More than a pickle: How grants from Washington State Department of Agriculture are yielding impressive impacts across the state

Micha Ida and Galen Van Horn
WSDA Regional Markets Program

Small farms and food businesses play important roles in maintaining vibrant and robust local food systems that support growth in local economies and ensure healthy communities. Disruptions to supply chains and food distribution systems can have far-reaching impacts, as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. To increase the resiliency of local food systems, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has distributed nearly $20 million in grants to small farms and local food businesses through several grant programs administered by the WSDA Regional Markets Program. Continued funding from the Washington State Legislature will further bolster the resiliency of our local food systems in the years ahead.

Recent grants from WSDA have allowed businesses and organizations to expand and diversify in a variety of ways, including increasing the amount of product they produce, expanding their customer bases, and facilitating linkages with other businesses in their local food systems.

Lum Farm: Building resilience 

Amy Lum welcomes one the farm’s newest members.

“Living on an island, buying local food, and having local food access is critical,” says Amy Lum, of Lum Farm. Her farm is located on Orcas Island, and during the pandemic, Lum witnessed how difficult food access became for her community. According to the San Juan Community Food Assessment, in 2020 less than 5% of the food consumed in San Juan County was produced locally. In response, Lum Farm scaled up and increased its food production and distribution within the county by 275%. 

Lum Farm is the only WSDA-inspected dairy in the state that produces goat’s milk ice cream, along with a variety of goat’s milk cheeses and pasture-raised meats. Everything produced on their farm is sold and distributed within San Juan County through restaurants, grocery stores, the local food bank, and directly to consumers. 

The farm used Local Food System Infrastructure Grant funds to support their growth and resilience through added cold storage space, additional equipment for cheese making, a new cattle handling system, and technological upgrades to their operation. These enhancements are allowing them to raise more animals and produce more food for their small island community. “Our customers and farming partners have all experienced the positive impact of this grant, and celebrated each new change with us,” Lum said.

Expanding services at Windy N Ranch 

The Newhall Family of Windy N Ranch.

To Bradley Newhall of Windy N Ranch, the need for this type of support is clear. “We all saw the devastating effects that Covid-19 had on food supply and distribution,” he says. His family’s operation is a Certified Organic meat ranch located in Ellensburg that specializes in humanely raised beef, pork, lamb, goat, and poultry. In May 2021, Windy N Ranch opened their own butcher shop on their farm, with licensing that allows them to process their own meat as well as provide butchering services to other area producers.

The Newhalls used Local Food Infrastructure Grant funds to make improvements to Windy N Ranch's meat processing facility, which has allowed them to expand the variety of products they prepare, as well as increase their butcher shop services to other farmers and ranchers in the Kittitas Valley. They also aspire to transition their USDA-inspected butcher shop into a Certified Organic facility.

Critical services, such as Local Food Infrastructure Grant funding, increase the viability of small farms and ranches by opening new marketing avenues and revenue streams. “With [added] infrastructure for local USDA meat processing in place, we and other ranchers will be better suited to meet the food needs of our local communities regardless of supply chain issues that may be occurring nationally,” Newhall added.

Increasing capacity: Beyond Pickles

Increased resiliency in our local food systems can come from surprising places too, and something as humble as a pickle can have an outsized impact. Beyond Pickles is a micro food processing company located in the Tri-Cities that uses lactobacillus salt fermentation to preserve and create sauerkrauts, kimchi, and other vegetable-based fermented condiments using locally-grown vegetables from small farmers in eastern Washington. Local Food System Infrastructure Grant funds helped Beyond Pickles install a walk-in cooler addition that is allowing them to quadruple the amount of product they can store prior to distribution.

Packing jars at Beyond Pickles.

Increased capacity and demand for Beyond Pickles’ products will allow them to ramp up their orders from local farms, which is one way these grant funds are supporting the broader local food economy. A larger walk-in cooler has also allowed Beyond Pickles to collaborate more on food distribution with other local food-centric companies such as the Walla Walla Food Hub, Chesed Farms, and Farmstand Local Foods. Strong linkages like these among Washington’s local food businesses create a more robust and secure food system.

“The remarkable level of interest in these grants demonstrates the clear need for WSDA to invest in local food system infrastructure in Washington,” says WSDA Local Food Infrastructure and Supply Chain Specialist Galen Van Horn. “We’ve received wonderful feedback from grant recipients about how their businesses are thriving beyond their imagination. These grants are allowing the people of Washington to benefit from those investments and we’re grateful for the Legislature for recognizing the impact and providing continued funding.”

WSDA is interested in making continual improvements to our grant offerings and are inviting interest and comment on future grant rounds. You can sign up to be notified of future grant opportunities and share your thoughts on investing local food system infrastructure by completing this short interest survey. Comments should be submitted by September 15, 2023.

For questions about the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Program please contact Galen Van Horn at galen.vanhorn@agr.wa.gov.

First-ever fresh hop beer for Seoul

Chris McGann
Communications

A can of Amazing Brewing's fresh hop beer. The Seoul-based
 brewery used Washington hops fresh from the field to bring
Korea that unique, fresh hop flavor.

It took several acts of reckless optimism, and help from WSDA’s International Marketing and Plant Services programs, but an ambitious Eastern Washington hops company has succeeded in supplying the key ingredient to enable Korean brewers to produce the country’s first-ever fresh hop beer made with U.S. hops.

