As my fifth year at Washington Policy Center ends, I thought it was appropriate to come up with a theme for the annual year-end wrap up.

I kicked around songs, books, films as themes but it felt like I was trying too hard. Fifth anniversaries are traditionally celebrated with wood – a symbol of longevity and deepening roots. Given the current climate some of our farmers feel they are in, longevity and deepening roots seem far-fetched. I think we have come a long way and have a ways more we can go.

The 2024 legislative session included opportunities and obstacles. There is no doubt opportunities slipped away, and obstacles remain but new discussions were had. State representatives heard from Kathy McKay and Mel Tonasket on the importance of gray wolf management. Senators listened to stories from people like April Clayton and Alejandro Anita about the damage the agricultural overtime legislation has inflicted on farmworkers and farms. Both hearings laid out the unique fabric of our farms and ranches for the whole state to see.

Legislative session is not the end of agriculture policy in our state. Leaders from our farming and ranching community gathered in Kennewick to discuss the viability of agriculture. The two-day event, a first-of-its-kind discussion, co-hosted by Washington State University and the Washington State Department of Agriculture explored ways in which our farmers and ranchers could become more economically efficient. 

One member of the WSU staff suggested the goal was to make Washington’s farmers and ranchers the Billy Beane-era Oakland A’s of agriculture. If you don’t follow baseball lore, under Beane’s leadership, the A’s were the first team in more than 100 years to win 20 consecutive games in a single season. Beane’s approach to baseball: objective analysis of player skills to build a roster. Beane’s approach applied to agriculture: objective analysis to make farms and ranches as cost-efficient as possible.

Fall brought harvests and anticipation for the coming year. There have been promises of familiar legislation from the past. Some of those friendly reminders of legislation-past will be friend and some will be foe. The rumor is a new suite of riparian buffer bills will return next session requiring large swaths of land set aside for fish habitat. The proposals for new taxes have already been unveiled. There are also plans to continue fighting to put wages back in the pockets of farmworkers by providing an overtime flexibility window. There may also be legislative support for ag and rural mental health. 

Farmers and ranchers know that good and bad can walk hand-in-hand. How we choose to deal with both is the key to success. So, as year five wraps and I head into year six, I see a trail of good and bad, ups and downs. I remember the triumph of having a bill I helped create get assigned a number and the utter desolation of having a fur producer send me a plea for the salvation of his livelihood. I am certain more of each are ahead.

I used to try to wrap up the year with a plan of attack for the coming legislative session. Now, I prefer to be as up to date as I can be and keep in mind the famous quote attributed to Mike Tyson, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” So, here’s to going into 2025 with our hands up and our feet moving.