New Washington Ag Director & South Korean Exports

New Washington Ag Director & South Korean Exports plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Yesterday we reported that Washington Ag Director Dan Newhouse was leaving the post as of April 1st. Now we get news that Gov. Jay Inslee has named Okanogan rancher Bud Hover as the new state ag chief. Hover and his family runs a 2,300-acre hay and cattle ranch in Winthrop. Inslee said quote “Bud’s experience as a rancher and his work on issues from water to wildlife will be invaluable in further growing this vital industry.”

China and Japan sometimes overshadow the U.S. export market but Michael Francom of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service talks some of the popular US fruit and tree nut varieties exported to South Korea.

FRANCOM: We’re one of the top fruit suppliers to Korea, particularly citrus and cherries . Cherries have only been in the market for I think a handful of years now but each year the growth is upwards of 20 to 40%. So last year imports of U.S. cherries were at $83-million dollars. Cherries also are duty free at this point. Blueberry fever. Everyone loves blueberries in South Korea and you would shake your head at the price of a little pint but nonetheless they just are buying them up like crazy. Nuts are also a growing market. We basically control nearly all the walnut and almond imports going into Korea.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

On January 4 the FDA released its proposed produce safety rule, the foundation of which is to establish a science-based minimum standard for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce on farms. It looks specifically at how ag water is used; how animal based soil amendments may contain pathogens; personal health and hygiene issues; how domestic and wild animals may introduce pathogens; and setting standards for equipment, tools, and buildings used in produce operations. The FDA is including all tree fruit and nuts under the rule. Tree fruit producers argue that theirs is not a “high risk produce due to the fact that tree fruit production is significantly above ground level”, and because there have been no documented cases of food borne pathogen outbreaks involving tree fruit. The FDA has a 120 day public comment period before the agency begins final development of the rule. Needless to say, representatives of the tree fruit industry have certainly been weighing in during this comment period. If the new rule is approved, it will have significant implications up and down the food supply chain, as the final cost of implementing the rule, and how it would be paid for is yet to be determined.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.