Capturing the bright complexities of fresh hops in beer is a lot like trying to catch a fall flash of lighting in a bottle. For a true “fresh hop” beer – a nectar bursting with the flavors of cut grass, flowers, citrus or even pine trees -- brewers must add the delicate green hops cones to the brew within 24 hours of harvest.

That’s a tall order even for craft brewers in Washington state, where they have close access to some of the world’s top hop farms and almost three quarters of the nation’s total hops production.

For breweries in Seoul, Korea, trying to catch real lightning may be more realistic.

That didn’t stop Yakima Chief Hops. When they got the idea late last summer, they approached their Korean distributor to see if he would be willing to give it a try and with his nod, the bold adventure began.

The grower-owned network of family hops farms already supplies premium hops to brewers around the world in dried and frozen forms, but it had never attempted to deliver fresh product to Korea for a fresh hop beer.

The challenge was great

Though it seemed impossible, the siren call of a juicy new batch of India pale ale that would be brewed on the other side of the globe was just too intoxicating to ignore.

To pull it off, Yakima Chief not only had to ship the fresh hops cones from a field in the Yakima Valley to a brewery on the other side of the world in one day, they would also have to undergo U.S. export inspections and pass rigorous Korean Customs Service phytosanitary requirements on the way.

The company enlisted the help of WSDA International Marketing and Plant Services staff to help whisk an aromatic and highly perishable shipment out of Washington and through Korea Customs Service (KCS) fast enough for breweries in Seoul to hop up their beer.

Danny Kim, WSDA's trade representative in
South Korea worked with Korean customs
officials to help bring in fresh hops. 

To make it all happen, Yakima Chief Sales Representative Jim Lambert reached out to Julie Johnson at WSDA’s International Marketing Program.

"I took this crazy idea to Julie a few months ago and with her help and a lot of other great people, it all lined up," Lambert said.

Johnson worked alongside Yakima Chief throughout the process and looped in WSDA’s trade representative in South Korea, Danny Kim, who worked with the Korean customs officials.  Johnson also connected the company with Sherry Lagerstam in WSDA’s Plant Services Program to find ways to streamline the domestic inspections process.

Lagerstam said she worked with Lambert and Yakima Chief warehouse staff to decide if it would be better to meet at the hops fields or the warehouse. In a seamless swoop, she double-checked the requirements, inspected the hops (at the warehouse) and issued the Phytosanitary Certificates.

A big win

Lambert acknowledged the challenges of sending fresh hops to the other side of the globe, through a strict inspection process, before they spoiled.

“A huge thanks to all for the quick responses and willingness to accommodate our tight timeline. Everyone’s help was deeply appreciated and we are so excited the fresh hops made it through Korean customs in a timely fashion,” Lambert said. “Shout-outs to you guys at Washington State Department of Agriculture for your major contributions to this effort – on the inspection here in the U.S. and with customs in Korea. We could not have done this without you.”

"It was a big win for all of us," he said.

Korean breweries and fresh hop beer

Yakima Chief's Korean Distributor, Brewsource, lined up three breweries to receive the hops.

Seoul Brewery was the first to brew with the fresh “Mosaic” hops. The brewery adjusted its entire week’s schedule and planned for a 3 a.m. brew day to make a fresh hop version of their signature Salinger Rye India Pale Ale. The beer was so popular, they sold out in about a week. Those lucky enough to taste it said it was: “Amazing, super juicy and drinkable with tropical flavors that really shine.”

Amazing Brewery also received the fresh Mosaic hops. They produced a wet-hop IPA called “Yakima Express.” This beer was scheduled to be released Oct. 25 and will also be available in cans that showcase the Yakima Chief Ranches logo.

Finally, Playground Brewery brewed a double IPA called “Big & Certain Hoppiness.” This beer is scheduled to be released on Nov. 1.

New Frontiers

Thanks to this year’s success, Mike Goettl, Yakima Chief CEO, said he has a few new challenges for fresh hop beer next year. He’s added Taiwan and Japan along with Korea as challenges for 2020 fresh hops.

Taste Washington Day celebrates farm fresh food in schools statewide

Christopher Iberle
Regional Markets

First Lady Trudi Inslee visits with students in the Cordata
 Elementary school garden, supported by Common Threads.

Imagine all the all the good things you could do if people got together to connect school lunchrooms with local farms that grow the food.  You could:

• Feed thousands of school children with nutritious, local foods. 
• Teach students about where their food actually comes from. 
• Connect farmers with a growing local market.
• Begin to bridge the gap between our urban and rural communities.

First Lady Trudi Inslee visits with students in the Cordata
 Elementary school garden, supported by Common Threads.

Here in Washington, partners and advocates for children’s health and education, agricultural business vitality, farmland preservation, environmental protection, and poverty alleviation have made that vision a reality with farm to school -- and it’s flourishing.

Today’s Taste Washington Day event brought a wide-ranging group of people together – everyone from school lunchroom staff to Washington State First Lady Trudi Inslee - in celebration of the farm to school collaboration.  

Preparing red peppers for Taste
Washington Day lunch at
 Bellingham Public Schools. 

