The Farmer's Annual Trip to DC...

It’s a beautiful day…sunshiny, but too cold to feel you must go work in the yard.

Perfect weather, pretty much -- in my opinion.

And yesterday it was the same…Such an encouraging beginning for March.

The Farmer is missing out. I brought him to the airport first thing Sunday morning, and he is off to Washington DC for the week – his annual trip for the Northwest Center for Small Fruit Research. We’ll admit it…He’s become one of those lobbyists!

But just kinda…

The NCSFR conducts research projects that benefit small fruit industries – that is, small industries that produce fruit. It doesn’t mean that the fruit has to be a certain size. The Farmer has worked with this organization for many years, and appreciates how they take the funding they’ve received and multiply its research benefits amongst a number of smaller industries that could not secure funding on their own. It’s one of too few government funded programs that produce a lot of “bang for the buck” when it comes to research value.

So, every year for the last decade, The Farmer has donned a suit and tie to go visit the offices of our Representatives and Senators and say: “This is what we have done with the money you appropriated for this program last year, and this is our plan for the coming year, should you be so kind as to fund us again.” The group from the NCSFR includes growers and processors from Washington, Oregon and Idaho – and it’s their mission to meet with as many of those Representatives and Senators as possible in their few days there. It’s a very busy week.

Their approach has been well-received, in part because they bring to DC the people who have most benefited from the research conducted – and because the money is well-used, not wasted.

Generally, The Farmer and I are not fans of government funded programs. Too often they are inefficient, interfering, and irrelevant. However, this program is one that is doing things, for the most part, the way they should be done. We feel we can support this, and The Farmer feels he can speak to its benefits and ask for further support because of its efficiency and relevance.

But I presume that he will not be too happy to hear about how nice the weather is over here…because he would rather be in his coveralls working on his farm, than in the halls of power and telling someone about it.

So I think that I will not bring up the weather unless he asks about it…

But he’s a farmer so there’s NO chance that he won’t ask about it.

I sure hope it’s nice next week…