07/05/07 New WSU president to speak at Spillman Field Day

Washington Ag July 5, 2007 A week from today, July 12th is WSU's Spillman Agronomy Farm Field Day. Registration for the field day begins at 7:15 a.m. and tours are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. WSU agronomist John Burns says the plot tours will focus on researchers making presentations on advances in cereal and legume breeding, genetics and pathology. Emphasis will be on biotechnology applications. Burns: "Just asking them to bring the lab discussion a little bit to the field and let the farmers say gee, this stuff really works and it kind of accelerates things." Burns says they are fortunate to have WSU's new President Elson Floyd speaking during the noon program. Burns: "He will be there about an hour and a half just to meet people. We have asked him to just give a few remarks about the land grant system from his perspective and what he sees and his vision of WSU. So it is a unique opportunity to get on his really busy schedule, which it wasn't easy to do, to spend an hour and a half with those of us here and everybody attending the field day." After the lunch program participants are invited to a two hour marker assisted selection workshop beginning at 1:45 p.m. in the Orville Vogel plant biosciences building on the WSU campus. To register call Deb Marsh at 509-335-2915. I'm Bob Hoff.