Finds that the state's agricultural industry is diversified, productive, and a major contributor to the Washington economy. Urban and rural communities statewide benefit from the direct and indirect jobs, income, and revenues generated by agricultural production. Agricultural land is essential to providing citizens with food and fiber and to ensuring aesthetic values through the preservation of open spaces.

Finds that excessive government regulation can cause agricultural land to be converted to nonagricultural uses, and that inconsistencies between federal and state regulations can cause confusion for those persons affected. In addition, agricultural activities conducted on farmland are often subjected to nuisance lawsuits that encourage and even force the premature removal of the lands from agricultural uses. The legislature further finds that for the agricultural industry to survive, farms must be able to adopt new technologies and to diversify into new products. The legislature intends with this act that agricultural activities conducted on farmland that are consistent with good agricultural practices will be protected from excessive, inconsistent regulation by government and from nuisance lawsuits.