Agriculture is one of the top industries in Washington State.  It ranks right up there with aerospace, software and biotech.  Unlike most states which have only one or two big crops, Washington has a huge number of what are called "specialty crops", i.e. apples, pears, raspberries, milk, pears, wheat, potatoes and so on. Of these, only wheat is one of the "big 5" US crops (the others being corn, soybeans, cotton and rice) that together receive 92% of US subsidies.

These many crops bring in $42 billion a year, employ 160,000 people and contribute 13% percent to the state's economy, making Washington State the 11th largest farm state in the country.  So then why is it that not one of our US Senators or Congressional representatives sits on any of the primary Ag committees?  I don't get it.  Not even our two Eastern Washington Republicans - Cathy McMorris Rodgers or Doc Hastings, both of whom represent areas most dependent on agriculture - sit on any of the Ag Committees. 

There are four primary Ag Committees:

• House Agriculture Committee (46 Members)
• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee (20 Senators)
• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (12 Members)
• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (16 Senators)

Not having representation on these committees matters for two reasons that I can see.

One, we have no one directly and consistently advocating for our unique range of crops or the importance of growing healthy food.  Very little federal money is set aside out of the Farm Bills for promoting or supporting "specialty crops".  The big money is in the big 5 crops and a huge amount of political donations go to the folks on the Ag Committees from Agribusiness companies, influencing them to give yet more money to the big 5 agribusinesses.   

Two, Washingtonians have a more sophisticated understanding of the importance of attending to climate change and to the related impact on our water supply, soil quality, need for export facilities and the quality of life here and, unfortunately, the Ag Committees have a huge influence on the upcoming Climate Change bills.  To a person, the members of the House Agriculture Committee are being resistant to any substantive bill and are the main cause for the watering down of the climate bill that will get through.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a sane Washington State representative or two talking about the importance of limiting global warming because of the impact it will have on our water supply for our agricultural counties and the recreation areas that supply tourist dollars to so much of our state?

Here's a link to the Friends of the Earth who have a nice way to contact your Congressional representative.  All of them, even McDermott, need to hear from us immediately.  It's the least we can do since our Reps and Senators aren't helping from any of those Ag Committees.