09/19/05 Agriculture`s future

Ding Johnson says there are some gaps in his Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences at the University of Idaho. JOHNSON "62 faculty members in 2002, we now have 50. We're going to have to be more judicious about where we put our time and energy." Johnson says despite the cutbacks at the College of Agriculture they have set plans for the future and are consolidating around their existing strengths. As a department head Johnson has to deal with constant changes, especially when state and federal dollars are harder to find. JOHNSON "Where agricultural research is going to have to become more self supporting in terms of grant dollars. That's going to change the dynamic in the department. There's also been a major shift in the population structure from roughly one third urban and suburban in 1990 to now almost two thirds urban, suburban or commuter. And we also do have legitimate demands on us to serve that population. I think that we will continue to serve agriculture well." Right now Johnson is dealing with faculty promotion and tenure so he can jump into annual faculty and staff evaluations before the grant writing campaigns begin. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott