The Farming Show

The Farming Show

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The Farming Show episodes

  • Federal Food Bank Cuts Make Future Unclear For Some Small Whatcom Farms

    Following the Trump administration’s move to cut funding for a federal program helping food banks buy food from local farms, the future is uncertain for some small Whatcom County farms that had relied on the program.

    Stephanie Sisson, outreach and communications coordinator for the Bellingham Food Bank, joins Dillon with a look at the impacts, as well as where they’re turning to try to cover the gap.

    20 min
  • Hispanic WA Lawmaker Calls Out 'Agricultural Cannabis Worker' Measure

    Activist groups claim a new Washington state measure to bring collective bargaining to the ranks of ‘agricultural cannabis workers’ claim the bill is limited in scope, but Hispanic state Representative Alex Ybarra from Quincy begs to differ.

    Ybarra, a former farmworker himself who now represents a region that’s home to tens of thousands of farmworkers, joins Dillon to call out the measure, saying state House Bill 1141 is really a ‘Trojan horse’ to eventually bring collective bargaining to all farmworkers–even though a vast majority of those workers don’t want it.

    21 min
  • Noted Environmentalist, Whatcom Farmer Advocate Agree: Water Rights Lawsuit Not Working

    A prominent–and sometimes controversial–local environmentalist is changing his tune on the massive water rights lawsuit the state has launched in Whatcom County.

    “It is completely unable to deal with the kinds of issues we’re talking about,” said Eric Hirst, joining with Fred Likkel, Executive Director of Whatcom Family Farmers to talk with Dillon on The Farming Show about the water rights adjudication now underway in Whatcom County Superior Court.

    40 min
  • Tariffs Add to 'Dark Clouds' of Uncertainty for Local Farmers

    "Uncertainty right now is the name of the game," says Jason Hoekstra, CEO of Sumas-based EPL Feed. The company provides feed for dairies and other farms all over Washington state.

    Hoekstra joined Dillon to talk about many of the challenges facing the local farming community, including the unknowns that the Trump administration's new tariffs present--impacts that could potentially either harm or help farms.

    20 min
  • Farm-Killing Lawsuits, Regulations Target of Endangered Species Act Reform Effort
    It's no secret that the over-50 year-old Endangered Species Act (ESA) has become anti-farm activists' favorite tool to litigate and regulate farms out of business.
    What most people don't know is that while killing farms and bringing in untold millions for the environmental litigation industry, the landmark law has largely failed to save the endangered species it claims to protect.
    Dan Keppen, Family Farm Alliance's Executive Director, joins Dillon with details on a new effort in Congress to reform the ESA, to modernize the measure and re-focus it on actually restoring endangered species rather than enabling costly, farm-killing litigation.
    20 min
  • Farm-Killing Lawsuits, Regulations Target of Endangered Species Act Reform Effort
    It's no secret that the over-50 year-old Endangered Species Act (ESA) has become anti-farm activists' favorite tool to litigate and regulate farms out of business.
    What most people don't know is that while killing farms and bringing in untold millions for the environmental litigation industry, the landmark law has largely failed to save the endangered species it claims to protect.
    Dan Keppen, Family Farm Alliance's Executive Director, joins Dillon with details on a new effort in Congress to reform the ESA, to modernize the measure and re-focus it on actually restoring endangered species rather than enabling costly, farm-killing litigation.
    20 min
  • "Built for War": Yakima County Commissioner Slams EPA Over Cow Palace Closure
    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 accountable for the harm they're causing.
    22 min

About The Farming Show

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Offering a compelling look at what’s at stake—and what we can do to save family farming in Washington state and beyond..