“Taste Washington Day is a great way for students to make the connection between farmers and the healthy food that is critical in helping them to learn, grow and develop,” said First Lady Trudi Inslee. “It’s also is a fantastic opportunity to spotlight the hundreds of crops we have here in our state and to recognize the people who grow them.”

Governor Jay Inslee issued a proclamation for the day recognizing the values of school meal programs and the contributions made to them by Washington state agriculture.

WSDA Regional Markets works with dozens of partners to help connect farmers with school districts. Working with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Washington School Nutrition Association, they coordinate the annual Taste Washington Day promotion of farm to school connections. This year more than 40 school districts statewide served a Washington grown meal to help celebrate how Washington farmers provide food for schools year-round.

Farmers statewide participate in Taste Washington Day

The Washington Apple Crunch!

Eighty-seven farmers signed up to take  part in this year’s Taste Washington Day and partnered with a school to provide seasonal, local ingredients for breakfast or lunch, or visit a school for lunch. About 240,000 students at 43 participating schools ate a locally-sourced meal, learned about Washington agriculture, worked in a school garden, or did other farm to school activities.

Many schools also did a “Washington Apple Crunch” to celebrate one of Washington’s top crops, by simultaneously crunching into farm fresh apples all across the state at noon.

"We love the rich impact that community food systems offer our society”, said Eric Abel, owner of Bellewood Farms which sells to multiple districts in Whatcom County. “We believe it's important children learn how food gets to the table. By selling to schools, we hope kids will discover the difference that ‘local’ can have—providing fresh food, great taste, improved nutrition, all while supporting farms in the local community in which they live."

First Lady Trudi Inslee joins the celebration

Students, teachers and staff in Bellingham Public Schools welcomed a few special guests for their Taste Washington Day events. First Lady Trudi Inslee visited Bellingham Public Schools’ (BPS) new Central Kitchen, which is serving locally sourced, scratch-cooked meals across the district.

On the menu: salmon cakes, bean salad, pilaf with
 farro, apples, and milk.

The Central Kitchen is a facility years in the making, with support from BPS administration, school board, food service staff, students and parents, Whatcom Farm to School, WSDA Farm to School, Whatcom Community Foundation, Common Threads, and other local partners. The new scratch cooking kitchen and menu allows BPS to use a wider variety of seasonal ingredients from Washington farms. On the menu for Taste Washington Day were salmon cakes with Lummi Island Wild salmon and Cloud Mountain Farm Center onions, pilaf with farro from Bluebird Grain Farms and beets from Joe’s Garden, farm fresh apples from Bellewood Farms, and a local cabbage and kale on the salad bar.

First Lady Trudi Inslee tours Bellingham Public Schools'
Central Kitchen with Director of Food Services and
Executive Chef Patrick Durgan on Taste Washington Day.

Mrs. Inslee also visited Cordata Elementary to see food and agriculture educators from Common
Threads giving lessons in the garden. Produce from the 19 school gardens supported by Common Threads is also served in cafeteria salad bars during the school year. To top off the visit, Mrs. Inslee visited the new Sehome High School to tour BPS Career and Technical Education (CTE) sites related to food and agriculture education.

School market in Washington State

The USDA Farm to School Census estimates that Washington school districts spend more than $17 million on Washington grown foods each year. But this only makes up about 9% of an average school’s food budget. There’s plenty of opportunity to grow the school market for Washington farms - especially in a state that grows over 300 different products, many available year round.

Keith Carpenter from Lummi Island Wild, Chef Patrick Durgan
 from Bellingham Public Schools Central Kitchen, Eric Abel from
 Bellewood Farms, Chris Iberle, WSDA Farm to School Specialist,
 Mataio Gillis, Bellingham Public Schools Central Kitchen, fisher
 Ellie Kinley from Lummi Nation, and First Lady Trudi Inslee
 visit Sehome High School’s CTE kitchen classroom.

For smaller and direct marketing farms, schools can be a particularly meaningful market that provides a regular, larger volume buyer.  Many farmers find it personally rewarding to know their food is being eaten by people in their local community.  Farmers selling to schools also make an impact by teaching kids about agriculture in urban and rural districts of all sizes, and helping schools put nutritious, fresh meals on the tray for students each day. About half of school districts in the state participate in farm to school in some way each year.

“Local agriculture plays an important role in Child Nutrition Programs in Washington State”, said Leanne Eko, Director of Child Nutrition Services at OSPI. “Learning about where their food comes from and getting to taste local foods in school meals promotes lifelong healthy eating to our children and supports local farmers.”

Plan now to manage manure and water this winter

Kerri Love
WSDA Dairy Nutrient Management Program

Cement blocks and fences hold manure
 and cows back from wet, muddy areas. 

As the days grow short and bunkers are loaded with the summer’s crops, it is also time to ensure manure lagoons are empty and ready for winter rains and storage.

Don’t lose valuable nutrients to rain

Late season nutrient applications have special risks. Fields may be compacted from harvest and application equipment. The dry summer may have reduced forage crop density. Applying nutrients where they may run off or pool in low spots of your field after our first big rainfall wastes your time and money, and is a risk to water quality.

Apply nutrients in the right place and at the right rate to ensure they enter the soil where your crops need them most.

Following best practices, a tractor
 incorporates manure after an
 application.

