Reviving Ag Production

Reviving Ag Production

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

House Bill 1188, scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources at 1:30 pm today, would, if passed, go a long way towards helping return idle western Washington land back into agricultural production . This legislation would direct the WSDA and WSU’s Mount Vernon Research Center to develop a program that would foster connections among landowners, potential growers, and purchasers. The bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Kristine Lytton, explains.

LYTTON: I was happy to begin working on this as a result of a work study that we did focusing on expanding the cultivation for the organic and specialty grains in western Washington and to return some of those under utilized lands into a state of agriculture production. This is not a backwards step in any of our conservation lands, and it’s not creating a new duty within the Department of Ag but using their existing resources in conjunction with WSU to really use their research in bringing some great farming opportunities south of King County.

The bill would initially focus on counties in the central and southern Puget Sound area, eventually impacting all western Washington counties. Estimated expenditure for 2013 - 2015 is $535 thousand from the state’s general fund. An agronomist and technician would be maintained through the program to connect growers and producers in all western Washington counties with the latest techniques, varieties, and knowledge needed to add value to existing, new, and revitalized farming systems.

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