08/27/08 Emergency conservation funds

Washington Ag August 27, 2008 The USDA recently announced that Washington will be getting nearly 2.3 million dollars in Emergency Conservation Program funding. Farm Service Agency Deputy Administrator John Johnson explains what ECP funds can be used for. Johnson: "This money can go to provide cost share assistance to farmers who are trying to restore land back to its productive capacity after it has been destroyed by a natural disaster event." In Washington's case the money was allocated for several western Washington counties due to the flooding last December and for damage from wildfire in Douglas County. Washington State University Regents Professor John Browse has been named the Charlotte Y. Martin Distinguished Professor in Agricultural Research. Browse is the second scientist to hold the Martin Professorship, which was created in 1991. The first was C.A. "Bud" Ryan, who died unexpectedly in late 2007. Browse says the research theme during the time Bud Ryan was the Martin Distinguished Professor centered on the importance of protecting plants against insect attack and fungal pathogens and his intention is to continue those themes by focusing on the plant-defense hormone jasmonate. Browse says his focus will be to identify promising young researchers and to train them as the next generation of agricultural plant scientists for the Pacific Northwest and the nation. I'm Bob Hoff.