• Use expanded buffers, avoid bare soils or slopes, and apply at a rate appropriate for the field and soil conditions.
• Do not pasture animals or apply nutrients to flood-prone areas of fields.
• Incorporate solids into bare fields, especially after corn harvest where soils can be highly compacted from silage trucks.

To evaluate weather and run-off risk, check the three-day forecast for rainfall.
• A great tool in Western Washington is the Manure Spreading Advisory tool. Click on the map on a location near you and see a 72-hour weather forecast with an associated risk rating for applying nutrients.
• Pro tip – you can print the weather forecast or save a screen shot, and use it as part of your application record keeping.

Pastures and heavy-use areas (HUAs)

Move cows off pastures before they get wet.

• Remove animals before fields are saturated, then drag a harrow behind your tractor to distribute manure.

• Reseed animal lanes or HUA’s with winter wheat, while there is still light and warmth to get seeds going.


Facilities

You should always have at least 12-15 inches of freeboard from the top of your lagoon or 12 inches from the top of an upright tank, to allow for a 24-hour (25-year) rain storm.
If you have more nutrients than storage this fall, work with neighbors, custom applicators, and your local conservation district to locate appropriate application locations or storage structures.

Do not direct silage leachate to the ground or water.
• Feed-bunker leachate should be collected and transferred to storage.
• Vegetated treatment areas (VTA) must be designed to treat the volume of runoff expected, and must be healthy enough to trap and absorb the nutrients carried in the runoff.
• If not designed well, concentrated runoff from the feed area can “burn” the grass and destroy these treatment areas rendering them ineffective and requiring diversion to storage.
• Conservation district planners can provide guidance on whether your VTA is adequate for preventing a water quality issue.

Small fixes now go a long way

Check your gutters and downspouts to ensure they are clean and connected.
• Did you know that an inch of rain on a 10,000 square-foot roof amounts to 6,000 gallons? If clean water isn’t properly diverted, then it’s being collected and is transferred to storage. Collecting clean water will fill up your lagoon and may cause you to lose sleep come March!
Know where water flows.
• Park manure handling equipment (scrapers, manure spreaders tankers and hoses), away from surface water and storm drains.
• Avoid manure track-out, and keep manure off surfaces that may run to ditches or storm drains.

Be prepared

To prevent a manure spill:

• Maintain a 12-inch freeboard in lagoons, plus an extra 4-6 inches to accommodate rain from a 25-year, 24-hour storm.
• Inspect storage structures regularly for signs of leaks or problems.
• Inspect valves, pumps, hoses, and other manure conveyance equipment before and during use.
• Conduct routine maintenance and repair to prevent failure.

Have a plan!

Post emergency numbers where they can be easily seen and found in a hurry - on the wall in your office, in the milk house, and/or in the breakroom. Post the farm address including the numbers below, so callers know exactly where to direct responders.

Numbers to include:
• Emergency first responders - 911
• Farm managers/operators cell and home numbers
• Ecology – Spills to water 1-800-258-5990
• WSDA – To report a spill 360-746-1249
• CAFO permitted facilities-- 1-800-407-6600; call within 24 hours of the spill


If you have questions about winter manure management, please contact your local conservation district or Kyrre Flege with WSDA’s Dairy Nutrient Management Program at 360-746-1249.

“Loyal to soil” – Farm walks provide farmer-to-farmer learning

Spoon Full Farm shows a map of their property 
by the Yakima River, which borders it.

Karla Salp
Communications

When learning something new, there is no more effective way than getting your hands – or your feet – dirty. That’s where the Washington State University Food Systems and the Tilth Alliance come in.

 Phoebe Autry, garden manager, talks about no-till gardening

WSU has been coordinating educational farm walks for over 15 years. The goal is to provide a venue for farmers to learn from one another about organic, sustainable, and innovative farm and food businesses throughout the state. While farmers are the primary audience, attendees also include researchers, agricultural professionals, and even gardeners.

This month’s first farm walk, for example, was a visit to Spoon Full Farm at Thorp, near Interstate 90 just west of Ellensburg.

Spoon Full Farm is a relatively new diversified farm. They are transforming land which had been a hay farm for decades. Their motto is “loyal to soil” and they see themselves primarily as “soil farmers.” They grow vegetables, fruit, and flowers as well as graze cattle and raise chickens for eggs. But their guiding principle is to choose farming methods – such as no-till – which have been shown to improve soil quality and which they hope will grow better produce.

Anna Brown talks about Spoon Full Farm's rotational grazing

Two dozen attendees walked the 100-acre property to learn more about how Spoon Full Farm operates, ask questions, and see first-hand the benefits and challenges that can accompany no-till practices. During the walk, topics discussed included:

• Dealing with weeds in a no-till garden
• Addressing high winds on the farm
• Rotational intensive grazing of cattle
• Raising chickens for eggs on pasture

WSDA staff members frequently attend the farm walks to provide resources and ask questions. On this walk, for example, our Regional Markets team brought the hot-off-the-press new Small Farm and Direct Marketing Handbook, or the “green book.” The handbook has fact sheets on a wide variety of topics of interest to new farmers. And our produce safety team provided feedback about good produce safety practices that were being used on the farm as well on the walk.

