The Fruit and Vegetable Inspection program provides inspection services to the fresh produce and processing industry to ensure orderly marketing of fruits and vegetables. Major commodities inspected include apples, pears, cherries, peaches, asparagus, potatoes and onions. These commodities are inspected for quality, size, labeling, condition, and contract specifications, and may be certified as free from disease and insects as required by domestic and international markets. These services are provided through district offices in Yakima and Wenatchee and ten field offices located throughout the state. This self-supporting, fee-for-service program is the largest in the agency, accounting for about 30% of the agency's employees and about 20% of the agency's expenditures.

Grain Inspection provides inspection, analytical and weighing services to ensure orderly commerce for grain, dry peas, dry beans, lentils and similar commodities sold in or from Washington. These services are provided at ten grain inspection facilities located throughout the state (Seattle, Tacoma, Aberdeen, Longview, Kalama, Vancouver, Pasco, Spokane, and Colfax). Headquarters is located in Olympia and a Quality Assurance office is in nearby Tumwater. The program, as required by federal law, provides service 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, upon request. This fee-for-service program is the second largest program in the agency in terms of employees and estimated expenditures.

Grain Warehouse Audit protects grain producers from undue losses by requiring licensing and bonding of grain storage warehouses and grain dealers. The program audits each licensee to assure producers and depositors that the warehouses and dealers are meeting requirements to cover storage and contractual obligations. This program is funded by license fees.

The 2019 Washington State Legislature created Washington’s Hemp Program under chapter 15.140 RCW, directing the WSDA to adopt rules for a new program. Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) adopted chapter 16-306 Washington Administrative Code (WAC) regulating hemp as an agricultural product, including a licensing component with related fees for program administration. The department is also responsible for the testing and sampling protocols concerning THC concentration. WSDA field inspectors take hemp samples within 15-days prior to the expected harvest of cannabis plants and are tested in state-approved laboratories.  

 

The Seed Program conducts pre-harvest field inspections and laboratory testing of agricultural vegetable and flower seeds grown under the seed certification program. The program tests seed samples submitted by seed growers and companies to determine compliance with purity and germination standards, and to certify seed for domestic and international marketing. The program operates the state's only official seed testing laboratory, located in Yakima. This is a self-supporting, fee-for-service program.