WSU Research Programs

WSU Research Programs. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

While state funded schools have a limit to the amount their budgets can be cut, dollars for research are not protected and someone saw the $23 million dollars that WSU uses for their agriculture research programs as fair game. Dan Bernardo, Dean of the College of Agriculture says that would mean a major loss.

BERNARDO: It would essentially eliminate all of WSU’s agricultural programs in our college. For people down here in lower Columbia Basin that would mean really the elimination of the Irrigated Research and Extension Center in Prosser, the program that we’re seeing here today the viticulture and enology program for the most part is a program that is heavily dependent on the research dollars.

What does that translate to in terms of people?

BERNARDO: Our estimates are that it would result in the elimination of about 900 jobs but what we have to remember here is it’s not only the $23 million of state dollars that would be affected but also all of our federal grants use those state dollars as match, our federal formula funds require a state match and obviously our funding from our local producer groups, our partners would go away.

That is not even thinking about the number of students that have chosen WSU because of the major player it is in the ag industry. No one lawmaker has yet announced support for such a reduction in research. A call to your local representatives would be a good place to start.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.