SPOKANE — Wheat may be king in the Palouse region, but don’t look for its float at Spokane’s annual Lilac Festival parade.
Organizers of the parade told the Washington Association of Wheat Growers that their policies prohibit lobbying groups. That means the growers won’t be able to drive a massive red tractor pulling a group of wheat farming families in the May 19 event.
Organizers told The Spokesman Review that allowing lobbying groups would turn the 74-year-old parade into a political event. The annual parade through downtown Spokane celebrates the military, children and communities across the region.
“We’re not picking on wheat growers,” said Hal Patton, president of the event. “We just don’t allow lobbying groups. If we did, then our parade would become political and lose its meaning.”
The wheat association lobbies state and federal lawmakers on issues important to its members. Its website says that “lobbying is the heart of WAWG activity, all of which is aimed at helping Washington wheat families.”
Wheat farmers consider the entire episode a snub.
“I’m disappointed,” said Eric Maier, a fourth-generation farmer north of Ritzville and head of the wheat growers group.
“We’ve heard several different rationales for their decision,” Maier said, “and, frankly, I have to wonder if they don’t think wheat is important to Spokane.”
Patton bristled at the suggestion. “It’s just ludicrous,” he said. “Any perception out there that we somehow don’t embrace and love, just love our rural communities is just not true.”
Patton said the parade features 200 entries — most of them are schools, communities, military units, veterans organizations and other nonprofit charities and services. Corporate sponsors of the parade are allowed to present a float, as are office-holders such as mayors, county commissioners and members of Congress.
The parade problem came at a time when the entire wheat industry is stinging from another round of criticism, bad press and diet trends.
“We’re just up against it,” said Kara Rowe, director of public affairs for the wheat association. The group is embarking on a public relations campaign that had included being in the parade.
There are about 3,800 wheat farms left in Eastern Washington. While that number is far less than decades past, most are operated by a family. Thousands more people who live in Spokane and other cities still own farmland and lease to farmers.
Strong crop prices have led state agricultural economists to say that in 2010, the crop contributed about $925 million in direct value to Washington’s economy. About 85 percent of the crop is exported for foreign milling and consumption.
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