The Farming Show

The biggest beef packing house in the Pacific Northwest has been put up for sale by its owner, multinational food giant Tyson Foods.

Jack Fields, Executive Director of the Washington Cattle Feeders Association, joins Dillon to explain why the news has beef producers in the region on edge, and how the high cost of farming in Washington state contributes to their uncertain future.

Speaking out to protect Washington’s family farming community through advocacy, outreach, and education is what Save Family Farming is all about–but what specific areas is the advocacy group focused on right now?

Ben Tindall, Executive Director of Save Family Farming, joins Dillon with a roundup of hot topics and issues the organization is working on currently.

As massive wildfires continue to burn across hundreds of thousands of acres of timber and grazing land in Washington state, the former longtime stewards of those lands are crying foul, pointing out how ideology-driven land management decisions have set the stage for the disaster now unfolding.

Scott Vejraska, an Okanogan County Public Utility District Commissioner, rancher and lineman for the Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative, joins Dillon with an update on the fires and deeper insight into how a shift in land management philosophy by state and federal agencies created a recipe for disaster.

Wildfire is again wreaking havoc across parts of Washington state, devastating farms and ranches as well as homes and entire communities.

While many have been led to believe that climate change is to blame for this destructive new trend of massive fire storms, state mismanagement of forests and rangeland are a major part of this recipe for disaster that’s almost never talked about.

Rancher Rod Haeberle has grazed cattle in the high country near Okanogan, WA for decades, and joins Dillon to explain the harmful changes he’s seen in the state’s approach to lan...

Whatcom County water users sued by the State of Washington now have less than a year to file their claim in the state Department of Ecology’s water rights adjudication in the Nooksack River Basin.

Fred Likkel, Executive Director of Whatcom Family Farmers, joins Dillon with an update on the court case, as well as details on a new resource available for water users struggling to prepare their paperwork and court claim.

The annual Northwest Raspberry Festival–known to many as Razz Fest–again took over downtown Lynden to celebrate local raspberries and the people who grow them.

Gary Vis, Lynden Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, and Stacey Beier, Washington Red Raspberry Commission Associate Director, both check in with Dillon from the bustling 2026 edition of the longtime event.

A Yakima-based anti-farm activist group’s propaganda film raised eyebrows last year after its promotional clips displayed a Washington State Department of Health logo, prompting questions about state funding for its false accusations against farmers.

The anti-farm group, We Are ELLA, lied to Department of Health officials investigating the group’s violation of DOH logo use policy to create the appearance of state endorsement of its false claims against farming in the Lower Yakima Valley.

Ben Tindall, Executive Director of Save Family Farming, joins Dillon with the latest details in the ongoing saga to hold the...

A Whatcom County government advisory committee falsely accused some farmers in the county of breaking federal labor rules in a recent official report.

Enrique Gastelum, Worker and Farmer Labor Association CEO, joins Dillon with a closer look at the false claims and the truth about the federal H-2A guest worker program.

Farmers in Skagit County are fighting a proposal to spend tens of millions of dollars to buy up fertile farmland on the Skagit River delta and turn it into fish habitat with questionable benefits.

Jenna Freibel, Executive Director of the Skagit Drainage and Irrigation Districts Consortium, joins Dillon to explain why farmers are opposed to the idea.

A government advisory committee in  Whatcom County last week attacked local farming with false claims in the committee’s annual report to the Whatcom County Council, falsely accusing local farmers of breaking federal labor rules.

Dillon explains the significance of the false narrative, and digs into the backstory to show how a Bellingham-based anti-farming activist, Rosalinda Guillen, is “laundering” false information through an advocacy group and this government committee in an attempt to make her false claims appear legitimate.

“Plowing Blind” reads the headline on dairy markets columnist Lee Mielke’s latest article, which quotes Save Family Farming Executive Director Ben Tindall.

Mielke joins Dillon to discuss the struggle and give an update on dairy markets.

Much has been made about the struggles facing Washington state farmers right now, with overbearing regulation causing massive cost spikes that are driving farmer take-home pay $400M into the red.

But just complaining won’t solve the problem.

Ben Tindall, Executive Director of Save Family Farming, joins Dillon with a focus on moving toward real, actionable solutions for the growing WA farming viability crisis.

Despite surging costs and some market headwinds, farmers in Whatcom and Skagit counties have one reason for optimism: the 2026 planting season featured outstanding weather, helping crops get off to a great start.

Blake TeVelde, a local agronomist, joins Dillon with a report “from the field” on how this year’s growing season is shaping up for dairy, potato and berry farmers in the area.

Time after time, Washington state agencies have abused their authority and taken steps to harm the farming community.

Charlie Rankin, an independent journalist based in North Carolina, has taken notice of the problem, and joins Dillon to talk about what he sees from his vantage point, particularly in the Washington State Department of Ecology’s heavy-handed and potentially illegal actions against farming.

Without following its own rules, the state of Washington nearly a decade ago fined a Moses Lake-area family crop farm more than a half-million dollars over a water technicality and arbitrary missed deadline.

