July 04, 2003
Washington Small-Farm Program on the Edge
Capital Press, by Cookson Beecher, Staff Writer
Wrestling with stiff budget cuts imposed by the Legislature, Washington's Department of Agriculture is looking at a plan that would keep the Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program in place through the end of the year.
Program supporters say this represents a 75 percent cut for the program, which was originally slated to go to the end of the biennium.
The program's goal is to increase the economic viability of small farms, build community vitality and improve the environmental quality of the region. It seeks to do this by opening up direct marketing opportunities and addressing market barriers for small farms in Washington.
"We know it's an important program," said Bill Brookreson, deputy director of the department. "We're looking for grants to see if we can keep it going. But we don't have a lot of money."
Under the state's $23 billion operating budget for 2003-05, the agency's already lean budget has been hit with a $1.26 million funding cut -- almost a 10 percent reduction in its current $15 million General Fund-State budget.
About 60 percent of the department's budget comes from user fees.
Small-farm and sustainable-ag advocates have written to Valoria Loveland, director of the department, urging her to maintain the Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program at its current level, which was $150,000 the past biennium.
The letter points out that two years ago, the state Legislature voted overwhelmingly to establish the program within the department and allocated general funds for it. Three bills sponsored in the House called for creation of the program.
The letter to Loveland also points out that more than $3 million has been leveraged in state, federal and local monies for small farm and direct marketing projects throughout Washington -- from a relatively small state investment of $150,000 for the program for the biennium.
The Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network helped secure a portion of federal specialty-crop funds for direct marketing -- money that was allocated through the department's Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program.
Advocates say the program has proven to be an excellent investment of public funds, with growers and communities from across the state benefiting from it. They also praise the program for playing a key role in increasing the food security of the state by helping people understand why it's important to buy Washington agricultural products.
"In these difficult times for agriculture and uncertainty regarding our country's food security, it is wise to invest in successful programs that help growers to increase their profitability and create a more secure food system in our state," says the letter.
Brookreson would agree with the points made in the letter, but he said money is extremely tight. He predicts that the department may also have to make cuts to its International Marketing Program, although those cuts won't involve staff reductions.
That program is known for the excellent job it does in leveraging state dollars to boost trade opportunities for exporters and to increase the flow of dollars into growers' bottomlines. Some of that additional revenue, in the form of taxes, flows back into the state's coffers in an amount that exceeds the state's funding for the program.
And as is the case for the small farm program, the department will be looking for sources of funding to help soften those cuts to its international marketing efforts.
"There are no magic answers," Brookreson said. "We're trying to minimize adverse impacts and provide as many resources as we can. But it's going to be a tough couple of years for all state agencies."