Canal Spending & Annual Dairy Meeting

Canal Spending & Annual Dairy Meeting

August 13 the Bureau of Reclamation released plans on replacing well water in the Odessa subarea with Columbia River water. On November 5 the Columbia Basin Development League held its annual meeting in Moses Lake. Area directors, government officials, and stakeholders discussed the $730 million Odessa Subarea Water Project. Though the Washington Department of Ecology will be requesting $36 million from the state Legislature for canal improvements, the remaining $694 million will more than likely be shouldered by landowners. One possibility mentioned for funding at the CBDL meeting is for conservation districts to create local improvement districts, with growers repaying the water distribution system expansion costs through assessments paid to the LIDs. However, legislative changes will be necessary in order for LIDs to be viable.

The Washington Dairy Industry annual meeting is taking place tomorrow through Thursday in Cle Elum. Some of the topics to be covered include dairy exports, dairy sustainability, animal disease traceability, and animal welfare. Executive Director of the Washington State Dairy Federation, Jay Gordon, lists some animal welfare issues that will more than likely be discussed.

GORDON: Where’s science at? What do we have for folks out there doing research on animal welfare? How can we learn to take better care of our animals? What are some of the discussions that are going on both here and around the world.

The WDI meeting will include featured speakers from the Innovation Center for Dairy, the Washington State Beef Commission, Darigold, Bain & Company, and the Washington Dairy Products Commission.

 

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network. 

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