10 CapitalPress.com
February 19, 2016
Washington
Study: Potatoes net state $7.42B annually
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
The Washington potato
industry contributes $7.42 bil-
lion to the state’s economy, a
recent study from the Wash-
ington State Potato Commis-
sion inds.
The study, conducted for
the commission by Washing-
ton State University’s IM-
PACT Center, also reports:
• The industry creates
35,860 jobs throughout the
state.
• Every job directly creat-
ed supports an additional 5.1
jobs in the state’s economy.
• The industry contributes
$1.83 billion in labor income.
• For every dollar of raw
potato production and pro-
cessing, $2.40 is generated in
the local economy.
The study examined the
economic output from the
state’s potato farming, fro-
zen potato processing, fresh
packed potatoes, dehydrated
potato products and potato
chip manufacturing sectors.
“I knew potatoes were
a big thing in Washington
state — we grow them big
and they have a big economic
impact,” said Chris Voigt, ex-
ecutive director of the com-
mission.
But Voigt said the igures
were higher than he expected.
“It really emphasizes the
point that all of agriculture in
Washington is big, a lot bigger
than I think people normally
think of,” he said.
Voigt attributed the high
numbers to potato processing
and export markets. Roughly
90 percent of the state crop
is processed, and roughly 50
to 60 percent is exported, he
said.
The study used igures
from 2014, said Matt Harris,
director of government af-
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Washington State Potato
Commission Executive Director
Chris Voigt emcees the annual
potato peeling contest during the
Washington-Oregon Potato Con-
ference Jan. 26 in Kennewick,
Wash. The commission recently
released a study that inds pota-
toes have a $7.42 billion impact
on the state’s economy.
fairs for the commission. The
data collection occurred prior
to last year’s port slowdown.
The commission estimates a
loss of more than $50 million
in frozen products from the
four-month labor dispute.
A forthcoming study ex-
amines the total economic
loss to the state as a result of
the port labor issues, Harris
said. He expects a igure of
roughly $750 million.
“It’s shocking what that
four-month period cost Wash-
ington state,” Harris said.
“That’s something that has to
be talked about.”
The number of jobs impact-
ed by the potato industry grew
from roughly 25,000 in the last
study, conducted in 2008, Har-
ris said.
“There is a signiicant
amount of revenue being
earned on an annual basis from
people directly and indirectly
touching a potato,” Harris said.
Having the study will help
when speaking with decision
makers and legislators, Harris
said.
“People like to see the pos-
itive impact that an ag group
has in its local community,”
he said. “We want to make
sure people understand that
we have to have the right
business atmosphere for our
farms to keep this economic
model growing.”
Voigt said the commission
used a draft of the igures
during a recent visit to leg-
islators in Olympia, and will
take the study to a meeting in
Washington, D.C.
“These numbers really re-
inforce that agriculture is im-
portant to the state, and we re-
ally have to be good stewards
of agriculture, make sure it’s
a good business environment
for our farmers to operate,”
he said. “Once we start turn-
ing the tide against farmers,
we potentially could lose a lot
of economic opportunities for
the state.”
Potatoes
are
the
fourth-largest crop in the
state, behind apples, wheat
and dairy. Roughly 300 po-
tato growers plant more than
160,000 acres annually, har-
vesting 30 tons per acre on
average. The state produces
20 percent of all U.S. pota-
toes, according to the com-
mission.
Premium wines hold opportunity, grape growers told
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
KENNEWICK,
Wash.
— The world wine market
is basically in balance but it
is slightly oversupplied with
generic value
wines and a bit
short of pre-
mium wines,
a global wine
broker says.
“The oppor-
tunity is at the Livengood
premium end,”
Greg Livengood, a partner in
Ciatti Co., a global wine and
grape broker, told the Wash-
ington Association of Wine
Grape Growers annual meet-
ing Feb. 10.
That’s seems a good it
for Washington vintners, who
produce a lot of premium
quality wine.
The strong U.S. dollar
is attracting more imported
wine, which is becoming a
bigger threat, Livengood said.
The U.S. has become the
world’s top wine consumer
followed in order by France,
Italy, Germany, China, the
United Kingdom, Russia, Ar-
gentina, Spain and Australia,
he said.
Dan Wheat/Capital Press
Marivel Cruz is bundled up to stay warm as she prunes grape vines in a Zirkle Fruit Co. vineyard at
Mattawa, Wash., on Feb. 10. Growers held their annual meeting the same day 65 miles to the south in
Kennewick.
“Everyone wants to sell
here. We represent 5 percent
of the world population so
there is opportunity for an
awful lot of wine consumers
as the middle class grows in
other countries,” said Brett
Scallan, vice president of
marketing at Ste. Michelle
Wine Estates, Woodinville,
Washington’s largest winery.
In spite of economic ups
IN M!
W A
O SH
N E
R
G
and downs in the world, Ste.
Michelle increased exports 30
percent last year, Scallan said.
Canada, Europe and Asia all
offer opportunities, he said.
Livengood said consump-
tion is dropping in Europe
because of an aging popula-
tion.
Many of the same coun-
tries that consume wine pro-
duce 80 percent of the world’s
wine: France, 17 percent;
Italy, 16 percent; Spain, 15
percent; U.S., 8 percent; Ar-
gentina 6 percent; and Chile,
China, South Africa and Aus-
tralia at 4 percent each, Liven-
good said.
Total acreage in produc-
tion declined from 2000
through 2011 and new plant-
ings are better grape produc-
ers, he said.
