How will new operating budget affect WSDA?

Kathy Davis
Communications

WSDA’s Regional Markets Program, which received funding
in the operating budget, supports direct marketing farms,
such as those who sell at local farmers markets.

Gov. Inslee signed the 2019-21 biennial state operating budget into law today, May 21. In total, WSDA received $37.8 million in general fund-state appropriations for the 2019-2021 biennium. Our total budget, including non-appropriated fee-based funds, comes to $217.2 million. 

For all state employees, the budget includes across-the-board salary increases of 6 percent over the next two years - 3 percent on July 1, 2019 and 3 percent on July 1, 2020. 

In addition, state employees whose official duty station is in King County will receive a 5 percent “premium” pay increase added to their base salary. This will affect WSDA staff in our Seattle Grain Inspection, Regional Markets, International Marketing, and offices, as well as some seasonal employees. 

Below is a brief overview of new program funding for WSDA in the new operating budget. Unless otherwise noted, the amounts below are from general fund-state. Funding amounts are either for the 2019-2021 biennium only or ongoing. 

Animal Services Division

• Electronic Cattle Tracking - $698,000 in spending authority from the fee-based agricultural local fund to expand the use of electronic tracking of cattle for animal health and disease traceability, and restore the financial solvency of our Livestock Brand Program. It also allows cattle owners to register with WSDA and provide electronic reporting of cattle transactions. (ongoing)

Commodity Inspection Division

• Regional Markets - $500,000 for WSDA’s Regional Markets team to keep supporting rural communities by strengthening the economics of small and direct marketing farms. (ongoing)

• Hemp Production - $212,000 to maintain the Industrial Hemp Research Pilot and transition to a new hemp regulatory program established in law. (one-time) 

Plant Protection Division

• Pollinators - $399,000 for WSDA to establish a program to protect and promote pollinator habitat and health, in coordination with the Apiary Program, the Honey Bee Commission, as well as conservation districts. (ongoing)

Checking the calibration of an airblast sprayer is
taught at WSDA pesticide safety workshops.
Our education program received $250,000 in the
new state budget.

• Spartina Eradication - $400,000 reduction in Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account funding for Spartina monitoring and eradication efforts, since the number of acres infected by Spartina statewide have decreased over time. (one-time) 

Pesticide Management Division

• Pesticide Safety Education - $250,000 for the Pesticide Management Division’s Education Program to expand training for agricultural workers on the proper use and disposal of pesticides. (one-time)

• Pesticide Application Safety Committee - $117,000 to establish a new panel to continue the work begun last year by a pesticide application safety workgroup created by 2018 legislation. (ongoing)

• Aerial Herbicide Application - $36,000 to take part in a workgroup looking at aerial herbicide applications. (one-time)

Administrative Services and Director’s Office

• Data Center Transfer - $326,000 ($64,000 in general fund-state and the rest in spending authority from agricultural local funds) to move WSDA’s technology infrastructure to the State Data Center and pay for related server maintenance costs. (ongoing)
• Northwest Washington Wolf-livestock Management - $432,000 one-time funding to continue cost-sharing agreements with livestock producers to support non-lethal measures that minimize livestock loss from wolves and other carnivores. Of that amount, $80,000 is specified for grants to Ferry and Stevens counties sheriff’s offices for wolf management support. (one-

  

  A pile of oyster shells in the aquaculture
  community of Willapa Bay; WSDA
  received funding to continue shellfish
  industry coordination.

  time)
• Northwest Washington Fair - $250,000 one-time funding to provide youth education programs at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden. (one-time)
• Southwest Washington Agriculture - $250,000 one-time funding to assist with agricultural economic development, including help with grant applications, permitting, and developing a food hub.  (one-time)
• Shellfish Coordinator - $250,000 one-time funding to continue shellfish coordination activities, including assisting the industry to understand regulatory requirements and working with other agencies to streamline pest-management permitting. (one-time)

The budget bill also directed the agency to:

• Convene and staff a Food Policy Forum in collaboration with the state Conservation Commission.
• Work with the Conservation Commission to review existing grants and make recommendations for a sustainable farms and fields grant program. 
• Continue our work related to cannabis (e.g. pesticide lab analysis), by transferring funds to WSDA’s budget which we previously received from the Liquor and Cannabis Board through an interagency agreement. 

Finally, the capital budget (separate from operating budget) included $53.2 million for the Washington Department of Labor & Industries to build a new facility that will include laboratory space designed for and leased to WSDA. 

For more details, visit fiscal.wa.gov where you can read the bill, find the numbers and drill down to agency reports. 

In summary: The state’s operating budget for the 2019-2021 biennium includes several important funding items that will affect WSDA and our employees. Read about some of the highlights of the approved budget in the Insider.