$81 million to help farms and forests

OLYMPIA — After unveiling her proposal for Puget Sound, Gov. Christine Gregoire traveled to an Eastern Washington winery Wednesday to unveil an $81 million budget package to help protect and expand the state's farm and forest economy.

Gregoire said farms and forests need help to ward off encroachment from development. Her plan includes $57 million for Eastern Washington water projects as well as biofuel and crop research, stronger marketing efforts and a new long-range plan to keep the farm economy strong.

The governor said state products are "the global standard for quality" and generate $29 billion a year for the state economy.