Mericos Rhodes talks about raising pastured chickens for eggs

If you missed this farm walk, don’t worry – there are several more scheduled throughout the summer on a variety of topics:

• July 29 - Lazy R Ranch and LINC Foods – Holistic Management for Grazing Animals and Innovative Distribution Models (WSDA sponsored)
• August 12 - Viva Farms Berry Growers: Innovations in Strawberry, Raspberry and Blackberry Production
• September 9 - Lost Peacock Creamery How Not to Start a Goat Dairy: Lessons Learned & Models for Success from a Veteran, Female Farmer

You can also find booklets from past farm walks on the Tilth Alliance website. In addition to the WSU Food Systems/Tilth Alliance farm walks, other agricultural organizations also host these valuable experiences. Follow WSDA’s Facebook page and check out our Facebook events calendar to stay informed when they occur.

Checking in with aquatic farmers

Laura Butler
Washington State Aquaculture Coordinator

Tim Jones talks about his mussel farm in front of the
Washington Grown cameras. 

Where the road winds along the bluff above a tiny cove tucked into the leeward side of Whidbey Island, you’ll spot the rafts, about 40 of them, floating in orderly rows on the crystalline water. From here they appear nondescript, gray three-panel docks evenly punctuating the mirror blue expanse.

But on the 40-foot lines hanging just below the surface you’ll find some of the richest mussel production in the country, the anchor crop at one of the Northwest’s most iconic seafood companies, Penn Cove Shellfish.

Mussel rafts in Penn Cove near
Coupeville. 

Established in 1975, Penn Cove Mussels is the oldest and largest mussel farm in the United States. Their mussels have won top honors at international taste-test competitions for their sweet flavor and fabulous texture.

Listening to growers

We pulled into the parking lot outside the warehouse and were soon greeted by farm operations manager Tim Jones. This week we’re in north Puget Sound to check in with growers, talk about the issues they may be concerned about and, here at Penn Cove, we’re taking a guided tour of the operation as part of shellfish episode we’re filming with Washington Grown.

My role as the state’s aquaculture coordinator involves travel around the state’s coastal waters to connect with the folks who farm our state’s tidelands and aquatic farms to see how the issues associated with aquaculture are affecting the public.

The state aquaculture coordinator position, and the multifaceted roles and responsibilities that come with it, is a natural fit for WSDA.

What does the state aquaculture coordinator do?

To me it’s obvious.

Aquatic tractor? A Penn Cove Mussel worker taxis between
rafts. 

There’s no question that shellfish farmers are farmers. They buy seed, plant seed, and tend their
crops. Then they harvest the product and market it domestically and internationally. WSDA works with industries that do that on land, and this is no different.

It’s farming in a unique environment of a marine ecosystem. But because of the many concerns associated with that ecosystem, several local, state and federal agencies regulate activities that take place in it. One of my roles, and the role of WSDA, is to advocate for these producers, help them navigate the complex regulatory system, and promote their product.

In addition, these farmers and the public rely on clean water, verifiably sanitary handling processes, market access, and promotion -- all areas where this office can provide resources and support.

For the public, the value comes in protecting one of the crown jewels of our state’s history and economy. Commercial shellfish harvesting has been going on since the mid 1800s, and the region’s indigenous people have relied on shellfish for thousands of years. The industry provides critical jobs in the rural communities along the coast.

Mussels are processed fresh, right out
 on the water.

Back at the Penn Cove warehouse, Jones outfits our crew with life vests before we head down to a skiff that will taxi us out to the mussel rafts for the tour. As his truck bounces down to the beach, he talks about why Penn Cove uses a raft system and one his biggest predator pests. And no, it’s not an orca or a harbor seal.

“Ducks are our big predator,” he said. “Surf scooter ducks.”

“You know who Daffy Duck is?” he asked, revealing traces of his Maine accent. “Daffy Duck is a surf scooter. We’ll get big flocks of birds, 2,000 or more, in the winter months and they love eat’n mussels. There was no way we could protect the mussels from the ducks with a long-line system, so we went to a raft system so that we can put nets around the rafts to keep the ducks from getting in there.”

In spring, the cords below the rafts are
coiled to catch the mussel seed near
the water's surface. 

Out on the water, Jones steps off the skiff onto the raft. Thousands of lines hang into the clear water. Right now the lines are coiled to catch the mussel seed near the surface. But 14 months from now each line will be weighed down with as much as 50 pounds of mussels. With about 2,000 lines on each of the 42 rafts, “I’ll let you do the math,” Jones said with a smile.

Thousands of lines hang below the rafts.
Each cord can produce up to 50 pounds
 of mussels. 

Penn Cove never feeds or fertilizes their shellfish; they just give them an ideal place to grow and thrive. Clean water and abundant algae are the key ingredients. Although mussels require clean water, they also return the favor. Each mussel filters 18 gallons of water a day. That’s how mussel farming provides enhanced habitat and ecosystems, and adds to the overall health of the marine environment.

As the state aquaculture coordinator, I’m dedicated to working with farmers like Tim Jones to make sure the aquaculture industry will continue to prosper as a center part of Washington’s heritage and economy.

Laura Butler prepares for a Washington Grown interview
on the wharf in Coupeville. 

I hope to see you out on one of our many tidelands in the future. Please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail or at 360-902-1842 if you need assistance with your operation or have questions about aquaculture in Washington.

And if you’d like to see more about mussels and other aquaculture, tune into Washington Grown at the beginning of next year and watch the episode we took part in.

