster that’s almost never talked about. Rancher Rod Hae...

Whatcom County water users sued by the State of Washington now have less than a year to file their claim in the state Department of Ecology’s water rights adjudication in the Nooksack River Basin. Fred Likkel, Executive Director of Whatcom Family Farmers, joins Dillon with an update on the court case, as well as details on a new resource available for water users struggling to prepare their paperw...

The annual Northwest Raspberry Festival–known to many as Razz Fest–again took over downtown Lynden to celebrate local raspberries and the people who grow them. Gary Vis, Lynden Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, and Stacey Beier, Washington Red Raspberry Commission Associate Director, both check in with Dillon from the bustling 2026 edition of the longtime event.

A Yakima-based anti-farm activist group’s propaganda film raised eyebrows last year after its promotional clips displayed a Washington State Department of Health logo, prompting questions about state funding for its false accusations against farmers. The anti-farm group, We Are ELLA, lied to Department of Health officials investigating the group’s violation of DOH logo use policy to create the app...

A Whatcom County government advisory committee falsely accused some farmers in the county of breaking federal labor rules in a recent official report. Enrique Gastelum, Worker and Farmer Labor Association CEO, joins Dillon with a closer look at the false claims and the truth about the federal H-2A guest worker program.

Farmers in Skagit County are fighting a proposal to spend tens of millions of dollars to buy up fertile farmland on the Skagit River delta and turn it into fish habitat with questionable benefits. Jenna Freibel, Executive Director of the Skagit Drainage and Irrigation Districts Consortium, joins Dillon to explain why farmers are opposed to the idea.