The Farming Show

Dry weather and water use restrictions have hurt crops in Skagit County and elsewhere across Washington state. Skagit dairy farmer Jason Vander Kooy joins Dillon with details on the drought's impact, and how the state's tardy declaration of a drought emergency affects crop losses.

Kaitlin Davies, Washington state outreach coordinator for the USDA's Farm Service Agency, joins Dillon with details on the kinds of support the federal agency has for farmers here.

Longtime Whatcom County berry grower and retired agricultural educator Ladd Shumway joins Dillon to talk about the variety of fruit his farm has available to the public, and explains how his "no spray" approach works, in this mid-harvest update from his farm, Shumway's Berries.

A deep dive into the state’s data – or lack thereof – on Washington state's farming labor crisis left host Dillon Honcoop with more questions than answers. He explains why he's concerned that state officials are ignoring what's arguably one of the biggest threats to the future of farming in Washington.

The already-costly federal H-2A guest worker program is getting even more expensive for farmers, thanks to huge new fees the feds are charging for each worker visa to help pay for the crisis at the US southern border.

Enrique Gastelum, former farm worker and current CEO of farm labor non-profit wafla, joins Dillon to explain what the federal government is doing, and how it ultimately adds to the enormous pressure on family farms to either get big or get out.

Polluted water coming from BC is fouling Whatcom County's Nooksack River Basin, and local farmers are sounding the alarm. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, joins Dillon with details on the pollution, and how changes north of the border likely led to the ongoing problem.

Dairy farms and creameries around Whatcom County hosted visitors from far and wide Saturday, June 10th for the 2nd Annual "Whatcom This Whey & Choose Your Own Adventure" event put on by the Dairy Farmers of Washington. Just ahead of the event's 10am start, Dillon checked in with Marlies Gill, manager of the Appel Farms Cheese Shop, one of the stops on the self-guided tour.

Get an in-person look at Whatcom County dairy farms, creameries and cheesemaking on Saturday, June 10th, 2023 with the "Whatcom This Whey & Choose Your Own Adventure" event! Dillon talks with cheese artisan Daniel Wavrin about the tour and his work at Ferndale Farmstead, where he uses milk from his family's dairy to make award-winning cheeses.

Just in time for Lynden's Farmers' Day Parade, the Lynden Heritage Museum is hosting a free grand opening for a brand-new exhibit showcasing John Deere tractors, the longtime local John Deere dealer, and farming's importance to local history. Amanda May, the museum's director, joins Dillon with details on the new exhibit, the free-to-the-public launch, and changes happening at the museum, including its newly-announced name change.

Even though the first several weeks of spring in the Pacific Northwest were exceptionally cool, Mark Van Mersbergen, Lynden-area red raspberry and blueberry grower and Washington Red Raspberry Commission President, says the recent warm days helped get the growing season back on track. Mark joins Dillon to explain the process he's been going through to replant one of his raspberry fields, as well as comment on how our recent unusual weather patterns are affecting crops.