01/05/07 Ag Presidents Group priorities & spuds

Farm and Ranch January 5, 2007 The Regular Session of the 2007 Legislature begins next week and 25 agricultural organizations in Washington have developed a unified list of priorities they all agree on for state lawmakers to address during the session. Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission, says this unified approach worked well last year for example, in getting a sales tax exemption for both farm equipment parts and off road diesel. Voigt says this year's list of priorities developed through the Presidents Group of ag organizations includes issues of importance to the potato industry like water. Voigt: "We are really looking at creating additional storage projects to ensure that we are going to have irrigation water supply to meet not only our current needs but any future needs as well as getting surface water out to the declining Odessa Aquifer. And all of agriculture in Washington was very supportive of that and included that as one of their priority items with the legislature." Voigt says another priority all of ag is behind is Washington State University's 10.8 million dollar Agriculture Initiative. Voigt: "Research is our basic tool that we need in order that we can be cost competitive in the future, not only with other states but globally. So it is pretty important to us." The Presidents Group list has been sent to all the legislative caucuses and to the Governor. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.