Animal Health & Livestock Management

Update from the WSDA Animal Disease Traceability Program

/ Scott

By David Hecimovich

The WSDA Animal Disease Traceability Program supports the state veterinarian by quickly identifying infected or exposed animals during an animal disease outbreak.  Several projects have been completed to build infrastructure at markets and harvest facilities in recent years.  While continuing to support those efforts, new projects will continue to build capacity for rapid response and containment to protect our livestock industry.

Markets

Over the last few years, WSDA has worked to upgrade existing market systems management software to speed up commerce and provide electronic tools to improve efficiency.  Six Washington livestock markets are now using the Saletime Veterinary Module that allows the market veterinarian to combine animal information collected at the vet chute with consignor or consignee information. This can then produce electronic health certificates, brucellosis vaccinations, and Trichomoniasis test records. The module is adaptable to meet each market veterinarian’s specific needs. The current software architecture is used to read Low Frequency RFID tags, but it is expandable to read High Frequency RFID tags.

Harvest Facilities

RFID tag reading equipment was installed at LimitBid Packing in Odessa and Pure Country Harvest in Moses Lake. This brings the total number of USDA inspected slaughter facilities reporting RFID tags for tag retirement to six facilities. This increased our RFID tag retirement capability to 99.1% of all cattle slaughtered in the state.

New Projects in 2021

Thanks to your input from the ADT Program fall survey, two new pilot projects have been selected to enhance traceability in 2021. The first project provides free, official 840 RFID tags to youth for agricultural exhibitions. The second project aims to make handheld readers more available to producers. 

Places of commingling of animals present unique risks for disease outbreaks, such as agricultural exhibitions. The objectives of the voluntary projects are to increase use of official identification of fair cattle and swine to promote rapid disease response and containment, use of electronic certificates of veterinarian inspection (CVIs) for interstate movement, and eliminate costs for youth exhibitors to purchase official electronic identification for exhibition.

The ADT program teamed with Allflex and WSU Extension to provide free RFID tags and 3- digit FAIR visual tags for fair cattle and swine. Tags will be applied at weigh in/exhibition at Benton, Franklin, and Grant county fairs. Other interested fairs will be invited to participate after the processes are refined. 

In the last two years, 85 hand held readers have been distributed to veterinarians across the state. The objective of the second project is to expand the scope of that effort to extension and producer groups. WSDA will partner with WSU Extension, fairs and county cattlemen’s associations to increase availability, education, outreach and training on the use of handheld readers. WSDA is working to get readers in the hands of key association leaders and extension agents. Please contact David Hecimovich (dhecimovich@agr.wa.gov) for more information or to request a reader for member/organization use.

Materials Available from Whatcom CD Nutrient Management Training 2020

/ Scott

Thank you to all the farmers, custom applicators, and other manure specialists who came out to learn with us in Lynden on February 20! We enjoyed seeing some new faces as well as many familiar ones, and hope you found the event useful and worthwhile. If you missed the event or if you would like to revisit any of the presentations, they are now all available on our YouTube channel or through the following links:

Videos from the event:


Other useful links:

Our new Manure Application Record Keeping Tool presented by Corina Cheever is also available. If you would like a copy please reply to this email or contact ccheever@whatcomcd.org. If you have any questions, are looking for specific resources, or would like to give feedback on this event, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Best,

Dakota Stranik
Resource Specialist
Whatcom Conservation District
6875 Hannegan Road
Lynden, WA 98264
360-526-2381 ext. 108
www.whatcomcd.org

Livestock Identification and Inspection Changes

/ Scott

Overview: Legislation passed in 2019 resulted in significant changes to the laws and processes regarding brand inspection and individual livestock identification. These changes include different fees and some strong incentives to move to electronic livestock identification and reporting in lieu of using brand inspectors. Dairy farmers should consider using some of these options to lower fees and reduce the need for brand inspectors.

Background and Approach: Most dairy farmers do not need, use, or want to brand animals. Some producers (around 15%) do brand. In our conversations with legislators and stakeholders, we respected the needs of both segments of our membership. We sought to preserve brand options for producers who want branding for asset protection, while also ensuring that producers who do not brand are not forced to pay for a program they do not use. We advocated for additional program efficiencies, options such as electronic reporting, and efficient and accurate individual animal traceability for disease prevention, traceability, and commerce.

