Dean emphasizes connection between large federal grant and state funding of ag research
Washington Ag Today February 23, 2011 When that 20-million dollar federal grant for the three Pacific Northwest land grant universities was announced last week to study climate change and cereal grain production, one of the universities deans took the opportunity to talk about the budget situation higher education faces. It was Dan Bernardo, dean of Washington State University’s College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences. Bernardo: “And I would be remiss to not say that the base, you know this is a great project and it brings an incredible amount of resources to the Pacific Northwest. But the base funding, the funding for the faculty, the facilities, the operatings of this project, come from these three states and are base budgets from these states. And I think it is really a clear demonstration that those state funds really multiply many times over when you can bring to bear the faculty and resources that we have and the investment in ag research at the state level is truly one that generates a high rate of return.” WSU and the USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists at WSU are receiving eight-million of the 20-million dollar five-year research grant. The Department of Labor and Industries says workplace deaths in Washington climbed in 2010 to 86 fatalities the most since 2006. L&I says there were seven worker deaths involving tractor accidents. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ?
