New Ag Director Part 2
New Ag Director part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.
Dan Newhouse had a busy first day on the job. Newhouse is the recently appointed director for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. First up was a budget meeting that really zoomed in on the growing fear in the nation on food safety.
NEWHOUSE: I was meeting this morning with some of my top level assistants here trying to find areas where we as an agency could save the state some money and that is our number one priority, number one mission is protecting that public health by assuring a safe food supply. And we made the definite conscious decision not to make any cuts in that department.
Newhouse believes that there may in fact be an increase on that line.
NEWHOUSE: If anything because of some of the recent developments around the country I’m guessing that we are going to be increasing our emphasis in that. I’m going to be strong in standing for protecting our food supply and I think that our citizens, our public will demand that.
Besides continuing with the departments agenda, Newhouse has some of his own ideas he wants to bring to the table.
NEWHOUSE: Personally and I think the Governor and I had some long conversations on where I would like to take the agency and some emphasis in some different directions number one has to do with water management and top of that list is securing and seeking new sources of water storage. Also maintaining and expanding some of our markets for our ag products both nationally and internationally and generally working to help provide the opportunity for families and businesses involved in agriculture to continue to be profitable and productive.
Newhouse is a past county board member and county president of the Washington State Farm Bureau. Newhouse has also served as president of the Hop Growers of Washington and the Hop Growers of America. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Economics and completed an Agriculture and Forestry Leadership program. He currently operates a 600 acre farm in the Sunnyside area, where he grows hops, tree fruits, grapes and alfalfa.
That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
