Public Records Requests Take 1

April 6, 2009

Public Disclosure Officer
Washington State Department of Agriculture
111 Washington Street S.E.
P.O. Box 42560 Olympia, WA 98504

Dear Officer,

Pursuant to the state open records law, Wash. Rev. Code Ann. secs. 42.56.001 to 42.56.902, I write to request access to and a copy of the list of those farms within Whitman County that received subsidies from the government in 2008, 2007 and 2006. This should include the amount of money given to the farm as well as the income the farms claimed. If your agency does not maintain these public records, please let me know who does and include the proper custodian’s name and address.

I agree to pay any reasonable copying and postage fees of not more than $10. If the cost would be greater than this amount, please notify me. Please provide a receipt indicating the charges for each document.

As provided by the open records law, I would request your response within five (5) business days.

If you choose to deny this request, please provide a written explanation for the denial including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which you rely. Also, please provide all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

Please be advised that I am prepared to pursue whatever legal remedy necessary to obtain access to the requested records. I would note that violation of the open records law can result in a fine of up to $100 for each day that I am denied access. Litigation costs, including reasonable attorney fees, may also be awarded.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,


Briana J Alzola
1555 NE Merman Dr.
Apt A11B
Pullman, WA 99163

Washington State University

503-724-8002

Dear Ms. Alzola ~

I have reviewed your records request outlined below. The Washington State Department of Agriculture will pursue searching for identifiable records, but the Department believes the actual agency you will want to contact is the federal Farm Service Agency. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is one of the agencies within the United States Department of Agriculture and is responsible for payment of subsidies under the federal Farm Bill. The Washington State Department of Agriculture does not subsidize farmers. I have been advised by policy staff that the Washington State constitution does not allow state subsidies.

The Washington State office for FSA is located in Spokane at 316 West Boone Avenue, Suite #568, Spokane, WA 99201-2350. The name of the State Executive Director is Jack M. Silzel, the telephone number is 509/323/3000. The website address on file is http://www.fsa.usda.gov/wa.

While I do not know if it is relevant, there is another federal office named the USDA Risk Management Agency that deals with crop insurance. It is also located in Spokane.

It would be very much appreciated should the federal government provide you with the information to fulfill your request that you would write back to me and let me know. As I said, it is extremely unlikely that WSDA has any documents relative to your request, but staff will still have to search unless you modify your request or advise us that another agency has what you are looking for.

In the meantime, if I can be of further service or assistance to you, please feel free to contact me. In case you need it, my telephone number in Olympia is 360/902-1809. Also, if I do not hear back from you, you will receive additional correspondence from me within 5-days advising the results of the agency’s records search and when a final response will be provided you.

Sincerely,

Ms. Dannie M. McQueen