Newhouse 'speaks agriculture' as state's ag director

By MATTHEW WEAVER

Capital Press

When he started his new job in February, Dan Newhouse told his boss he'd need some flexibility.

"I explained to her that I'm a full-time farmer, that's what I do, that's my livelihood," he said. "There are just certain times I feel like I need to be around the farm. Certainly, harvest is one of those times."

Newhouse is director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and his boss is Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire.

"She thought that was great, to have an active farmer as her director of agriculture," Newhouse said.

Born on a farm in Sunnyside, Wash., he currently grows hops, apples, cherries, nectarines, winegrapes, juice grapes and alfalfa in the same area.

With such a deep agricultural background, Newhouse sees the director position as a natural fit.

"Being an active farmer, I guess I speak agriculture," he said with a laugh.

Since being appointed by Gregoire Feb. 18, Newhouse said he balances his duties with his work on the farm.

"I can't always be around the farm, but at least I can be as close to it as I possibly can be," he said. "A large part of the job is not necessarily sitting behind a desk in Olympia. My office, so to speak, is out in the field where the people I work for are."

Before he was appointed director, Newhouse served four terms in the Washington House of Representatives as a Republican. Working under a Democratic governor has proven to be positive, he said.

"I haven't found it to be an obstacle at all," he said. "In fact, I think the governor was clear that she wanted diverse opinions around her Cabinet table."

As a farmer, Newhouse said he interacted with the department in its various functions and understands how it relates to farmers.

"As regulators, I think having that perspective will help us to be helpful to farmers as we try to make sure people are following the laws and rules," he said. "We can help educate them and work in such a way that we get better compliance."

While the department will continue to be more of a regulatory agency, Newhouse would like to see the director position become more of a spokesman representing the industry, championing issues and causes.

Efforts to raise awareness and make agriculture a priority of policy-makers continue, he said, in order to eliminate regulatory barriers.

Newhouse also pointed to the notion of protecting natural resources.

"Certainly farmers depend on the availability of land and water, and we need to do all we can to make sure those resources are available to us," he said.

Newhouse is also looking out for the support services and systems that aid agriculture, including transportation, technology and education.

Newhouse said his biggest success as director thus far is tied to a gubernatorial delegation that went to Washington, D.C., in early June. They met with seven secretaries of federal agencies over the course of several days.

"In a new administration when they're fresh on the job, we were able to bring the story of Washington agriculture to Washington, D.C.," he said. "We were impressing upon them the importance of the industry to the state."

The visit paid off sooner than Newhouse expected, when Japan delayed implementation of a new inspection protocol for Washington cherries in June. A few calls were made, and the situation was resolved within two weeks, he said.

The department's biggest challenge is dealing with decreasing state revenues and a shrinking budget, he said.

"The Department of Agriculture has historically been a very efficiently run agency," he said. "There's not any fat to cut. It's fairly bare bones, in fact, in a lot of different things. We spend a lot of time making sure we can get through without cutting anything that is essential to the agriculture industry."

Newhouse is trying to make as much contact as possible, and anticipated attending many meetings throughout the state in the fall and winter.

With the number of people involved in agriculture becoming a smaller part of the general population in Washington as well as the United States, Newhouse sees the need for agriculture to work together as more important than ever.

"If we can build a cohesive industry, where we come to OIympia with more of a unified voice on many of the issues that are relevant, ... we can give a clear message on what we see as important, what we want done," he said. "I think that will be a great thing for the industry."

Matthew Weaver is based in Spokane. E-mail: mweaver@capitalpress.com.

More online

Access the Washington State Department of Agriculture at http://agr.wa.gov.