Washington Wheat and Barley Commissions hold last meetings

Washington Ag Today May 22, 2009 A joint meeting this week was the last each for the Washington Wheat and Washington Barley Commissions. The two entities become the Washington Grain Commission in July. Hal Johnson, who has been the chairman of the Washington Wheat Commission and will be chair of the new Grain Commission, says a joint final meeting was only fitting.

Johnson: “Because we are going to be together in a couple months or less so it was kind of nice to do things together at the last of our meetings and jointly work on things as we move forward together.”

Tom Swainz, who has been the chairman of the Barley Commission, called the last official meeting bittersweet.

Swainz: “The acres in the state of Washington in the 80s were up over a million acres planted a year and this year it looks like we are down to 145-thousand. So obviously the merger into the new Grain Commission is a real necessity for the barley industry instead of having so much of our funds go to administration we are hoping to keep the programs, whether it is the research or marketing programs in place. So this is just a logical extension.”

All current Wheat Commissioners will serve on the Grain Commission. Swainz explains who will represent barley.

Swainz: “There is a North District for barley and a South District for barley and Steve Claasen will be representing the South District and I will be representing the North District. In addition we added an industry rep to the new commission, which Kevin Anderson from Great Western Malt will be continuing on in that position.”

The joint commission meeting was the first at the building in Spokane purchased by the Washington Wheat Commission. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.