Tough Jobs - Tough Times

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. Family farming has always been a challenging job through the generations but in recent years here in Washington state, the challenges have escalated.

Dillon Honcoop, with Save Family Farming, says the rising costs and over regulation in our state have become nearly

impossible for farmers to navigate …

HONCOOP … “That’s exactly right. It’s people that know what they’re doing. Really, if you’re in farming and you have been in farming for longer than five or ten years here in Washington state, you have to be a pretty darn good operator because it’s not easy already.”

And farmers, Honcoop says know what rough is …

HONCOOP … “And it’s those folks, like you said, that have been around for a long time, they’ve been around the block, they’ve been through the high and low years and they’re saying, this just isn’t doable anymore. We were able to weather those previous storms. Not this one. This is a hurricane.”

So farmers need to prepare, Honcoop says before it’s too late …

HONCOOP … “We’re looking at what we can do to protect our family or anything that we’ve invested here before it’s all gone, just so we’re even able to retire or, you know, no less even thinking about what could we pass on to the next generation. There may be nothing left for many in that position.”

Honcoop says it’s a full-court press. Contact your legislators and share this info. We need to make sure the public and our decision makers are all hearing about the crisis in the Washington farming community.