Farming, Is It Worth It? Pt 1
I'm Bob Larson. Is it worth it to be a farmer in Washington? It's a question that comes up when discussions of added regulations, taxes, minimum wage, lawsuits, and an endless stream of red tape that makes the job more and more difficult.Washington Policy Center's Madi Clarks says most people just don't understand what farming is all about and the level of regulatory burdens they are under ...
MADI CLARK ... "I think it's more of a misconception. If you look at, at least on the state level, and then also on the federal level, you have people that are friendly to agriculture and policy, but then you have other people that listen to special interest groups and get to the point that they are almost consumed with that message and they don't know what's actually going on. And when they get educated and learn about it and become aware of what farmers are already doing, they often back away from those positions of, we need more regulations on farms."
Clark says so many people think farming is just a free-for-all ...
MADI CLARK ... "One of the most frustrating phrases that you hear from, I call them anti-farming interest groups is, "farmers have no regulations," which is completely untrue. So, they hear that message over and over again and it takes them getting out on the farm and talking to the farmer and listening to what they have to do every day to go, "oh, you really do have regulations."
Clark says the other big misconception is that farmers are not good stewards of the very same land that IS their livelihood.
Listen tomorrow for her take on that.