Testing reveals additional products used in marijuana production contain undeclared pesticides

Hector Castro
Communications

WSDA has updated its list of products containing undeclared pesticides, and removed one product that was previously on the list.

Inspectors with WSDA’s pesticide and fertilizer compliance programs have found several products commonly used in horticulture and hydroponics, including marijuana production, with undeclared pesticide chemical compounds in their ingredients.

WSDA issued several “stop sale” orders and Notices of Corrections to the manufacturers and the businesses selling the products, and partnered with the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board to notify licensed marijuana production operations and retailers.

One product, SNS 217C All Natural Spider Mite Control Concentrate, was originally included on the list of stop sale items, but has been removed after further testing revealed the product did not contain pesticide ingredients.

Samples tested

Testing is being done on 39 product samples taken March 9 and 10 from four businesses in Clark and King counties. Results so far indicate 17 of the products contain pesticide ingredients not declared on the label.

WSDA is still awaiting results on one final product. The products identified as including undisclosed pesticides so far are:

1. Safergro Mildew Cure for Powdery Mildew Control
2. Humboldt Roots
3. Olivia’s Cloning Gel
4. Optic Foliar AT-AK
5. Optic Foliar Overgrow
6. Optic Foliar Switch
7. Rock Resinator Heavy Yields
8. Root 66 1-1-1
9. The Hammer
10. Frost Protection Plus
11. NPK Mighty Wash
12. OG Rapid Flower + Hardener
13. Pyyro K 0-3-7
14. Vita Grow Thunder Boom
15. SM 90
16. Ultimate Wash
17. Mega Wash

The notice and list of products found with undisclosed pesticides is posted on the agency’s Pesticide and Fertilizer Use on Marijuana in Washington web page and will be updated as additional test results become available.

New WSU president and agricultural representatives get acquainted

Kathy Davis

Communications

Washington State University, established in 1890, has a long history of working with and supporting our state’s agricultural community. And the diverse array of farming, ranching, processing and growing interests across Washington are well aware of that connection.

WSU President Kirk Schulz and
WSDA Director Derek Sandison

That was confirmed at a meet-and-greet with industry representatives and WSU’s new president, Kirk Schulz, initiated and hosted by WSDA’s Director Derek Sandison. With only 45 days under his belt at the helm of this institution serving more than 29,000 students, President Schulz said he appreciated the opportunity for face time with the 25 agriculture reps who attended the gathering in Yakima on July 28.

In his opening remarks, Schulz noted that he grew up in large urban areas and knew little about ag. “While attending Virginia Tech, I met a student majoring in poultry science – I didn’t know there was such a thing,” he joked.

But his seven years as president of Kansas State University – as well as teaching stints in Mississippi, Michigan and North Dakota -- gave him experience with the vital connection between education, research and agriculture.

Washington Cattleman's Association Executive VP Jack Field
speaks with WSU President Kirk Schulz.

Every person at the meeting acknowledged the importance of their partnership with WSU. Representing fruit, beef, dairy, wheat, grain, wine, potatoes, mint and more – attendees around the table gave the president an overview of their area and sparked discussion of issues important to them.

From the animal diagnostic lab to endowments; the Wine Science Center to on-campus greenhouses, speakers cited examples of how WSU adds value to their industry.

For instance, Jay Gordon with the Dairy Federation, lauded “a neat WSU program that has kids milking cows and making cheese and ice cream.” He noted that veterinary students get to work on a dairy and food science students learn about dairy products. The cheese-making expertise from the famous Cougar Gold brand has broad value, he said.

President Schulz emphasized that he’s a big believer in collaboration and cooperation, across industry interests, as well as with other academic institutions such as the University of Washington and University of Idaho.

He ended the session by suggesting that the group convene regularly.
“It’s important to have these conversations on a regular basis, not just when there are problems,” he said.

WSDA names assistant state vet, search for state vet continues

Hector Castro
Communications 

A veterinarian with extensive experience with large animals and agriculture will be joining WSDA as the new assistant state veterinarian.

