Ag Economy Bill Fails Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, this is today’s Fruit Grower Report. HB 5117 would have introduced a mechanism for assessing the fiscal impact of proposed legislation on entities engaged in agriculture.
As economic and regulatory factors continue to weigh on farmers and ranchers, Washington Policy Center Ag Director, Pam Lewison says it would have been a simple aide …
LEWISON … “I do think that in this instance we are also in a very serious situation in Washington state where we are losing farms at a rapid pace, two farms a day, every day between 2017 and 2022.”
So, I asked Lewison, why did this bill die? …
LEWISON … “You know, I think a lot of it is really a knowledge gap. You know, I think farmers are really quick to say, well it’s because legislators hate us. I don’t necessarily think that’s the case, I think, maybe sometimes.”
But in most cases, Lewison says it comes down to the education of the lawmaker …
LEWISON … “I think a lot of it is really legislators not really understanding what it is farms do or don’t do and what sort of control farmers and ranchers have or don’t have over their overall finances and how the farm economy functions in the short and long-term.”
Lewison says without some help, it’s possible the loss of farms continues at it’s current rate or higher moving forward.
