Striking video images tell the story of state agriculture

Rianne Perry
International Marketing Program

Tomas Guzman, left, filming Kyle Mathison, center, whose family operates
Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee, for an episode of Washington Grown.

Private sector marketing experts have known for a long time – striking and compelling images can be the most powerful tools for relaying information. Washington state agriculture has a visual story to tell, and now WSDA has an eye-catching resource for that purpose. 

A new three-minute video packs a rapid-fire overview of Washington crops, harvest methods, processing, producers and exporting capacity. It was produced by the International Marketing Program to promote the state’s agricultural products potential to overseas buyers. It was also crafted in a way that would be long lasting and offer value to WSDA as a whole. 

My program is excited about using this video at marketing events, for overseas and in-state buying missions and sharing with our customers online. In addition, we invite other WSDA programs to consider how this communication tool might help them promote the industry we serve by conveying the diverse, vibrant range of Washington agriculture. 

Opportunity – Tell our story

Like most of the agency, International Marketing (despite our name) does not generally have any funds available to create marketing material. However, during the previous fiscal year, both Joe Bippert and Sue Davis left the program. These staff vacancies created the opportunity to redirect some funds. 

Filming at the WSU Cremery.

I knew about the Washington Grown video series that tours state ag sites and includes recipes for the featured food product. They work with the production company North by Northwest which, over four seasons of the show, has accumulated lots of footage of farms, ranches and production facilities. 

Based on advice from our Communications Office and after consulting with North by Northwest, hiring them for this project seemed like a natural – and efficient – fit. 

Both specific and general

To meet the needs of the International Marketing Program, the video includes crops and products most often exported overseas – both the biggest and emerging markets. With over 300 crops produced in Washington, it was impossible to include everything, but we packed in as many as we could. We also wanted shots of Seattle -- the most globally recognizable place in our state -- and of course, images of ports to establish our exporting capacity. 

Kristi Gorenson, right, interviewing in a potato field.

Showing processing facilities helps establish our food safety compliance, which is an important concern for many foreign buyers and consumers. We were also careful to avoid showing any specific brand or product names. 

Pairing the images with only music had a number of advantages. It kept cost and production time down by avoiding script writing, approvals and recording. For our program, this also makes it more accessible to our customers for whom English is not their primary language. 

I encourage you to view the video, below. It has been one of the most watched videos posted on our agency Facebook page, with more than 40,000 views to date. Measured another way, this three-minute video has been watched a total of over 390 hours. 

If your program is interested in showing the video for an event or meeting, we welcome you sharing it. Various formats are available, some better suited for projecting onto a large screen. Contact me if you’d like to know more. 

In summary: A new WSDA video, initiated by the International Marketing Program, uses striking images to tell the story of Washington state agriculture.

Yakima potlucks bring agency staff together

Robert Ambriz
Eastern Washington Safety Officer

WSDA’s Yakima office held a potluck on July 6 to both celebrate Independence Day and encourage connection and camaraderie across programs housed in this regional building. 

Clockwise around the table from front left: Tammy Best, Alberto Hernandez, Brittany Holmes, Patrick Scott, Nick Poolman, Jorge Contreras, Hector Casique, Katie Buckley, Meili Wang, Jacqueline Sharp, and Kirk Robinson.

Especially on that second aim, it was a great success. All the chairs filled up quickly and we had to get more. Lots of food choices filled the table, from hot dogs and chicken salad, to vegetable salad. After we all had a chance to grab some grub, we went around the table and introduced ourselves, saying what program we represented, and how we spent the 4th of July. 

Making it even more special, we had a surprise guest; Deputy Director Kirk Robinson joined us. It was an enjoyable gathering, with the feel of a family reunion where we ate, talked, and had a wonderful time.

So far, I have been initiating these potluck gatherings at Yakima. However, I’d be happy to share and have any other building staff volunteer to organize them. They have been timed around holidays mostly, including Halloween and Thanksgiving. 

Staff who’ve attended have been enthusiastic, asking me when the next one will be and even suggesting themes for the future. With each subsequent potluck, we add a few more attendees. It’s been a great way to get to know the other WSDA folks in the building.

In summary: Potluck gatherings at WSDA's Yakima facility are bringing staff from the resident programs together for food, conversation and camaraderie. 

Lean effort leads to improved enforcement process

Jerry Buendel,
Weights and Measures Program

More efficient processes that speed turnaround, save staff time and improve customer service are some of the goals of a Lean effort underway in the Plant Protection Division’s Weights and Measures Program.

Lean project team member, Tahis McQueen,
conducts a fuel inspection. 

Weights and Measures regulates devices such as scales and meters, as well as oversees the sale of motor fuel. The program protects consumers and ensures that businesses are competing fairly. Their work assures accurate measurements and charges for consumer goods like produce, deli meat and gasoline, and industrial products such as hay, chemicals and gravel.

