THE VOICE: Alex McGregor speaks out for Northwest farmers
- “When Alex speaks, everybody listens,” said Colfax cattle rancher Tom Kammerzell, Pacific Northwest Waterways Association president.
- Chairman of The McGregor Company, McGregor advocates on behalf of farm families on a wide range of issues, including maintaining the services of the Snake River dams.
Story by Matthew Weaver, Capital Press, Jan. 19, 2024
COLFAX, Wash.
— Any public meeting receives a jolt of energy the moment Alex McGregor stands
up to speak.
“Good
morning!” he’ll revive the audience with a booming voice. Or “Good afternoon,
friends!”
A microphone
is usually unnecessary.
The chairman
of The McGregor Company, a major provider of fertilizers and other inputs in
the Northwest, uses that voice to advocate on matters critical for farm
families: Conservation policy. The farm bill. Environmental issues.
McGregor, 74,
is particularly involved in the long-running fight to maintain the four lower
Snake River dams. He calls recent federal mediation in a lawsuit over dam
operations “miscast and even deceitful.”
The Biden
administration and plaintiffs announced a settlement agreement in December.
Most ag and electric utility stakeholders felt ignored.
“You have to
have sound science and meaningful dialogue as cornerstones in that process,”
McGregor said. “The benefits of the dams are substantial, and trying to shut
out agriculture, home owners and businesses is highly inappropriate.”
District
Judge Michael Simon will decide whether to stay the litigation following a Jan.
12 deadline for the government to respond to filings by all parties involved in
the lawsuit, in reaction to the proposed plan.
The plan
moves the region into “areas of uncertainty that are troublesome,” McGregor
said.
“...If we go
through this process of restricting clean hydropower that can be generated, and
making transport by barge more difficult and less safe, that to me is a
dead-end road,” he said.
McGregor
works alongside longtime company employee Leslie Druffel. Druffel serves as
co-chair of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association’s Inland Ports and
Navigation Group, an intervenor-defendant during the mediation.
“We’re both
going full-blast trying to speak out on the issues that matter,” McGregor said.
“I haven’t slowed down, but the pace of the challenges has accelerated.”
The company
has advocated on behalf of agriculture, rural communities and electricity
ratepayers all along.
“We’re not
about to stop now,” McGregor said.
The McGregor Company
There’s an
enormous wealth of knowledge and history behind that voice.
McGregor’s
family dates back more than 140 years on the Palouse, raising sheep, wheat,
alfalfa and barley.
Sherman
McGregor, Alex’s father, began experimenting with commercial fertilizers in
1948, working with other farmers and the Washington State College dryland
experiment station in Lind.
Research and
agronomy efforts proved so successful that Sherman founded The McGregor Company
in 1956.
Today, 36
company locations offer fertilizer, agri-chemical and equipment services
throughout Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
Alex took
over as president in 1989. He moved into the chairman role in 2017, as son Ian
became president.
Importance of farm
families
McGregor grew
up “in that tiny little town” of Hooper, Wash., about 45 miles west of Colfax,
where the company is headquartered. When he was a kid, it had a population of
about 50 people. Today, about 25 people live there.
He spent a
year at law school, then got his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural
history at the University of Washington.
Rather than
studying the history of farm families, he wanted to be involved in serving
them.
“I’ve been at
this for 48 years come February,” McGregor said. “What drives me now is a sense
of how important farm families are to agriculture, and how important
agriculture is to the Inland Northwest.”
About 96% of
the arable land in Washington is farmed by family enterprises, according to the
state Department of Agriculture.
McGregor
points to gains the industry has made during the lifetime of today’s farmers:
Productivity has increased 200%, waterborne soil erosion has been reduced 85%,
dust reduced six-fold and stubble burning reduced 22-fold.
They are “the
biggest gains in productivity and stewardship of any generation since crops
were first sown 11,000 years ago,” McGregor said. “It’s a really good message.”
And McGregor
is a really good messenger, industry leaders say.
‘When Alex speaks,
everybody listens’
“He is a kind
and enthusiastic supporter of everyone, and sees the good in the world that
oftentimes many of us forget to look at,” said Druffel, the company’s outreach
coordinator and McGregor’s partner in advocacy.
“When Alex
speaks, everybody listens,” said Tom Kammerzell, president of the waterways
association and a Colfax, Wash., cattle rancher. “He is well-spoken, makes his
point and does his homework. He advocates and speaks from the heart. Alex is as
good as it gets.”
“Alex
McGregor’s impact on Washington agriculture is undeniable,” said Derek
Sandison, state Department of Agriculture director. “His experience in and
passion for the industry are what continue to make him such a valuable advocate
and trusted voice. I appreciate his leadership and the wealth of knowledge he
brings to every collaborative opportunity.”
