WSDA inspector coaches winning FFA team

 Kathy Davis, Communications

WSDA inspector Julie Neil, center, with the winning state FFA team.

When the Washington State team competes in the national FFA Food Science and Technology Career Development event this month, their coach will be cheering them on. Julie Neil, a WSDA Food Safety Program inspector for the Southwest Region, has been volunteering to coach these FFA teams for the past 10 years. 

In May, the team coached by Julie won this career development contest at the state level, earning the opportunity to represent Washington at the National FAA Convention and Expo being held in Indianapolis, Indiana on Oct. 26-29. 

Washington’s team will be going up against 38 other state winning teams from across the U.S. in the food safety category. This event requires students to have in-depth understanding of food product development, food presentation and food safety issues. Participants also use their sensory skills to solve problems and make sound decisions.

“Students will not only be participating in the Food Science Career Development event in Indianapolis,” Julie said. “In addition to coaching the team, I will be facilitating industry tours, and interactions with companies and individuals involved in the numerous areas of food science.”

More than 60,000 students are expected to attend the 95th annual FFA convention this year. Along with the career development events, the gathering will feature awards, speakers, workshops, educational tours, community service, top entertainers, and a talent competition. 

Learn more about FFA Food Science and Technology Career Development on the FFA website, including a video that describes the competition event. 

In summary: When the Washington State team competes in the national FFA Food Science and Technology Career Development event this month, their coach will be cheering them on. Julie Neil, a WSDA Food Safety Program inspector for the Southwest Region, has been volunteering to coach these FFA teams for the past 10 years. Read more about it on the Insider blog. 

WSDA represented in next agricultural leadership program

 Kathy Davis, Communications

Dr. Amber Itle

Dr. Amber Itle, our state veterinarian, and Madison (Madi) Roy, agricultural economist with the Director’s Office, are joining the AgForestry Leadership Program’s Class 44, which kicks off in October. 

AgForestry offers hands-on learning experiences for people working in agriculture, forestry, and other natural resource businesses. Over 18 months, participants attend seminars on topics related to communications, social services, government, industry, crime and corrections, and transportation. They also spend one week in Washington DC and up to two weeks in a selected foreign country.

Dr. Amber Itle

“AgForestry seemed like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Amber said. “Farm life taught me to be a self-starter, dare to try new things, seek opportunities for change, and learn from failure.” 

She learned about the program from alumni who had graduated in previous classes, who she had worked with and learned from. She considers them inspirational and influential leaders in agriculture. 

By participating in the program, Amber looks forward to building collaborative networks with leaders in other ag sectors and other industries. 

She observed; “AgForestry promotes an environment that encourages cross-pollination of ideas, approaches and perspectives to promote problem-solving through multiple lenses.”

Madi Roy

Madi Roy

Madi applied to the program because she is passionate about agriculture and natural resources.

“I want to provide benefit to all those who produce food, eat food, and enjoy our state’s natural resources,” she said. 

She’s also excited about the program’s focus on networking and collaboration, as well as the prospect of sharpening her skills and developing new ones. 

“The curriculum is designed to educate participants about critical industries, including those I may not be familiar with but that share a connection with agriculture,” she said.

Adjusting to generational shift

Over 44 years, more than 1,000 participants have graduated from the AgForestry Leadership Program, and over 60% have come from the agricultural sector. 

Now the program is planning to evaluate itself and retool to ensure it meets the needs of future leaders based on shifting generational needs and interests. 

The Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation, which oversees the AgForestry Leadership Program, recently applied for and received nearly $250,000 from WSDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of their curriculum and delivery methods. 

They’ll be looking at how changes affecting the workforce, the marketplace and the ballot box drives preparing future leaders to make critical decisions for our state. 

To learn more about the AgForestry Leadership Program, explore their website, agforestry.org. 

Also consult the WSDA policy POL-AM-101 that establishes the process for selecting candidates for the program and approving funding support. Participants may request that their WSDA program pay either all or part of their fees for the program.

