Save Family Farming

Why Dairy Farms Are Producing Beef Calves

Most dairy farms raise the famous Holstein or Jersey breed of cattle for strong milk production. So why are many of those dairy cows giving birth to calves that are Black Angus–a breed famed for top-notch beef? Lynne Wheeler, a partner at Acme, WA-area Coldstream Farms, joins Dillon with details on the growing “Beef on Dairy” phenomenon, and how it’s even helped keep many dairies afloat financially through seasons of low milk prices.

Fuel Surcharge Scandal: Putting WA Gov’t On Notice For Funding Anti-Farm Activism

Public records and an official complaint filed with the Washington State Department of Health–following an anti-farming activist group’s use of the department’s official logo on propaganda videos–have begun to uncover a troubling trend of public dollars being used to support political attacks on farmers in the state. Ben Tindall, Save Family Farming’s Executive Director, joins Dillon to share how he’s responding to the Department of Health, putting it on notice for allowing the extremist group We Are ELLA to use money paid by motorists and energy users and intended to fight climate change to instead fund false accusations against farming.

Data Confirms Olympia Largely To Blame For WA Farming Crisis

Farming in Washington is seeing a decline not paralleled in any other state, putting the blame for the downfall squarely on policy decisions in Olympia. Pam Lewison, Director of the Center for Agriculture at the Washington Policy Center, tells Dillon several specific data points confirm state-level policies are largely behind Washington state’s nosedive to last place in the nation for farmers’ take-home pay.

How High Fuel Prices Are Funding Anti-Farm Activists

Filling up in Washington state right now is even more painful thanks to the Climate Commitment Act surcharges on top of already-high fuel prices. But most people don’t know that some of the extra cash they’re paying for fuel is going to activist groups using it for “community storytelling,” including at least one anti-farm group that’s producing political propaganda films rife with false accusations against WA farmers. Todd Myers, Director of the Center for the Environment at the Washington Policy Center, joins Dillon with details.

Push for Collaborative Whatcom Water Solutions Gains Momentum With Council Vote

Local farmers have been clear from the beginning: the only way Whatcom County’s water crisis will be solved is through a collaborative process, despite the Washington State Department of Ecology’s water rights litigation in the Nooksack River Basin known as an adjudication. Fred Likkel, Executive Director of Whatcom Family Farmers, tells Dillon the Whatcom County Council recently gave that perspective a nod with a unanimous vote on a set of changes to the local growth plan acknowledging the importance of community collaboration.