Wheat association dissolves director position

'Bewildered' Borck regrouping, wishes farmers well

RITZVILLE — After 14 years, a state wheat representative is no longer with her association.

Washington Association of Wheat Growers Director of Issues Gretchen Borck sent out an e-mail Feb. 14 notifying her contacts it was her last day of employment with the association.

Borck said the association executive committee informed her it will no longer require her services because of restructuring and internal staff reorganization within the office. She is sorting out relevant paperawork through Feb. 21.

Borck said the move was not expected at all and she is "a little bit bewildered."

"I think I'm probably the first casualty of the consolidation of the Washington Wheat Commission and the Wheat Association," she said.

Consolidation was in the works for a while, she added, with indications a new structure and "altered" job descriptions would be announced March 1.

"There was nothing to indicate to do away with my director of issues position," she said. "What they do plan to do is reorganize the committee structure and have volunteers do the job."

Association President Jim White said there were ongoing talks for a number of years to combine the two organizations and the Washington Barley Commission and consolidate efforts, but no recommendation to do anything as of yet. It's a different issue, he said.

"We've decided to do some work on some other issues," White explained. "We're actually trying to put our committees back together in an appropriate manner and decided we no longer need the position of director of issues."

The association hopes to reorganize the committees back to an active level capable of taking care of issues in their purview as they see fit, White added.

"Gretchen's been a great employee," he said. "She's done a lot of good things for the organization and we let her know she was well-appreciated and it was time for us to do some internal shuffling, and this appeared to be the best way for us to do it."

White said the association continues with business as usual, with employees still working in the association building, projects still under way and a trip to Olympia proceeds as scheduled to work with the association's lobbyist this week.

"It's not like the office is empty," he said. "The functions that would normally happen with the Washington Association of Wheat Growers are continuing to happen."

Borck said she is regrouping and plans to put her resume together next week. She hopes to utilize her networking skills within government, agencies, regulatory and legislative structure.

"I know everybody in Eastern Washington," she exclaimed with a laugh, "and I really have some strong suits back in Washington, D.C. I am open to moving and to a new possibility."

She was unable to narrow down the activities she considers her biggest accomplishments during her 14-year, 14-day run with the association, ranging from fighting a damaging spore called TCK Smut in order to keep the quality of the grain up to getting Agricultural Marketing Transaction Act payments at 52 cents instead of 49 cents, as well as keeping the Snake River dams and working on three Farm Bills.

"I wish the farmers the best for the upcoming Farm Bill," she said. "It's going to be a tough one. There's less money and more commodities, trade and research, (World Trade Organization) … It's not going to be their father's Farm Bill. It's going to be entirely different. We're going to lose some farmers over it. There will still be farmers, but it's a tough life out there, and the Farm Bill isn't going to make it any easier."

Borck considers her biggest disappointment is the fact the American farmer is still not recognized as a vital and integral part of the American food chain. She finds it disappointing when people go to grocery stores for milk and bread without realizing where those products come from.

"I'm just really going to miss the farmers and the families I've gotten to know," she said. "They're a great bunch of people. They're the salt of the earth, and they're true and blue and very sincere. I'm going to miss the farmers on the ground trying to feed the world."