Kathy Davis
Communications
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| We Feed Washington helped keep huger relief organizations with 15 million pounds of food |
The list below is in no way comprehensive, but rather a mere sampling of the many achievements of WSDA’s divisions and programs.
Focus on Food Initiative
- The We Feed Washington Pilot Food Program purchased and distributed nearly 15 million pounds of food, while prioritizing sourcing from socially disadvantaged and Washington food businesses.
- Through 26 contracts, more than 170 producers participated in this public purchasing opportunity.
- WSDA issued contracts for a second year of We Feed Washington totaling more than $52 million to provide emergency food procurement and distribution resources to fight hunger across our state.
International Marketing
- The program conducted a total of 31 trade events, with a mix of virtual and in-person activities.
- In August the program’s foreign trade representatives visited Washington State for a week to conduct company consultations and site visits. Over 40 Washington businesses and industry organizations participated. This annual visit last occurred in 2019.
Regional Markets
- Regional Markets launched a Meat and Poultry Assistance Program and administered $3.5 million in capacity-building grants to support local and regional meat supply chains.
- The program provided diverse technical assistance to small farms, ranches, and meat processors around marketing, market access, regulatory, labor, waste, and capital needs over the past year.
- The program supported local food system infrastructure, supply chains, and market access for farms, food processors, and food distributors by awarding over $16 million to small businesses and organizations. These grants enhance local food supply resiliency and capacity and increase Washington consumers’ access to locally produced foods.
Administrative Services
- The Administrative Regulations Program was instrumental in developing and adopting a new language-access policy to assure meaningful access to WSDA information, programs and services for all customers, including those without strong English language skills.
- Enterprise Risk Management Services (ERMS) reinvested worker compensation incentive funds to offer agency staff services aimed at reducing workplace injuries and improving wellbeing.
- IT performed a full inventory of all the department’s computers, which entailed hundreds of hours of investigative work to track down all equipment.
- The Emergency Management Program facilitated the Incident Command System and coordination for the multi-agency highly pathogenic avian influenza response, ensuring a coordinated response and communication for all involved. They also successfully executed the Columbia Generating Station exercise, which is a FEMA-evaluated exercise to ensure the state is prepared to quickly and effectively respond in the event of a radiological incident.
Animal Services
Since spring, the Animal Health Program has been responding to highly pathogenic avian influenza. Last year Washington confirmed cases in 36 backyard, non-commercial sites and one commercial operation..jpg)
Animal services has carried out a months-long,
highly collaborative response to avian influenza- The Animal Disease Traceability Program continues to gain acceptance of its free radio frequency identification reader program for veterinarians. To date, 96% of certificates of veterinarian inspection issued by Washington vets are electronic, exceeding the metrics for vets across the country.
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Commodity Inspection
- The Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Program conducted early outreach to apple growers in and around orchards in areas threatened by apple maggot, an invasive pest that damages fruit. As a result, no threatened product was packed or shipped during the 2022 growing season.
- The Grain Program gained a seat on the National Grain Inspection Advisory Committee, allowing for better collaboration with industry and a conduit to provide feedback to USDA.
- The Seed Program completed a third record year of field inspections, with requests to inspect 152,443 acres for seed certification and phytosanitary requirements. The program worked with Oregon and Idaho to coordinate seed standards and establish a new seed certification tagging program for Pacific Northwest sod producers.
Natural Resource Assessment Section
NRAS conducted core program work including crop mapping, water monitoring for pesticides, pesticide usage data collection, and soil sampling to determine baseline assessment of soil health. In addition, NRAS received an EPA grant to develop the programmatic guidelines for a pilot pesticide stewardship program, the first in WA.
Food Safety and Consumer Services
- The Produce Safety Program sponsored and co-presented 12 produce safety grower trainings, reaching 222 participants. They also introduced an interactive learning resource, available in English and Spanish, to help farmworkers understand the basics of cleaning and sanitizing.
- The Food Assistance team supported over 500 hunger relief organizations (food banks, food pantries, meal programs, community action councils, tribes, and tribal organizations), a network that feeds approximately one in six households in Washington.
- Multiple grant programs awarded $24.3 million to organizations for local farm purchasing and food processing, culturally relevant foods, mobile pantries, service and facility expansion, and other regional solutions necessary for network resilience and to meet increasing community need.
Pesticide Management
- The state’s plan for certifying pesticide applicators was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency on Dec. 13 after a multi-year process.
- The Waste Pesticide Identification and Disposal Program collected and properly disposed of 91,480 pounds of unwanted or waste pesticides from 176 customers.
Plant Protection
Japanese beetle trapping and eradication efforts ramped up as new detections spread beyond the Grandview area to Wapato and Richland. The agency’s multi-year eradication plan includes expanding quarantine areas, extensive outreach to residents in infected areas, and creating a free, yard-debris drop-off site for the community.
Hanging a Japanese beetle trap - Pest Program did not trap or confirm any sightings of the northern giant hornet this year, however, the program continues to engage citizens in efforts to detect hornets, for example launching an “Adopt a Wasp” program to monitor for paper wasp nests and report wasp and hornet activity.
- The Weights and Measures Program led rewriting of state rules to reflect that the sale of electric vehicle charging supply is now regulated under the same chapter as fossil fuels.
In summary: By reflecting back over the past year, WSDA and the employees who make it work have much to be proud of. From responding to avian influenza and feeding hungry families to protecting Washington’s ag products and improving customer service, the dedication and skilled work of agency employees has been on clear display. For a sampling of the agency’s achievements, read the latest Insider blog post.