Kosher harvest

Chris McGann
Communications

Every summer, when green wheat fields have turned to gold, the search begins. In the small town of Monroe, about 50 miles up the Hudson River from New York City, Rabbi Jacob Tyrnauer begins lining up the farms to make sure he can find soft white wheat in just the right condition to make Jewish matzah for his congregation.

Matzah is unleavened bread Jews eat during Passover to commemorate the time the Israelites fled Egypt, leaving in such haste, they had no time to allow their bread to rise.

Many years, Tyrnauer, or Rabbi Jacob as he calls himself, finds the wheat he needs in the places like Woodburn, Indiana. But this year, apparently because of wet weather, his quest took him farther, all the way to Eastern Washington.

New York rabbi Jacob Tyrnauer and his sons
 inspect wheat in Eastern Washington.

“We had a problem here this year, we could not cut the wheat before it sprouted,” he explained.

In order to meet the requirements and restrictions of kosher law, the wheat - and matzah milled from the wheat - must not be allowed to ferment before baking. Fermentation is the result of the natural microbial enzymatic activity caused by exposing grain starch to water. In the case of kosher wheat, if even a small portion of the crop is sprouted, it is rendered chametz or fermented and not suitable for matzah.

With harvest season upon him, the 71-year-old Orthodox rabbi needed to find enough clean dry wheat to mill for his 6,000-member congregation in Monroe and Brooklyn.

That’s when Tyrnauer reached out to WSDA for help and Laura Raymond stepped in.

Raymond leads WSDA’s Regional Markets Program, which aims to strengthen the economic vitality of small and direct marketing farms and increase availability of healthy, locally grown Washington foods.

Although the program does not act as a representative for any individual seller, Raymond provided a list of grain producers who sell directly to consumers and serve niche markets such as local bakers and craft brewers.

“Wheat is not typically sold direct to the consumer,” Raymond said. “But as consumer interest in farm to table connections continues to grow, we are seeing that demand from the market expand into grain. An increasing number of producers are interested in opportunities to sell grain directly. Our program helps support growers to build and connect with those markets.”

The clientele for the Regional Markets Small Farm and Direct Marketing program is often smaller scale with unique needs. Raymond said it makes the work more interesting. In the case of this kosher wheat request, she answered several of the rabbi's questions about Washington’s cropland to make sure all aspects of production met the kosher standard.

“On one occasion I had to confirm that the area is not considered a desert, which apparently is a concern,” Raymond said. “This is a fascinating process and I am learning a lot.”

With Raymond’s help, Tyrnauer connected with Shepherd's Grain, a Northwest grain growers’ group that espouses sustainable farming practices and cultivates direct connections between farmers and consumers. The 35 growers in the group package grain with tracking numbers so buyers can trace products back to the individual farms where they were grown.

Shepherd’s Grain Business Development Manager Tim McElroy helped find the right farm.

“They have a lot of requirements, but Rabbi Jacob was a pleasure to work with,” McElroy said. “We enjoyed doing business from someone across the country and finding new markets for our wheat.”
McElroy said the whole thing happened fast.

“He wanted to see the moisture levels on the wheat. We got it and when we gave it to him, he came right out,” McElroy said.

Rabbi Jacob and his sons discuss
 the wheat harvest.

Within a few weeks of contacting WSDA, the New York rabbi was in the Palouse rolling down wheat field rows in the cab of a combine. Kosher rules require the rabbi to cut the wheat.

“I was sitting in the combine. Every time he went to lower the knife arm, I pulled the lever,” Tyrnauer said. “I have to pray while we are cutting. The prayer is, ‘I’m cutting it for matzah.”

In addition to inspecting the grain and engaging the cutter bar, a rabbi must also make sure the machinery is properly cleaned and supervise the entire process from harvest to baking.

In the end, the work paid off. Tyrnauer bought five truckloads – 3,500 bushels – of wheat to send back to New York.

“(WSDA) took care of me,” said Rabbi Jacob. “(Raymond) was very nice and very good.  And Tim, too! The main thing is we have wheat! That means you did very well.”

Visit WSDA's Regional Markets webpage or our Small Farm Direct Marketing page for more information.

Capturing a taste of Washington

Chris McGann
Communications

Taiwanese buyers snap photos of the popcorn candy coating
 process at a Seattle-area factory. After sampling the gamut
 of flavors, truffle was a surprise standout!

WSDA is always busy looking for ways to expand markets for Washington producers. Our International Marketing Program helps facilitate buyer-seller connections, delivers resources and continually advocates for global market access.

Recently, the program joined forces with the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association to connect Taiwanese buyers with 17 Northwest suppliers.

After a whirlwind of face-to-face, buyer-seller meetings - more than 80 on the first day - the buyer group struck out on day two to see where the magic happens at three Seattle-area facilities. They visited Seattle Popcorn Company (Uncle Woody’s Popcorn);  AMES International (chocolate-covered fruits and nuts, nuts, and cookies); and SuperValu International (product consolidation/private label brands).

WSDA International Marketing Program Trade Specialist Elisa Daun organized the mission.

“Connecting professional buyers with Washington companies is a great opportunity,” Daun said. “These missions showcase the abundance of quality products available in our state and can be invaluable for producers trying to reach overseas markets.”