Although it’s cost them most of their farm and almost put them out of business, the the farmers wrongly targeted by the Washington State Department of Ecology have fought back, and now their case will officially go to the highest court in the state.

Ron and Robin Fode, along with attorney Luke Wake of the Pacific Legal Foundation, join Dillon to ex...

Slapping farmers with huge fines for how they’re using water has become common practice for the Washington State Department of Ecology in recent years, putting some farms out of business and even going so far as to threatening to take one Spokane-area farmer’s land.

But, John Stuhlmiller, Executive Director of the Washington State Water Resources Association, tells Dillon that Ecology’s punishing actions appear to break a state law–a law that Stuhlmiller helped write.

It’s not just the farmworker community that’s worried about the ongoing federal immigration crackdown. Farmers face the possibility of immigration enforcement activity and the fear of raids and arrests interfering with critical harvest seasons.

Eamonn Roach, a Pasco, WA-based immigration attorney, and Enrique Gastelum, CEO of the WA-based Worker And Farmer Labor Association (WAFLA) joined Save Family Farming Executive Director Ben Tindall on a recent online live stream sharing important background on why immigration enforcement poses a threat to farms, and how they can prepare.

Dillon shares a portion of that conversation on The...

Farmland is a precious, dwindling resource that contributes many positive things to the environment, to the economy and even the culture of our communities and our nation.

But unfortunately, many people’s understanding of how to protect it is mistaken.

Addie Candib, American Farmland Trust PNW Regional Director & Western Managing Director, joins Dillon to explain the real challenges of protecting farmland and farmers, especially with the growing viability crisis for farming here in Washington state.

Washington state’s farmers are among the first to worry when the “D” word is used–will drought limit the amount of water they have available to grow their crops?

Cliff Mass, prominent meteorologist, blogger and University of Washington professor joins Dillon to explain why he’s skeptical of the Washington State Department of Ecology’s recent drought declarations, and says there’s reason for optimism for farmers and others worried about the state’s water supply.

Most dairy farms raise the famous Holstein or Jersey breed of cattle for strong milk production.

So why are many of those dairy cows giving birth to calves that are Black Angus–a breed famed for top-notch beef?

Lynne Wheeler, a partner at Acme, WA-area Coldstream Farms, joins Dillon with details on the growing “Beef on Dairy” phenomenon, and how it’s even helped keep many dairies afloat financially through seasons of low milk prices.

Public records and an official complaint filed with the Washington State Department of Health–following an anti-farming activist group’s use of the department’s official logo on propaganda videos–have begun to uncover a troubling trend of public dollars being used to support political attacks on farmers in the state.

Ben Tindall, Save Family Farming’s Executive Director, joins Dillon to share how he’s responding to the Department of Health, putting it on notice for allowing the extremist group We Are ELLA to use money paid by motorists and energy users and intended to fight climate chan...

Farming in Washington is seeing a decline not paralleled in any other state, putting the blame for the downfall squarely on policy decisions in Olympia.

Pam Lewison, Director of the Center for Agriculture at the Washington Policy Center, tells Dillon several specific data points confirm state-level policies are largely behind Washington state’s nosedive to last place in the nation for farmers’ take-home pay.

Filling up in Washington state right now is even more painful thanks to the Climate Commitment Act surcharges on top of already-high fuel prices.

But most people don’t know that some of the extra cash they’re paying for fuel is going to activist groups using it for “community storytelling,” including at least one anti-farm group that’s producing political propaganda films rife with false accusations against WA farmers.

Todd Myers, Director of the Center for the Environment at the Washington Policy Center, joins Dillon with details.

Local farmers have been clear from the beginning: the only way Whatcom County’s water crisis will be solved is through a collaborative process, despite the Washington State Department of Ecology’s water rights litigation in the Nooksack River Basin known as an adjudication.

Fred Likkel, Executive Director of Whatcom Family Farmers, tells Dillon the Whatcom County Council recently gave that perspective a nod with a unanimous vote on a set of changes to the local growth plan acknowledging the importance of community collaboration.

Pundits and social media commenters from both the political left and right are criticizing WA farmers over labor issues, as farmers sound the alarm about worker shortages, Olympia’s costly labor regulations, and now the added pressure of the federal immigration crackdown.

Scott Dilley, Public Affairs Director at the Worker And Farmer Labor Association joins Dillon to counter a few of the myths that the keyboard warriors and armchair quarterbacks are using to build their flawed critiques.

Government data showed Washington state losing an average of two farms a day even before farmers in the state sank to last in the nation for profitability, losing nearly $400M in 2024, with 2025 numbers not expected to be any better.

Brian Reisinger, a Wisconsin farmer, farming advocate and author of Land Rich, Cash Poor joins Dillon with a perspective on Washington’s farming struggles from afar, with the vantage point of another state that’s also seen devastating farm loss.

Farming is struggling in Washington state, and Save Family Farming has joined other leading advocates calling attention to the the region’s troubling loss of food and farming infrastructure contributing to local farmers’ dim outlook.