Improved process = results

After working through the stages of a formal Lean effort, the program’s new process will more clearly and efficiently resolve enforcement actions for both the customer and the agency. The improvements will:

• Remove a long and confusing series of steps in the process.
• Create clear options for customers to complete and exit the enforcement process.
• Create documents to help customers better understand how to navigate the process, get in compliance and avoid a monetary penalty. 
• Make timely decisions to conduct a re-inspection or proceed with a civil infraction. 

One of the more significant changes will save at least 14 days by eliminating the practice of sending a second Notice of Correction to customers that did not respond to the first notice.

The changes will encourage customers to get into compliance rather than incur monetary penalties and engage in costly hearings. Customers will get better education, as will registered service agents who are responsible for device repairs and reporting.

AmyJo Shriner, Lean process facilitator said of this Lean team, “They did amazing work in a very short period of time and we’re expecting great results.”

The Lean journey

Weights and Measures Program staff spent three days in March defining their problems, mapping the existing process, developing measures to analyze, and recommending how to fix three of the 10 major problems they identified.

After some data gathering and research, the team met in May to create an improved and ideal state of the existing process. The program began testing with partial implementation of the changes on July 1.

Art Fluharty, Weights and Measures inspector, checks scales at Sea-Tac Airport. 

During the current phase, they will gather data and make additional changes, aiming for full implementation on Sept. 1. The team will monitor performance for another 90 days and make adjustments to the process and their web-based inspection system.

The project team made huge leaps in very short time. They devoted five full days in meetings and about one day on individual assignments. We expect that this time carved out of our busy schedules will result in better service to customers and big savings for the program and our dedicated staff.

The project team members are Jay Draper, Autumn Dryden, Timothy Elliot, Frank Fox, Luann Graydon, Tahis McQueen, and Shane Snyder. The team also consulted with Henri Gonzalez and Elizabeth McNagny from the Administrative Regulations office. Amy-Jo was our Lean facilitator and I served as the project sponsor.

In summary: The Weights and Measures Program embarked on a Lean effort that is resulting in a more efficient enforcement process expected to speed turnaround, save staff time and improve customer service.

New operating budget affects services, activities and employees

Walter Hamilton
Financial Services

Gov. Inslee signed the 2017-19 biennial operating budget on June 30. Here’s a brief overview of items of interest for WSDA and its employee. For more details, visit fiscal.wa.gov where you can read the bill, find the numbers and drill down to agency reports. 

Employee salary and benefits

• Across-the-board salary increases of 6 percent over the next two years - 2 percent on July 1, 2017; 2 percent on July 1, 2018; and 2 percent on Jan. 1, 2019.
• Increased vacation leave accruals throughout state employment. For instance, in the first and second years of employment, employees will get two additional days of leave per year - 14 instead of 12. At 25 years and above, employees will get 25 days per year instead of the current cap of 22 days.
• New employees may use accrued vacation leave immediately instead of having to wait six months.
• Employees’ PERS 2 retirement contribution rate increases from 6.12 percent to 7.38 percent beginning July 1, 2017. 
• Olympia NRB parking rates increase from $25 to $35 per month in July 2017.
• Cost of ORCA Transit Pass increases for employees in King County.

Plant protection

WSDA received funds to continue high-density gypsy
moth trapping. 

Asian gypsy moth eradication - $180,000 in General Fund-State, combined with $723,000 in federal grant spending authority, provides for ongoing post-treatment and high-density trapping required by the USDA to determine the effectiveness of spring 2016 eradication efforts.

Spartina eradication - $400,000 reduction in Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account funding for spartina monitoring and eradication efforts.

Food and produce safety

Food safety lab accreditation - $334,000 in General Fund-State in ongoing funding for activities that allows WSDA’s Food Safety and Consumer Services Laboratory to maintain its International Standard Organization accreditation.

Produce safety grant - Federal grant spending authority is provided for WSDA to develop a program that educates and trains producers, along with inspection and testing procedures for produce food safety, in compliance with the Food Safety and Modernization Act.

Marijuana certification

Edible marijuana certification - WSDA is granted direct statutory authority to regulate the sanitary processing of edible, marijuana-infused consumer products. These functions were previously done as contract work for the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB).

Voluntary marijuana certification - Senate Bill 5131 allows WSDA to establish a new voluntary program to certify state-licensed marijuana producers who use production practices similar to current organic standards. This bill also requires WSDA to work with LCB to study the feasibility of allowing industrial hemp to be sold or transferred to marijuana processors.

Other areas

Small farm direct marketing - $250,000 in one-time General Fund-State funding for WSDA’s Farm to School and Small Farm Direct Marketing programs to provide guidance, training, and technical assistance to producers and buyers.

WSDA hosts networking events and farm tours, like this one to Booth Canyon Orchards
in the Methow Valley, to support regional producer and buyer markets. 

Shellfish farm permit coordinator - $132,000 in one-time General Fund-State funding, starting July 1, 2018, for a new staff position to improve shellfish farm permitting.

