With a new Congress in place, at both the state and federal levels, many ag groups are back to the table trying to educate legislators on what is needed.
Kate Tynan, Senior Vice President at the Northwest Horticultural Council, says it’s not easy, but it is important.
“And that’s always a challenge, both with the, what we call freshmen or the new members within Congress as well, frankly, as a lot of the veterans. And you have new staff who are coming in, and that can be an opportunity, as much as it is a challenge, to make sure folks are up to speed.”
But the information that they share, Tynan says, is always changing.
“The challenges that our growers are facing have evolved and are certainly more acute today than they were, you know, even just a few years ago. So, just making sure that our elected officials and those in these decision-making positions understand the realities of today and why we simply just can’t keep punting on this issue. We have to come up with some solutions now because there are going to be fewer growers standing tomorrow than there are today, and that trend is going to continue unless they act.”
One of the big challenges growers are facing is the ag trade deficit.
“You know, you look at the survey data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service and just see what the numbers were in 2017 and what the numbers are in 2022. And we all know, at least in our industry, it’s a lot worse today than it was even then.”
Is there any good news for agriculture in 2025.
“Well, I would say one piece of good news is the presumed appointee for the Department of Labor, Lori Chavez DeRemer. She is a Representative from Oregon. She’s familiar with our industry and our region, and she’s somebody we’ve worked very closely with on reforms to the H-2A program, including challenges related to wage growth.”