$4.6 million awarded for Washington specialty crops

Leisa Schumaker 
WSDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program 

Could extracts from wood decay fungi be used to formulate treatments for honey bee viruses? Could a novel strain of fungus be used as a biological control agent to control bee-killing Varroa mites? Washington State University researchers think so, and with the help of a new, quarter million dollar federal grant, they are continuing research that could improve honey bee health and the long-term vitality of Washington’s tree fruit, berry, vegetable, and horticultural crops.

WSU bee researchers are among 25 Washington recipients
 of 2018 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant funds.  

WSU bee researchers are among 25 recipients of $4.6 million in 2018 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant funds awarded by WSDA for innovative projects to support the state’s fruit, vegetable, and nursery industry through the federal Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBG).

The SCBG Program was created to support the competitiveness of the specialty crop industry through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. In awarding these funds, WSDA selected projects that will directly benefit specialty crop producers, address critical issues to the industry, and contain strong performance measures.

Awards for individual projects range from $25,000 to $250,000 and will go to agricultural commodity commissions, non-profit organizations, Washington State University, USDA-ARS and WSDA.

This year the block grant is funding a variety of projects including some designed to ensure the sustainability of honey bee pollination, grow wholesale prospects for specialty crop producers in Whatcom and Skagit counties, evaluate agriculture water disinfection treatments, and detect potato pathogens. Berries, potatoes, cucurbit crops, tree fruit, asparagus, horticultural seeds, wine grapes, and apples all stand to benefit from these projects.

New application deadline

If you are interested in applying for a grant, please note: the application period for WSDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program has been moved up by several months this year. The Request for Concept Proposals (RFCP) released this month has a 4 p.m., November 2, 2018 deadline. In past years the proposals were due in February. The new RFCP period gives applicants an additional month to complete the concept proposals for projects that would be funded in 2019.

Other grant program changes

In addition to the new deadline, the SCBG program will no longer accept Food Safety Research projects through the competitive process. Food Safety projects for Washington should be submitted through the Center for Produce Safety’s (CPS) competitive process, where they will be reviewed for eligibility, evaluated and scored through their technical review process. Top projects benefiting Washington specialty crops that make it through CPS’s competitive process will be provided to WSDA for possible funding.

The first step in applying for grant funding is to submit a brief concept proposal through our online application system. WSDA staff will review the concept proposals. Successful applicants will be asked to submit full proposals for further review.

Visit the SCBG webpage for application information, forms and schedules. For additional SCBG information, go to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service webpage or contact WSDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program manager Leisa Schumaker at lschumaker@agr.wa.gov or (360) 902-2091.

Climbing trees to protect the environment

Karla Salp
WSDA Communications

Tiffany Pahs takes a selfie up in the tree canopy

Last month a team of nine WSDA biologists learned how to do something most hadn’t done since childhood – climb trees.

The tree climbing training was held at USDA’s Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) eradication facility in Ohio. The five-day course was the start of an effort to build the skills of agency staff and prepare them to respond rapidly to new invasive pest detections.

The week included learning various ways to climb and move about the canopy of trees, learning the characteristics of different species of trees and which are appropriate for climbing, and of course, safety. Each person received one-on-one training with an instructor. One instructor said the course was like trying to cram one year of tree climbing knowledge into a week.

Susan Brush high up in the trees

“It was fun, but exhausting,” Tiffany Pahs, gypsy moth survey coordinator for WSDA’s pest program, said.

In addition to the mechanics of climbing trees, the team also had classroom time when they learned how to identify ALB and the damage they cause to trees.

Gear used to help climb trees

“When it comes to inspecting damage high up in the canopy of a tree, there are really only two options – climb up to inspect the damage or cut the tree down. With this training, we can inspect trees while keeping them standing,” Pahs said.
Merely by being present at the training location brought home the reality of the massive damage that invasive pests can do to the team. When training, they would hear trees crash to the ground – dead and falling ash trees destroyed by Emerald Ash Borer infestations.

The week-long training was the start of a certification process for both climbing trees and inspecting them for insect damage. The team plans to continue their training and become fully certified in the upcoming months.

