January 22, 2016
CapitalPress.com
AgriBusiness Council has long legacy
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
Even before there was a
chamber of commerce in Spo-
kane, organizations were work-
ing for the benefit of agriculture
in the region.
The earliest roots of the
Agricultural Bureau go back
to May 1887, when a group
of “future-oriented” citizens
organized Spokane’s Board
of Trade, which sponsored the
first Fruit Fair, the forerunner of
the current Interstate Fair.
The Agricultural Bureau’s
name first appeared in reports
in 1917 and changed its name
to the AgriBusiness Council
in 2010, according to a history
compiled by Greater Spokane
Incorporated.
The Agricultural Bureau
was preceded by several ag-
riculture committees during
Exposition 1890, the first ma-
jor event for agriculture in the
area. Fruits, vegetables, timber
and livestock from around the
region were exhibited.
The chamber was incorpo-
rated May 21, 1892.
Other key moments in his-
tory:
1905: The chamber formed
a horticulture committee to
address the needs of the fruit
industry and other types of ag-
riculture.
1908: The National Apple
Show was created and spon-
sored by the chamber’s agri-
culture committee and existed
for eight years. At that time,
the region had 10,000 acres of
orchards in Spokane Valley;
7,000 acres in Deer Park; 2,000
acres in Waverly and 1,700
acres near Medical Lake and
Green Bluff.
1917: The new Agricultural
Bureau began a movement to
improve prices for the wheat
crop in the Pacific Northwest.
1920: The Agricultural Bu-
reau coordinated the first Pacif-
ic Northwest Potato Show and
Growers Conference.
1921: The Agricultural Bu-
reau was instrumental in form-
ing the Annual Fruit Growers
Conference.
1922: The Spokane Cham-
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Jay Allert, chairman of the Agri-
Business Council for Greater
Spokane Incorporated, says the
council and its predecessors
have long been active in pro-
moting agriculture in the region.
ber of Commerce organized the
Northwest Reclamation Con-
gress to promote the federal
Columbia Basin Project. The
chamber provided guidance to
the newly organized Columbia
Basin Irrigation League.
1927: The Agricultural Bu-
reau spearheaded the first dairy
congress, bringing together a
group of dairymen who formed
a cow testing association, eas-
ing friction between producers
and milk distributors.
1941-1945: During World
War II the Agricultural Bureau
pushed for all-out farm pro-
duction. Labor shortages were
a concern and packing houses
were down 50 percent because
of the lack of labor. The Agri-
cultural Bureau War Employ-
ment Committee and the ex-
ecutive board of the chamber
helped alleviate the problem.
An arrangement was made
with the commander of the Far-
ragut Naval Training Station on
Lake Pend Oreille in Bayview,
Idaho, to grant leave to naval
personnel to assist the packing
industry.
1954: The Pacific North-
west Farm Forum began.
1974-1977: Planning got
underway for the Spokane Ag
Expo. A group of volunteers
from the Agricultural Bureau
enlisted 16 corporate sponsors
to underwrite any loss in the
first three years of the show.
The financial commitment was
never needed.
1989: The Agricultural
Bureau provided seed money
for the Washington State In-
ternational Ag Trade Center.
The state Legislature provided
funds for the facility and the
City of Spokane provided the
property and services. The new
facility opened in 1989 with the
Spokane Ag Expo as its first
tenant.
1996: The Agricultural Bu-
reau Marketing Committee
formed to promote the impor-
tance and economic contribu-
tions of agriculture.
1997: The Agricultural Bu-
reau contracted with Washing-
ton State University to measure
the impact that agriculture had
on Spokane’s economy.
2007-2010: The AgriBusi-
ness Task Force determined
a course of action needed to
modernize the Agricultural
Bureau with new activities and
increase its membership.
Feb. 6-12, 2012: Spokane
Ag Expo and Pacific North-
west Farm Forum show week
is designated “Ag Week in
Spokane” as the renamed
AgriBusiness Council con-
tinued to highlight the impor-
tance of agriculture in Spokane
and the region.
June 8, 2012: The Agri-
Business Council presented
the Ag Economic Symposium
through Greater Spokane In-
corporated’s Good Morning
Greater Spokane to showcase
the industry to the urban busi-
ness community.
Nov. 8, 2012: The Agri-
Business Council put together
its first Washington State Uni-
versity Ag Tour for Spokane
business leaders.
Feb. 4, 2014: The AgriBusi-
ness Council, partnering with
the Spokane Ag Expo and Pa-
cific Northwest Farm Forum,
awarded the first “Excellence
in Agriculture Awards” at the
opening session of Farm Fo-
rum.
Feb. 2-4, 2016: Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum will
move from the DoubleTree Ho-
tel to the newly expanded Con-
vention Center, allowing the
Spokane Ag Expo and Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum to be
under one roof for the first time.
“That’s a big history,” said
Jay Allert, a Rosalia, Wash.,
rancher and chairman of the
AgriBusiness Council. “It was
so involved in the creation of
the Columbia Basin Irrigation
Project, the Spokane Livestock
Show, the international ag trade
center when it was in Spokane
— all of these things, the Ag
Bureau played a very integral
part. It’s so significant. It’s kind
of an honor to be part of that
group.”
Spokane used to house 15
feed stores or mills, which
was natural, as agriculture was
a dominating industry, Allert
said.
“It hasn’t been easy, hon-
estly, because there are fewer
people involved and everybody
has less time,” he said. “It really
caused us to evaluate this mis-
sion we’ve always had, but we
have to do it in a different way.”
Today, agriculture is going
through a new transformation
and “reinvigoration,” he said,
pointing to new precision tech-
nology, which increases farm-
ers’ profits and brings in new
people.
“We went through a peri-
od there where young people
couldn’t afford to come back
to the farms,” Allert said. “Our
future was kind of dwindling,
and yet now that’s changing.
We almost have to have (young
people) now because you have
to be a computer-savvy person
to run a tractor, practically. It
means a lot of change. It’s go-
ing to bring a lot of opportunity
to the industry.”
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