skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump and allies prepare to take power after a decisive win over Harris; Advocates continue to fight for Medicaid expansion despite election setback; Some Louisiana residents eligible for broader health coverage; MA educators, parents celebrate the end of MCAS graduation requirement.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris concedes, but promises to 'fight on' in a speech at Howard University. Republicans celebrate a potential red sweep, though a House majority is still uncertain. And a statehood mandate gains support on Puerto Rico.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Abortion care can be five minutes away in California or 11 hours for women in Texas, rural living proves a mixed blessing for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

Project Gives WA Farmers a Voice on Future of Their Land

play audio
Play

Tuesday, August 15, 2017   

SNOHOMISH, Wash. – A new project captures the issues facing agriculture in Snohomish County through the farmer's lens - literally.

Seven farmers took part in the Photovoice project hosted by the Snohomish Conservation District and the Nature Conservancy, snapping photos that expressed the importance of agriculture and their local concerns for the future of farming.

Heather Cole, community relations manager for the Nature Conservancy, says farmers highlighted urban growth, climate change and resiliency.

"These are big, complex, difficult issues," she says. "But what made this project unique was that we saw these issues through the eyes of the farmers."

Farmers, salmon and cities all play a role in the river valleys of the Puget Sound region, including Snohomish County. This project highlights farmers' approach to issues facing the valley.

The Snohomish Conservation District is putting together a long-term plan for agriculture in the region, focusing on resiliency.

One of the farmers, Anna Caruso of Caruso Farms in Snohomish, says she approached the project from the perspective of small farms. She says it's important for decision makers to listen to farmers like her.

"When you're making a plan for something that is supposed to be long-term, I think it's important to start with the people who are actually doing it, right?" she asks. "So, working the soil or in any capacity."

Libby Reed, owner and operator of Orange Star Farms in Monroe, says policymakers should take on the issue of climate change so that farmers can manage their land in environmentally sound ways.

"Maybe some changes in regulation or easing some permitting standards or fees will allow us as farmers to plan for the future success of our businesses but also make it easier for us to steward our land," Reed notes.

Bill Pierce, owner of Soaring Swallow Farms in Arlington, focused on the concerns of urban sprawl into farming land. He says farmers don't usually enter the political realm.

"We're not normally a very vocal group because we're really pretty busy people and trying to make things every day, but I think that the reality of what's going on out here is something that the officials need to know about," he explains.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
City governments are strengthening financial security for families through reimagined debt-collection practices, equitable ability-to-pay processes and increased access to financial empowerment services. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Young people convicted of crimes in Pueblo can now avoid serious and long-lasting consequences when they are unable to pay fines or victim restitution…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin experienced its first election using the state's new competitive political maps, and experts said it made a significant difference in …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota voters this week signed off on giving a longer shelf life to a funding tool helping protect the state's natural resources and its backers se…


Protestors rallied for Medicaid expansion at the Kansas Statehouse in March. (Lacey Kennett/Alliance for a Healthy Kansas)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Health-care advocates are vowing to continue their fight to expand Medicaid in Kansas - despite this week's election, which expanded the Republican …

Social Issues

play sound

Once homeless and suffering from addictions himself, Joplin's mayor now leads a crusade to help others overcome the same hardships. About 53,000 …

California voters rejected the latest effort to raise the minimum wage statewide and to allow cities to enact local rent control. (IcemanJ/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

California political analysts say inflation and voter confusion contributed to the failure of propositions to raise the minimum wage and allow stronge…

Social Issues

play sound

Advocates of criminal-justice reform warn the passage of Proposition 36 will mean a sharp reduction in funds to anti-crime initiatives. The measure …

Social Issues

play sound

Donald Trump's victory in the race for the White House was again aided by wins in rural states such as Nebraska. While other contributing factors …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021