Italy produced 8.2 million
crush tons in 2013 and 7.5
million in 2015 with France
and Spain a little less and the
U.S. less yet at 4.5 million
crush tons in 2013 and 3.9
million in 2015.
There isn’t a lot of excess
inventory in Italy and there’s
concern about the 2016 crop
because of a warm winter and
lack of rain, Livengood said.
France has more inventory,
but a warm winter is causing
fears of early bud break, frost
and disease. Spain also is con-
cerned about crop size due to
a warm winter, he said.
Australia has an oversup-
ply and desperately wants
back into the U.S., he said.
Washington, second only
to California in wine and wine
grape production in the U.S.,
produced 222,000 tons of
wine grapes in 2015, the Na-
tional Agricultural Statistics
Service reported Feb. 9. That
was down 2 percent from
2014. Red varieties were up 5
percent and whites were down
8 percent.
Of the top four producing
varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon
showed the largest increase,
up 12 percent from 2014.
Growers received an average
of $1,145 per ton for all vari-
eties in 2015, up $35 from the
previous year.
Washington has 350-
plus growers, approximately
50,000 wine grape acres and
more than 850 wineries pro-
ducing about 16 million cases
of wine a year. Winery reve-
nue is estimated at $1 billion
annually by the state wine
commission.
PROSSER, Wash. — The
late Charles Nagel, a Washing-
ton State University food sci-
entist, has been selected as the
2016 inductee into the Legends
of Washington Wine Hall of
Fame.
The Walter Clore Wine &
Culinary Center will honor Na-
gel with the posthumous award
during the Legends of Washing-
ton wine gala at the center on
Aug. 12.
Nagel was born in Califor-
nia and received his bachelor’s
degree in bacteriology from
University of California-Berke-
ley, in 1950, followed by his
doctorate in microbiology from
UC-Davis in 1960. He joined
WSU as an assistant professor
of horticulture.
His early work was a study
of the effect of sugar on the
perception of acidity in wines
and juices. He joined United
Vintners in California and then
returned to WSU in 1974 as a
professor and food scientist and
retired in 1993.
He died in 2007. Nagel was
an important igure in the earli-
est days of Washington’s wine
industry, working closely with
Walter Clore and George Carter,
making and testing wines from
experimental vineyards.
Starting in 1964, Nagel coor-
dinated consumer tasting panels,
comprised of WSU faculty and
spouses in Pullman, to evaluate
the experimental wines. This
early feedback helped shape
the foundation of the industry.
Many of the exercises used to-
day originated from Nagel’s
pioneering research, laboratory
work and instruction.
In his later career, Nagel
touched many early winemakers
as he became “the undisputed
voice of authority on matters
related to wine science and tech-
nical issues,” said Rob Grifin
of Barnard Grifin Winery in
Richland.
Nagel was a “present and
active source of information
and support at a time when
Washington wine was generally
unknown and only grudgingly
accepted,” Grifin said.
Rick Small, of Woodward
Canyon Winery in Lowden, and
Kay Simon, of Chinook Wines
in Prosser, also praised Nagel’s
service.
Nagel is the 12th recipient of
the award. A bronze likeness of
each is displayed at the Walter
Clore Wine & Culinary Center
in Prosser.
— Dan Wheat
Revised hemp bill moves toward Senate vote
Ag department to control crop’s introduction
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
OLYMPIA — The Wash-
ington State Department of Ag-
riculture would license hemp
farmers under a bill that’s ready
for a vote by the full Senate.
After several years of frustra-
tion, hemp lobbyist Joy Becker-
man said Wednesday that she
thinks lawmakers and WSDA
have found the right way to nur-
ture the cannabis crop.
“This is the responsible
route to take,” she said. “Our
department of agriculture has
gotten impressively sophisti-
cated year by year.”
Although Washington is
only one of four states that
allows recreational marijua-
na, it has not been among the
two dozen states that have le-
galized cultivating hemp. The
Drug Enforcement Agency ar-
gues hemp and marijuana are
the same plant, distinguishable
only by chemical tests for
psychoactive traits that easily
change over time.
The Legislature has con-
sidered and ultimately rejected
bills that would simply declare
hemp a legal crop or require
WSDA to provide extensive
oversight. The proposals have
been criticized for being too
expensive or too simplistic.
Senate Bill 6206 would line
up closely with the 2014 Farm
Bill, which loosened the feder-
al stance toward hemp and au-
thorized state-supervised hemp
“research.”
Under SB 6206, WSDA
would license hemp farm-
ers, control the seed supply
and check whether cultivated
plants retained very low levels
of THC, the psychoactive sub-
stance in marijuana.
Washington State Universi-
ty, meanwhile, would study the
commercial potential for hemp
and whether hemp could spread
diseases harmful to related spe-
cies, such as hops.
WSDA estimates it will
need $145,000 from law-
makers to set up the program,
which could be in place by the
2017 growing season. The
rule-making will include set-
ting fees, grower qualiica-
tions and limits on acres.
SAGE Fact #127
ROP-8-2-1/#14
In 1906, F. Gilbert “Big” Lamb developed a method
of cutting French fries by sending potatoes at high
speed through a special knife. Eventually, Lamb
invented and patented the Lamb Water Gun Knife
that is now the industry standard worldwide.
8-1/#6
8-2/#7
Commission to
decision-makers:
Keep good business
atmosphere
alive for industry
Nagel
posthumously
joins Wine
Hall of Fame