Dan Newhouse: The New Director of the Department of Agriculture

Steve Scher
05/13/2009 at 10:00 a.m.

Washington state produces 90% of the nation's raspberries, 60% of the nation's apples, and over one–third of the nation's asparagus. Whitman County alone produces more wheat than any other county in the United States. Washington's farmers also face a shortage of water, labor and, in some cases, land. How is agriculture being affected by the current economic crisis? What will Washington state's agriculture look like to the next generation of farmers? Dan Newhouse, the new director of the Department of Agriculture, is our guest on Weekday, right after the latest news from Canada with Vaughn Palmer.

Guest(s)

Dan Newhouse is the director of the Washington Department of Agriculture. Previously, he was the Republican representative to the state Legislature from Sunnyside. Newhouse is a graduate of Washington State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Economics and completed an Agriculture and Forestry Leadership program. He currently operates a 600 acre farm in the Sunnyside area, where he grows hops, tree fruits, grapes and alfalfa.

Vaughn Palmer is a political correspondent for The Vancouver Sun.