People ask me why I am a part of Lewis County Farm Bureau (LCFB), especially since I am now retired from agriculture. Why do I put in all the time and effort? My answer? Because I believe in the Lewis County Farm Bureau.
I believe in agriculture and what the Farm Bureau does for agriculture. Agriculture is important to all of us, to every person who eats food. It is getting harder and harder for families in agriculture to survive, and we all need them to survive. We all need agriculture.
The Farm Bureau is the advocate for all of agriculture. We have a lot of different commodity associations that are very important in serving their membership, but the Washington Farm Bureau, of which LCFB is a member, is the overarching umbrella that represents over 300 different commodities produced in our state. Washington is second only to California in the diversity of the crops we raise. Agriculture is the second largest contributor to the economy of Washington state. The 2017 Census of Agriculture done by the United States Department of Agriculture showed that Washington farms sold $9,634,461,000 worth of products. We will have the statistics for the 2022 census sometime after the first of the year. We are important to the economic success of Washington state.
The latest statistics I can find show that Washington state has 35,700 farms, 89% of which are classified as small farms with less than $250,000 in annual revenue. Maybe that sounds like a lot of income to most folks — but remember, that is our gross income.
We do not have much, if anything, left when we take away from that the costs we have no control of. A partial list includes feed, fertilizer, taxes, insurance, labor, seed, breeding stock and tractors. My son will occasionally send me a picture of a tractor he thinks I “need” at a cost of $400,000. Sorry. I am retired, and my little 8-plus acres will never pay for that piece of equipment.
Realistically, the farm operation of the size that would use that piece of equipment (and they need several, not just that one) would still be a long time in trying to pay for it — and the ongoing repairs it will need. The bottom line for many farms is literally often in the red.
We are losing family farms because our families are going broke. We cannot afford to continue doing what we love to do. We cannot afford to continue feeding everyone. We are “dying on the vine,” and many of us wonder if we are doing our children a favor if we encourage them to continue in our footsteps.
I am not a doomsday grinch. I believe Americans want abundant quantities and top-quality food. Many want it grown in the United States rather than imported. It is important that people all across this nation unite and defend agriculture to those who legislate. Tell them (contact them and vote) to listen to farmers, to listen to our needs and the science behind our practices. Quit the over-reaching regulations that add unnecessary time and costs. Allow us to produce the quality foods we know how to produce efficiently.
The Farm Bureau has three types of memberships, each with a little different focus. Voting members are those people who earn a living (or part of their living) by producing an agricultural product. It can be grains, vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs, beef, dairy, poultry or eggs, horses, pigs, fish, Christmas trees, pumpkin patches, the list goes on. These members work and vote at the county level and join with the other county farm bureaus to organize and run the Washington Farm Bureau. We work together to protect and promote agriculture.
Business members are any licensed businesses who wish to lend their support to farmers and ranchers. They do not have to be agriculture related. We appreciate their support and try to reciprocate.
Associate members (I call them Friends of Farmers) are people who are not in agriculture but appreciate the good farmers and ranchers do for all of us and want to lend their support. In my opinion, associate members may be our most important group of members. Since those of us in agriculture are 1-2% of the population, we are not a very big (actually viewed as insignificant) voting base that elected officials are going to worry about.
But, if every citizen in Washington joined the Farm Bureau as an associate member, wow! Legislators would listen to that voting base. Everyone needs to eat, and most people at least say they want quality food produced fairly close to home rather than shipped from China, India, various countries of South America or from wherever in the world and grown under unknown conditions. If all those people joined the Farm Bureau and told legislators that they want farmers and ranchers in Washington state protected and encouraged to continue to produce our food, legislators would have to listen.
All of you can give us a needed voice.
LCFB just had our annual membership meeting this past week and I was re-elected as president for another year. We honored someone many of you know, Edna Fund (who has been an associate member of LCFB for 14 years), as recipient of our Tony Friesz Award for her unflagging support of agriculture.
It was great to welcome three new members to our board of directors, and plans for the coming year are already happening. If you have any questions about Farm Bureau or want to join us in supporting farm families, get in touch with me. We had a membership drive going through the month of October, but you can join at any time. If you are in agriculture, join as a voting member. If you own a business, join as a business member. If you are not in agriculture, become a Friend of Farmers (associate member). It is a very small investment in all of our futures. You can actively support local farmers, become more knowledgeable, benefit from some great discount programs, and help build a future with a secure local food base. I would be happy to help you sign up. If you give me your email, I can add you to my list for a two to three times per year newsletter to keep you informed about what LCFB is doing locally. If you prefer, you can go to wsfb.com and do it easily online.
I was pleased to receive comments from a few people after my first article. Please get in touch if you have questions or have an issue you would like me to try to cover.
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Maureen Harkcom is president of the Lewis County Farm Bureau. She can be reached at maureen.harkcom@gmail.com.
