The harmful 'adjudication' process state leaders are calling for in Whatcom County has been used before--in Yakima, where it caused far more harm than good. John Stuhlmiller, Washington Farm Bureau CEO, joins Dillon Honcoop to explain the history, and how the story of what happened in the Yakima basin ...
Just a few months into Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood’s tenure as mayor, he was notified the Nooksack River basin was being considered for adjudication by the Washington State Department of Ecology. The adjudication process takes years -- sometimes decades, not to mention the financial burden it causes, Fleetwood mentioned. ...
Recently the Department of Ecology made a quiet but very momentous decision. It is requesting funds from the legislature to begin the process of adjudication in the Nooksack Basin. This action has caused huge concerns in the farming community and many other water users, while other groups welcome the process. ...
Whatcom Family Farmers does not endorse candidates, but believes voters should be informed. The Washington State Dairy Federation collected responses from candidates for the 42nd District. Here are the unedited responses: Water Rights, Adjudication, & Supply Background: Whatcom County has a diverse and very productive agricultural segment that feeds into ...
The American Blueberry Growers Alliance is in support of the U.S. Trade Representatives request for a safeguard investigation regarding blueberry imports. According to a press release from the alliance, the organization "expects that the investigation will result in a remedy that allows the domestic industry to recover from the harmful ...
A recent letter to the editor in the Lynden Tribune has sparked a response from an expert. Dillon Honcoop spoke with Washington State University scientist Chris Benedict after a letter to the editor raised fears that a specific pesticide was being used in local potato farming. The letter claimed local ...
Imported fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico and other nations have increased greatly. Now, well over 50% of fresh fruit and nearly 50% of fresh vegetables American consumers eat come from foreign farms. They pay a fraction of the labor costs and, for the most part, don't have the same ...
Mariposa Farm: Everson, WA. Photo by FotoMataio In July 2020, Sustainable Connections and Eat Local First announced a new resource to bring farmers and consumers together. The Eat Local First Washington Directory allows food lovers across the state to keyword search for specific products, markets, community supported agriculture (CSA) locations, restaurants and breweries, and even ...
Bizzare weather twists are causing many challenges for berry growers in Whatcom County this year. Besides a high amount of the crop being lost to rot, the strawberry season was cut short because the weather turned pickers away from working. Now as raspberry season unfolds, Randy Kraght of Barbie’s ...
Photo Credit: Lynden Tribune This year has been a strange year for a number of reasons with many challenges due to Covid-19 and economic changes. Whatcom County red raspberry growers faced yet another curveball with heavy rainfall as their harvest got underway. As June came and went, strawberry farmers ...
