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Schmick bill to merge wheat
and barley commission passes House
'Farmers, like
everyone else, are trying to find ways to tighten their belts,' says
Schmick
Legislation to create the
Washington State Grain Commission passed the House of Representatives
today.
House
Bill 1254, sponsored by
Rep.
Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, would merge the Washington Wheat Commission
and the Washington Barley Commission into the newly-created Washington
Grain Commission.
"Farmers, like everyone else, are trying to find ways to tighten their
belts," Schmick said. "Most of my colleagues in
Olympia were surprised to learn that most farmers who grow wheat also
grow barley. The ability to merge these two entities into one
provides an opportunity to reduce overhead and costs. We're
looking at being more efficient with the limited resources we have."
There are 25 agricultural commodity commissions in Washington.
These commissions are formed primarily to engage in research and
marketing for their specific commodity. The activities of
commodity commissions are funded primarily by assessments on the
producers of the commodities.
"There has been talk of merging the two commissions for the past five
years," Schmick continued. "With the current
state of our economy and with the challenges and financial turmoil
facing our farmers, now seems to be the best time to do this."
Schmick's bill passed the House with a unanimous 97-0
vote. It now goes before the Senate for consideration.
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For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Senior
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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