“He
enthusiastically shares his voice, his passion, and his historical knowledge of
our region and our ag industry, providing important background to leaders,
lawmakers, and the public,” said Michelle Hennings, executive director of the
Washington Association of Wheat Growers. “When we do tours, especially of the
Snake River dams, Alex can connect the dots between what people are seeing and
how that touches their lives in a way few others can.”
McGregor has
been recognized as WAWG’s Member of the Year several times, Hennings said, “an
honor he truly deserves.”
Historian
Richard Scheuerman, a longtime friend and collaborator, recalled a time
McGregor testified before Congress about the farm bill.
“Literally in
the same week, he’s in Washington, D.C., with the top decision makers in the
land working on policy favorable to farmers nationwide, and ... he’s visiting
with a group of elementary children in rural LaCrosse about the story of
agriculture in the Northwest,” Scheuerman said. “He cares about second-graders
and he cares about farmers in the Inland Northwest and beyond. He just operates
at all these levels, and it’s incredibly impressive.”
Personal time
On a recent
Wednesday, McGregor was developing the company’s annual presentation for
upcoming grower winter agronomy meetings.
He then
turned his attention to maintaining crop insurance in the new farm bill in
Congress, an ongoing concern.
Later that
evening, he and Linda, his wife of 46 years, would babysit several of their 12
grandchildren. They have three kids — Ian, Kate and Emily.
On weekends,
he likes to drive rail motorcars, or “speeders,” often traveling by rail to
Thornton, St. John and Hooper with up to 40 other people in 20 speeder cars.
Traveling by
rail gives him a new perspective on the land, even in places with which he’s
familiar, he said.
He plans to
write a new edition of his first book, “Counting Sheep,” focusing on his 50
years in agriculture – as time allows.
“I’m hoping
the pace of challenges slows down a bit,” he said. “But I don’t see that
happening right away.”
What’s at stake
It’s more
important than ever to help young people understand agriculture, and why it
matters, McGregor said.
“If people
live a long ways from the farm or are three generations removed from
agriculture, they don’t understand, and that’s really our responsibility – to
make sure that they do,” he said. “Whether they could or should, they won’t,
they have other things to do – unless we reach out and tell our story.”
He’ll
continue to help doing that wherever he can, he said.
“I want
another generation to have their time in the barrel, too,” he said. “We need to
help those young people understand: Opportunity, what’s at stake, why it
matters. We’ll get that story done, all of us, but so far, results are mixed.”
‘When we all pull
together’
McGregor
recently came across a 1998 article he wrote for the industry magazine Wheat
Life.
It was all
about dams and salmon.
“Same story
today,” he said. “It means we haven’t advanced very far, because for 25 years,
things have been driven by lawsuits.”
Agricultural
stakeholders aren’t convinced breaching the dams will solve the problem of fish
survival. They say more information is needed about ocean warming or latent
mortality – the death of salmon in estuaries or the ocean because of the stress
experienced passing through the dams. Salmon returns have also struggled in
West Coast rivers that have no dams.
They’re
concerned about negative environmental and economic repercussions if the dams
are removed, including the loss of barging on the river system that is used to
get crops to overseas markets. More pollution, higher electricity costs and the
loss of irrigation water are additional concerns.
McGregor
fears both political parties are losing track of the importance of
international trade.
“The
difference it makes for our economy, but the difference it makes for the world,
when hunger is at, alas, record levels,” he said. “We can’t isolate ourselves
from being an essential element in feeding the world.”
Farm families
have a good reputation, but need to make sure the public and legislators
understand what they do, and why, he said.
“We’re going
down a wrong path when we focus on things that don’t improve the environment
and don’t improve the survival of fish,” he said. “When we all pull together,
we can get things done.”
‘Unquenchable
optimism’
For veteran
farmers disheartened by yet another legal battle over dams, McGregor points to
“unquenchable optimism,” one of several key traits displayed by the pioneers as
they came to the region.
“Look back at
the achievements of this greatest generation of people now retiring,” he said.
“We haven’t won all the battles, but we’ve really held our own pretty well,
because we’ve been in the trenches, we’ve been speaking out. We have to keep
doing that.”
He has a
“great deal of admiration” for the farm families who set down roots in
agriculture.
“If I can
help remind people there are good reasons to be optimistic, help tell our story
and win a skirmish or two along the way, I want to do that,” McGregor said.
“But it’s bigger than me. ... It’s talented people on farms. It’s not that hard
to speak out, you just do it, do it and do it. It gets easier over time. You
might even get to a point where you are excited about it and want to tell the
story. Then you’re on a roll.”