Dr. Scott Haskell

Dr. Scott Haskell, whose family raised beef cattle, sheep and tree crops, has more than 30 years experience as a veterinarian. He begins his new position with the agency on Aug. 1.

Dr. Haskell is originally from Oregon and studied at the University of California, Davis. He was in large animal veterinary practice for 18 years before entering academia and public service, serving as a professor with Yuba College in California, where he was the director of the Veterinary Technology Program and chair of the school’s Agriculture and Plant Science Program.

Dr. Haskell is experienced in disease outbreak investigations and biosecurity and has a long history of working with the livestock industry, agriculture fairs and is currently a 4H advisor.

Washington’s Office of the State Veterinarian has a wide range of responsibilities which include enforcing state and federal regulations on livestock movement, investigating animal disease outbreaks, maintaining animal health records, and other animal movement records, as well as safeguarding the public by identifying and limiting the exposure to zoonotic diseases through disease surveillance, identification and traceability.

WSDA is continuing its search for a new state veterinarian, a position that is currently vacant.

Farm to food pantry – getting fresh produce to hungry people

Hector Castro

Communications

For the past three years, WSDA’s Food Assistance Programs have been managing a pilot program with the goal of getting more fresh produce into local food banks, while at the same time connecting local farms to the non-profits feeding the hungry in their communities.

Through the Farm to Food Pantry pilot program, WSDA has provided grants to food banks that, in turn, use the money to buy produce directly from local growers. Recently, the Food Assistance Programs staff partnered with the Washington State Dairy Council to conduct a tour of one local farm providing fresh produce to a local food pantry to showcase this effort.

Touring the HopeLink Food
Pantry.

The Dairy Council produced the brief video of the tour, featured in this article, which includes remarks from WSDA Director Derek Sandison and Deputy Director Kirk Robinson.

In 2015, the Farm to Food Pantry program provided $14,000 in grant funding to six food pantries in Snohomish, Chelan, King, Okanogan, Clark and Stevens counties. Rotary First Harvest of Seattle was contracted to coordinate the distribution of these funds and local operations.

Most of the organizations also obtained matching funds from private groups, in some cases doubling the amount of funding they received. More details on the pilot project with feedback from the participating food banks are included in the “2015 Farm to Food Pantry Purchasing Report.”

Safeguarding food and animal feed one of WSDA's key duties

Randy Treadwell and Ali Kashani
Animal Feed /Rapid Response Team

Protecting Washington’s food and animal feed supplies is one of the most important responsibilities of our agency. With human and animal food systems becoming more globalized, public health jurisdictions value partnerships, collaboration and sharing resources to protect consumers.

We represented our state’s animal feed regulatory program and our Washington Rapid Response Team at last month’s annual meeting of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) in Pittsburgh. Often called Washington RRT for short, our team is composed of animal feed and food safety professionals.

With our peers, we discussed ways to minimize the number of illness outbreaks related to food and feed products. Speakers from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture played a big role at the conference, updating us about federal efforts to strengthen consumer protections.

Food Safety Modernization Act

Hot topics included the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), multi-agency rapid responses to food and feed emergencies, and disease-preventive controls for human and animal food.  Representatives from the food industry provided their perspectives on new food and feed regulations and the steps they are taking to comply with federal implementation dates under FSMA.

The conference dealt with a host of topics including Whole Genome Sequencing, trends related to marijuana-infused products, avian influenza and produce safety. Of particular note was discussion related to a nationally standardized training curriculum for food and feed regulators, a venture lead by the International Food Protection Training Institute in collaboration with federal and state partners.

AFDO workshops included writing documents under pressure, communicating with the news media during foodborne illness incidents and a leadership development workshop. Many of the presentations are available on the AFDO website.

The world of food and animal feed regulation continues to evolve as products become more complex and are distributed to a wider consumer network. Implementation of new regulations such as FSMA will be a considerable undertaking. Regulatory and food industry partners are taking an active part in shaping a modern integrated food and feed safety system.

We believe that outreach to the food industry and other regulatory bodies, getting to know our partners, and sharing information on best practices will help prevent outbreaks and improve response our time in emergencies.