I noticed that in most of the country refers to the District of Columbia as "Washington," while Washington State we call our nation's capital, "DC." I let everyone else's bit of PNW ignorance slide last month while visiting Capitol Hill with the National Farmer's Union for its annual legislative fly-in.
Almost four hundred farmers from around the country met with their representatives to talk about issues facing small family farms and to meet as a group with the USDA.
In August I joined the board of directors serving the Northwest Farmer's Union as the newly-elected board's secretary. Next month we will have an exciting strategic planning meeting in the mountains where we'll dial in our mission to serve family farms in the Pacific Northwest.Right now I’m sitting in an airport waiting to join 380 farmers from across the country, gathering with the @nationalfarmersunion in Washington DC and meeting with their representatives to advocate for policies that support family farmers and ranchers.
It’s super important for lawmakers to hear how their policies directly impact farmers’ livelihoods and farming communities, and (among other issues we covered) lately things have been unbearable for farmers who are impacted by the trade war with China. As negotiations drag on, families are losing their farms and crops are flooding our own markets, driving down the price, or just rotting in fields and warehouses!!
If you’d like to come with us next time or just be an advocate for family farms, the @nationalfarmersunion is an incredible organization supporting farmers. If you’re in Oregon, Washington, or Idaho you can join me in the @northwestfarmersunion and help link all the Northwestern small farming and sustainable ag organizations to provide a strong voice for PNW farmers in DC!