Save Family Farming

Family Farming in Washington state is in crisis, and at Save Family Farming, we're trying to sound the alarm to help protect a future for family farming here. Ben Tindall, Save Family Farming Executive Director, joins Dillon with details on some of the work the organization has been up to, and shares how you can support "Farming On The Brink," our latest documentary project to highlight the family...

With much talk about endangered salmon and fish recovery, many people assume salmon are becoming more and more scarce in the Pacific Northwest. Paul Burrill, fishing industry veteran, tells Dillon that assumption couldn't be further from the truth for many salmon runs this year.

After Donald Trump announced former US Rep. Lee Zeldin as his pick to lead the US Environmental Protection Agency, Save Family Farming issued him a challenge: fix EPA's Region 10 leadership. Ben Tindall, Save Family Farming's Executive Director, joins Dillon to discuss why they're calling on Zeldin to clean house in EPA Region 10.

Puget Sound's Southern Resident Killer Whales for years have been struggling to survive, and it's long been assumed that a lack of the Chinook salmon the whales eat is to blame. That's added even more pressure to recovery efforts for endangered Chinook salmon, which often result in costs and restrictions for farming, ostensibly to restore fish habitat. But a new study is upending that assumption,...

Longtime farmworker union and activist labor organization United Farm Workers wants to change Washington state laws to expand here, but the farming community in its home territory is sounding the alarm. Dan Gerawan, former major California fruit farmer, joins Dillon to share the truth about UFW and how it has been treating farmworkers and farms in the Golden State.

As the debate continues over whether to remove dams on the Lower Snake River, the stakes are high for the future of farming in Washington state. Michelle Hennings, a WA wheat farmer and the Executive Director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, joins Dillon with more detail on the devastation that breaching the dams would cause, and why it's so important for farmers to speak out agains...

Farmworker rights activist Jesse Rojas is exposing the ugly truth about United Farm Workers in California that’s forcing the dwindling union to look to Washington state. He joins Dillon to share the famous labor organization's true track record with workers, and explain why UFW isn't the average labor union.

Millions of dollars are still available to refund Washington state farmers who have been overcharged for fuel thanks to the state's new carbon pricing scheme. The so-called Climate Commitment Act was supposed to exempt agriculture, and when the state Department of Ecology failed to do that, the legislature earmarked $30M to refund farmers and farming truckers. But, as state Department of Licensing...

In just over a year, the federal laws governing estate taxes will change, putting some families at risk of much higher tax bills when family property or businesses change hands (more info here https://insights.larsongross.com/project/important-update-upcoming-changes-to-estate-and-gift-tax/) Todd Burgers, an accountant and partner in Larson Gross CPAs & Consultants, joins Dillon to explain mor...

An upcoming free event will help local farmers and water users prepare for the state's Whatcom water lawsuit, even as legal challenges delay the process. Bill Clarke, attorney for the Ag Water Board of Whatcom County, joins Dillon with updates on the slow-moving legal process, and why residents need to attend the "Securing Your Water Rights: What's Next" event at the Northwest Washington Fairgroun...

Another Eastern Washington dairy is shutting down after being attacked by the EPA, despite a huge amount of work and money spent on environmental upgrades over the last decade. Jay Gordon, Washington State Dairy Federation's Policy Director, joins Dillon with details on Liberty Dairy's closure, and the EPA's new lawsuit against the same dairies it attacked over a decade ago.

The state's 'adjudication' lawsuit against all Whatcom water users is already encountering snags, even before the actual legal case is officially underway. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, joins Dillon with the latest on the legal process, as well as sharing several updates relating to water and farming in Whatcom County.

A tractor stolen from the Lynden FFA corn maze still hasn't been found, and the high school and FFA chapter are trying to figure out what comes next. Julie Milstead, Lynden FFA Adviser, joins Dillon with details on the theft, and how it affects agriculture students at Lynden High School.

Sumas-area water users are going to court, asking to be excluded from the state's Whatcom water rights lawsuit. Jerry De Bruin, "Sumas Out" group spokesman, local farmer and Fire District 14 Chief, joins Dillon to explain why the group believes the court should take them out of the state Department of Ecology's water rights adjudication case.

After federal authorities blocked not one, but two seemingly straightforward fixes to tide gates protecting Skagit County farmland, troubling questions are surfacing about the true motives behind the decision. Skagit dairy farmer and dike district commissioner Jason Vander Kooy joins Dillon with details on the predicament that puts hundreds of acres of fertile farmland at risk of destruction.

Local farms are relying more and more on technology and automation, and the latest development is the arrival of robotic irrigation systems in the corn and grass fields of two Whatcom County dairies. Aric Vander Haak with Farmers Equipment Company joins Dillon with details on the 360 Rain system that boasts big water efficiency gains, dramatically reduced labor requirements, as well as soil health...

When activists gathered recently to protest newly-remodeled housing for farmworkers in Mt. Vernon, they didn't expect what would happen next. Enrique Gastelum, leader of the farm labor non-profit that's remodeling the housing facility for farmworkers, joins Dillon with the story of how he responded to the protesters, and the surprising conversations that ensued.

Washington farmers and truckers who transport farm products have been paying more for their fuel thanks to the state's new cap-and-trade law, despite promises that agriculture would be exempt. This spring the state legislature earmarked money to refund some of those extra costs, directing the Washington State Department of Licensing to manage the program delivering refunds to those who qualify. Je...

Money-hungry lawyers in California are shaking down farms for millions over incredibly minor labor law mistakes such as record-keeping discrepancies. Fresno attorney Kevin Piercy joins Dillon with details of the scheme, how farms can protect themselves, and why Washington farms are likely the next stop for the profiteering lawyers he's been battling.

The Washington State Department of Health is proposing water well policy changes that threaten the affordable housing farmworkers have depended on for decades. Jay Gordon, Washington State Dairy Federation Policy Director, joins Dillon with more on how the troubling change in state policy that would harm farmworkers and farms is now out for public comment. You can send the Department of Health a m...

Although she is retiring from lecturing and university research, Lynden-area farmer Karen Steensma didn't want to stop helping farmers solve problems. Karen joins Dillon to talk about the kinds of environmental work she's doing through her new consulting business to help farmers protect crops, livestock and the environment with research-based natural strategies.

As Washington state continues to lose farms at an alarming rate, the public is becoming aware of the growing crisis that affects our food system, our economy and our communities more and more all the time. Pam Lewison, Director of the Washington Policy Center's Center for Agriculture, joins Dillon to talk about the reaction to her recent Seattle Times editorial on WA's farming crisis, and the incr...

A state task force considered using the courts to take land away from farms for stream buffers in draft recommendations for riparian restoration. Kara Rowe, policy director for the Western Washington Agricultural Association, joins Dillon to talk about the problematic proposal, as well as a visit the task force made to a Skagit farm that would be decimated by the plan.

Despite their huge efforts, three Yakima-area dairies are being accused by the US Environmental Protection Agency of not doing enough to protect groundwater from nutrient contamination. Gerald Baron, former Save Family Farming Executive Director, joins Dillon and says the nature of the legal attack and its threats of massive fines bring up troubling questions about EPA Region 10's true motives, es...

As local farming advocates have predicted for years, the state's water lawsuit in Whatcom County is already facing big delays from legal challenges and the state Department of Ecology's inaccuracies. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, joins Dillon with details from the first court hearing since Ecology officially filed the case in May.