Cantwell, Senate Ag Committee Chair Stabenow, WA Agricultural Stakeholders Preview Weekend Forum
Cantwell sets the stakes for upcoming Farm Bill negotiations: “One of the most important things that gets done for agriculture every 5 years.”
SEATTLE, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, joined two Washington state agriculture leaders for a virtual press conference ahead of a larger forum with the Senators and agricultural industry stakeholders in Wenatchee on Saturday.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Sen. Stabenow is leading the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, a package of legislation that must be passed every five years. The bill establishes policy and funding levels for agriculture, food assistance programs, natural resources, and other aspects of food and agriculture under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
During the press conference, Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Stabenow shared what they plan to discuss with the region’s growers at tomorrow’s forum.
“The Farm Bill is one of the most important things that gets done for agriculture every five years. With a big agricultural economy that employs thousands of Washingtonians, and is worth billions of dollars of revenue, we thank Senator Stabenow for being here,” Sen. Cantwell said. “I’m confident that our growers know that this is the right investment, but what we have to do is now communicate to our colleagues all across the country and across the aisle that these priorities are well worth making.”
“We grow similar things with fruits and vegetables -- you guys may be No. 1 in apples, we’re No. 1 in tart cherries … we have a lot of similarities in interests in terms of the Farm Bill,” Sen. Stabenow said. “I know Maria agrees with me that we don’t have an economy unless somebody makes something or somebody grows something. And so you are seeing the chair of the Agriculture Committee and the chair of the Commerce Committee, and those really do come together.”
Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission, and Kate Tynan, Senior Vice President of the Northwest Horticultural Council, also spoke about their goals for the forum and the main issues they plan to address.
“We’re really looking forward to tomorrow, and I know my growers are really excited about it,” Chris Voigt said. “What a lot of people don’t recognize is that 44% of the value of farm sales are specialty crops, and specialty crops only receive 3.5% of the Farm Bill … and so the special provisions within the Farm Bill dedicated to specialty crops are critically important.”
“We represent the growers, packers, and shippers of apples, pears, and sweet cherries in the Pacific Northwest,” Kate Tynan said. “Tomorrow is an opportunity for growers to share their concerns and priorities firsthand with Senator Stabenow, who is an author of the next Farm Bill – really, it’s invaluable. This Farm Bill reauthorization process comes at a time when our tree fruit growers are really struggling to remain competitive.”
The current Farm Bill expires September 30, 2023. As chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell is a leading advocate of growers in Washington state and has also focused on finding ways to ensure Washington state agricultural products can be exported and remain competitive in a global marketplace.
Video of today’s virtual press conference is available HERE and audio HERE.
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