In summary: Dr. Amber Itle, our state veterinarian, and Madison (Madi) Roy, agricultural economist with the Director’s Office, are joining the AgForestry Leadership Program’s Class 44, which kicks off in October. AgForestry offers hands-on learning experiences for people working in agriculture, forestry, and other natural resource businesses. More than 1,000 participants have graduated from the program, and over 60% have come from the agricultural sector. Now the program is planning to evaluate itself and retool to ensure it meets the needs of future leaders based on shifting generational needs and interests. Read about it on the Insider. 

Oct. 20 training day supports resiliency and healthy living

 Jason Gambill, WSDA Safety Program

Over the past two years, many of us have experienced personal and professional challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Therefore, instead of hosting our traditional October safety training day, WSDA Enterprise Risk Management Services (ERMS) will present a day full of training and resources to support employee resiliency and wellbeing. 

Resiliency is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. According to the Department of Health, it is “the process of adapting well during hard times, trauma, tragedy, threats, or major sources of stress. It involves changing behaviors, thoughts, and actions.”

Please join us on Thursday, Oct. 20, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. All WSDA employees have received a calendar invitation to the day’s activities over Teams. Agenda details are included in the invitation. 

Our guest speaker Tony Cloud, who has been training agency employees on de-escalation and mental health response topics, will present two new sessions focused on building resiliency in the workplace and overcoming toxic stress and trauma. 

Other presenters during the day will address resiliency and depression, and work/life resources available to employees. 

Department of Natural Resources image

Also Great ShakeOut 

Oct. 20 is also the Great Washington ShakeOut earthquake drill held each year when we practice drop, cover, and hold on, and review preparedness plans for a future earthquake.

Washington’s more than 3,000-mile coastline is also susceptible to tsunami hazards, so it’s a good opportunity to review your evacuation plans if you live within a tsunami zone.

During the Oct. 20 training day, Brenda Davis, WSDA emergency preparedness coordinator, will review general information on how to prepare for earthquake emergencies and related natural disasters. 

The ShakeOut drill takes place at 10:20 a.m., and employees working in the Natural Resources Building will be prompted to participate. However, those joining the training day remotely will not be required to take part. 

Opportunities to win

If you participate in the Teams meeting throughout the day, you’ll also have the chance to win a donated gift card. ERMS is awarding six cards during presentations, ranging in value from $50 to $200. Employees must be in attendance to be eligible to win. 

So please come listen and learn how to build your resiliency and live healthy! If you have questions, contact ERMS at agsafety@agr.wa. 

In summary: Over the past two years, many of us have experienced personal and professional challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, instead of hosting our traditional October safety training day, WSDA Enterprise Risk Management Services (ERMS) will present training and resources to support employee resiliency and wellbeing on Thursday, Oct. 20, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Read all about the day’s sessions and activities in the Insider blog.

Plan for new agency intranet picking up steam

 Kathy Davis, Communications

The plan to create a new WSDA intranet website is progressing and gaining momentum. Over the summer, the rebuild project team gathered employee input about preferred topics and features to include in the site. And recently the team determined the new site will be built on SharePoint.

Employee input

The Performance and Planning Management and Communications offices led an effort to conduct employee focus groups and individual interviews. This input builds on the response from a staff survey issued in March. The combined results present a clearer picture of what agency employees most want in a new intranet website. 

The three focus groups consisted of staff representing field operations, division administrative contacts, and key central services (e.g. Administrative and Financial). Neutral facilitators from the Results Washington office moderated these discussion sessions. 

WSDA project team members conducted one-on-one interviews with those who maintain content on the current intranet, as well as some managers from agency programs and central services. 

Largely echoing what we learned from the spring survey, focus group and interview participants listed their most used or requested content as:

• Policies, procedures
• Forms
• Contacts (who does what)
• Human Resources
• New employee onboarding
• Travel
• Payroll
• Fiscal/budget

Among the most desired features of a new site were:

• Search function
• Kept up-to-date
• Logical, intuitive structure/organization
• Easy to navigate
• Accessible, including off network
• Compatible with other programs 
• Consistent layout and page templates
• Most sought information on homepage

SharePoint

More recently, the rebuild project team decided to create the new intranet with SharePoint, rather than the Kentico platform used to manage the agency’s public website. 

