Washington Agriculture Chief Leads State Farm Advocacy
Agricultural operators should watch how NASDA's new president pushes for overdue Farm Bill renewal and safe pesticide access.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Agriculture
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Washington State Director of Agriculture Derek Sandison has become president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA). The role puts him at the center of advocacy on the Farm Bill, animal disease preparedness, and the continued safe use of plant protection products.
Why it matters
The 2018 Farm Bill has not been renewed, leaving agricultural producers operating under a framework that is now overdue for update. NASDA's advocacy shapes how state agriculture departments influence federal policy affecting farm operations, input access, and trade.
The governing Farm Bill was enacted in 2018 and has not been renewed, meaning the framework has gone unupdated for about eight years. The reported figures do not include membership counts or budget size for NASDA, and the source does not state how many state agriculture departments the association represents.
The players
Derek Sandison
Washington State Director of Agriculture who now leads NASDA, overseeing state-level agricultural regulation and policy advocacy.
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA)
A national association representing state agriculture departments that advocates on federal farm policy, animal disease preparedness, and plant protection product regulation.
The details
NASDA conducts its advocacy both in Washington, D.C., and across the country, working to shape federal agricultural policy from the state level. The association also works with agriculture ministers in Canada and agriculture secretaries in Mexico on issues arising under the U.S.M.C.A. trade agreement, so trade-related agricultural rules can be affected by state-level input as well as federal negotiations.
Timeline
The current Farm Bill was enacted in 2018 and remains unrenewed.
Sandison's NASDA presidency was reported in publication on November 1, 2026.
Market Landscape
The 2018 Farm Bill remains unrenewed, so producers continue operating under legislation now several years past its scheduled update. State agriculture departments coordinating through NASDA are positioned to shape the renewal debate alongside federal lawmakers and trade partners.
Agricultural operators should monitor NASDA's advocacy on Farm Bill renewal, since state-level priorities will feed into federal debate. Producers relying on plant protection products or exposed to animal disease risk should track the association's preparedness and regulatory positions.
The takeaway
Operators should treat the unrenewed 2018 Farm Bill as an open policy variable and watch how state agriculture leaders like NASDA's new president frame their priorities. Producers can track NASDA's public advocacy on farm policy, animal disease, and trade as a leading signal of where federal rules may move.
Further reading
For more on the state-level forces shaping farm policy, explore Agriculture coverage on We are Main Street.
Source note: This article includes information reported by AG INFORMATION NETWORK OF THE WEST.
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