05/04/07 Gregoire to sign bill protecting ag practices

Washington Ag May 4, 2007 Governor Chris Gregoire is scheduled to sign several bills from the recent 2007 legislative session of interest to agriculture today. One is House Bill 1648 which clarifies the state's Right to Farm law to add more protection for farmers from nuisance lawsuits. John Stuhlmiller with the Washington State Farm Bureau says the need for 1648 came from court decisions against farmers like one in Yakima County where a producer's switch from growing apples to growing cherries and the use of cherry cannon's was determined not to be a protected operation under existing law. Stuhlmiller: "So we sought and got HB 1648 and that will clarify that indeed whatever crop changes and those activities you adjust to meet growing market demands and so on, that that will indeed be protected still as a nuisance. It doesn't allow you to do anything that is a health threat but it does protect you from nuisance from neighbors who come after that ag's in place." House Bill 1648 also clarifies that keeping bees for producing agricultural or apicultural products, like honey and beeswax, is a protected practice. I'm Bob Hoff.