Improve guest worker program to meet agriculture workforce needs

If you have ever taken a job on a farm during harvest, you know it is hard work at mercy of the elements. Much of the work is done by hand, particularly growing and harvesting cherries and apples, which are major crops in Washington state.

As a farmer myself, I have worked in fields and orchards in the Lower Yakima Valley since I was a kid, harvesting asparagus, hops, grapes, tree fruit and more. Across our state, particularly on the east side, agriculture is the mainstay industry for many regional economies.

According to a recent report, the total value of Washington agricultural products sol...