Washington farm numbers; Ag burning fee bill passes Senate
Washington Ag Today February 18, 2010 A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows the number of farms in Washington state was unchanged overall in 2009 compared to 2008 at 39,500 farms. The average size of a farm in the state was unchanged at 375 acres. Farms with the smallest value of sales did decline but the number of operations in the mid-range of sales increased by a like amount. The number of farms with the largest value of sales was unchanged. The Washington State Senate this week approved legislation that increased the statutory cap on fees for field burning from $2.50 an acre to $3.75 an acre. The cap had not been raised since 1991. On the Senate Floor Republican State Senator Mark Schoesler told colleagues: Shoesler: “The producers asked for this both in the tree fruit industry and the grain industry. The process of the Ag Burning Task Force has worked well in managing smoke with our urban neighbors and this will allow a seven-day a week system to stay in place for the producers and for the smoke management.” Producers were willing to accept an increase in fees to keep the Ag Burning Task Force from being eliminated, which is what the governor proposed. Senate Bill 6556 moved on to the House where there is also a companion bill on burning fees. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network. ? ? ?
