Sen. Curtis King has been honored by the Washington Farm Bureau for his work on agricultural issues.

King, the ranking Republican member of the Senate Labor, Commerce and Tribal Affairs Committee, was named the agricultural organization’s 2020 Legislator of the Year on Wednesday.

“I’m honored to be recognized by the Farm Bureau in this way,” said King, R-Yakima, who serves the 14th Legislative District. “Agriculture plays a major role not only in my district but throughout eastern Washington and our entire state. Ag and food processing provide 164,000 jobs in our state and are key parts of Washington’s economy.”

“Senator Curtis King has become one of the champions of agriculture in the Legislature,” said Mike LaPlant, president of the Washington Farm Bureau. “For instance, he was instrumental in helping us defeat legislation that would have raised fees for farmers that use the H-2A program, and he was the primary negotiator in this year’s ag overtime bill.

“All of these bills came with countless hours of negotiating and we would not be in the position we are in today without his strong leadership on these issues,” added LaPlant.

The Washington Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general agricultural organization.