Issue Position: Agriculture

Issue Position

Washington's farmers and ranchers are critical to our state's economy, environment, and quality of life. Our state produces more than 230 commodities that are consumed across our nation and around the globe. But our farmers are reeling from four years of low prices, unfair dumping of imports, drought and natural disasters, and closed foreign markets.

I have fought to give our agricultural producers, farmworkers, and rural communities more opportunities to achieve their dreams. That means creating an effective safety net to get our farmers through hard times, opening new international and domestic markets for our high quality products, securing funding for research initiatives, supporting value-added businesses that create new jobs, helping to turn today's agricultural products into tomorrow's energy resources, and expanding housing, education, and job training opportunities for farmworkers.

These are just a few of the ways we can ensure a brighter future for Washington state's farmers and ranchers, and the workers, businesses, and communities that depend on their success.

"One of the reasons I feel so strongly about American agriculture is because it's been part of my family going back many years, and it's something I take a lot of pride in. In the early 1900s, my grandfather moved his family to the Tri-Cities to take a job with the Welch's processing plant in Kennewick, Washington.

As a young child, I remember many trips to the central part of Washington state at harvest time to visit my grandmother, who remained in the area after my grandfather's death. To this day, the smell of fresh picked fruit reminds me of my childhood. To my dad, it meant much more. It was how his family put food on the table and paid the mortgage. I grew up understanding how important family-run orchards and businesses were to Washington state's economy, and I've never forgotten that.

As I raised my own family, I always made sure we had a fruit tree where we lived so I could remind myself of my years growing up -- but also to show my kids what a resource we have in Washington state and across the country. I can't imagine discussing the economy and character of my state without a box of apples or a bushel of wheat...in the picture."

-- Senator Murray

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