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CapitalPress.com
April 22, 2016
People & Places
Ag director a problem solver
Derek Sandison
learned by listening
as he navigated
Columbia River
issues
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Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandison sits in his office in Olympia. On the job for 10 months, Sandison has
brought his problem-solving skills to the department.
Western Innovator
Derek Sandison
Age: 63
Position: Washington State Depart-
ment of Agriculture director since
June 2015
Previously: Director of the Office
of Columbia River within the state Department of Ecology in
Wenatchee and before that director of the department’s Central
Region office in Yakima
Hometown: Port Angeles
Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology and master’s degree
in natural resources management from Central Washington
University
Sandison was welcomed
by Republicans and Demo-
crats. The Washington Farm
Bureau said Sandison was
its top choice for WSDA di-
rector.
“Derek has done just
what we expected him to
do,” the Farm Bureau’s gov-
ernment relations director,
Tom Davis, said. “He has
done a great job restoring
stability and leadership to
WSDA.”
Senate Agriculture Com-
mittee Chairwoman Judy
Warnick, R-Moses Lake,
said Sandison has taken the
time to learn from farmers
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Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301.
Saturday, April 23
Oregon Ag Fest, 8:30 a.m.-5
p.m. We strive to bridge the gap
between urban and rural life, and
to share the wonder and abun-
dance of Oregon’s bountiful and
diverse harvest. Most important-
ly, we do this in a family-friendly
way, where kids 12 and under re-
ceive free admission, and virtual-
ly all activities are free of charge.
Oregon State Fairgrounds, Sa-
lem. http://oragfest.com/
California FFA State Con-
vention, Selland Arena, Fresno.
www.calaged.org/stateconven-
tion
Soil Test Interpretation for
Commercial Growers. 4-6 p.m.
OSU Southern Oregon Research
& Extension Center-Library. Soil
scientist Elizabeth Murphy will
present strategies and practical
approaches to integrate knowl-
edge about the chemical, physi-
cal, and ecological properties of
the soil to refine nutrient man-
agement, improve soil health,
and maximize production. $20
fee. Pre-class questions and soil
test report submittal are encour-
aged. 541-776-7371, ext. 208,
http://extension.oregonstate.
edu/sorec/small-farms-2016-
classes
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By DON JENKINS
OLYMPIA — Prior to
becoming Washington’s ag-
riculture director 10 months
ago, Derek Sandison was
immersed in the West’s
water war and somehow
emerged a popular man.
He led the Office of Co-
lumbia River within the
Washington
Department
of Ecology for more than
six years. The state set up
the office to unite factions
fighting over water in East-
ern Washington.
Sandison set out to do
what science says can’t be
done — create water.
Plans to wring more wa-
ter from Washington’s dry
side are complex and expen-
sive. They will take years to
execute and aren’t univer-
sally supported. There are
wild cards, too. Political
support for major undertak-
ings rise and fall. Until the
U.S. and Canada negotiate
a new treaty to manage the
mighty Columbia River, the
outlook past 2024 won’t be
clear.
Nevertheless, Washing-
ton state now has blueprints
to increase water supplies
for farms, fish and cities.
Sandison’s handling of
this whirlpool of policy and
politics was such that he
was a popular choice to lead
a Department of Agriculture
in disarray.
Rancher and former
Okanogan County Commis-
sioner Bud Hover was di-
rector for two years before
the Senate summoned him
for a confirmation hearing,
a bad omen. Even without
confirmation, gubernatorial
appointees serve unless the
Senate votes to reject them.
Hover resigned, and a sen-
ator described the depart-
ment as a “mess.”
Sandison, 63, didn’t fit
the normal agriculture di-
rector profile. He is not a
farmer or a past or aspir-
ing office holder. He hadn’t
worked at WSDA. He had
been at Ecology for 14
years.
But he had earned a rep-
utation as a listener and
problem solver. He also was
not a regulator. He spent
his DOE career in Eastern
Washington trying to do
water projects. “I had to get
permits from the Depart-
ment of Ecology,” he said.
Capital Press
Sunday, April 24
Oregon Ag Fest, 10 a.m.-5
p.m. We strive to bridge the gap
between urban and rural life, and
to share the wonder and abun-
dance of Oregon’s bountiful and
diverse harvest. Most important-
ly, we do this in a family-friendly
way, where kids 12 and under
receive free admission, and
virtually all activities are free
of charge. Oregon State Fair-
grounds, Salem. http://oragfest.
com/
California FFA State Conven-
tion, Selland Arena, Fresno. www.
calaged.org/stateconvention
Monday, April 25
California FFA State Conven-
tion, Selland Arena, Fresno. www.
calaged.org/stateconvention
Tuesday, April 26
California FFA State Conven-
tion, Selland Arena, Fresno. www.
calaged.org/stateconvention
Wednesday, April 27
Oregon Orchardgrass Seed
Producers Commission meeting,
7:30 a.m., Elmer’s restaurant, 2802
Santiam Highway SE, Albany, Ore.,
503-924-1181, www.orchardgrass.
org
Saturday, April 30
Incredible Edibles Plant Sale,
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Westminster Pres-
byterian Church, Portland. Mult-
nomah County master gardeners.
From seedlings to supper, grow
your own. Cost: Free.
and ranchers.
“He’s willing to listen to
issues other people have,
and he’s put people in place
in his department who fol-
low through on these is-
sues,” she said. “I feel like
he’s doing a great job. He
understands the water issue,
which in the state of Wash-
ington is critical for our
farmers.”
Sandison
says
that
“mess” might be overstat-
ing what he walked into.
