Puget Sound's Southern Resident Killer Whales for years have been struggling to survive, and it's long been assumed that a lack of the Chinook salmon the whales eat is to blame. That's added even more pressure to recovery efforts for endangered Chinook salmon, which often result in costs and restrictions for farming, ostensibly to restore fish habitat. But a new study is upending that assumption, and Dr. Andrew Trites, one of the researchers behind the report, joins Dillon with details on why a lack of salmon may not be the problem after all for the endangered orcas.

Longtime farmworker union and activist labor organization United Farm Workers wants to change Washington state laws to expand here, but the farming community in its home territory is sounding the alarm. Dan Gerawan, former major California fruit farmer, joins Dillon to share the truth about UFW and how it has been treating farmworkers and farms in the Golden State.

As the debate continues over whether to remove dams on the Lower Snake River, the stakes are high for the future of farming in Washington state. Michelle Hennings, a WA wheat farmer and the Executive Director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, joins Dillon with more detail on the devastation that breaching the dams would cause, and why it's so important for farmers to speak out against their removal.

Farmworker rights activist Jesse Rojas is exposing the ugly truth about United Farm Workers in California that’s forcing the dwindling union to look to Washington state. He joins Dillon to share the famous labor organization's true track record with workers, and explain why UFW isn't the average labor union.

Millions of dollars are still available to refund Washington state farmers who have been overcharged for fuel thanks to the state's new carbon pricing scheme. The so-called Climate Commitment Act was supposed to exempt agriculture, and when the state Department of Ecology failed to do that, the legislature earmarked $30M to refund farmers and farming truckers. But, as state Department of Licensing official Jennifer Clawson tells Dillon, much of that money has so far gone unclaimed, and she's encouraging farmers to still register for their refunds.

In just over a year, the federal laws governing estate taxes will change, putting some families at risk of much higher tax bills when family property or businesses change hands (more info here https://insights.larsongross.com/project/important-update-upcoming-changes-to-estate-and-gift-tax/) Todd Burgers, an accountant and partner in Larson Gross CPAs & Consultants, joins Dillon to explain more about what this could mean particularly for farmers and their families. Larson Gross is holding two upcoming events to help people start the process of getting prepared for the change: https://insights.larsongross.com/project/important-update-upcoming-changes-to-estate-and-gift-tax/

An upcoming free event will help local farmers and water users prepare for the state's Whatcom water lawsuit, even as legal challenges delay the process. Bill Clarke, attorney for the Ag Water Board of Whatcom County, joins Dillon with updates on the slow-moving legal process, and why residents need to attend the "Securing Your Water Rights: What's Next" event at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds' Farm Pavilion on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6:30pm.

Another Eastern Washington dairy is shutting down after being attacked by the EPA, despite a huge amount of work and money spent on environmental upgrades over the last decade. Jay Gordon, Washington State Dairy Federation's Policy Director, joins Dillon with details on Liberty Dairy's closure, and the EPA's new lawsuit against the same dairies it attacked over a decade ago.

The state's 'adjudication' lawsuit against all Whatcom water users is already encountering snags, even before the actual legal case is officially underway. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, joins Dillon with the latest on the legal process, as well as sharing several updates relating to water and farming in Whatcom County.

A tractor stolen from the Lynden FFA corn maze still hasn't been found, and the high school and FFA chapter are trying to figure out what comes next. Julie Milstead, Lynden FFA Adviser, joins Dillon with details on the theft, and how it affects agriculture students at Lynden High School.

Sumas-area water users are going to court, asking to be excluded from the state's Whatcom water rights lawsuit. Jerry De Bruin, "Sumas Out" group spokesman, local farmer and Fire District 14 Chief, joins Dillon to explain why the group believes the court should take them out of the state Department of Ecology's water rights adjudication case.

After federal authorities blocked not one, but two seemingly straightforward fixes to tide gates protecting Skagit County farmland, troubling questions are surfacing about the true motives behind the decision. Skagit dairy farmer and dike district commissioner Jason Vander Kooy joins Dillon with details on the predicament that puts hundreds of acres of fertile farmland at risk of destruction.

Local farms are relying more and more on technology and automation, and the latest development is the arrival of robotic irrigation systems in the corn and grass fields of two Whatcom County dairies. Aric Vander Haak with Farmers Equipment Company joins Dillon with details on the 360 Rain system that boasts big water efficiency gains, dramatically reduced labor requirements, as well as soil health, plant health and nutrient management benefits.

When activists gathered recently to protest newly-remodeled housing for farmworkers in Mt. Vernon, they didn't expect what would happen next. Enrique Gastelum, leader of the farm labor non-profit that's remodeling the housing facility for farmworkers, joins Dillon with the story of how he responded to the protesters, and the surprising conversations that ensued.

Washington farmers and truckers who transport farm products have been paying more for their fuel thanks to the state's new cap-and-trade law, despite promises that agriculture would be exempt. This spring the state legislature earmarked money to refund some of those extra costs, directing the Washington State Department of Licensing to manage the program delivering refunds to those who qualify. Jennifer Clawson with WA DOL joins Dillon with the details on the new Agriculture Support Program they've created as a result, and explains how farmers and truckers can apply for refunds this fall for fuel they purchased in 2023.

