Selling Washington's food and farm products to the world

Washington is the apple growing capital of the nation and is home to Walla Walla onions, Penn Cove mussels, Rainier cherries, and Yakima Valley hops. While the state’s residents know these agriculture and aquaculture stars well, the rest of the country and world do not.

To change that, the state Department of Agriculture is assembling a program to help promote products grown, raised, caught, baked, and brewed in Washington. “People are really excited. It’s something producers want,” said Lora Liegel, program administrator for the agency’s labeling and promotions program. “Being able to better identify Washington products will eventually help consumers, but it also gives producers a chance to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace.”

There’s no name for the program yet as it is still early. Rules on what items might qualify aren’t written and money to sustain it isn’t in place. But growers, producers, and retailers are behind it. Many are willing to pay a low annual fee to participate which is critical to department leaders as they prepare to ask lawmakers and the next governor to commit resources launch the program late next year or early 2026. “We need to do something to help out our local producers,” said Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, whose legislation is the catalyst for the program. The bill passed last year without a dissenting vote.

Muzzall is in the agriculture business and his family raises grass-fed beef and lamb, barley-fed hogs, and free-range chickens for 3 Sisters Family Farm on Whidbey Island.

Washington firms need a hand competing against those who produce and sell goods at lower prices because they pay a lower minimum wage and face fewer laws and regulations encumbering their operations, he said. “All of these things we’ve passed make our production costs in Washington higher than those we compete with,” Muzzall said.

Operators of Washington’s craft breweries are among those interested. Their beers are created using Yakima Valley hops, one of the state’s best-selling commodities. “Our ingredients are top tier so any way to showcase and promote that is going to be a huge benefit for our members,” said Daniel Olson, executive director of Washington Brewers Guild.

Planting seeds

Washington is one of the few states that does not have a program devoted to touting its food and agricultural products. It once did. The state Department of Agriculture used limited federal funds to set up “From the Heart of Washington” in 2002. The dollars ran out and the program lapsed around the time of the Great Recession in 2008. “Perhaps the connection and communication to the producers wasn’t as strong as it could have been,” Liegel said of the former program. “We’re taking the time this time around to really receive that stakeholder feedback in order to build a program that stakeholders want.”

Muzzall’s legislation required the agriculture department to deliver a report with recommendations to lawmakers on how to proceed. Liegel and her team met with dozens of individuals and organizations in Washington. They also researched programs like Idaho Preferred, Minnesota Grown, and Certified South Carolina. In the report, they recommend Washington’s program cover fresh produce, livestock and dairy products, honey, potatoes, mushrooms, seafood, cut flowers, beer, wine, spirits and several other goods. Other recommendations include making sure the program has its own website and strong social media presence. And it needs to be easy for farms and food businesses to participate. Washington is home to roughly 35,000 farms of which 82% are less than 180 acres.

Growers, producers, retailers and associations like the Brewers Guild could be asked to pay a fee. Amounts could vary with individuals paying less and organizations more. All of that is yet to be worked out, Liegel said. There are about 430 craft breweries in the state, almost all producing less than 60,000 barrels of beer a year. Roughly three-quarters are guild members, Olson said. A participation fee is not foreseen as a hurdle. “We want to look at it and flush out what the fee structure is paying for,” he said. The program “is a marketing tool” so if investing a few bucks will garner attention and, potentially, customers it will be viewed positively, he surmised.

A consultant will be hired to come up with a potential name and logos, Liegel said. There could be one logo or different ones for each category of product. “We simply don’t know,” Liegel added. There will be focus groups and public surveys because “we want it to resonate with consumers.”