10/24/07 Crop disaster sign up; WSU Sustainability Fair

Washington Ag October 24, 2007 It takes a while for the USDA to get disaster programs implemented. But John Johnson, USDA Farm Service Agency Deputy Administrator says sign up is underway for part of the crop disaster program passed by Congress and signed by President Bush last May. Johnson: "We are going to be taking sign up for the quantities losses first and then at a later date we will have a sign up for quality losses. Congress in this legislation directed us to do quality differently than we have in the past and it has proven a little more challenging on software and other issues so it is going to take us a little longer to hold the sign up for quality." Producers who incurred qualifying losses in 2005, 2006 or early 2007 must choose only one year to receive benefits. Washington State University is hosting its first annual Sustainability Fair this Thursday and Friday in Pullman. Among the free fair's sponsors are the WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and the WSU BIOAg Program. Hi-lights of the fair include a keynote address from Dr. Daniel Hillel, an international authority on the historical impacts of unsustainable agriculture, and free music by Tracy Lyon's biofuel powered band. Most events are at the Smith Center for Undergraduate Education. I'm Bob Hoff. For a complete listing of events and locations, please visit http://css.wsu.edu/sustainability/agenda.html.