Half-Time Farmers Pt 1

Half-Time Farmers Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I’m Bob Larson. I’m in the wrong business if farmers and ranchers can work less than half time and still make $250,000 a year! At least, that’s what I heard some lawmakers in Olympia believe.

I asked The Washington Policy Center’s Pam Lewison if she could confirm this …

LEWISON … “It came out of a records request, that my colleague Jason Mercier did, and it was meant to be a talking point to sell the capital gains income tax.”

Lewison says she was a bit dumbfounded …

LEWISON … “What I find interesting about it is, $250,000 is a benchmark that most farms will never see, on an annual basis certainly. But also, and I think more particularly, the part that is really egregious is the ‘less than half-time’.”

Lewison wasn’t sure if it was a misprint …

LEWISON … “Because, we start looking at what farmers and ranchers, and their employees as well, do on a regular basis and less than half-time is just a laughable statement.”

As part of an Eastern Washington farming family, Lewison wonders what they’re doing wrong …

LEWISON … “You know the joke in our house is always, you don’t necessarily need to make money, but you don’t want to end the year in debt.”

Tune in tomorrow for more on this Agricultural disconnect in Olympia.

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