Rep. Gloria Mendoza: Message to Olympia: Farms and farm workers rise — or fall together
I grew up in the fields of the Yakima Valley. My family planted and harvested the foods people across Washington put on their tables. I learned early that farm life is not a slogan or a talking point. It is long days, sore backs, tight margins, and a shared pride when a season goes right. That experience shapes how I view every farm-related bill that comes before us in the state Legislature.
I want Olympia to hear the truth that too many lawmakers, especially those who have never set foot in an orchard or a field, keep missing: Farmers and farm workers go hand in hand. You hurt one, you hurt the other.
In recent years, the majority party has tried to frame farming as an adversarial story, worker versus farmer. That narrative may be politically convenient for some legislators who want to pass city-style mandates. I think this is wrong.
Farm workers do not benefit when a farm is pushed to the brink. When costs rise faster than a farmer can absorb them, paychecks do not magically get bigger. Instead, hours get capped to avoid overtime penalties. Outside contractors get hired. Mechanization accelerates. And sometimes the farm closes.
When a farm closes, it is not just a business that disappears. Jobs disappear. Multi-year orchard investments become stranded. Local processors lose supply. Rural tax bases shrink. Communities suffer.
The economic warning signs are flashing. The USDA reported in September that Washington ranked 50th in the nation in net farm income in 2024. Gross farm receipts were about $13.8 billion, while production expenses reached roughly $14.1 billion. That resulted in nearly $295 million in negative net farm income. Washington was alone in the magnitude of those losses.
At the same time, food processing facilities across the state have shut down, eliminating hundreds of jobs and reducing markets for growers. When processing capacity leaves, acres lose buyers and farm workers lose opportunity.
Yet during the 2026 legislative session, and in sessions before it, farming has too often been treated as a problem to regulate rather than a way of life to protect. Many legislators do not look beyond the grocery store shelves. They do not see the 2 a.m. frost calls that send families rushing into the fields, the irrigation pumps running through the night, the harvest breakdowns, or the constant pressure carried by generational farm families fighting to survive another season.
This is not about ignoring worker safety or fair treatment. Those issues matter deeply to me. It is about balance. It is about writing laws that protect people without pricing them out of work and shutting down the farms that make our district run.
I have already started. My heritage apple orchard registry bill, House Bill 2525, passed the House and Senate. It is on the governor’s desk for his signature. This measure preserves historic orchards and recognizes the cultural and economic value of farms that have shaped our communities for generations.
It is also a signal: Pro-farm policies can unite us when we focus on what works.
In my second year as your legislator, I have come to better understand how I can help ensure the success of our farming communities. That means educating urban lawmakers on the real story of how farms operate and advocating for policies that strengthen farms. Because when we protect farms, we protect farm workers. We protect families. And we protect the food security and economic foundation of Washington state.
We are not opponents. We are partners. And it is time our Legislature understands that we are all in this together.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Rep. Gloria Mendoza, R-Grandview, is in her first term representing Washington’s 14th Legislative District.