What happened during the 2019 legislative session? After more than a year of discussions about this legislation, wide differences still existed between our approach, what the Cattlemen wanted, and what the Washington State Department of Agriculture would accept. The Cattlemen wanted a brand program. WSDA wanted to make sure the brand program was adequately funded. There were serious attempts to modernize animal traceability to respond to disease outbreaks.

The final version of the legislation (ESSB 5959) includes some of these components. The final text of ESSB 5959 can be found here: http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/Senate/5959-S.SL.pdf#page=1.

Unfortunately, ESSB 59595 placed disproportionately higher fees onto unbranded and unidentified animals to pay for brand inspection services at WSDA. We did not support the final bill because farmers who do not use the brand program should not be forced to pay for it.

Details of Major Changes in ESSB 5959: The new law has some options that will benefit most dairy farmers, including ways to reduce fees to support the brand program.

  • New Fees: On July 28, 2019, new fees will be implemented at all points of “brand inspection.” 
    • For livestock with electronic official individual identification (currently an 840 RFI tag) or branded livestock, the inspection fee will be $1.21 per head. (This is a fee reduction of 39 cents for farmers who have been selling 840 tagged animals.)
    • The fee goes from $1.60 to $4.00 for “slick” animals (i.e., animals not identified with either a brand or electronic official individual identification.)
    • If you call a brand inspector out to your farm to oversee a cattle transaction, there will be an additional “call out fee” of $20 (which may be more or less than the previous “time and mileage” charges that were eliminated). Private parties can be certified as brand inspectors, in addition to the previous allowance for veterinarians to do brand inspections. Regardless of who does the inspection (a private party or WSDA), the fees are the same. Unfortunately and illogically, the “call out fee” goes to WSDA even if a private inspector or veterinarian provides the service.
  • Electronic Reporting: There are expanded options and incentives for using the Electronic Cattle Transaction Reporting (ECTR) system. The ECTR system website can be found here: https://agr.wa.gov/departments/animals-livestock-and-pets/livestock/ectr. As of June 19, 2019, the ECTR website had not been updated to reflect the recent legislative changes.
    • ESSB 5959 expands ECTR to all animals – branded or not. It is expanded beyond just dairy and in-state transactions. The definition of ownership is broadened to recognize electronic official individual identification as proof of ownership, including proof of ownership for out of state transactions.
    • The changes to ECTR eliminate the need for a state brand inspector and brand fees for anyone selling animals with official 840 tags. ECTR is only when you sell livestock with official 840 tags. If you still have tags that start with the number 982, these tags are not official. You should consider asking your tag supplier to switch your tags to 840’s.
    • As the use and volume of the ECTR system increases, the fees must, by law, decline to match the costs of WSDA to administer ECTR. Since ECTR fees are not used to support the brand inspection system, ECTR costs should remain steady or even decrease with more usage. $1.30 is current ECTR fee, and we will insist WSDA reduce fees to match expense as volume increase. We expect ECTR fees to decrease to around 60-70 cents, with no call out fees and no need to call a livestock inspector. For these reasons, we recommend producers use ECTR for livestock sales.
  • Sunset: Major portions of the bill related to fees expire July 1, 2023, due to uncertainty about financing the program after so many policy changes and due to future animal ID changes from USDA (see below).

Other Changes Pertaining to Livestock ID and Inspections:

  • USDA will be charging for the metal Bangs tags starting January 1, 2020.
  • After December 2020, USDA will no longer issue metal Bangs tags and is moving to recognize only 840 numbered official RFI tags. In 2023 USDA will require 840 tags as proof of Bangs vaccination. Metal tags will not be recognized.
  • If you put 840 tags in at birth or for management use, there is now a way for your veterinarian to “electronically report” that tag number as Bangs vaccinated. You do not need the orange USDA issued RFI Bangs tag. Some producers may want to wait to put in 840 Bangs tags when they vaccinate, but you also have the option of putting in any color button or an 840 RFI dangle tag and ask your veterinarian to report that tag number as vaccinated.
  • The bottom line is that you should make sure you are using some version of an RFI tag that is an 840 numbered “official tag.”
  • USDA will be issuing rebate certificates of around 50 cents to help producers and veterinarians with the added costs of RFI tags. As we get more information, we will report where and how those certificates are available.

