Kristin Meira of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association: How Northwest Waterways Work for Irrigated Farmers
Ships and barges at the Port of Vancouver, Washington.
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Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background.
8 | IRRIGATION LEADER | March 2021
Kristin Meira: I grew up in farm country, but far away from the Northwest. I grew up in South Jersey, about 45 minutes east of Philadelphia. The area was actually quite rural. I was a 4‑H girl my whole life—I went all through the program and have nothing but great things to say about it. I had lots of friends who were in Future Farmers of America. I went to Rutgers University, and during my senior year, I was fortunate enough to have an internship in the governor’s office in Trenton. My first job out of school was working in New Jersey politics for a couple of years. I then moved to Washington, DC, and worked for Senator Bill Bradley during his final 2 years in the Senate before he retired. Then I went to work for Senator Patty Murray of Washington State. That began my love affair with the Pacific Northwest. irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PNWA.
he Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) is a trade association that brings together ports, businesses, public agencies, and individuals to support navigation, energy, trade, and economic development in the Pacific Northwest. One of the industries it helps support is irrigated agriculture in eastern Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. Barge traffic on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, for instance, is a major method by which irrigated crops are shipped to the coast and around the world. In this interview, PNWA Executive Director Kristin Meira tells Irrigation Leader about the association’s work and its importance for irrigated ag farmers.
