Spokane Agri-Busines Council plans more acitivities, more involvement
Washington Ag Today October 24, 2011 After rebranding itself this past year from the Spokane Ag Bureau to the Spokane Agri-Business Council, leaders of the organization held a summer retreat to discuss just what the Council’s purpose is and how to achieve it. Council Chairman Jay Allert says the group’s mission remains the same, to support and promote the agriculture industry of the region. But several new ideas came up on how the Council can be more active. Allert: “An ag symposium to highlight the industry for current issues and so forth. We are looking into actually hosting the Secretary of Agriculture out here. Expanding Ag Expo and Farm Forum into a whole ag week, again to highlight the industry. To talk about the issues. To make sure the general public knows about the importance of agriculture.” Allert says Council members will also plan to accompany Greater Spokane, the city’s chamber of commerce, on its lobbying trips to Olympia and Washington D.C. He says the Agri-Business Council now has a seat on Greater Spokane Incorporated’s board of directors. At its meeting last week Council members voted to provide a letter of support for a Port of Whitman County request for federal funding to improve a state-owned rail line. Co-Ag and Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative plan on building a shuttle train grain loading facility on the line. Allert says that’s an example of the types of involvement the Council wants to have. Allert: “We become a conduit for issues that involve our industry. With Co-Ag and their train loading facility that is exactly what we want to do. We want to talk about those issues, be the voice for that and certainly lend our support where we can help.” I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ? ? ?
