Pam Lewison, Washington Policy Center Journalist Profile

Articles

Guest Commentary: Oft-misunderstood ag community needs greater emotional support

3 days ago | spokanejournal.com | Pam Lewison

Late author Brian Brett is credited with writing, “Farming is a profession of hope.” It is one of my favorite reminders about the life I pursue. As May's National Mental Health Month comes to a close, it seems fitting to share a glimpse from my home-office window. My bio notes I am a fourth-generation farmer in Eastern Washington who works in public policy advocating for farmers and ranchers. It is a balancing act to do my jobs.
Policy changes can offer hope, help to farms

1 week ago | washingtonpolicy.org | Pam Lewison

Policy changes can offer hope, help to farms Brian Brett is credited with writing, “Farming is a profession of hope.” It is one of my favorite reminders about the life I pursue. As National Mental Health Month comes to a close, it seems fitting to share a glimpse from my home office window. My bio notes I am a fourth-generation farmer in Eastern Washington who works in public policy advocating for farmers and ranchers. It is a balancing act to do my jobs.
Women farmers experience farm stress differently

1 week ago | pacificresearch.org | Pam Lewison

A little more than a third of farms in the U.S. are owned and operated by women. Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests women in ag experience the difficulties of farming and ranching differently than their male counterparts. The research further suggests additional efforts should be made to address mental health considerations specific to women in agriculture. Among the unique stressors identified in the study were work-life balance, succession planning, and animal mortality.
Beef still superior to ‘Meatless Mondays,’ according to data

2 weeks ago | pacificresearch.org | Pam Lewison

Research suggests Americans are paying closer attention to what they eat resulting in a slightly healthier population but climate change has not slowed in the last two decades. What has improved since the inception of Meatless Mondays is efficiency in cattle nutrition, water use, land management, and overall footprint in both the U.S. and on a global scale. On Jan. 1, 2025, there were reportedly 86.7 million cattle in the U.S. national cattle herd.
Cattle can be a first line of fire defense

2 weeks ago | pacificresearch.org | Pam Lewison

Research tells us cattle removed an estimated 11.6 billion pounds of fine fuels from California rangelands in 2017. Removal of fine fuels – grasses, shrubs, weeds – changes wildfire behaviors by keeping fires smaller and reducing flame length. As fire seasons continue to be a challenge for the state and in the wake of the devastating fires in Southern California, more research needs to be done to explore every possible means to save people from the devastation that fire can cause.
Legislative empathy for ag can create a healthier Washington for all

2 weeks ago | washingtonpolicy.org | Pam Lewison

Legislative empathy for ag can create a healthier Washington for all Four years ago, during the legislative session, a lawmaker circulated talking points noting farmers could afford more taxes because they earned $250,000 working part-time. This legislative session, during a work session on rural and agricultural mental health, a legislator asked how farmers and people living in urban environments were different.
Bankruptcies in farm country put strain on mental health

3 weeks ago | washingtonpolicy.org | Pam Lewison

Bankruptcies in farm country put strain on mental health When bills pile up, groceries begin to feel expensive, filling up the gas tank is a chore because of the cost, and every penny counts, those are mental health stressors. When those expenses are compounded by the potential to lose your farm – your home and job – at the same time. The pressure is exponentially greater. Financial stress on farms is often cited as the single biggest stressor for farmers and their families.
Gray wolf study arms ranchers with research in coming gray wolf battle

3 weeks ago | pacificresearch.org | Pam Lewison

There’s an adage about bears in the woods. It’s a tongue-in-cheek commentary about what’s obvious in life. Ranchers have known for years that the presence of wolves near livestock has a negative effect on everything from weight gain and maintenance to overall animal stress. A recent study released by researchers from the University of California, Davis confirms much of what ranchers have observed since the first gray wolf pack was observed in Siskiyou County in 2015.
Beef superior to ‘Meatless Mondays,' according to data

3 weeks ago | washingtonpolicy.org | Pam Lewison

Beef superior to ‘Meatless Mondays,’ according to data The push to make “America healthier” and “save the environment” via vilifying cattle and meat production was promoted through Meatless Mondays beginning in 2003 by Mad Men-era advertising guru Sid Lerner. After more than 20 years, the slogan remains but has the goal been reached?
New bill in Congress revisits Prop 12

1 month ago | pacificresearch.org | Pam Lewison

Imagine buying a house and having to adhere to the standards of a homeowner’s association five states away. In a practical sense, that is how Proposition 12 operates for pork producers across the United States. The law also outlines provisions for the house of laying hens and veal calves. Animal rights activists in California, via the implementation of Prop 12, are determining how pork, egg, and veal production in the rest of the United States should be conducted.