But he did reshuffle admin-
istrators, to get people in the
right place, he said.
“There was certainly tur-
moil. You could see it on
people’s faces,” Sandison
said.
Sandison also moved
to connect with producer
groups. “It is notable that
he is open and accessible,”
Davis said.
The Legislature keeps
Sandison in Olympia when
it’s in session. At other
times, Sandison estimates
he spends at least half of his
time traveling around the
state.
In the short time he’s
been director, Sandison
has dealt with, among oth-
er issues, drought, bird flu,
apple maggots and gypsy
moths.
“When a crisis arises, it’s
too late to do relationship
building,” he said.
Sandison
said
he’s
learned that producers have
the sensation of being under
siege.
“I hear that all over the
state,” Sandison said. “They
feel like they’re under at-
tack.”
Sandison’s office is not
far from where a What’s
Upstream billboard was put
up to promote stricter laws
on agriculture.
The now-removed bill-
board, part of a campaign
funded by the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency,
asserted that agriculture is
unregulated, a proposition
that Sandison said must seem
“laughable” to farmers.
But Sandison said he was
also struck by how, in his
view, counterproductive the
billboard was to the interests
of the groups that put it up.
“If the motive was to
solve problems, that’s one
helluva way to go about it,”
he said. “You want to foster
collaboration and commu-
nication. You don’t want to
inflame a situation.
“I’m disappointed it was
done with taxpayer fund-
ing.”
When Gov. Jay Inslee
picked Sandison last year,
the Senate quickly held
a hearing and confirmed
Sandison’s
appointment.
Sandison said he plans to
stay as long as the governor
allows it and as long as he’s
solving problems.
“My inclination is, if I
see a problem, I want to
deal with it,” he said. “For
the foreseeable future, I’m
good.”
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
20 Northwest Locations
Thursday, May 5
2016 Animal Agriculture Alli-
ance Stakeholders Summit, 7 a.m.-
6 p.m. Westin Arlington Gateway,
Arlington, Va. www.animalagalli-
ance.org/summit
Friday, May 6
18th Annual Cinco de Mayo Golf
Classic. 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Silverado
Resort & Spa, 1600 Atlas Peak
Road, Napa, Calif. This is the only
fundraising event in Napa Valley
exclusively dedicated to the needs
of migrant farmworkers. 707-227-
2641
2016 Animal Agriculture Alliance
Stakeholders Summit, 7 a.m.-noon.
Westin Arlington Gateway, Arling-
ton, Va. www.animalagalliance.org/
summit
Sunday, May 22
Sunday, May 29
Monday, May 23
Alpaca Shearing Day & Sale,
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Alpacas of Ore-
gon, 21345 SW Aebischer Road,
Sherwood, Ore. Visitors can chat
with four long-time livestock
breeders who’ve raised llamas,
horses, sheep, and goats. 503-
348-6954
Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion’s Midyear 2016, 1-9 p.m., Sun-
river Resort, 17600 Center Drive,
Sunriver, Ore. The event will host
Ethan Lane, executive director of
the Public Lands Council. www.or-
cattle.com
Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion’s Midyear 2016, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.,
Sunriver Resort, 17600 Center
Drive, Sunriver, Ore. The event will
host Ethan Lane, executive director
of the Public Lands Council. www.
orcattle.com
Tuesday, May 24
Western States Dorper Associ-
ation Show and Sale, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Chico State University Farm, 311
Nicholas C. Schoute Lane, Chico,
Calif. Cost: Free http://wsdorpers.
com/2016_wsda_show_and_sale_
info
Saturday, June 4
Washington FFA Convention,
Washington State University, Pullman
Oregon Cattlemen’s Associa-
tion’s Midyear 2016, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.,
Sunriver Resort, 17600 Center
Drive, Sunriver, Ore. The event will
host Ethan Lane, executive director
of the Public Lands Council. www.
orcattle.com
Friday, May 13
Saturday, May 28
AOSA SCST Joint Annual Meet-
ing, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Embassy Suites,
Airport Way, Portland. http://www.
seedtechnology.net/
Thursday, May 12
Washington FFA Convention,
Washington State University, Pull-
man
Saturday, May 14
Washington FFA Convention,
Washington State University, Pull-
man Washington FFA Convention
Saturday, May 21
2016 Goat Academy, 8 a.m.-5
p.m. A full day of classes followed
by an auction on May 22. Camping
available. Half Creek Farm, Gold-
endale, Wash. www.columbiabasin-
goatguild.org
Alpaca Shearing Day & Sale,
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Alpacas of Ore-
gon, 21345 SW Aebischer Road,
Sherwood, Ore. Visitors can chat
with four long-time livestock
breeders who’ve raised llamas,
horses, sheep, and goats. 503-
348-6954
Western States Dorper Associ-
ation Show and Sale, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Chico State University Farm, 311
Nicholas C. Schoute Lane, Chico,
Calif. Cost: Free http://wsdorpers.
com/2016_wsda_show_and_sale_
info
AOSA SCST Joint Annual
Meeting, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Embas-
sy Suites, Airport Way, Portland.
http://www.seedtechnology.net/
Sunday, June 5
Monday, June 6
AOSA SCST Joint Annual Meet-
ing, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Embassy Suites,
Airport Way, Portland. http://www.
seedtechnology.net/
Tuesday, June 7
AOSA SCST Joint Annual Meet-
ing, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Embassy Suites,
Airport Way, Portland. http://www.
seedtechnology.net/
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Dairy .................................... 15
Idaho .................................... 10
Livestock ............................. 15
Markets ............................... 16
Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon .................................. 9
Washington ..........................11
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