By Ben Tindall, Save Family Farming Executive Director

When State Representative Kristine Reeves opened the recent House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee work session in late September, she said something every Washingtonian should hear:

“Our agricultural sector is a multi-billion-dollar driver in Washington’s economy, and today’s conversation is about ensuring that it remains viable, not just this season, but for generations to come.”

That statement should set the tone for the next legislative session. Because right now, too many Washington farms are not sure they have another generation left.

For all the talk about sustainability, food security, and climate resilience, it is the farmers of this state who live those realities every single day. They are keeping Washington fed, powered, and economically stable while facing an increasingly difficult mix of high costs, regulatory hurdles, and volatile markets.

The conversation that began in Olympia this fall needs to incorporate meaningful, bipartisan action that ensures the survival of family farms, not just as nostalgic symbols, but as a vital and strategic part of Washington’s future.

When farms disappear, it is not just farmland that is lost. We lose local food sources, small-town jobs, and the very people who steward our soil and water. We lose the next generation’s chance to farm. And ultimately, we lose control over the food that ends up on our tables.

Food security starts with farm security

Chair Reeves said it plainly: “We don’t have strong food security if our farmers can’t get their products to market.”

That truth should guide every agricultural policy this legislature touches. Food security does not start in a grocery store or a warehouse; it starts on the farm. If Washington wants to ensure its people are fed, it must ensure that farmers can afford to keep farming.

That means building a more balanced regulatory environment that protects our environment and our ability to produce food. It means acknowledging that excessive costs and bureaucracy do not just inconvenience farmers, they push them out of business.

And it means investing in the infrastructure, workforce, and market access that allow family farms to thrive.

Innovation without accessibility is just rhetoric

During the work session, legislators and experts highlighted Washington’s agricultural researchers and universities who are pioneering world-class innovations in precision agriculture, automation, and soil health. Yet, as Representative Joe Schmick pointed out, “Many growers want to embrace this technology, but they simply can’t afford it.”

Innovation only works if the people growing our food can actually use it. Legislators should prioritize programs that make new tools, training, and broadband access available to every farm, not just the largest or best-funded operations. Practical innovation is what keeps family farms competitive, not glossy reports or pilot programs that never reach the field.

A call for action-oriented leadership

Chair Reeves closed that September 30 meeting with a statement that farmers across the state are eager to see reflected in policy: “What we’re looking for are clear, action-oriented items that this Legislature can take up to strengthen agricultural viability and food security in Washington.”

That is the kind of message that farmers are desperate to hear, a commitment not to another round of hearings or studies, but to actual solutions. The next legislative session must focus on lowering the cost of doing business, rebuilding the agricultural workforce, and modernizing the regulatory framework that too often penalizes the very people who sustain our communities.

Washington has the potential to be the nation’s model for sustainable, family-based agriculture, but only if policymakers match their words with decisive steps.

The path forward

Here is what that looks like:

  • Support policies that protect farmland from being paved over or priced out.
  • Reform state regulations that drive up costs without reasonable, measurable benefits.
  • Expand apprenticeships, education, and immigration programs that build a stable agricultural workforce.
  • Invest in helping family farms access the innovations being developed around the state.
  • Recognize that food security and farm security are the same issue.

The legislative work session demonstrated that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle understand the urgency of the moment. Representative Reeves was right: agriculture is about more than a single growing season. It is about ensuring Washington remains a place where family farms, big and small, east and west, new and multi-generational, can survive and succeed.

Words are welcome. But it is time for action. The Legislature must treat agriculture as the critical industry it is, not as an afterthought but as a cornerstone of Washington’s economic future and its moral obligation to feed its people.