Even though they could potentially collect money via back-pay lawsuits in the wake of the Washington State Supreme Court's ruling on overtime pay for farm work, HR manager Felipe Garcia tells Dillon that they're concerned about a much larger risk. He says workers are saying it's not worth the much more significant damage that lawsuits against farms would cause. He explains that workers know their jobs are in jeopardy, because the potential financial burden of retroactive overtime pay could put the farms they work for out of business - MORE: https://bit.ly/3iCS6dS

Make sure you vote in the Whatcom Conservation District election--request a ballot ASAP! The district's Aneka Sweeney joins Dillon to explain why in-person voting is not happening this year, so everyone who wants to vote must request a ballot by Monday, Feb. 8.

Over her 30-plus years of working on water quality issues in northwest Washington, Christine Woodward has seen real progress when diverse groups come together and collaborate on solutions. Woodward, the chair of the Portage Bay Shellfish Protection District, joined Dillon to talk about the positive changes brought by farmers and others working together to protect streams, and said there's still more work to be done.

An effort to protect Washington farms from unfair farm-ending lawsuits has begun in Olympia, but it faces an uphill battle. Gerald Baron, Save Family Farming Executive Director, joins Dillon to explain how the voice of people who support farming is urgently needed right now to stop unconstitutional back-pay lawsuits from bankrupting law-abiding farmers.

Farmland continues to be gobbled up by urbanization in Washington state -- but what can be done to stop it? Melissa Campbell, Washington Farmland Trust Executive Director, joins Dillon to explain what the organization does not only to preserve farmland, but also make sure it's still being farmed.

Many farms are at risk of bankruptcy if unconstitutional lawsuits inspired by a recent Washington State Supreme Court ruling are allowed to continue. Dan Wood, Washington State Dairy Federation Executive Director, joins Dillon with an update on the dozens of class action lawsuits that money-hungry lawyers have filed against law-abiding farmers since the November SCOW decision, as well as what the state legislature could do about the crisis.

Local Indian-Sikh farmers are thanking the Seattle City Council for supporting protesting farmers in India, and they’re asking for help against threats faced by family farmers here in Washington. Whatcom blueberry grower Paul Sangha joins Dillon to talk about how farmers in Whatcom County, like farmers in India, face devastating government actions proposed without their input - MORE: https://bit.ly/3syRxGs

COVID-19 safety violations were the reason the Washington Department of Labor and Industries gave when they fined a central Washington fruit farm a record-setting $2 million this week. But is the state's motivation really about keeping workers safe? Dillon becomes deeply suspicious of the state's targeting of Gebbers Farms as their spokeswoman Amy Philpott joins him to share the real story of the farm's efforts to protect workers in the pandemic.

The harmful 'adjudication' process state leaders are calling for in Whatcom County has been used before--in Yakima, where it caused far more harm than good. John Stuhlmiller, Washington Farm Bureau CEO, joins Dillon to explain the history, and why the story of what happened in the Yakima basin clearly shows why adjudication is not the right solution for the Nooksack basin's water woes.

Lynne Rainey Wheeler's family farm near Acme could be forced out of business if state leaders go ahead with a harmful plan to 'adjudicate' water rights. She joins Dillon to explain what this dire situation means for her farm and her family, and how hard they have worked to help improve water issues in the Nooksack River's south fork near their farm.

Farming in Washington state relies heavily on irrigation, flood control, transportation and other benefits from dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. But activists have claimed that those dams are the main problem harming endangered salmon in those streams, and they want the dams to be taken down. A major new study from a leading salmon researcher, Dr. David Welch, shows that dams are not the obvious culprit in the ongoing decline of Chinook salmon. Dr. Welch joins Dillon to explain the findings and share evidence pointing to where the real problems harming salmon are occurring.

If a farm no longer has reliable access to water, everyone knows that's a threat to their crops that need to be irrigated to grow. But the problems start long before that ever happens. Jay Gordon with the Washington State Dairy Federation joins Dillon to explain how the uncertainty of a water rights adjudication like state officials have proposed in the Nooksack Basin would start killing farms long before any water were to be shut off.

Although the Washington State Supreme Court's recent ruling on overtime for farm workers was focused on dairy farm employees, fruit farms and many others are bracing for major changes as well. Dan Fazio, Wafla Executive Director, joins Dillon to explain the impact the ruling will have far beyond dairy, and how ultimately it will hurt farm workers and force more and more of our food to be produced in foreign countries.

Whatcom Family Farmers has launched the Virtual Farm Circle, transforming the traditionally in-person event to an online activity in response to pandemic restrictions. WFF Outreach Director Gavin Willis talks with Dillon about the project and how it was produced.

Politically-driven activists are applauding a WA Supreme Court ruling forcing dairy farms to pay all workers overtime. But the reality is that this will ultimately take opportunities away from farm workers, Scott Dilley with the Washington State Dairy Federation tells Dillon.

