Save Family Farming

The farming community in the Lower Yakima Valley and across Washington state is mourning the loss of multigenerational family dairy Cow Palace, after the US Environmental Protection Agency's unrelenting attacks forced its closure. Amanda McKinney, Yakima County Commissioner, talks with Dillon about the EPA's war on farming, saying it's time for the agency's vicious bureaucrats to be held accountab...

Proponents of removing Lower Snake River dams have pushed a massive disinformation campaign for decades. Adam Ratliff, an engineer, social media influencer and marketing guru joins Dillon to share how he and a group of farmers have teamed up to push back with the truth about dams and agriculture.

Thousands of Whatcom County residents were perplexed in the past week after being asked to sign as they received a piece of certified mail--a mailing they quickly discovered was a packet of legal paperwork notifying them they are being sued by the State of Washington to prove their water rights in court. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, talks with Dillon as they explain wha...

As the court fight to protect thousands of acres of Skagit County farmland threatened by federal agencies' refusal to OK tidegate repair continues, a national farm group is throwing its weight behind the Skagit farmers' case. Norm Semanko, attorney for Family Farm Alliance, joins Dillon with the latest on the Skagit drainage district's lawsuit, and why his organization has filed a court brief in s...

A major breakdown in behind-the-scenes talks is plunging the future of Whatcom farmers and other water users into even deeper turmoil and uncertainty, underscoring the need for a collaborative process as the only way to save salmon and local farming. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers Executive Director, joins Dillon with the behind-the-scenes details, and what they mean for Whatcom County's futu...

Community members gathered Saturday, March 1st at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds for the 9th annual Whatcom Farm Expo, put on by the Whatcom Conservation District. Aneka Sweeney, the conservation district's Outreach & Education Manager, joins Dillon early Saturday morning ahead of the event with details on what attendees can expect.

Save Family Farming is speaking out against the new federal immigration crackdown, releasing a statement critical of the brash approach that's created a wave of fear among the farmworker community. Ben Tindall, Save Family Farming Executive Director, joins Dillon with details on the organization's controversial new statement, saying the crackdown is having a negative impact on farms and isn't help...

Three Lynden Christian High School students are putting their FFA projects to use beyond just the agricultural skills they'll gain. Students Brooke Van Loo, Jaedyn Polinder and Case DeJong, along with their teacher and advisor Kelly DeJong, join Dillon with details on their involvement in the charity effort "Growing Hope Globally," and how their FFA projects are part of a fundraiser to support sus...

As the 2025 legislative session continues in Olympia, the farming community has a list of proposals it's watching closely. Bridget Coon, Washington Farm Bureau First Vice President for Legislative Affairs joins Dillon with details on a few of the issues topping their list, including a fix to illegal fuel surcharges on farmers, as well as relief for farmers and farmworkers from the harm of new stat...

While some critics claim animal agriculture's methane emissions contribute to climate change, when the totality of farming's carbon impacts--positive and negative--are tallied, a much different story emerges. Ellie Steensma Corbin, Whatcom Family Farmers' Education Coordinator, joins Dillon with details on the release of a new video project showing what Royal Dairy in Royal City, WA, is doing not...

A misguided new proposal to force Washington state farms to report methane emissions skips half of the equation, and could potentially harm the fight against climate change. Dan Wood, Washington State Dairy Federation Executive Director, joins Dillon with details on measure proposed in the state legislature in Olympia.

Washington state's legislature is back in session in Olympia through at least April, and legislators are considering a variety of proposals that could affect agriculture. Pam Lewison, the Research Director for the Center for Agriculture at the Washington Policy Center, joins Dillon with a rundown of issues both positive and negative that she's tracking right now.

Farmworkers are again set to gather on the steps of the Washington State Capitol to speak out against the state's new overtime rules for farming, as well as other regulations and issues impacting their community. Ben Tindall, Save Family Farming's Executive Director, joins Dillon with details on this year's event set for Feb. 4th, after last year's rally brought over 300 farmworkers to Olympia.

The title of a Washington proposal to allow predatory unions to force themselves on farmworkers without a vote belies its true motives. Scott Dilley, spokesman for the Olympia-based Worker and Farmer Labor Association, joins Dillon to explain that even the bill's main sponsor, Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, admits there's a bigger plan than just unionizing cannabis workers.

Agriculture careers in Whatcom County are both diverse and plentiful, and a growing local event intends to connect young people with those opportunities. Ellie Steensma Corbin, Education Coordinator at Whatcom Family Farmers, joins Dillon with details on how both local students and businesses can get involved in the 2nd annual event coming up on Feb. 7 in the Farm Pavilion at the Northwest Washing...

As part of a legal ploy--ostensibly to allow certain farmworkers to make more money during fruit harvests--a group of labor activists is pushing a federal judge to block guest farmworkers in Washington state. The activists' legal game essentially amounts to a scorched-earth approach to wage negotiations that ultimately threatens tens of thousands of farmworkers' jobs and the survival of a wide swa...

In a recent statement, a top EPA official in Seattle falsely claimed the federal agency is collaborating with other agencies and community groups to address groundwater nitrate issues in the lower Yakima Valley. David Taylor with the Washington State Dairy Federation and a former state representative joins Dillon to explain the reality that EPA has been far from collaborative or helpful with the o...

As much as locally- and regionally-grown food is celebrated in the Pacific Northwest, the reality is that fewer and fewer kinds of crops are being grown here. Jay Gordon, a sixth-generation Southwest Washington farmer, joins Dillon to explain the ugly truth about why so many crops are no longer grown in the PNW, and why even more are leaving.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is using a court order to demand two Lower Yakima Valley dairies test area residents' water for nitrates, and provide bottled water and treatment systems. But Yakima County has already been doing that exact work for years, and has virtually blanketed the area with its efforts. LaDon Linde, Yakima County Commissioner and former dairy farmer, joins Dillon to ex...

A coalition of regional leaders including farmers is calling on the federal government to withdraw its plan for new environmental reviews of the Columbia and Snake River dams. Clark Mather, Executive Director of NW RiverPartners, joins Dillon to explain why such a study would be misleading and unlawful, risking huge harm to farming, hydropower and the future of the entire Pacific Northwest.

A governor-appointed Washington state task force continues to forge ahead with recommendations for forcing wide, forested stream buffers on farmland, despite fundamental flaws in the process. Kara Rowe, Policy Director at the Western Washington Agricultural Association, joins Dillon with the latest on the Washington Riparian Task Force's recommendations.

The latest hearing on the state's massive Whatcom water rights lawsuit spent court time debating whether to use single- or double-sided printing for court forms mailed to local water users. Fred Likkel, Executive Director of Whatcom Family Farmers, joins Dillon with an update, and explains how the ridiculous point of conflict between state and county officials is emblematic of the fundamental flaw...

A federal judge has blocked the US Department of Labor's rollout of new rules for farms employing guest workers, including a change that could have given foreign guest workers union rights. Enrique Gastelum, CEO of the nonprofit Worker and Farmer Labor Association (WAFLA) joins Dillon with details on the preliminary injunction and the unreasonable proposed DOL rules it blocks.

Many sectors of the Washington farming community are struggling with soaring costs, flatlining returns, and suffocating regulations -- including tree fruit growers. Jon Devaney, President of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association joins Dillon with more on his recent column that raised some eyebrows, and what he's saying farmers can do to help their own cause.

The portion of the money spent on the average American Thanksgiving dinner that actually makes it back to the farmers who grew the food is shockingly small. Pam Lewison, Director of the Center for Agriculture at the Washington Policy Center, joins Dillon with the 2024 numbers, and why those numbers show a need for changes in government policy.