The Farming Show

Competing directly with produce imported from Mexico and other countries, Wapato-area farmer Manuel Imperial of Imperial's Garden survives on incredibly tight margins to be able to sell his fruits and vegetables to grocery buyers. As he shares with Dillon, increasing labor pressures here in Washington are pushing farmers like him to the brink. He shared that message this week with several lawmakers who visited Imperial's Garden, including state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, who has promoted controversial anti-farm proposals in the past, but is now expressing a desire to see both farm workers and farmers thrive.

It's the biggest of its kind north of Bellingham, and the Lynden Farmers Market continues to grow, year after year since its beginning 12 years ago. Dakota Stranik, Lynden Farmers Market Board President, joins Dillon with details on the market's history as well as plans for the 2023 season ahead.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, a few Washington state farm labor activists continue to claim there's no shortage of farm workers here.

Enrique Gastelum grew up in a farm worker family, and now runs a non-profit helping the farming community deal with the worsening farm labor crisis in Washington.

He joins Dillon to explain the extent of the problem, as well as its history and causes.

"Will the Last Family Farmer Leaving Washington Please Turn Out the Barn Lights?" was the headline on a recent Save Family Farming piece in the Seattle Times, borrowing from a phrase that goes back 50 years in Washington state.

Gerald Baron, Save Family Farming founding director, and Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' director, join Dillon to explain the new public outreach campaign to inform the public of the true extent of problems currently pushing family farms out of the Evergreen State.

Tulip Valley Farms is holding an April 29th event dubbed "Farm Bloom: Color and Conversations," and they're calling it an evening of color and conversations with farmers, neighbors, policymakers and friends.

Andrew Miller, one of the farm's founders, joins Dillon to explain how they want to tackle the topics central to maintaining a vibrant agricultural economy and rural quality of life in Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and Snohomish counties.

Despite the Washington state legislature's desire to protect farming and food production from the costs of a new carbon tax, the WA Department of Ecology has failed to develop a system to exempt farms from the higher fuel costs, as prices continue to climb. State Rep. Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, joins Dillon to voice his frustration with the Inslee Administration's failure to follow the 2021 law, calling it "patently unfair" and suggesting the state risks being "complicit in losing farmland" as it continues to pile additional costs on producing food in WA.

Down in California, Alexandre Family Farm is doing things differently. Blake Alexandre joins Dillon to explain how their dairy's big gamble is paying off, as well as to talk about how the Golden State's recent spate of wet weather is affecting farming there.

In the past, huge flocks of invasive European starlings were known to cause extensive damage to Whatcom County's berry crops, and consume significant amounts of cattle feed from local dairy farms. Matt Stevens, Wildlife Biologist with the USDA, along with Gavin Willis with Whatcom Family Farmers, join Dillon with details on the ongoing program to control the population of the pest birds that are also known to spread dangerous disease.

With no concerns about getting stuck in the mud or tangled in fences, drone spraying is giving farmers a new option to manage hard-to-access fields. Dillon talks with Sam Adams of Everson, WA-based Eagle Eye Aerial Solutions about the emerging technology and how they're providing drone spraying service to farms around the region at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Despite the good intentions of many who supported Washington's rollout of overtime pay for farm work, the implementation of the new law is harming the farm workers it was supposed to help. Pam Lewison, Director of the Washington Policy Center's Center for Agriculture, joins Dillon and explains why farm workers are speaking out, and how the new law is adding to the economic and regulatory pressure that's pushing food production out of the state.