The team compiled pros and cons for each of the two platforms, comparing how they would meet staff interests and technical requirements for a new site. 

A couple important advantages gave SharePoint the edge. Because it is part of our Office 365 package, employees could more easily access the site even when they’re not connected to the agency network. Another plus is that WSDA now has an IT position dedicated to Office 365 support, which includes SharePoint technical support and staff training. 

Next steps

Moving forward, project team members are receiving training on use of SharePoint to both enable building of the new site and determine training needs for those who will keep content updated. 

Using the employee input gathered, the team is also determining the navigational structure for the new site and the most important content to include. Central services programs are assessing their current intranet content and prioritizing what to include on the new site. 

Background

Our existing intranet is more than 20 years old. The homepage and page templates received a facelift back in 2017. However, it is still operating on an older, outmoded framework. 

Recent software updates to web browsers have created even more challenges, making the current site inaccessible using Google Chrome and accessible on Microsoft Edge only when set to “IE mode.” 

In other words, the WSDA intranet is long overdue for a major overhaul. 

If you have questions about the employee input process, or want to offer additional input about a new intranet, send comments to Kathy Davis, internal communications coordinator.

In summary: The plan to create a new WSDA intranet website is progressing and gaining momentum. Over the summer, the rebuild project team gathered employee input about preferred topics and features to include in the site. And recently the team determined the new site will be built on SharePoint. Learn more about what’s happening with this project by reading the Insider employee blog. 

Tim Schultz, man of many interests, moves on from WSDA

 Kathy Davis, Communications

Tim Schultz

As a self-described “farm kid,” Tim Schultz is known for reminiscing about his rural roots in Eastern Washington. As a public employee dedicated to serving the state’s agriculture industry for more than 30 years, Tim is about to begin a new chapter in his life when he retires from WSDA on Oct. 1.

Tim’s final gig for the past two years has been manager of the Pesticide Management Division’s Compliance Program. He started his career at WSDA in 1989 as a pesticide compliance field inspector, and has held various positions within the pesticide area since then. 

Before joining WSDA, Tim was coordinator of the Adams County Noxious Weed Control Board. He spent six years on the State Weed Association’s board of directors, including terms as president and vice president. 

Ag in his blood

While with the weed board, contacts at WSDA recruited him to interview for the field investigator position.

“Having been a fourth-generation farm kid, agriculture is in my blood,” Tim said. “I wanted to work in agriculture, and saw working in WSDA as an opportunity to expand my career.”

Working for the Adams County Weed Board, 1986

From 1993 through 2022, Tim has been involved in creating Pesticide Management Division branch offices in Wenatchee, Spokane, Moses Lake, and Bellingham. A Tri-Cities office is slated to open this year. 

Some of the most rewarding work of his career has been solving complaints during case investigations, and helping farmers and businesses improve compliance with state laws and rules. He’s also enjoyed sharing new information during winter presentations to growers. 

“No two days are the same. One day you are involved with apples. The next day, it is a termite problem,” he reflected. 

From baker to scuba diver; varied interests

Outside of his WSDA work, Tim has a colorful history and many varied interests. 

For instance, in high school he worked as a baker, starting each day at 5 a.m. before heading to class. Also as a young man, he bought a combine and did custom harvesting for four years. 

Young Tim, the baker, in 1974

And did you know Tim’s family on his mother’s side started the lentil industry in Washington?

He’s been a certified scuba diver, helping map the ocean floor off Rosario Beach in 1978, and has traveled to Europe, China and Vietnam. He’s also an avid photographer and helps with his wife’s catering business.

Not surprisingly, Tim has ambitious plans for his post-WSDA life. He wants to visit Hawaii regularly (his “happy spot”), as well as travel in the lower 48 states. He’ll work on family genealogy and lots of home repair and gardening projects. 

He also looks forward to having more time to tinker on his 1946 Chevy truck and 1960 Chevy Cheyenne pickup.  