In 2017, Taiwan imported more than $264 million worth of Washington's agricultural and food products. The top five products were:

1. Apples ($72 million)
2. Frozen French Fries ($53 million)
3. Sweet Cherries ($41 million)
4. Frozen/Chilled Beef ($18 million)
5. White Wheat ($16 million)

The International Marketing Program is working to help position Washington companies to export their products efficiently and profitably, while promoting our state’s consistent high quality, diversity of offerings, and high standard for food safety and handling.

Washington’s major crops and commodities have trade associations for promotion. The WSDA International Marketing Program helps bridge the gap for smaller suppliers, many of whom sell processed or packaged goods. The buyers can meet the operators, tour facilities and get a better sense of the quality of products and companies they will be working with.

For more information about upcoming international marketing events and activities, check out this WSDA calendar.

Planning for Wholesale Success

Karla Salp
Communications

When the weather turns cold and inhospitable, farmers don’t just put their feet up and relax. Winter is often the time for paperwork, planning and the ongoing learning necessary for success in any profession.

Wholesale Success workshop prepares participants
to answer important questions about their products.

This week, several farmers operating small family farms crowded together in a classroom at Clark College in Vancouver for training on getting into the wholesale market.

The training, Wholesale Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Food Safety, Selling, Postharvest Handling, and Packaging Produce, was sponsored by WSDA. The training itself was created by the non-profit organization, Family Farmed, with support from USDA and many others.

The daylong training covered many topics of interest to farmers, including:

• Market analysis – Learning what the customers value
• Promoting your farm brand – Differentiating yourself from other producers
• Pricing – Cost of production and efficiency 
• Doing business – Communications/Contracts, risk management, post-harvest grading and packing
• An overview of additional local resources

The agenda for the day was packed, but the training gave farmers an overview of considerations when getting into the wholesale market. The training also provided numerous worksheets that farmers could utilize during and after the class.

Participants discussed their own farm operations and
provided feedback and insights to each other.

Networking proved to be one of the most valuable parts of the training as the farmers shared best practices and new ideas. Hearing what was working for others – especially in the local area – was something one can’t obtain from reading the workbook alone.

At the end of the day, participants left with many new ideas on how to improve their operations and expand into wholesale markets. They also left with a hefty, 300+ page full-color manual with loads of additional information, including numerous crop profiles with harvest, handling/packaging, storage and pest/disease management information.

This opportunity can provide valuable information to anyone considering getting into farming or looking to expand his or her operation. Many of the concepts can be applied to direct-to-consumer marketing as well as wholesale markets.

WSDA provides these trainings regularly and the $15 registration fee includes lunch and the full-color manual.

There is currently one more Wholesale Success workshop scheduled in Walla Walla in February. Visit WSDA’s Small Farms page at agr.wa.gov/Marketing/SmallFarm for more information about Wholesale Success and other resources for Washington farmers. 

Grab a cuppa and improve your farm or land

Karla Salp
Communications

The Thurston Conservation District in Olympia has a unique opportunity for farmers and others to learn about their services - Coffee with Your Conservation District.

The concept is simple – meet up once a month at various local coffee joints and allow community members to come and learn how the conservation district can help them be better stewards of their land. No commitment is required – not even a sign-in list is passed around.

At the January meet-up, half a dozen community members gathered around a large table at a coffee shop in Lacey and peppered the conservation district with questions about how the conservation district could help them. Some of the available services they discovered include:

• Soil and nutrient testing
• Removal and replacement of invasive species
• Landowner succession planning
• Linking new farmers with landowners
• Assistance in finding financing resources 
• Cost-share programs, such as exclusion fencing and nutrient management projects
• Farmland preservation
• Small equipment rentals
• Workshops and training for farmers and landowners
• Voluntary Stewardship Programs 
• Shoreline protection
• Shellfish recovery
• Conservation planning

These are just some of the projects offered at the Thurston Conservation District, and most conservations districts around the state offer similar programs appropriate for their land and ecosystems.

But it’s not only the services they offer that makes conservation districts an interesting option for landowners, it’s their philosophy of doing business, which stresses partnerships over regulation.

Here are the top five reasons you might want to get involved with your own local conservation district. 

1. Trusted partners. One of the most attractive and unique qualities of conservation districts is that they are specifically non-regulatory. They provide technical assistance and partner with landowners to improve stewardship of their land or come into compliance with state law without the threat fines. 
2. Local experts and leadership. Staff offer landowners expertise in fields such as soil resource management, conservation biology, forest and ecological engineering, and more. Each district is directed by a five-member board of supervisors. Three members are elected locally, at least two of whom must be landowners or operators of a farm. 
3. Personal investment. Because conservation districts are run by people who live in the community, they are experts in local issues and are very familiar with the natural resource and environmental issues unique to each region. They care about protecting the environment in their backyards. 
4. Free and low-cost. Most conservation district services are either free or low-cost. Their services are partially paid through grants and property taxes, allowing them to keep costs affordable for everyone. 
5. Protect the environment. The role of the conservation district is to help landowners be better stewards of their land. By working together, the environment is improved for all. 

Conservation district staff and community members gathered
at a local coffee spot in Lacey. 

You don’t have to live in Thurston County to benefit from conservation district services. There are dozens of conservation districts throughout the state. Visit the Washington State Conservation Commission’s website at scc.wa.gov/conservation-district-map  to find a conservation district near you. 

