SPOKANE, WA (July 2, 2018) – Today, Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) welcomed the Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to Eastern Washington to meet with local farmers and hear about the issues impacting the Inland Northwest. The two began their day in Spokane where they welcomed local farmers and agribusiness leaders to the Spokane Club to ask questions and discuss important issues of the day. They talked about the need for trade certainty and growing concerns about tariffs and their impact on farmers, as well as the great forestry work being done on the Colville National Forest and the need to continue working to reduce the regulatory burden on farmers so they can continue to provide food security to the world.

After breakfast, Cathy and Secretary Perdue walked across the street to the Spokesman-Review and joined for a podcast interview on many of these issues. You can listen to the full podcast by CLICKING HERE. 

Next, the two made their way to Colfax where the McGregor Company hosted a town hall style event. Secretary Perdue and Cathy answered questions on trade and international market access, the importance of crop insurance, and advocacy for country of origin labeling standards for meat products. The nearly 100 people in attendance got the chance to hear the Secretary’s vision for the Department of Agriculture and his commitment to working with Cathy to be unapologetic advocates for Eastern Washington farmers. In case you missed it, Cathy shared the event live on Facebook. You can see it here:

The two finished their day by touring Washington State University. First, they toured the school’s Plant Growth Facility and met with researchers and students to hear about the research being done on Eastern Washington’s club wheat.

Next, they visited the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health where they heard about the important research being done on campus as it relates to animal disease and treatment. Finally, Cathy and Secretary Perdue stopped by Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe and the WSU School of Food Science. From Cougar Gold to Cosmic Crisp Apples to Ferdinand’s delicious ice cream, they were able to learn more about WSU’s food science programs and research.

One of Cathy’s biggest priorities in the farm bill was to protect and increase funding for agricultural research, like the great work being done at Washington State University. That’s why it’s so necessary to be able to show the Secretary firsthand the great things being done in our communities and to tell the story of Eastern Washington agriculture. As the Congresswoman says, “if we don’t tell our story, someone else will.”

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