We know you will stay busy, Tim, and wish you lots of interesting adventures. Thanks for your dedicated service and important contributions to Washington agriculture!

In summary: As a self-described “farm kid,” Tim Schultz is known for reminiscing about his rural roots in Eastern Washington. As a public employee dedicated to serving the state’s agriculture industry for more than 30 years, Tim is about to begin a new chapter in his life when he retires from WSDA on Oct. 1. Read more about Tim in the latest Insider blog post. 

State program aims to prevent suicide in agriculture industry

 Stacy Laney, Wellness Coordinator

Content warning: This post discusses suicide and may be upsetting for some readers. 

Suicide is a tragic loss of life that leaves families and communities grappling with grief and confusion. 

Every year, mental health organizations and individuals work to raise awareness of suicide prevention during September, National Suicide Prevention Month.

Washington pilot program

In 2018, a new law in Washington State created a pilot suicide prevention project offering free resources for agricultural workers. 

The law recognizes that many factors can affect the behavioral health of ag workers, including “job-related isolation and demands, stressful work environments, the heightened potential for financial losses, lack of access to behavioral health services, and barriers to or unwillingness to seek mental health services.” 

The resulting Agricultural Suicide Prevention Pilot Program is a collaboration among the state Department of Health, Washington State University and Skagit County WSU Extension. 

“Agriculture is known to be a dangerous occupation full of potential stressors like weather, changing economic markets and machinery breakdowns,” according to the program’s website. 

“When these start to compound, many farmers experience excessive stress, making it hard to move forward to positive solutions. Due in part to the stresses faced in farming, agricultural workers have high rates of suicide. This loss of parents, siblings, children and spouses can be avoided.” 

The legislation requires making free resources available. These now include stress management tips, confidential self-screening, ways to help someone who may be struggling, risk factors and warning signs, free training, powerful videos, and more.  

More resources

Another new resource became available in July - 988 is the new nationwide number for people to call, text or chat during a mental health, substance use or suicide crisis, providing free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Here at WSDA, 140 employees have taken Mental Health First Aid responder training from the department-contracted trainer Tony Cloud. Course participants learn to appropriately provide aid to someone experiencing a crisis or challenge, until professional help arrives or the crisis resolves.  

The agency’s Enterprise Risk Management Services has also offered Tony’s course titled “How to notice and navigate with someone who may be struggling.” This course teaches participants the signs and symptoms of someone who is struggling and how to respond. 

Both courses have been offered to employees at no cost to agency programs. More trainings will be scheduled in the coming year, so stayed tuned for details. 

In summary: Every year, mental health organizations and individuals work to raise awareness of suicide prevention during September, National Suicide Prevention Month. In 2018, a new law in Washington State created a pilot suicide prevention project offering free resources for agricultural workers. Learn about suicide prevention resources in the latest Insider blog post.

Seven win prizes in latest QUICK Award drawing

 Kathy Davis, Communications

Kaile Adney

Seven WSDA employees became eligible to select a prize because their names were randomly selected from the full list of those receiving a QUICK Award during the second quarter of 2022. 

Agencywide that quarter, employees handed out 96 awards to their coworkers, with 46 awarded in Western Washington and 50 in Eastern Washington.

WSDA employees present QUICK Awards to their peers who are demonstrating good work and service to others – either inside or outside the agency. Below are the prize recipients from the most recent drawing.

Kaile Adney – Pesticide Licensing and Recertification, Olympia

Jerrid Higgins

Kaile remained cool as a cucumber when helping to proctor a pesticide license testing session that the venue had double booked. When she showed up to the location and realized the room had another event going on, she stayed calm and focused, and was instrumental in finding a solution. Kaile quickly found out that there was another room available. She started the check-in/COVID screening process with testers while the venue set up the new room, which allowed us to start the session on time. Thanks Kaile for the role you played in managing a stressful situation and providing great service to our testers! -  Lindsey House 

Linda Brown –Fruit and Vegetable Inspection, East Wenatchee
Exceptional leadership during the first quarter of the 2022 calendar year. Linda led all inspectors within the Wenatchee office with 1679 Quality Control samples

