Articles written by Pam Lewison
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Are checkoffs really taking taxpayer dollars and giving them to agriculture?
Congressional legislation like the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act imply both a misunderstanding of how federal checkoff programs function and why they exist. The OFF Act suggests...
Grizzlies might be coming to a park or trail near you
Apex predators have already saturated the landscape in Northeast Washington. Now, the U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife and the National Park Service want to add more by reintroducing grizzlies to...
Ag laws show first-world mindset
The phrase “first-world problems” has become a punch line – a throwaway statement because it is uttered by people with plenty of gadgets, a reliable food supply and a secure roof over their head...
Gray wolves need full state delisting before hitting the road to another state
Governor Inslee has indicated he is open to discussion about sending gray wolves from Northeastern Washington to Colorado. Before we start sending gray wolves outside the confines of our borders ...
Decision a win for landowners
In a victory for private property owners, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the “significant nexus” test in its Sackett v EPA ruling. The ruling changes how “waters of the United States” can be...
Don't focus on carbon, manage our forests
Forest health, climate change, and a plan that got almost no input before being announced is at the heart of the “carbon project” announced by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources...
Wolf hunting season may solve issue
As clashes between wolves and cattle continue this fall, the discovery of six poisoned wolves in Stevens County and the hearing of arguments that could end grazing in the Colville National Forest by...
What's in a name? Chicken labeling can be confusing for consumers
My husband and I recently got into a discussion about the differences in the labeling of chicken. He saw a post on social media outlining the supposed differences between “pasture raised,...
Ruralites left out of suicide hotline
For people considering self-inflicted death, there is an opportunity of 10 minutes or less to intervene and potentially change that course of action. July 16 marked a milestone in the national mental...
Urban lawmakers lack farmer respect
About six weeks ago, I had a “cardiac episode.” As I laid in the emergency room, thinking about my to-do list and wondering what I could do for the people who were contacting me regularly asking f...
Inslee broke ag relationship
It is not often Gov. Jay Inslee directly addresses the state’s agricultural community. Last week, an Oregon publication ran a cover story featuring our governor doing just that. The interview reveal...
State bill proposes utilizing farmland for fish habitat
House Bill 1838 asks Washingtonians to save fish habitat at the expense of rural communities. The bill proposes an expansion of riparian mitigation areas from their current range of 50 to 100 feet...
Time for labor-allied lawmakers to stop congratulating themselves, get back to work
When ESSB 5172, a bill addressing retroactive pay in agriculture, passed out of the Senate in early March, Senate Democrats who hijacked the bill with amendments celebrated its passage as a supposed victory for farmworkers throughout our state. They...
Immigrant Relief Fund problem is lack of solutions
SEATTLE - Undocumented workers are the hidden people in every state, including Washington. Most work hard, pay taxes, and are engaged with their communities. Our state, however, has decided to ignore...
Waste
No agriculture producer likes to see their work go to waste. Whether it is a crop, milk or livestock, no one involved in agriculture wants their products to go anywhere other than to consumers. That...
