WENATCHEE — Agricultural leaders from around the state once again convened in North Central Washington to voice their priorities as congress looks to renew the wide-ranging farm bill.
“There’s a lot in the farm bill, a lot of different programs that are critical,” Senator Patty Murray said Wednesday afternoon in an interview with The World. “Cumulatively, listening to everyone talk about how important they are to our products in Washington State was important.”
The legislation, which must be renewed every five years, has brought several lawmakers to the region recently. In June, around 30 agricultural representatives convened in East Wenatchee to discuss the legislation with Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) before a tour of the WSU Extension.
Murray said during the roundtable Wednesday Stabenow informed her Congress will likely need to pass a short-term extension prior to Sept. 30 while negotiations on a long-term bill continue.
During her opening remarks, Murray said she’s frequently heard how crucial trade is.
“We make the best products, but we have to have to have somewhere to sell it, and we need the support to do it,” Murray said.
Several agricultural leaders praised the USDA’s Market Access Program, which provides financial assistance to fund marketing abroad. Cantwell said in June that “if we really want to see increases, we’re going to have to build a coalition” for the program.
Wednesday, Murray said her Senate colleagues see the program’s importance.
“When I came into the Senate, there were a lot of people trying to eliminate MAP all together. It’s one of the programs I fought for because our growers here were telling me how important it was for them to be able to sell their products globally,” Murray told The World. “One of the first issues they bring up to me is ‘we need to increase that funding, we’ve got to be able to sell our products oversees.’”
In December, the USDA announced it invested more than $200 million to over 60 agricultural organizations through the Market Access Program.
Lyndsy Hubber, international marketing manager for the Washington Apple Commission, said she would support doubling the funding to the program to $400 million. According to Hubber, the program has not received an increase in funding since 2006.
“Considering the many problems that our growers are facing — the lost market share due to port congestion, retaliatory tariffs, over supply chain issues … we feel it’s more important now that ever to increase the MAP program,” Hubber said.
During the session several agricultural leaders expressed concern over a challenging cherry season. Rebecca Gebbers, owner of VIP Insurance in Okanogan, said this year’s harvest has “cherry debacle, for lack of a better word.”
“It’s one of the worst years we’ve seen,” Gebbers said.
Gebbers said the losses are statewide, and the result of weather, quality issues and “unprecedented mildew.”
“A really tough year for everyone,” Gebbers said.
Murray said she would work to find ways to support the farmers facing the challenge.
“The one thing that I really came away from understanding up close and personal was is what’s happening in our cherry crops,” Murray said. “Why, and trying to figure out how, we can provide some relief. We don’t want to lose our cherry growers.”
Washington has around 35,000 farms, 95% of which are family owned. During the roundtable, Murray also voiced support for the SNAP program and the agricultural research.
Rep. Kim Schrier, in the valley Wednesday for a veterans town hall, also held a roundtable to discuss the farm bill this spring.
Murray’s tour through eastern Washington will continue Thursday morning with an update on the state’s wildfire season in Leavenworth.