Money-hungry lawyers in California are shaking down farms for millions over incredibly minor labor law mistakes such as record-keeping discrepancies. Fresno attorney Kevin Piercy joins Dillon with details of the scheme, how farms can protect themselves, and why Washington farms are likely the next stop for the profiteering lawyers he's been battling.

The Washington State Department of Health is proposing water well policy changes that threaten the affordable housing farmworkers have depended on for decades. Jay Gordon, Washington State Dairy Federation Policy Director, joins Dillon with more on how the troubling change in state policy that would harm farmworkers and farms is now out for public comment. You can send the Department of Health a message here: https://p2a.co/3PM8Byl

Although she is retiring from lecturing and university research, Lynden-area farmer Karen Steensma didn't want to stop helping farmers solve problems. Karen joins Dillon to talk about the kinds of environmental work she's doing through her new consulting business to help farmers protect crops, livestock and the environment with research-based natural strategies.

As Washington state continues to lose farms at an alarming rate, the public is becoming aware of the growing crisis that affects our food system, our economy and our communities more and more all the time. Pam Lewison, Director of the Washington Policy Center's Center for Agriculture, joins Dillon to talk about the reaction to her recent Seattle Times editorial on WA's farming crisis, and the increasing challenges that continue to worsen the trend.

A state task force considered using the courts to take land away from farms for stream buffers in draft recommendations for riparian restoration. Kara Rowe, policy director for the Western Washington Agricultural Association, joins Dillon to talk about the problematic proposal, as well as a visit the task force made to a Skagit farm that would be decimated by the plan.

Despite their huge efforts, three Yakima-area dairies are being accused by the US Environmental Protection Agency of not doing enough to protect groundwater from nutrient contamination. Gerald Baron, former Save Family Farming Executive Director, joins Dillon and says the nature of the legal attack and its threats of massive fines bring up troubling questions about EPA Region 10's true motives, especially considering its long track record of dishonesty on this issue.

As local farming advocates have predicted for years, the state's water lawsuit in Whatcom County is already facing big delays from legal challenges and the state Department of Ecology's inaccuracies. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, joins Dillon with details from the first court hearing since Ecology officially filed the case in May.

In a new editorial, Whatcom County farmers and realtors are collaborating to voice deep concern about how the state's massive water lawsuit is beginning to unfold. Perry Eskridge with the Whatcom Association of Realtors joins Dillon with more background on why they're troubled by the process so far, and what they would like to see instead.

With water supplies lagging far behind targets, irrigators in the Yakima basin are facing the likelihood of having their water restricted and even shut off later in this growing season. Scott Revell, manager of the Roza Irrigation District, joins Dillon with the details on the crisis and the emergency measures officials are taking to try to minimize the harm it can cause to agriculture there.

A group of labor activists is asking a judge to block all foreign guest workers for farming in Washington state, as part of a lawsuit disputing pay rates for farmworkers. Enrique Gastelum, CEO of wafla, joins Dillon with the details on the lawsuit and what it could mean for the future of WA farming.

An advocate for agriculture with extensive experience in both the political and non-profit realms has been named Save Family Farming's new leader. Ben Tindall, new Save Family Farming Executive Director, joins Dillon to share his passion for advocacy and protecting the future of family farming in Washington state.l

In an extreme example of government overreach, the WA Department of Ecology is seeking harsh penalties and even possible criminal charges against a ranch that had used a common practice to provide water for their animals. John Stuhlmiller, farming advocate and consultant to the ranch, joins Dillon with the stunning details.

Experts from the State of Washington and Washington State University are studying what factors currently hinder the competitiveness of farming in the state. Derek Sandison, Director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, joins Dillon with details on the study and the Agricultural Viability Conference his agency recently hosted to gather information.

Whatcom and Skagit farmers faced a slow start to spring and are now working toward finishing up planting season. John Vander Veen, an agronomist with Skagit Farmers Supply, joins Dillon with the latest updates from local fields and farms.

Many local water users' questions remain unanswered even as the state's Nooksack water rights adjudication lawsuit gets underway across Whatcom County. Gavin Willis, Executive Director of the Ag Water Board of Whatcom County, joins Dillon to let people know about an opportunity they're offering to allow local ag water users to meet with water rights experts for free to get some of their questions answered.

Seattle water rights attorney Rachel Roberts estimates as many as 37,500 water users may be implicated in the water adjudication lawsuit the Washington Department of Ecology just filed in the Whatcom County courts. She joins Dillon with her perspective as someone who was involved in the state's last big water rights adjudication, which was in Yakima.

A new draft report is out from a task force formed by the WA Governor's Office looking at requirements for forested buffers along streams to aid salmon recovery. WA state Sen. Ron Muzzall joins Dillon with his concerns about the Riparian Task Force's Preliminary Recommendations, and what they could mean for the future of food and farming in Washington state.