Non-lethal wolf management agreements - $300,000 one-time funding in a new Northeast Washington Wolf-Livestock Management Account. This new grant program establishes cost-sharing agreements with livestock producers to support non-lethal measures to minimize livestock loss from wolves and other carnivores. WSDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program will manage this grant application process.  

In summary: The 2017-19 state operating budget that took effect on July 1 contains several items that affect WSDA’s programs and employees.

AgForestry graduate highlights India trip

Hannah Street
Communications

AgForestry Class 38 poses in front of the Taj Mahal on January 14, 2017.

After many hours of plane travel, WSDA Dairy Nutrient Management Program’s Chery Sullivan and her AgForestry Leadership Program peers arrived in Delhi. Twenty-two members of Class 38 traveled to India, one of the last locations in a long line of seminars.

The 18-month program, intended to develop leaders in the agriculture, forestry and fishery industries, included 13 seminar sessions, mostly in Washington state, but also in Washington, D.C. with final training in India and Nepal.

Before traveling overseas, AgForestry class 38 volunteered at a Tacoma homeless shelter to learn about the impact of agriculture on different kinds of living environments. They learned about forestry in Longview, working with the media in Spokane, and irrigation in Moses Lake. In Walla Walla, the class met prisoners at the Washington State Penitentiary.

On the trip to Washington D.C., the class was surprised by the normalcy of meeting with officials and senators. “One common observation we made was how surprising it was to us that senators and legislators are just regular people with a job to do,” Chery said.

A spice market in Old Delhi. 

World travelers

After arriving in Delhi, the group was up early the next morning, seeking transport in rickshaws. “It truly felt like Disneyland,” Chery sad. “It did not feel real.”

Heading to their first Indian destination in rickshaws, Chery said she relished the new experience. As unreal as the sights and sounds felt to these travelers, the experience was just as unusual for Indians.

“We were kind of the sight to be seen in many places,” she said.

As the group navigated public spaces to reach their seminar destinations, acclimating to social norms proved interesting. For example, the dress code for women on the trip was “all-covering and modest,” and Chery said she and the other women were often instructed to wear additional coverings when they visited mosques and monuments.

Air quality was another adjustment. Pollution was such a problem, Chery’s peers were often pictured with face masks. She described the layer of murky discoloration that seemed to plague every surface.

Much to see and learn

The "Amar Singh Gate" of the Red Fort of Agra. Boiling Mustard oil could be poured on
invaders from the pots abovethis drawbridge. 

“Yes it was crowded, yes it was noisy, yes it was polluted, but our hosts were incredibly gracious and so happy to have us,” Chery said. At Punjab Agricultural University, school officials greeted the AgForestry class in suits, and their visit was reported in the newspaper.

Chery marveled at how close she and her classmates got to famous monuments, such as the Taj Mahal. Built to honor and house the tomb of an emperor’s third wife after her passing, the white marble structure is inlaid with precious stones. At the Red Fort of Agra, the main residence of emperors during the Mughal Dynasty, Chery described intricate details carved into stone and statuesque palaces and mosques. “The access was phenomenal. We could touch the walls and feel the age, the design and the craftsmanship,” she said.

Chery’s area of expertise, dairy nutrient management, looked very different in this part of the world from what she sees here.

AgForestry Class member Curtis Roy feeds a prized Indian Gir cow at the National
Dairy Research Institute in Ludhiana, India. Jensena Newhouse looks on from behind.

Dried cow pats are used as fuel. And unlike the large reservoirs of dairy nutrient waste in the states, herds in India are spread out enough that they don’t have the same management issues we do, Chery said.

Indian dairy production and herds are also very different. The water buffalo and Brahman cows native to India are important to the quality and quantity of Indian dairy. And at the National Dairy Institute, Chery and the group learned that India is attempting to develop Coca-Cola-flavored milk with the goal of marketing to more families with young children.

On to Nepal

Next the class went to Nepal, where tourism is an important part of the economy, Chery said. Small grocery stores dotted the streets, and hand-crafted wares were sold by the cartload.

The Monkey Temple is a holy site for Buddhists and Hindus of Kathmandu, Nepal.

Nepal is still recovering from a massive 2015 earthquake; infrastructure is developing and improving, and several countries, including the United State, have sponsored building repairs.

In Chery’s experience, the AgForestry Leadership Program was educational and an excellent professional opportunity. She graduated with a better understanding of her leadership style, more knowledge of national and international agriculture industry issues, and skills she can bring back to her department.

Women of AgForestry Class 38 at an Indian Mosque. (From left to right: Chery
Sullivan, Sonja Jensen, Emily Bautista-Herdt, Tammie Perrealt, Kali Clark,
Hilary Aten, Hannah Poush, Erin Kloes (the trip's designated "responsible adult"),
and Jensena Newhouse. 

For more information about the program, see AgForestry’s website and a previous WSDA Insider blog post.

Photos courtesy of Chery Sullivan and Jordan McDevitt.

















In summary: WSDA's Chery Sullivan details the delights and insights of her AgForestry Class 38's trip to India and Nepal.