When it comes to invasive species, early detection and rapid response are critical to contain and eradicate tree pests. These new skills will enable WSDA to respond rapidly to an invasive pest detection in our trees, potentially preventing the establishment of pests that could otherwise destroy the Evergreen State.

WSDA pest program biologists and their tree climbing instructors

To learn more about this USDA program, check out this blog.

Fighting hunger together

Nichole Garden
WSDA Food Assistance 

Food pantries, hunger relief agencies, and others dedicated to fighting hunger will gather in Yakima September 12th – 14th for the Washington Food Coalition (WFC) conference. The annual conference provides a unique opportunity for those interested in hunger relief in Washington to share best practices, tools, and resources; hear about new and innovative programs and services; and network with others who share in a commitment to alleviate hunger.

The conference will feature speakers, breakout sessions, and tours, including:

• Keynote speakers discussing the growth of food insecurity on college campuses 
• A panel discussion with current Farm to Food Pantry participants
• Touring Rainier Fruit, a family owned and operated farm that grows and sells organic apples, pears, cherries, and blueberries

In addition to facilitating the Farm to Food Pantry panel discussion, the WSDA will staff a booth. Attendees can visit the WSDA Food Assistance programs resource booth to show their support of the Farm to Food Pantry initiative by donning a F2FP temporary tattoo, posing for a picture, and posting it on social media with the hashtag #Farm2FoodPantry.

Cow proudly displaying F2FP "tattoo"

WSDA’s resource booth will also feature new resources now available in English, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian. These resources include Washington Grown Produce posters and brochures as well as MyPantry posters and recipe cards highlighting where the commodity foods available at food pantries fit into USDA’s MyPlate. 

Visit WFC’s website o learn more or register for the conference. WFC represents a unified voice in the emergency food system, providing technical assistance and advocacy for hunger relief agencies.

An ounce of prevention

Chris McGann
Communications

In healthcare, a little prevention goes a long way. It can reduce costs, worries and disease. And in the case of rabies vaccination, the old axiom holds true for pets and for people.

A free clinic at the S’Klallum Tribal Center last month
 inoculated 62 dogs and 18 cats against rabies. 

That’s why WSDA veterinarian Dr. Minden Buswell pitched in to staff a free rabies vaccination clinic at the S’Klallum Tribal Center in Port Gamble last month. The program not only improves animal welfare, it also can protect people and save trips to the doctor – for children, in many cases.

When an unvaccinated pet bites someone, that person may be exposed to this incurable and fatal disease. In some circumstances, the bite may lead to a life-saving, but expensive and unpleasant series of shots for the victim. The same is true if the vaccination status of the offending animal is unknown.

But people can safely forego the stress and expense of getting rabies prevention shots after an animal bites, provided they know the animal has been vaccinated.

“By vaccinating a pet for rabies, a veterinarian protects the pet’s life, the human lives this pet enhances on a daily basis, and whole community in which the pet lives,” Buswell said. “One small shot can help prevent and relieve the medical and economic suffering of a community. This is why I became a veterinarian and why I am so honored to taken part in this clinic for the last three years.”

The tribal center’s annual vaccination clinic has reduced the number of people who require the preventative shots because it provides a system by which the community can quickly identify pets that have been immunized.

There’s an app for that

The information about which animals have been vaccinated is now available to the community through an app. After having their animal vaccinated, pet owners receive collars and tags with Quick Response (QR) codes, allowing anyone with a cell phone to take a picture and learn that animal is up-to-date on its rabies vaccinations. Reservation police also get copies of vaccination certification for records purposes.

The Washington State Department of Health hosts the clinic. Intern students organized the event and WSDA and USDA support it. Dr. Buswell is on hand to provide small animal veterinary equipment and perform the vaccinations.

Cats, or any mammal for that matter, can carry rabies. 

In total, 80 animals, 62 dogs and 18 cats, were vaccinated at this year’s clinic.

That can make a big impact for everyone involved, Buswell said.

“Rabies is nearly 100 percent fatal to all that contract the disease, human or animal,” she said. “As a veterinarian, our professional oath  calls on us ’to use [our] scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.’

“The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe rabies vaccination clinic is an event that embodies ALL the principles of the veterinary oath,” Buswell said.


For more information about animal health, visit the WSDA Animal Health Program webpage or contact us at 360-902-1878.

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.