member spotlight

by Nancy Maddox , MPH , writer

That comes as no surprise — the Beaver State is a chef ’ s dream-come-true . Its scenic rivers and 363-mile-long Pacific coast yield up salmon , pink shrimp and other aquatic treats . On terra firma , about a quarter of Oregon ’ s land area — 16.4 million acres — is devoted to farming . Moreover , the Oregon Department of Agriculture ( ODA ) reports that “ more that 98 % of Oregon farms are operated by families , with 88 % being sole proprietor single-family operations .” That translates into ingredients like , per Sietsema , “ Hood strawberries so juicy and fragile they rarely leave the state .”

Lucky for the rest of the country , many Oregon delicacies do . The state ranks # 1 in the US for production of a long list of agricultural commodities , including blackberries , boysenberries , hazelnuts and even Christmas trees . It ranks # 2 for production of peppermint , sweet cherries and hops ; # 3 for Dungeness crabs , pears , red raspberries and a few other items ; and # 4 for blueberries , green peas , cranberries and wine grapes . The abundance of local hops and wine grapes in particular has fueled the state ’ s vibrant beverage industry , with more than 600 local wineries and over 200 breweries .

The Oregon State Food Innovation Center , home of the Oregon Department of Agriculture Laboratory Services

The two-story center — built of steel , concrete and glass with an industrial chic design — is a joint project of the ODA and Oregon State University ( OSU ). Billed as a one-stop shop for food product developers , its services include package engineering , shelf life studies and consumer sensory testing . “ If I want to start selling my grandma ’ s pasta sauce ,” said Kathleen Wickman , who manages the ODA Laboratory Services Program , “ I could come here and develop a flavor profile and set up a test kitchen to make small batches for sale . An economist could tell me the likelihood of my success , and ODA marketing folks could take my product to domestic and foreign trade shows .”

Manager

Wickman was born in Nebraska , and her early life followed the career trajectory of her father , an aspiring chemist who moved the family to New Hampshire , California (“ for dad ’ s PhD ”), New Jersey , Greece , New Jersey again , and finally Corvallis , OR , where her father secured a professorship at OSU . Wickman went to high school there and then enrolled in OSU herself , earning a BS in microbiology . She said , “ I had planned to go back to school , but instead I got a job with the state Department of Agriculture .” Over the next 33 years or so , she was promoted from laboratory technician to Microbiologist I to Microbiologist III to supervising microbiologist to assistant laboratory administrator . After a reorganization about 15 years ago — about the time the laboratory relocated to Portland — she became the laboratory manager .

Staff

When fully staffed , the ODA Laboratory Services Program employs 21 people : five microbiologists , five laboratory technicians , nine chemists , a quality assurance officer and Wickman . “ We have no administrative staff ,” said Wickman . “ I let them go to maintain our analytical staff . Because we mostly serve our department , we don ’ t have a lot of external calls come in .”

Front row from left to right : Kathleen Wickman , Sharon Ferrier , Deb Wong , Rafia Razzaque , Virginia Tarango , Terrie Graves , Riam Sangdoung , Rachel Zygmontowicz and Sarah Lampson . Back row from left to right : Justin Wood , Joe Harworth , Cary Johnson , Jim Madden , Tasha Johnson , Erik Luvaas , Sheri Roe and Kate Ellis

In terms of dollar value , Oregon ’ s top ten list is a little bit different , including cattle , greenhouse plants , hay , milk , grass seed , wheat , potatoes , hazelnuts , pears and wine grapes . These agricultural items netted the state about $ 4.4 billion in 2014 .

Overall , the ODA figures that agriculture comprises over 10 % of Oregon ’ s entire economic output and is responsible for one of every eight jobs , no doubt including the jobs of chefs in Portland .

Facility

The ODA Laboratory Services Program moved up the Willamette Valley in the late 1990s from the state capital of Salem to downtown Portland . Today it occupies over 8,000 square feet of the state ’ s Food Innovation Center , on the edge of the upscale Pearl District , known for its art galleries , restaurants and warehouse-to-loft conversions .

Revenue

The laboratory has a two-year budget of just over $ 7 million , including a recent , one-time allocation of $ 1.1 million for equipment upgrades , a new laboratory information management system and supplies . Roughly half of the current budget comes from general state funds , about $ 0.5 million from federal funds and most of the remainder from departmental transfers . A fraction of the budget comes from fees .

Testing

ODA Laboratory Services is one of several ODA testing programs . “ We call ourselves the regulatory lab ,” said Wickman . Its chief client base consists of other ODA programs .

For the state pesticide program , the laboratory investigates pesticide misuse or abuse , testing everything from soil to foliage to dead geese . For the fertilizer program , it tests product samples for compliance with labeling laws , with an emphasis on nitrogen content and measurement of plant growth regulators . For the Oregon Natural Resource Program , it tests water samples for possible contamination with excrement from confined animal feedlot operations . And for the state gypsy moth eradication program — which seeks to keep the invasive , leaf-eating species from becoming established in Oregon — the laboratory verifies the potency of the hormone-based lures used in ODA moth traps .

In addition , the Laboratory Services Program supports a number of ODA food safety programs , testing finished Oregon-produced milk products for bacterial contamination ; local shellfish for paralytic shellfish toxin , domoic acid and