2019 Legislative Summary

/ Scott

The 2019 legislative session ended up as an overall positive session. It began with a myriad of rather scary legislative ideas and agendas from Gov. Inslee, the Senate, and some House Democrats. Generally, the bad things died, and some good things passed. Here are the highlights:

Ag Slavery Bill (SB 5693): This bill caught the ire of farmers statewide. Supporters of SB 5693 accused farmers of slavery and human trafficking, something that we vigorously and aggressively argued against. The bill would have required certain Washington retailers and manufacturers of agricultural products to make annual disclosures on their websites’ homepages about their efforts with respect to their product supply chains to eradicate slavery and human trafficking and to ensure compliance with the employment laws. The bill died in the Senate.

Brand Inspections (SB 5959): This issue was a hard, painful slog. There is a two-page detailed summary for producers to review, since there are significant changes to the processes and fees associated with brand and livestock inspection. This bill passed both chambers and was signed into law.

Dairy Milk Assessment Fee (HB 1429): This bill extends until 2025 a dairy milk assessment fee that was due to expire next year.  That fee, paid by milk processors, pays for the inspection services that are required for Washington milk to comply with the “Grade A” Interstate Pasteurized Milk Ordinance – the national standard for milk sanitization. The bill passed both chambers and was signed into law.

Environmental Justice (SB 5489): The bill would have created a task force at Department of Health to develop guidance for state agencies to use when adopting rules. This guidance would have included use of a cumulative impact analysis and application of the precautionary principle (i.e., the rejection of a project or action unless the proponent can prove no harm), providing another powerful tool for state agencies to use to deny permits. The bill passed the Senate but died in the House.

Farm Vehicle Weight Flexibility (SB 5883):  authorizing vehicles carrying farm products to exceed total gross weight limits: This bill allows a vehicle or combination of vehicles carrying farm products from the field to exceed weight limits by up to 5 percent on public highways in Washington. Violations are tracked per driver, and each driver may receive up to two warnings each calendar year before a citation is issued. This bill passed both the Senate and House and was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Graduated Real Estate Excise Tax (SB 5998): A new graduated real estate excise tax will replace the state’s current flat tax of 1.28 percent on all sales. Under the new structure, a 1.1 percent tax would apply to property sales up to $500,000, a 1.28 percent tax would apply to sales between $500,000 and $1.5 million, a 2.75 percent tax to sales between $1.5-3 million. Agricultural and timber lands are exempt from the tax rate increase and will continue to pay the current base rate of 1.28 percent. Business property not enrolled in a current use property tax program will be subject to the new graduated tax. This bill passed both chambers and was signed into law by the governor.

Gravel and Sediment Management (HB 1579): We were able to include in the Orca and Salmon bill (“Implementing recommendations of the southern resident killer whale task force related to increasing chinook abundance”) a provision to allow some experimentation in gravel and sediment management in three counties. While the bill passed both houses, unfortunately the governor vetoed this section. We continue to hear from producers impacted by rivers that are currently completely unmanaged for sediment and erosion. We will not stop trying to find solutions to allow us to intelligently manage rivers to prevent disastrous loss of farmland.

H-2A Fees (SB 5438): The original language in this bill would have required users of the federal H-2A program to pay additional application and per worker fees to the Employment Security Department for state administrative costs associated with the H-2A program. Users already pay federal fees to use the program. These inappropriate state fees were removed from the bill, and the amended bill establishes the office of Agricultural and Seasonal Workforce Services and an advisory committee to address labor issues in agriculture. The bill passed the Legislature and was signed by the governor.

Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program (HB 1087): The Legislature created a new long-term care insurance program to employees in Washington. Beginning on January 1, 2022, employers must begin collecting premiums for the new Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program. Premiums will be paid entirely by employees through a 0.58% payroll tax remitted to the Employment Security Department. ESD will use the Paid Family and Medical Leave Program as a model to establish the Long-Term Services and Support Trust Program’s collection and reporting process. Benefits will begin for eligible employees on January 1, 2025. To become eligible, Washington residents will have to work three years within the previous six years or a total of 10 years with at least five years of uninterrupted work. In addition, a person will have to work at least 500 hours in a year for that year to count towards eligibility. To qualify for the benefit, an individual must need help with at least three daily living tasks, as determined by Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services. The maximum lifetime benefit will be $36,500 per person, with future increases tied to the consumer price index. Individuals who have purchased long-term care insurance can opt out of the program.