Bill Briggs, U.S. Small Business Administration Deputy Administrator, joins Dillon to talk about his recent visit to Western Washington, where he promoted his agency’s resources available to help farms and farming support businesses wanting to grow or recover from flooding.

While farmers aren’t excited about higher fuel and fertilizer bills resulting from the recent conflict in Iran, the additional cost wouldn’t be as big of a threat to farms in Washington state if it weren’t for the costly decisions in Olympia that have already pushed many farms across the state to the brink of insolvency.

Jason Vander Kooy, a Mount Vernon-area multigenerational family dairy farmer and Save Family Farming’s Vice President, joins Dillon with details on the impacts he’s seeing, and why pundits who only focus on the Iran conflict’s affects are missing...

A Whatcom County berry farmer is opening up about the recent ICE arrest of two of his key employees, voicing concern about the impact federal immigration enforcement activity is having on local farming.

Randy Kraght, who owns and runs Barbie’s Berries with his wife Barb, tells Dillon he’s worried about the upcoming harvest season, as reports of ICE arrests of farmworkers in northwest Washington have increased significantly within the last couple of months.

As word spreads of the farming viability crisis unfolding here in Washington state, leaders are beginning to talk more about efforts that could help the farming community.

WA State Rep. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, joins Dillon to share her perspective as House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee Chair on the growing crisis and what’s being done about it, including her work on the so-called “Washington Farm Bill.”

Big news for water users in Whatcom County preparing to file their court claims in the state’s water rights adjudication lawsuit: a court ruling has pushed back the filing deadline for many people, creating a single due date of June 1, 2027 for everyone.

Fred Likkel, Whatcom Family Farmers‘ Executive Director, and Gavin Willis, Administrator of the Ag Water Board of Whatcom County, join Dillon with details on the March 9th decision from Whatcom County Superior Court Judge David Freeman, as well as more on how the filing process works.

Most food grown in Washington needs to be kept cool before it ends up on our plates, so refrigeration systems are critical for food and farming production across the state.

While almost all farmers and others years ago changed storage refrigeration equipment to technology that protects the Earth’s ozone layer, regulators now fear the chemicals in these newer systems are a global warming risk.

Because of this, lawmakers have clamped down on cold storage facilities and pushed them to convert to different refrigeration technology–yet again.

Emily Merk, the storage manager for an O...

The latest data is painting a clearer picture of what Washington’s farming community has already been feeling in recent years: farming in this state is struggling more than ever.

Ben Tindall, Executive Director of Save Family Farming, joins Dillon with more on what the statewide farming advocacy group is working on to elevate the awareness of the growing problem, and ultimately spur state leaders to make changes to help WA farming survive.

The Whatcom County Dairy Ambassador and her alternate are about to wrap up their term and pass on the torch.

Ambassador Maddie DeLange and Alternate Sarah Van Berkum join Dillon to share what it’s like to advocate for dairy farming and dairy products in schools and at events all over the local community.

Five to 10 years in prison was the penalty lawmakers in Olympia considered enacting for people who break certain water or air quality laws in Washington state.

Farmers feared a mistake on the farm could be mischaracterized as a deliberate criminal act under the proposed change.

Thankfully, the misguided proposal failed to move forward in Olympia’s current session, and John Stuhlmiller, Washington State Water Resources Association Executive Director, joins Dillon with details.

For 10 years, the Whatcom Conservation District has been hosting the Whatcom Farm Expo.

Alexi Guddal, District Outreach & Education Specialist, joins Dillon with details on the annual local event that’s grown bigger than ever.

The State of Washington’s false accusations and abusive tactics against King Ranch caught the eye of top federal officials, including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and other state attacks on farming are also getting the attention of leading national authorities.

Shad Sullivan, a 5-th generation Texas rancher and farming advocate with the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America, or R-CALF USA, joins Dillon with an outside take on Washington State’s anti-farming actions, and how farmers and ranchers can fight back.

In their quest to get rid of Columbia River dams, activists are suing to force a dam management plan that would create river conditions deadly to endangered salmon.

Adam Ratliff, Executive Director of the Center for Sustainability and Working Rivers, joins Dillon to explain anti-dam activists’ real motives behind the latest bizarre turn in the ongoing battle over the federal dams on the Columbia River system.

With the political controversies and community conflict that have too often surrounded the issue of salmon recovery, many in the Washington farming community want to know: what do salmon actually need to recover and thrive?

Scott Schuyler, a tribal elder and the Natural & Cultural Resources Policy Representative for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, joins Dillon to explain how many issues affect salmon recovery, including some that rarely make the headlines like harbor seal predation, ocean warming and overfishing in international waters.

Schuyler says good relationships between tribes, farming, and other parts of the community are...

A troubling proposal for “card check” farmworker unionization and collective bargaining–that would harm farms as well as farmworkers–is still alive and moving in the 2026 legislative session currently underway in Olympia.

Scott Dilley, the WA-based Worker and Farmer Labor Association’s Public Affairs Director, joins Dillon with an update on the process and more details on how the flawed plan would put farms’ futures at risk and leave farmworkers vulnerable to coercion.