Washington State has 21 agricultural commissions. Commissions were established in the 1930’s explicitly to provide a way for farmers to pool their resources to address their cultivation issues and improve their market conditions. Commissions represent 100% of the farmers that grow the crops; hops, wine grapes, blueberries and, of course, apples are all represented by a commission. Some commissions do strictly research, education and representation; some focus on marketing and some do both. A recent JLARK study of various Washington commission members found value in their participation. Farmers across various commodities are happy to have their commissions at their backs.