Ben Barstow
Candidate for Wheat District 2 (Whitman)
Hometown: Palouse, WA
Education: B.S. Plant Protection, University of Idaho, 1980 and M.S. Entomology, Purdue University, 1983
Years of farming: 31
Affiliations: Lifetime member of Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Washington Wheat Commission Board, and Palouse Grain Growers Board
Candidate Statement
I sincerely thank everyone for their support and encouragement over the course of my service to our industry. It has meant a lot to me, and if you see fit to re-elect me to the Washington Grain Commission, I will do my best in continued service for one more three-year term.
Why do you want to serve on the board of the Washington Grain Commission?
After serving two terms on the Washington Grain commission, one of them abbreviated by the covid shutdown, I feel like I have the experience necessary to be truly effective. If you choose to elect me, I would like to serve one more term.
What experience and strengths would you bring to the Washington Grain Commission?
My service to the wheat industry began with the five years I spent as a County Extension Agent on the Camas Prairie of Idaho. Since “retiring” from Extension to take over my father-in-law’s one man farming operation, I have served on the Washington Dry Pea and Lentil Commission, Palouse Grain Growers board, Washington State Commission on Pesticide Registration, State and County levels of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, National Association of Wheat Growers Research committee, and as a commissioner of Whitman County Rural Fire district #4. I have served as president or chairman of each of these entities.
What challenges being faced by the small grains industry would you focus your attention on?
One of the hardest tasks the Commission has set for itself is to look ahead, beyond the normal functions, to recognize and prepare for challenges before they happen. I think one of those is preparing our customers, and potential new markets as well, for a world that includes commercially available GMO wheat. On the production side, another challenge is attracting and keeping top notch research faculty to keep up the pace of research necessary to keep us competitive. Neither of these are simple tasks, and at the same time we must clearly and thoroughly communicate with every wheat and barley grower in the state.
What else would you like the growers and landlords of your district to know about you as a candidate?
It has been my experience that entities like the Washington Grain Commission function best when the elected members work for the good of the entire industry without regard for their personal best interest. If a policy is not good for everyone regardless of where or how they grow their crop, it’s not very good policy..
Additional candidate information
No information submitted