Despite state officials pushing a new plan to "adjudicate" water rights in the Nooksack basin, some people still naively believe salmon restoration work and community collaboration will be able to continue as the state's legal process plays out over coming decades. But natural resources attorney Bill Clarke says that's not reality. He joins Dillon to explain how the plan would leave much environmental work in the basin deadlocked.

Ongoing sampling shows years of efforts by farmers, cities, environmentalists and regular citizens have succeeded in reducing bacterial contamination and other pollution in Whatcom County's waterways. Meg Harris, Whatcom Conservation District Water Quality Data Coordinator, joins Dillon as well as Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Director, to talk about the latest sampling results, the stories of success, and the work that still needs to be done.

The special minimum wage the federal government requires farmers pay foreign guest workers has far outpaced wage growth in virtually any other category. Now, Wafla director Dan Fazio joins Dillon to explain how an effort to bring the so-called Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) more in line with other workers' wages has been challenged in court.

New data is exposing more lies from labor activist groups Familias Unidas por la Justicia and Community Community Development led by Rosalinda Guillen. The groups had blamed an Eastern Washington fruit farm for a COVID outbreak, claiming the farm hadn't done enough to protect workers. Save Family Farming Executive Director Gerald Baron joins Dillon to explain how a public health official is now calling out the activists' false narrative and asking them to stop spreading fear.

After an Eastern Washington dairy farm decided to fight the false accusations of activist Oregon lawyer Charlie Tebbutt--rather than settle out of court as other farms have done--the lawyer and the activist groups he represents asked for the case to be dismissed. Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director, joins Dillon to explain what we know so far about the situation, and how this could spell the beginning of the end for Tebbutt's sue-and-settle scheme to take down Washington dairy farms.

A water rights adjudication in the Nooksack Basin would cause more harm than good, Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood tells Dillon, who reiterated the harm the proposed process would cause local farming. Fleetwood explains his concerns about the expensive legal bills, community discord, and lengthy time the Washington State Department of Ecology's plan for an adjudication in Whatcom County would bring.

Washington state leaders want to pit neighbors across Whatcom County against each other in court, in a damaging effort to rank who has the oldest water rights. Henry Bierlink, director of the Ag Water Board of Whatcom County, joins Dillon to explain why the local farming community is not only concerned about their future, but also about how the plan would harm salmon recovery and divide the entire community.

Dangerous wildfires have swept through parts of Eastern Washington in recent weeks, destroying massive amounts of animal feed, fences and barns. Whidbey Island farmer Ron Muzzall, along with his family and friends, were among dozens of Western Washington farmers who loaded up hay and hauled it across the Cascades to donate to fire-stricken farmers and ranchers.

It's been a bad year for hay fires in Whatcom County, and one of the biggest was at Albert de Boer's farm near Ferndale. de Boer joins Dillon to share what happen, and explain why this year has been so difficult for local hay farmers.

Urbanization is a major threat to salmon, and if state officials get their way, urban expansion into local farmland would accelerate rapidly in the coming years. Gerald Baron, Save Family Farming Executive Director, joins Dillon to explain how the Washington State Department of Ecology's troubling plan would divide the local community and encourage urbanization, hurting salmon recovery efforts and crippling local farms.

A recent Lynden Tribune letter to the editor raised fears that a specific pesticide was being used in local potato farming. But Washington State University scientist Chris Benedict tells Dillon that pesticide isn't ever used on potato plants, and he explains how local potato farming actually works.

A plan to divide our community and take water access issues to court could spell the end for much of Whatcom County's farming community, says local seed potato farmer Greg Ebe. Ebe, who is also an accomplished civil engineer, explains to Dillon how the troubling plan by the Washington State Department of Ecology could put farms out of business, stall cooperation on salmon restoration projects, and ultimately harm fish as well as local farming.

The Washington dairy community—and now dairy farmers and groups across the nation—have been calling for the EPA to pull a study that falsely blamed dairy farms for groundwater pollution in the Yakima Valley. Washington State Dairy Federation Executive Director Dan Wood updates Dillon on the 9th Circuit Federal Court’s recent ruling against the EPA’s effort to have the dairy farmers’ legal case thrown out.

Triple Wren Farms in Ferndale, WA, had big plans for 2020, but COVID-19 forced the flower farm to adjust. Steve Pabody owns and operates the farm with his wife and kids, and talked with Dillon on the new podcast Real Food Real People about the challenges they've faced.

The long-running local tradition of the Whatcom Farm Tour, organized by Sustainable Connections as part of their annual Local Food Month events, continues on in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Maressa Valliant, Sustainable Connections' Marketing Coordinator, tells Dillon how they were able to modify the event to happen entirely online, and how the virtual presentation actually meant some positive changes for the event.

