09/22/08 Wheat and Barley Commissions okay proposed legislation to merge

Washington Ag September 22, 2008 At a joint meeting last week both the Washington Wheat Commission and Washington Barley Commission approved the language of legislation that will be submitted to lawmakers in January to merge the two commodity groups. Due to the decrease in barley acres in the state, which decreases assessment revenue, Barley Commission chairman Tom Swainz says its questionable whether the Commission could function as an independent entity. Swainz: "This is the way for the barley producers of Washington to continue to have an ongoing research program and marketing program. Just to keep barley a little more viable, coming in on the shirt tail of wheat and joining with them." Swainz says the proposed Washington Grain Commission will ensure that barley assessments are spent only on barley projects and wheat assessments only for wheat. We identify the money coming in from both wheat and barley and it can be spent directly to each one of their programs so the oversight on spending for wheat and barley can be pretty well directed to each of those commodities." If the legislation is passed the merger will occur without a referendum of producers. The proposed merger legislation is being placed on the Washington Grain Alliance website at washingtongrainalliance.com I'm Bob Hoff.