Food consumers can get a transparent look at how their food was produced via a new system spearheaded in part by an Eastern Washington farmer. Austin Allred of Royal Family Farming joins Dillon to share how the FarmTracer system allows consumers to see exactly how their food was raised. He explains how they're using blockchain technology to overcome past hurdles to sharing farmers' information about the food they grow.

He's been studying the Lower Snake River Dams for years, and 'Armchair Engineer' Adam Ratliff joins Dillon with the truth about the pros and cons of these important and controversial structures.

Reporting in Canada is bringing to light a study showing a worsening outlook for flooding of the Nooksack River. Tyler Olsen, editor of the Fraser Valley Current, joins Dillon with details on what the latest science says farming and entire communities on both sides of the border may experience.

Local high school students might find a career path they're passionate about, or even just a good summer job at the all-new Whatcom County Agriculture Career Fair happening April 26 at Lynden High School. Whatcom Family Farmers is organizing the event featuring over a dozen local employers, and Outreach Coordinator Ellie Steensma Corbin joins Dillon with the details for students and for businesses wanting to be there.

As the state sues all Whatcom water users this year, requiring each user to prove their water rights in court, thousands of local residents will have to fill out court claim forms to begin their defense. Water rights attorney Bill Clarke joins Dillon with details on how crucial these court filings will be, and why the farming community has deep concern about the state's plan and proposed court forms.

After a standing-room-only event this past fall, Whatcom Family Farmers is hosting another informational event to help people prepare for the upcoming water rights adjudication in the Nooksack River Basin. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, joins Dillon with details and why people--particularly farmers and private well owners--should attend if they want to protect their access to water.

Nearly every other state that's enacted overtime pay rules for farm work allows for seasonal flexibility to help both farmworkers and farms--except Washington state. The state Senator who proposed adding flexibility to the law to bring relief for workers and farmers, Sen. Curtis King, joins Dillon to talk about the negative impacts of the poorly-thought-out new law, and how he plans to keep fighting even though his first bill on the issue is dead.

Whatcom County water users will begin getting court summons in the mail this summer for the state's water rights lawsuit, and many are still unsure what this will mean for them. Jay Chennault, Principal Hydrologist with consulting firm Associated Earth Sciences, joins Dillon with details on an upcoming event that aims to educate community members about the process and the various steps they'll need to take to be able to try to defend in court their future water access.

Many of the environmental efforts squeezing family farming in Washington state are connected to an assumed need for more fish habitat ostensibly to help restore the endangered Chinook salmon. But what if this major push is actually based on a misdiagnosis of the actual problems hindering Chinook recovery? Save Family Farming's Gerald Baron joins Dillon with details on his meta-analysis of several recent key studies that show habitat is unlikely the limiting factor keeping Chinook salmon populations struggling, and what that reality could mean for farming.

Saying it's not possible to survive financially the high cost of labor to harvest their fruit, another family farm is calling it quits. April Clayton, of Red Apple Orchard in Orondo, WA joins Dillon to explain why she and her husband decided to shut down the farm this year, and what might become of their beautiful orchards.

The latest Census of Agriculture data is out from the USDA, and Tom Vilsack, US Secretary of Agriculture, is calling it a "wakeup call." Pam Lewison, Center for Agriculture Director at the Washington Policy Center, says in many ways, the situation is even worse in Washington state than it is nationally, and joins Dillon with details.

The state of Washington's broken promise to Whatcom County farmers and now a sprawling lawsuit on water in the Nooksack River Basin is pushing already-struggling farms to shut down. Dillon shares audio clips from "Losing The Farm," a new, locally-produced documentary sharing the story of Cascade Farms, whose owners were forced to close less than a year ago.

Deep emotion and harsh realities of farm life are on full display in a brand new documentary giving viewers an inside look at a local potato farm that chose to close in the face of daunting odds for survival. Jeff and Diana Bedlington talk with Dillon about "Losing The Farm," which shares the story of their third-generation Lynden-area seed potato farm, and they open up about the heartbreak of having to let go of a legacy started by Jeff’s grandfather.

Farmworkers are losing money as a result of Washington's new agricultural overtime law, and they're not happy about the change that was originally promoted as a benefit to them. Erik Zavala is a former farmworker who's now director of field staff for a tree fruit growers' cooperative in Eastern Washington, and he joins Dillon with more on what workers are saying and feeling about the situation.

Washington state Senator Rebecca Saldaña walked out of a hearing on a bill that would provide relief for farmworkers earning less money as a result of Washington's new ag overtime restrictions. Maia Espinoza, Director of the Center for Latino Leadership, joins Dillon and says Saldaña's exit happened as farmworkers in favor of a bill to allow overtime flexibility were about to speak. She shares with Dillon more details about the important hearing for farmworkers, as well as the farmworker rally that happened just days before.

Growing pears near Cashmere, WA, orchardist Alex Lanuza is a first-generation Latino farmer and former farmworker. He joins Dillon to explain how the state's new overtime restrictions for farmworkers are forcing the closure of family farms, and ultimately resulting in the urban development of productive farmland.