Agriculture

Agriculture is the leading employer in our state. More than 160,000 Washingtonians work to provide safe, high-quality food for our dinner tables and for export around the world. Our growers market more than 300 products, including traditional favorites such as apples, potatoes and wheat. They also supply the rapidly expanding market for premium wines, shellfish and certified organic foods.

Governor Gregoire is committed to supporting agriculture by promoting our world-class foods to export partners. She is equally committed to highlighting the freshness and value of our products to home state consumers through the From the Heart of Washington campaign. To protect the public’s health, she has asked the state to step up inspection and surveillance efforts that ensure the safety of our food supply.
As farmers and ranchers struggled with higher fuel prices and other costs of doing business, Governor Gregoire has been proud to provide targeted tax relief for farming families.

Promoting Washington Agriculture

Governor Gregoire knows a strong Washington economy relies on a strong export market. That’s why Governor Gregoire has made it a priority to promote Washington products and agriculture to other nations.

During her tenure, Governor Gregoire has met with and hosted many heads of state, including the presidents of China, South Korea and Mexico and the prime ministers of New Zealand and South Korea.

She has led multilateral trade missions to Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, England, France, Germany and Mexico. She has also worked with leaders from India, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Austria and Switzerland on trade and economic development.

During a 2006 trade mission to South Korea, Governor Gregoire urged the removal of a number of trade barriers that limited exports of Washington asparagus, beef, coffee, potato products, tree fruit and wine, as well as other products. Governor Gregoire also spearheaded a bipartisan letter with Oregon’s Governor Ted Kulongoski and California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman. That letter urged attention to specialty crop trade barriers that limit exports to Korea. As a result, almost all of the trade barriers will be eliminated.

When Washington’s horticultural industry expressed concerns about India’s restrictions on the use of wax on fruit, Governor Gregoire secured meetings with the Indian ambassador and sent numerous letters to Indian officials. Those communications urged the government of India to delay implementing its new wax regulations until the science behind our use of wax on horticultural products could be explained. Ultimately, India did not restrict the use of wax on our apple exports.

Governor Gregoire has focused attention on Mexico’s imposition of antidumping duties on Washington apples in 1997. This issue was pressed during each trade mission to Mexico over the past decade, through countless letters and phone calls, as well as in meetings with Mexican officials in Olympia. Although Mexico still imposes antidumping duties on some Washington apple exports, the market has been pried open enough so that apples have resumed their spot as the industry’s most valuable export market.

Protecting Family Farmers

Governor Gregoire appreciates that Washington farmers keep our families fed and our economy thriving. In 2007, Governor Gregoire signed into law a measure that supports farmers by protecting their right to farm and helps keep their working lands profitable and protected. House Bill 1648 also increases protections for agricultural operations, activities and practices by broadening the definition of agricultural activity.

In 2008, Governor Gregoire signed into law the Local Farms – Healthy Kids bill. The new law makes it easier for schools to buy locally grown food, which provides markets for local farmers and nutritious, fresh local food for children.

Governor Gregoire also realizes water is the lifeblood of the agriculture community. She remains committed to shoring up water supplies across the state. In July 2008, Gregoire announced several projects aimed at bringing water to Red Mountain in the Tri-Cities area, a highly productive grape-growing region. The governor also announced funding to research ways to store millions of gallons of Columbia River water in underground aquifers to be reallocated when communities need it most. In addition, Governor Gregoire granted the state the ability to issue drought permits to Eastern Washington irrigators who face shutoff during dry years.