Pesticide Application Safety (SB 5550): This bill was a negotiated response to pesticide drift/notification bills from previous sessions. It creates a committee (similar to the old PIRT panel) that will meet at least three times each year and must provide an annual report to the Legislature. The first priority of the committee is to explore how state agencies collect and track pesticide incident data. An advisory work group is created to collect information and make recommendations to the full committee on topics requiring unique expertise and perspectives on issues within the jurisdiction of the committee. In addition to fund the committee, the budget granted WSDA $250,000 in one-time funding to expand training for pesticide handlers and air-blast sprayer operators. The bill passed the Legislature and was signed into law.

Qui Tam Whistleblowers (HB 1965): This bill would have allowed anyone to bring actions on behalf of the state for violations of workplace protections. The “qui tam” legal actions would mean that any individual could act when a state agency chooses to not move forward with an enforcement action against an employer. Opening this door would likely result in an increase in frivolous legal actions against employers. The bill died in the House.

Wage and Salary Information (HB 1696): This bill prohibits employers from seeking the wage or salary history of job applicants. It requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide job applicants the minimum wage or salary for the position upon request after an employment offer is made to the applicant. Also, employers with 15 or more employees are required to provide the wage scale or salary range of the new position when an employee is offered a transfer or promotion and requests the wage information. The bill passed both chambers and was signed into law.

Wage Liens (HB 1514): This bill would have created procedures for establishing, foreclosing, extinguishing, and prioritizing wage liens for claims on unpaid wages. These changes would have altered the priority of liens on real property even if the other parties holding a lien were not a party to the wage dispute. The bill died in the House.

Budget: There were several notable successes, usually a specific program or a regionally important win.

  • Carbon and Conservation: A small budget note was inserted in the final budget that directs WSDA and the Conservation Commission to evaluate all existing needs for Conservation. This started as an attempt to push forward legislation (SB 5947) to establish a large farm carbon reduction program at WSDA. Our concern was that carbon reduction is good, but if it leaves other important Conservation activities without enough funding then farmers will get praised for reducing carbon and flogged for not doing enough to improve soil, water, and air quality. Efforts to improve water quality for shellfish farms, the Voluntary Stewardship Program, and salmon and wildlife habitat should be complementary and integrated rather than competing for scarce conservation incentive dollars and technical assistance funding for the Conservation Districts. The evaluation will be done this summer and should allow us to show what the real need is to implement all the existing conservation expectations as well as add carbon reduction activities to the mix. 
  • Chehalis Valley Habitat and Flood: The capital budget provided $79 million to continue the work in the Chehalis Valley to work on salmon habitat and to finish the permitting and final environmental evaluation of a flood control dam in the Upper Chehalis Valley. A flood control structure would prevent the catastrophic damages like those suffered by many of the 30 dairy farms in 2007. The fish recovery work will hopefully prevent a listing of the Spring Chinook salmon in the Chehalis Basin. (The Chehalis Basin is the only river in our state without an ESA listing.)
  • Dairy Nutrient Innovation Grants: An additional $1 million was added to the $5 million in dairy nutrient innovation grants that were funded in the previous biennium. These funds should complete an advanced distillation system in Northwest Washington to process dairy manure into dry or very think slurry, approximately 13 million gallons of clean water per year and produce a new product from manure – an ammonia water product that has already been certified in Texas as an organic pure nitrogen fertilizer that looks like it will be of interest to organic grain, vegetable, and greenhouse farms.
  • Environmental Justice: An Environment Justice Work Group will receive $390,000 to recommend strategies for incorporating environmental justice principles into how state agencies discharge their responsibilities. This language is vastly superior to the what was in the standalone bill (SB 5489), which died.
  • Soil Health Initiative: WSU was allotted $500,000 for new soil health research and extension activities to develop, evaluate and incentivize best management practices for agricultural. Some activity must be conducted at the research and extension center in Mount Vernon.
  • Wage and Hour Investigations: L&I received $1.26 million from workers’ comp dollars to initiate and conduct targeted, company-wide investigations where it appears (e.g. based on investigation of an individual worker complaint) other workers may not be receiving the wages, breaks, and/or paid sick leave they are owed.
  • Yakima Integrated Plan: The capital budget provided $30 million for continued work on the Yakima Integrated Plan that will increase water storage to improve reliability and drought supply for the Yakima irrigation system.