Senator Murray Tours WSU Breadlab, Talks Investing in Value-Added Agriculture in Skagit County

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Senator Murray: “I want you all to know just how serious I am about delivering federal investments to support the Port of Skagit and agricultural initiatives like Breadlab, which keep our economy running and food on our tables.”

(Burlington, W.A.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured the Washington State University (WSU) Breadlab at the Port of Skagit and held a roundtable discussion with Breadlab researchers and Port of Skagit officials on the importance of Value-Added Agriculture in Skagit Valley and of key federal investments to move the region forward.

During the stop, Senator Murray heard from local leaders about the Port of Skagit’s partnership with Breadlab and the agricultural innovation Breadlab is leading, and underscored her commitment as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee to delivering federal investments to support the Port and leading agricultural initiatives like Breadlab.

“All of us rely on farmers, ranchers, growers, and producers who work hard to get the foods we enjoy from the soil to the kitchen table. And because of initiatives like Breadlab, Skagit Valley is leading the way on agricultural innovation,” said Senator Murray. “The research that’s happening right here at WSU is helping to produce more sustainable and economically viable crops, which helps keep our shelves stocked with food that’s safe, healthy, and affordable.”

“As Congress works on the Farm Bill and in my new role as Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I want you all to know just how serious I am about delivering federal investments to support the Port of Skagit and agricultural initiatives like Breadlab, which keep our economy running and food on our tables,” continued Senator Murray.

She was joined at the roundtable by Dr. Stephen Jones, Director of the WSU Breadlab; Kim Binczewski, Managing Director of WSU Breadlab; Janine Sanguine, Special Projects Director of WSU Breadlab; Sara Young, Executive Director of the Port of Skagit; and Steve Omdal, Commissioner of the Port of Skagit.

Senator Murray has been a longtime advocate for Washington state’s farmers and has always advocated for major investments in cutting-edge agricultural research—like the research conducted at Washington State University (WSU) and all across Washington state. In last year’s government funding package, Senator Murray secured key investments to support Washington state agricultural priorities, including:

• $1 million in additional research funding for the Pacific Northwest Herbicide Research Initiative based at Washington State University, which aims to address unique herbicide resistant weeds that burden Washington state wheat growers, bringing the program’s total annual funding to $3 million;
• $250k in additional funding for Little Cherry Disease (LCD) research, bringing the annual funding total to $2.25 million in an effort to help cherry growers in Washington state with LCD detection and mitigation;
• $4 million for potato breeding research—an increase of $1 million over FY22—to help Washington state potato growers compete in the global marketplace;
• $58 million to cover cost overruns on construction of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facilities, so that new state-of-the-art research facilities like the one planned for WSU’s Pullman campus can stay on track;
• $1 million in additional funding for the Barley Pest Initiative to support research on diseases that threaten barley production and utilization; and
• $750,000 for research and eradication efforts of the Northern Giant Hornet in Washington state, which will be used by the Washington State Department of Agriculture to monitor and eradicate this invasive species before it can establish in the United States.

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