Schools and farms come together on Taste Washington Day

Hannah Street
Communications

Olympia High School teacher Jason “Blue” Peetz lets his students do the talking. After a brief introduction, one student after another stood up to talk about the Freedom Farm’s classes, summer job training program, and the impact of this nontraditional learning opportunity.

Derek Sandison and Trudi Inslee listen to a student at
the Freedom Farm in Olympia.

The farm presentation and tour was part of this year’s Taste Washington Day activities, held across the state during National Farm to School month on Oct. 4. The event raises awareness of Farm to School efforts and promotes the use of locally grown foods in school cafeterias.

This year, 60 school districts, representing 471,208 enrolled students, and 73 farmers participated in the event. At the schools, beyond serving a Washington-grown menu, 50 percent highlighted farmers on their menus and 44 percent bought ingredients directly from a farm.

In addition to Taste Washington Day, WSDA's Farm to School program allows the agency to provide year-round support to farms and schools, ensuring consistent local produce sourcing and agricultural education.

The Washington School Nutrition Association (WSNA) and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) partnered with WSDA to coordinate Taste Washington Day, now in its seventh year.

WSDA Director Derek Sandison and First Lady Trudi Inslee were among those who toured the farm, owned by the Olympia School District.

Freedom Farm is a collaboration between the nonprofit organization Garden-Raised Bounty (GRuB), Olympia High School, and the Olympia School District’s career and technical education department. Their programs are prioritized for low-income and credit deficient students, and seek to alleviate some of the issues that come with having those backgrounds while attending conventional school. During the year, students earn school credit, and in the summer, the farm functions as an opportunity for students to earn money and job experience.

Produce growing at the Freedom Farm.

“Even though we’re in high school most jobs expect you to already have experience,” one student said. “We have amazing people who give us references for jobs.”

Under student management since 2013, the farm has produced over 37,000 pounds of fresh produce. Much of that produce ends up in the kitchen at Olympia High School, where the group headed next for lunch.

Farm to School
At Olympia High School, meals are prepared in the large, stainless steel kitchen. The appliances included one machine that resembles a large juicer. As the tour group watched, a carrot was placed into the top, and even slices shot out the bottom. The tool, provided by a grant, helps kitchen workers prepare farm-fresh produce and meet the large school district's needs faster. After being cut, the carrots can be quickly bagged and sent out to 19 feeding sites.

Derek Sandison and Nik Pitharoulis talk in
the cafeteria at Olympia High School.

Some local farmers attended the Taste Washington Day event at Olympia High, including some from Chrisman Farms, Johnson Berry Farm, and Black River Blues Blueberry Farm. Nik Pitharoulis of Black River Blues said Olympia is the first school district to use his farm.

“It’s a great source of extra income for me,” Pitharoulis said. The school district also buys his frozen berries in the offseason.

The Freedom Farmers were also recognized.

Paul Flock, supervisor of the school district’s Child Nutrition Services, held an uncommonly large tomato aloft. “When I get this kind of produce,” he said, “I get a lot of ‘O-M-G’s. These kids are students, but they really know what they’re doing.”

Students with their lunches on Taste Washington Day at Olympia High School.

Washington Grown Season 5 premieres this weekend

Hannah Street
Communications

Washington Grown fans will be excited to learn its fifth season begins this weekend.

Anyone unfamiliar with the show is in for a pleasant surprise and a new world of award-winning, educational programming which this season will feature legumes, green beans, cabbage, carrots, and other specialty crops.

Washington apples, one of this
season's specialty crops, are harvested.

The first episode of the new season plays for Western Washington residents at 2:30 p.m., Oct. 1 on KOMO. While Eastern Washington residents normally have to wait until January or February to watch the latest season, the show will air on KIMA/KEPR/KLEW in the Yakima and Pasco regions at 5 p.m. on Saturdays beginning September 30.

Washington Grown connects consumers with the people who grow and process their food. Episodes often showcase local restaurants and businesses, tour farms large and small, interview growers, and walk viewers through recipes with the foods featured in the episode.

Sno-Valley Mushroom co-owners show off
their produce during a Washington Grown shoot.

A crew of adept camera operators and friendly hosts travel to every corner of Washington State, creating viewer-friendly narratives that explain how food gets from the farm to your table. It’s a chance for the state’s farmers to tell their story, explain their process, and be part of a conversation that includes all components of agriculture, including nutrition, food safety, best practices, and marketing.

If you miss an airing, all episodes of Washington Grown are uploaded to their YouTube channel, website and Facebook page the Monday after the program airs.

You can also visit www.wagrown.com for recipes, videos and more on Washington agriculture.

Washington Grown Season 5 Schedule*

Legumes - Sept. 30 and Oct. 1
Green beans - Oct. 7 and 8
Apples - Oct. 14 and 15
Who knew? - Oct. 21 and 22
Dessert - Oct. 28 and 29
Fingerling potatoes - Nov. 4 and 5
Grapes - Nov. 11 and 12
Cabbage - Nov. 18 and 19
Fresh greens - Nov. 25 and 26
Carrots - Dec. 2 and 3
Potatoes (french fries) - Dec. 9 and 10
Farmers market - Dec. 16 and 17
Beverages - Dec. 23 and 24

*This schedule is tentative and subject to change.