joel kretz

Over the last two legislative sessions, whenever the farming community heard about a new Riparian Bill coming from Olympia, concerns and worries started to grow.  But, this time, it could be different, so says state Representative Tom Dent.   ...

Since 2008 the gray wolf population across Washington has grown nearly 28%, annually.  And despite that continual increase, the wolves remain on the endangered list.  State Representative Joel Kretz would like to give northeast Washington counties the ability to delist the wolf.  The Wauconda area...

Legislation that looks to prevent catastrophic wildfires in Washington cleared the state Senate by a unanimous vote late last week. House Bill 1168, sponsored by Republican Joel Kretz and Democrat Larry Springer, provides $125 million every two years to boost wildfire response, accelerate forest restoration and support community resilience ...

During October’s Washington Policy Center Virtual Farm Hall, members of the Ag community gathered to discuss some of the key issues facing the farming community now and into the future. And one of those topics was wildfires. Wildfires have caused a great amount of damage to the Washington Ag community in recent years, whether it was record acreage burned in North Central Washington in 2014 and 20

Truth in Labeling has been a topic of discussion during the short 2020 legislative session in Olympia, leading to several proposed bills that will impact the farm community.  One, proposed by Representative Joel Kretz looks to require retailers to post a sign in the immediate vicinity to distinguish between “USA beef and “imported” products.  For beef to quality ...

What’s to be done about the growing wolf population in Washington, and the growing number of depredations attributed to those wolves?   Northeast Washington representative Joel Kretz, says for producers to protect their livelihood and their income, they need to know where the wolves are.  That’s w...

By a 12-2 vote Wednesday, the Washington House Ag Committee voted to approve HB 2696 to the floor for a full vote.  According to legislation author Tom Dent, the bill addresses meat and poultry misbranding.  Dent said he’s not opposed to alternative proteins in the marketplace, but he wants consumers to know what they are purchasing.   “If it...

Washington state Representative Joel Kretz is sponsoring legislation in Olympia that he says would clarify from where beef comes.  The Wauconda Republican said it’s important to bring back truth in labeling, to ensure the general public understands if a product comes from the U.S. or not....

The 2019 legislative session in Olympia saw its fair share of legislation addressing carbon in the Evergreen state.  And while most were opposed by the Ag industry, there was one that has received the praise of NE Washington’s Joel Kretz.  The Farm...

It took a while to get out of the Senate, but lawmakers in Olympia passed legislation this month addressing the growing gray wolf population in Washington.  House Bill 2097 requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to review the wolf’s population status by February of next year, as well as consider the listing status of those wolves by August of 2020.  The Legi...