Save Family Farming

Growing pears near Cashmere, WA, orchardist Alex Lanuza is a first-generation Latino farmer and former farmworker. He joins Dillon to explain how the state's new overtime restrictions for farmworkers are forcing the closure of family farms, and ultimately resulting in the urban development of productive farmland.

Redundant reporting rules for farms employing guest workers, as well as a proposal to ease the burden of Washington state's new ag overtime restrictions on farmworkers were both up for public hearings in Olympia (segment aired 1/27/24). Scott Dilley with wafla joins Dillon to discuss the details and what may or may not happen in the hearings, as well as the impact of the hundreds of farmworkers th...

Farmworkers making less money as a result of Washington state's new agricultural overtime law are unhappy, and gathered by the hundreds at the state Capitol in Olympia Jan. 25. Just two days after the event, Dillon explains what happened, and what farmworkers are saying about the new law (Episode aired 1/27/24).

A new UC Berkeley study is showing how new overtime laws for farm work in California is leading to significantly fewer hours for each worker, and thus less take-home pay. Researcher Ali Hill joins Dillon to break down the data she's been uncovering about the counterinuitive real-world impacts of a law similar to new legislation here in Washington state intended to help farmworkers.

Japanese Beetles can be a threat to crops here in Washington State, but leaders are optimistic it can be eradicated. Cassie Cichorz with the Washington State Department of Agriculture joins Dillon to explain why they're going to battle against the invasive species now that it's become a problem in the lower Yakima Valley.

Small farms and rural businesses in Washington that rely on wells could be forced to get special permit under a state Department of Health proposal. Jay Gordon, southwest WA farmer and Policy Director for the Washington State Dairy Federation, joins Dillon with details on the proposed regulation and the possible ulterior motives behind it.

With the minimum wage for guest workers on farms in WA going up to $19.25/hr. this year, many family farms are fighting to stay afloat. Michael Marsh, CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, joins Dillon to explain how the Federal government's flawed methodology is driving the skyrocketing minimum wage, how that wage is driving unsustainable wage inflation for more than just guest w...

After several members of Congress leaked an agreement on the future of the Lower Snake River Dams that the Biden administration negotiated in secret to exclude farmers and others, many are voicing condemnation of the deal. Karen Budd-Falen, former US Department of the Interior Deputy Solicitor, who has followed activists' longtime campaign to force the dams' removal, joins Dillon with reaction and...

Extreme labor activists are falsely claiming that the farming community is going back on its word in a legislative agreement on overtime for farm work. Pam Lewison, Director of the Center for Agriculture at the Washington Policy Center, tells Dillon the activists' narrative doesn't align with what actually happened in 2021 when a deal was forged to begin the ag overtime rollout.

Will Honea, Skagit County Senior Deputy Prosecutor, joins Dillon with the latest on the ongoing controversy over water management, fish recovery and farming in Skagit County.

Despite several science studies casting major doubt on their claims that it would save endangered salmon, activists continue to push for the removal of the dams on the lower Snake River in a move that would devastate agriculture, electricity rate payers and many others. Todd Myers, Director of the Center for the Environment at the Washington Policy Center, joins Dillon with details on the secret n...

Local residents packed a meeting this past week featuring experts outlining how they can protect their water access, as a state lawsuit on water rights in Whatcom County is expected to begin this coming spring. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, joins Dillon to talk about some of the biggest questions and concerns people have as the court case looms.

Fixing problems with Washington state's new farming overtime laws, as well as the state's failure to follow state law exempting farming from new fuel surcharges, are among the top issues Republicans in the State Senate want to tackle in the coming legislative session. Their agriculture agenda, dubbed "Cultivate Washington," was the focus of a press conference recently, and state Sen. Ron Muzzall,...

Many farmers and landowners are asking where to start preparing to protect their water access as the State of Washington prepares to file a massive lawsuit requiring them to prove their rights. Water law expert Bill Clarke joins Dillon with details on how and why to attend Whatcom Family Farmers' educational event on Nov. 8 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds' Peoples Ban...

Despite underwhelming 2023 yields for berry crops in Whatcom County, farmers are enjoying healthy corn and potato production with advantageous weather for harvest. Clay Pehl, CHS Northwest Agronomist, joins Dillon to share what he's hearing from farmers in the field so far this fall.

Farm workers all over Washington are voicing frustration with the state's new agricultural overtime law, and 500 workers recently gathered in Quincy, WA to hear from leaders including state Rep. Alex Ybarra about how to have their voice heard in Olympia. Ybarra joins host Dillon Honcoop with details on the event, and how agricultural overtime is hurting the farm worker community -- the very people...

As the water rights showdown between Vancouver, WA area BiZi Farms and the Washington State Department of Ecology continues to escalate, Whatcom County farmers should pay attention to the legal and practical problems it raises. Washington water law expert and attorney Bill Clarke joins Dillon to explain how state law actually encourages the development of farmland when water rights are in question...

Calling it bizarre, former Whatcom County councilman Rud Browne says he believes the USDA Farm Service Agency's recent decision to cancel a swath of contracts with local landowners to compensate for salmon habitat projects isn't legal. He joins Dillon to explain why he's been involved in the now-embattled Conservation Reserve Enhancement (CREP) Program, and why the feds' decision to pull out of ma...

Area residents had the chance to see local food and farming up close and personal at the annual Whatcom Farm Tour. Dillon talked with organizer Jess Meyer with Bellingham-based Sustainable Connections and Eat Local First about the details for this year's tour, and then checked in with a new farmer on the lineup--Marie Hegarty of Fair Cow's Path Farm near Blaine.

Concern about the upcoming state water rights court case in Whatcom County continues to build among local residents. Dillon talks with Henry Bierlink, administrator of the Ag Water Board of Whatcom County, about the event that packed Ferndale's Pioneer Pavilion Community Center with local residents anxious about the future of their water rights, and what they heard from a lineup of experts.

Farmers in Whatcom County are incensed after the federal Farm Service Agency announced it would be cancelling roughly half of the Conservation Reserve Easement Program contracts it had made with local landowners. Steve Groen, who farmed west of Lynden for decades, joins Dillon to talk about how the decision impacts him, and how he feels the feds have betrayed his trust.

Ferndale-area dairy farmer Rod Erickson faced an emergency situation this summer as the water association he relies on to water his cows had its well run dry. Dillon talks with Rod and Kevin Mayock, Bakerview Water Association Treasurer, to find out how they've worked to survive the situation, and why the state has, so far, not given any support to help with this drought-caused crisis.

Farm Service Agency authorities have abruptly put hundreds of existing local stream restoration projects in jeopardy, pulling federal support last week due to a bureaucratic error two decades ago. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, talks with Dillon about what he's uncovered so far on this developing story and how it will impact salmon recovery locally, not to mention the fin...

Drought continues in Whatcom County, and some wells--including at least one that supplies a local water association--have gone dry. Fred Likkel, Executive Director of Whatcom Family Farmers, joins Dillon with details on how that's affected some local farms.

Farmers and state regulators are pushing back against an EPA proposal that would severely restrict pesticide use, which federal regulators say is necessary to protect a list of endangered species. Capital Press reporter Don Jenkins joins Dillon with the details, as well as reaction from the Washington State Department of Agriculture and other state's regulatory agencies that are pushing back.