Japanese scholars explore the heart of Washington agriculture with WSDA

Daniel Schafer
Communications

Students practice apple inspection.

Students from Tokyo University of Agriculture visited Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) in Olympia on September 20th. The group of 23 students and two professors learned about Washington agriculture and WSDA’s work to connect Washington-grown products with the world.

Apples and international trade

The day kicked off with an engaging session led by Rianne Ham, the agency’s International Marketing Program manager. Ham spoke to students about WSDA’s international marketing efforts as well as Washington’s key international trading partners.

Inspection supervisor Olivier Silva.

Next, the visitors had the opportunity to learn about one of Washington’s most famous crops — apples. To begin, students and professors sampled several varieties, including Granny Smith, Fuji, Rockit, and more.

In addition to plenty of apple sampling, students had a hands-on lesson on how WSDA helps ensure the quality of its apple crops. Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Supervisor Olivier Silva taught students how to look for imperfections and damage on apples, and explained the process that apples are required to go through before leaving the processing facility.

Lessons in grain inspection

The Olympia visit concluded with WSDA’s Grain Inspection Program Manager Philip Garcia teaching students and faculty about grain inspection. Students received a hands-on lesson on gathering samples, spotting imperfections, and more. Following these demonstrations, Garcia also conducted a thorough question and answer session where students learned more about Washington’s export process and the wide variety of foods that are produced across our diverse state.

Students work with Grain Inspection Program Manger Phil Garcia to practice grain inspection.

A statewide tour

But the visit went far beyond the classroom. In addition to lessons held in the WSDA offices, the group from Tokyo University of Agriculture traveled to the Yakima Valley where they toured one of the orchards run by Allan Brothers Fruit. Our visitors then followed the course of the apples to an Allan Brothers packing facility in Yakima where they learned about food and safety guidelines at the facility, following the sorting, sizing, and packing process from start to finish.

During the tour and observation, WSDA fruit and vegetable inspectors Jose Briseno and Colton Denton performed quality control inspections, explaining the process to the group. Briseno and Denton also explained how inspections for exports to different countries require different plans.

Jose Briseno and Colton Denton demonstrate quality control inspections.

A successful visit

After their five-day journey, the students and professors from Tokyo University of Agriculture returned home equipped with valuable knowledge about Washington State agriculture. One student, Kazuma Matsuo, shared that he was surprised and impressed by the large scale of Washington’s apple production after visiting Yakima. Meanwhile, Professor Masao Takayanagi, who was the faculty member leading the trip, shared that he and his students were pleased with the experience, saying “The visit was very stimulating, and [students learned] a lot about what is happening in agriculture in Washington.”