Teresa Justice

for the period of Jan. 1 through March 31. - David Rosamond

Jerrid Higgins – Produce Safety Program, Wenatchee
Jerrid recently moved into a leadership role as inspection supervisor in the Produce Safety Program. I appreciate how he has stepped up to the challenge as we’ve work to rebuild our inspection team these last few months, and how he’s based inspection team assignments, mentoring, and feedback on both requirements from our funder and our individual team members’ strengths and developmental needs. – Connie Fisk

Teresa Justice – Financial Services/Payroll, Olympia
Teresa is so friendly and helpful. She is always willing to go the extra mile to help me with all things payroll. No matter how much explanation I may require, she is so patient with me. - Kim Urquhart

Lara Massey

Lara Massey – Plant Protection, Plant Services, Olympia
In recognition of excellent contracts management and improving the A/R system. - Cindy Cooper

Scott Nielson - Pesticide Compliance Program, Spokane
Scott helped on-board a new employee in the Food Safety and Consumer Services Division. FS&CS needed this help because of a sudden illness on the team. Thank You Scott!! Excellent teamwork!! – Steve Fuller

Robert Sausedo – Pesticide Compliance Program, Yakima
Robert participate in an in-person open house for the Japanese Beetle eradication project held in Grandview. I received unsolicited compliments regarding Robert’s participation during
the meeting. They mentioned that Robert was very helpful and took a leading role in addressing several citizens’ concerns about the eradication product, which helped make the open house a success for the Pest Program. – R. Scott Nielson   

Scott Nielson

Congratulations to all WSDA employees, listed below, who were recognized with a QUICK Award from a colleague between March 31 and June 30, 2022. 

Eastern Washington 

Segun Akinbade, Abraham Armstrong, Julieta Barboza, Jeffrey Brummel, Brenda Buckmiller, Megan Bush, Yakziry Carbajal, Paul Cote, David Ehro, Julio Galvan, Azucena Guzman, Dane Henze, Jasmine Hernandez, Ryan Hevly, Taurine Hurtado, Mark Jolley, Sherry Lagerstam, Don Lemons, Manny Leon, Mark MacLean,Maria Marin, Benita Matheson, William McAllister, Paula Moore, Edgar Morgensen, Noel Munoz, Emily Oberhoffer, Joyce Orozco, Aaron Paul, Sean Porter, Enrique Rodriguez, Dave Rosamond, Andrea Rudolph, Miguel Sanchez, Kevin Sauve, Olivier Silva, Joshua Smith, Levi Strauss, Teri Tamboer, Kyle Thomas, Rebecca Weber 

Robert Sausedo

Western Washington

Susie Allen, Caroline Alper, Cyndi Baumgardner, Anna Berrey, Sidney Black, Ashley Blowers, Harold Boggs, Scott Brooks, Heather Burkett, Tristan Carrette-Meyers, Jenn Cheek, Cindy Cooper, Amanda Davis, Brenda Davis, Robert Flores, Tobin Gilbert, Nick Johnson, Jennifer Lacey, Keren LaCourse, Michelle Layton, Dana McKeon, Katie Noland, Kay Oakley, Haley Palec, Jacob Peterson, Vinaca Phipotts, John Price, Lisa Rouse, Will Satak, Robin Schaffer, Carol Schmidt, James Scovel, Rene Simon, Becca Sotelo, Cheryl Spink, Ed Thompson, Stormy Townsend, Beckie Weatherford, Sue Welch 

September 30 next drawing deadline

When you catch one of your coworkers doing something special for staff or customers, why not let them know with a QUICK Award? You can find the award form on the intranet. The QUICK awards intranet page has been updated to send a copy of the award to the recipient if their email address is provided.

Forms are also available from your division coordinator or agency receptionists.

In summary: Seven WSDA employees became eligible to select a prize because their names were randomly selected from the full list of those receiving a QUICK Award during the most recent quarterly drawing. See who they are and why they were recognized by their colleagues. Insider now also lists all employees who received QUICK Awards during the previous quarter.