:::::::::::::::
From Joe Beach, editor/publisher, Capital Press, Jan.
19. 2024
Alex McGregor is a well-known and
boisterous voice for agriculture in the Northwest.
He is the chairman of The
McGregor Company, a major provider of fertilizers and other inputs in the
Northwest.
This week, Matthew Weaver wrote
an indepth profile of McGregor.
People who know him say his
booming voice adds a jolt of energy to the room when he stands up to speak in
advocacy on matters critical for farm families.
“When Alex speaks, everybody
listens,” said Tom Kammerzell, president of the waterways association and a
Colfax, Wash., cattle rancher. “He is well-spoken, makes his point and does his
homework. He advocates and speaks from the heart. Alex is as good as it gets.”
McGregor works alongside longtime
company employee Leslie Druffel. Druffel serves as co-chair of the Pacific
Northwest Waterways Association’s Inland Ports and Navigation Group, an
intervenor-defendant during the mediation.
“We’re both going full-blast
trying to speak out on the issues that matter,” McGregor said. “I haven’t
slowed down, but the pace of the challenges has accelerated.”
People in the know say McGregor
has made a difference.
“Alex McGregor’s impact on
Washington agriculture is undeniable,” said Derek Sandison, state Department of
Agriculture director. “His experience in and passion for the industry are what
continue to make him such a valuable advocate and trusted voice. I appreciate
his leadership and the wealth of knowledge he brings to every collaborative
opportunity.”
It doesn’t appear that McGregor
plans to stop anytime soon.
“I’ve been at this for 48 years
come February,” McGregor said. “What drives me now is a sense of how important
farm families are to agriculture, and how important agriculture is to the
Inland Northwest.”
::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cutlines for photos. All photos by Matthew Weaver, Capital Press, and appeared in the Capital Press Jan. 19, 2024, issues unless otherwise indicated.
McGregor Company President Alex McGregor, with son Ian McGregor, vice president of the company, in Colfax, Wash. Both are Pullman High School alumni. Screen grab from YouTube video posted by Pullman Regional Hospital on June 9, 2020.
=Alex McGregor at The McGregor Company headquarters in Colfax, Wash. The company offers fertilizer, agri-chemical and equipment services in 36 locations throughout Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
=Jason Biggs,
director of the rail, freight and ports program for the Washington State
Department of Transportation, visits with Alex McGregor during the Nov. 2
ceremony for the Winona train trestle, which was rebuilt after a fire in
August.
=Alex McGregor
and his father, Sherman McGregor, founder of The McGregor Company, in 1985. Courtesy
of The McGregor Company
=Alex McGregor
beams as the first grain train rolls across the rebuilt train trestle Nov. 2 in
Winona, Wash.
=Alex
McGregor participates in a tour designed to show regional and national
ag leaders the importance of the lower Snake River dams in 2021.
=McGregor Co. employee Leslie Druffel serves as co-chair of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association’s Inland Ports and Navigation Group.
=A class photo of the students and teacher of the first through fourth grades of Hooper Grade School for the 1958-59 school year in Hooper, Wash. In the first row, from left, are Mary McGregor, unknown and Nancy Mays. In the second row, from left, are Vickie Tobin, Alex McGregor, Ina Marie Blegan and Mrs. Alley. Photo by Leo’s Studio, 1958. Photo courtesy of the Whitman County Library, from the private collection of The McGregor Company. (WCL0282, washingtonruralheritage.org) Photo appeared in an issue of Washington Association of Wheat Grower’s “Wheat Life Magazine.”
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Alex McGregor
Title: Chairman, The McGregor
Company, in Colfax, Wash.
Age: 74
Hometown: Hooper, Wash.
Current location: Lives in the
country outside Pullman, Wash.
Education: master’s degree and
Ph.D., degree, both in agricultural history, University of Washington
Family: Wife Linda, married 46
years; children Ian, Kate and Emily; 12 grandchildren, ages ranging from 5 to
25
Books:
• “Counting Sheep, From Open
Range to Agribusiness on the Columbia Plateau” – chosen by the Washington State
Centennial Commission as one of the top one hundred books written in the state
during its first century.
• “Harvest Heritage,”
co-authored with Richard Scheuerman
• “Merchants, Packers, and a
Rugged Path to Success, Walla Walla and the Mullan Road, 1860-83” in The Mullan
Road, editors Paul McDermott, Ronald Grim and Philip Mobley.
Hobbies: Writing, stamp
collecting, driving rail motor cars, also known as speeders
Website: https://https://mcgregor.com