Case VanderMeulen came to the US from Europe in the '80s, and has grown his Eastern Washington dairy from a one-man show to one of the biggest milking operations in the state. Dillon shares a preview of his conversation with Case on his new podcast, Real Food Real People, where Case helps demystify how large dairies really work.

Fish need farms to stand in the gap between them and the urban pollution that is decimating their populations, says Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers' Executive Director. But, he tells Dillon, local farms are also threatened by encroaching urbanization, and looming legal action by powerful state agencies is threatening to rapidly increase that troubling trend, putting both fish and farms in Whatcom County at extreme risk.

Cool, rainy days in June and early July have caused major struggles for red raspberry growers working to harvest their crop. Randy Kraght with Barbie’s Berries talks with Dillon about what’s been happening in the fields.

Lots of rainy days have put a damper on the start of the red raspberry harvest in Western Washington, but farming-focused weather blogger Rufus La Lone tells Dillon there are better days ahead for the fruit crop. Find his weather blog, The WxCafe®, at https://ovs.com.

Meet Jewel Plagerman, the brand-new Whatcom County Dairy Ambassador who's been immersed in her family's Laurel-area farm her whole life. She talks with Dillon about the unusual circumstances of her coronation, as well as what the ongoing coronavirus pandemic could mean for her year of educational and advocacy work for local dairy farming.

Far too often, American farmers are being undercut by foreign imports, forcing prices down and putting thousands of family farms out of business. Florida blueberry grower and Demand American Grown founder Bud Chiles joins Dillon to explain how they plan to turn this trend around by making it easier for consumers to know if they're buying food from American farms. https://www.demandamericangrown.org/

Boxx Berry Farm co-owner Mike Boxx fills Dillon in on the expectations for this year's strawberry crop, as well as the numerous other fruits and vegetables the Ferndale-area farm grows and sells locally.

With Gov. Jay Inslee releasing new COVID rules for farms, Scotty Dilley with the Washington State Dairy Federation talks with Dillon about the challenges farmers are facing to implement the changes, and as well as the confusion over the inconsistencies they present.

Skagit county dairy farmer Dwayne Faber explains what's happened with milk prices since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Proposed state emergency housing rules for temporary farmworkers that would have left thousands without a place to stay during this year's fruit harvest were rejected for a more reasonable plan to protect workers from COVID-19. Pam Lewison, Washington Policy Center Initiative on Agriculture Director, fills Dillon in on the changes made to the new rules before they were finalized.

U.S. trade officials are announcing an investigation into concerns about unfair trade practices with imported red raspberries. Henry Bierlink, Washington Red Raspberry Commission Executive Director, talks with Dillon about what this could mean for raspberry farmers here in Washington state.

Potato farmers across Washington state are facing a major crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lynden-area seed potato grower Melissa Bedlington tells Dillon why some farmers are disking new potato plants back into the ground, and why millions of pounds of potatoes are going to waste in Washington state alone.

There's a bizarre new twist in an already-fraught tale of opportunistic labor activist groups trying to leverage the coronavirus pandemic to achieve their longstanding political goals. Pam Lewison, director of Washington Policy Center's Initiative on Agriculture, joins Dillon to explain why the extremist groups that had only weeks ago pushed changes that would leave thousands of temporary farmworkers without housing are now--and we're not joking--demanding ping pong, pool tables, and “the fullest range of television programming available” for those workers.

While labor activist groups claim they're only suing Washington state to protect temporary farmworkers from COVID-19, the fact that the protections they're demanding would actually harm those farmworkers is prompting questions about the real motives behind their lawsuit. Now that they've dropped from their lawsuit the key--and most harmful--demands for temporary farmworker housing, Save Family Farming Executive Director Gerald Baron joins Dillon to expose these extremist groups' troubling track record and real motives for suing the state.

In a court hearing held by phone, a lawyer for labor activists suing Washington state over COVID protections for temporary farm workers did not even mention the housing changes the activist groups had been demanding. Wafla executive director Dan Fazio joins Dillon to explain what this means, and what's next for farms trying to protect workers and bring in the 2020 harvest.

Host Dillon Honcoop exposes the real reasons labor activists are suing the state of Washington over COVID protections for temporary farmworkers, and explains how the activists' efforts will ultimately harm--not help--those workers.

Activists are suing the State of Washington, claiming state government is not doing enough to protect farmworkers from COVID-19. But their action may ultimately harm those same workers they say they're trying to protect, says Dan Fazio, director of Washington-based farm labor organization Wafla. Fazio joins host Dillon Honcoop to explain how the state and farmers are working together to protect workers, and how the groups behind this new lawsuit have some troubling ulterior motives.

A small Whatcom dairy famous for their glass milk bottles had to scramble to adjust as some retailers' caution around COVID-19 called for what may sound like a simple change. Hear the full story from Twin Brook Creamery co-owner Larry Stap as Dillon shares an excerpt from this week's episode of his new Real Food Real People Podcast (https://realfoodrealpeople.org)