12/05/07 Hastings at Hort meet; No three state grains conference in 08

Washington Ag December 5, 2007 The Washington State Horticulture Association has been holding its annual meeting in Wenatchee this week with the theme "Labor Pains: Delivering Solutions." 4th District Congressman Doc Hastings addressed the meeting but he didn't offer much hope Congress will provide solutions anytime soon to agriculture's need for a workable guest worker program. Hastings said part of the challenge is that the issue is not a priority in most of the U.S. because so few areas have labor intensive specialty crop agriculture. Washington won't be joining Idaho and Oregon for a Pacific Northwest Grains Conference in 2008 but will hold its own annual convention. Matt Gellings, the incoming president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association says that is disappointing. Gellings: "Washington feels like they are doing okay on the deal. But as for as a Pacific Northwest issue for wheat and barley producers it gives us a little stronger voice back in Washington D.C. But we are going to keep the dialogue open and go from there and maybe another day we can have another tri-state." Grain producer organizations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho held a joint conference last week and also in 2006. Idaho and Oregon will meet jointly in 2008. I'm Bob Hoff.