LA CONNER, Wash. — US Senator Maria Cantwell was in Skagit County Friday to talk with local farmers and agriculture advocates about an upcoming farm bill.
The Skagit Valley Herald reports participants told Cantwell that maintaining research and development funds, securing trade opportunities and keeping dairy farms economically viable are top priorities.
Cantwell hopes to have the bill’s content set by June, which includes federal farm and nutrition programs that support crop insurance, research, conservation and more.
Anne Schwartz, owner of Blue Heron Farm, emphasized the need for measures that would help new farmers and would connect farms with local food markets, telling Cantwell “our farmers are in a real crisis.”