09/29/08 Farmland Preservation Task Force to meet in Spokane

Washington Ag September 29, 2008 The state Office of Farmland Preservation Task Force will hold its next meeting in Spokane this Wednesday, October 1st. The meeting will start at nine a.m. at the Spokane Red Lion Hotel on North River Drive. The Office of Farmland Preservation is a program within the Washington State Conservation Commission created by the legislature in 2007. Commission Executive Director Mark Clark says the task force's mission is to looking into the causes behind the loss of farmland. Clark: "So the Commission is taking a look at all those issues. Looking at what possible solutions might be there to counteract some of this. And will be providing a report to the legislature and working with the Commission on what tools can be developed to help preserve farmland into the future." Clark said anyone with an interest in farmland preservation is welcome at Wednesday's meeting. There will be a presentation by the Washington State Department of Agriculture on their domestic and international marketing efforts as well as discussion of state efforts to enhance agriculture. Ahead of the meeting on Tuesday, the task force, along with local officials and land owners will tour the area to speak with local land owners about the challenges and opportunities they face in preserving farmland. I'm Bob Hoff.