March 30, 2007

Topics in today's issue of Extension Update:

• WA STATE SENATE OPERATING BUDGET RELEASED
• FY 2007 FEDERAL BUDGET REQUEST FOR THE REE AGENCIES
• ALL EXTENSION CONFERENCE EVALUATION - REMINDER
• HALL OF CHAMPIONS AND BIG CAT POSTERS
• MCGUIRE TO SERVE ON LTIP FOR CSREES
• NEW RURAL REALITIES  FOCUSES ON RURAL AMERICA'S "FOOD DESERTS"
• ENERGY AG NEWSBRIEFS, PRODUCED BY THE WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION
• WEEKLY CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION REPORT
• SCHEDULE
  

WA STATE SENATE OPERATING BUDGET RELEASE
Senate leaders Wednesday proposed a bittersweet 2007-2009 operating budget for Washington State University, providing some tasty enhancements but disappointments that will be harder to swallow.

For other WSU legislative information: http://www.olympia.wsu.edu

Here are highlights you should be aware of:

• The proposed Senate operating budget provides $509.8 million in state funding to WSU, an apparent 15 percent increase in funding that seems ahead of the $504 million recommended by Gov. Christine Gregoire and about $5 million behind the House budget of $515 million. But looks are deceiving. Tucked in the Senate budget detail is a provision to shift $10.5 million in tuition funds normally distributed by WSU for needs like academic support to pay for a large portion of compensation historically paid by the state. The House and Governor’s budget followed history and paid the $10.5 million for faculty and staff base salaries. The Senate did not, effectively putting the money it provides to the universities well under the other two budgets. Ironically, the Senate budget made some significant enhancements in specific areas, but the loss of institutionally-controlled tuition dollars could cause some cuts to some existing areas that are often protected against extraordinary costs by the university. It also takes away any flexibility for eliminating student bottleneck courses and additional faculty salary increases.
• A second major disappointment was that the Senate came in $6.7 million under the House for the Unified Agriculture Initiative. Major other research initiatives like the University of Washington’s Global Health proposal were also minimized by the Senate. There were rumors last week that the Senate would match the House proposal of funding $9.5 million of the $10.8 million Unified Agriculture Initiative. But the Senate funds just $2.8 million. Funding is provided for two competitive grant pools that were proposed in the initiative. However funding was not provided for agricultural research stations, as the governor and House provided. Funding was also not provided for industry-requested faculty positions to make Washington’s largest industry more globally competitive.
• Fueling Washington. More sweet news came for Bioproducts Research, the joint WSU request titled, "Fueling Washington." The Senate funded $5.6 million for the research, much of it in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratories. The Senate and the governor had funded $4 million for five state-funded scientist positions in the new Biological Science and Engineering Laboratory under construction at WSU Tri-Cities.
• UW-WSU Policy Consensus Center  House, Senate, and Governor budgets fund $225,000 at WSU for the William D. Ruckelshaus Center to identify issues that have led to conflict around land use requirements and property rights, and explore practical and effective ways to resolve or reduce that conflict. Funding includes operating support for the Center.

FY 2007 FEDERAL BUDGET REQUEST FOR THE REE AGENCIES
On Tuesday, March 20th, Under Secretary Gale Buchanan and the REE Administrators appeared before the House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration to present testimony on the FY 2008 Budget Request for the REE agencies.  Present at the hearing were Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT),  Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Sam Farr (D-CA), Allen Boyd (D-FL), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Jack Kingston (R-GA), Tom Latham (R-IA), and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO).

The Subcommittee members expressed support for research, education, and economics programs.  Questions focused on food safety especially as it relates to the safety of produce, the role of agriculture in meeting the Nations energy needs, obesity research, the implementation of the National Veterinary Medical Services Act, funding for 1890 institutions, and proposed changes in the distribution of Hatch Act and McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Program funds.  The Subcommittee also had questions on the rationale for the Administration’s Farm Bill proposal to merge the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and the Agricultural Research Service. 

ALL EXTENSION CONFERENCE EVALUATION - REMINDER
This is a reminder that the evaluation form for the 2007All Extension Conference is now available on the WSU Extension website on the Faculty and Staff page http://ext.wsu.edu/fs/.  Please take the time to fill out an evaluation from your experiences at the conference.  Your input is invaluable in telling us what you liked, what went right and what we can do to improve at our next conference.  The website will be active until April 16, 2007.

HALL OF CHAMPIONS AND BIG CAT POSTERS
Anyone wishing to purchase copies of the Hall of Champions posters or Big Cat posters can do so by contacting Lagene Taylor at lagene@wsu.edu.  The approximate cost of the posters is as follows:

Big Cat Poster= approx. $20.00 plus shipping.
Hall of Champions Poster (not on foam core)= approx. $20.00 plus shipping (rolled up in tube)

Hall of Champions Poster (mounted on foam core)= approx. $42.00 plus shipping (shipped flat, 18x24)

MCGUIRE TO SERVE ON LTIP FOR CSREES
Congratulations to Andy McGuire, Grant County Extension for being tapped to serve in assignment for the newly formed "Long-term Integrated Project (LTIP)" LTIP Agroecosystems in the National Research Initiative of the USDA Cooperative State Research and Education Service (CSREES).

Here is some background information: Agricultural working lands are highly connected human-natural systems.  Due to complex relationships and feedbacks among people, ecosystems, and the biosphere, human well-being is inextricably linked to the use and management of agroecosystems.   As a result, ecology, socioeconomics, and culture cannot be separated from agricultural production, farming communities, and environmental health.  Viewing working lands as part of an ecological system and a human-dominated, socioeconomic system produces a broad range of performance criteria, including ecological goods and services, sustainability, resource conservation, food security, economic viability, social equity, and quality of life.  Knowledge related to the biophysical dimensions of agroecosystems is useful only if people "choose" to use this knowledge to guide their actions.  Best management practices for working lands emerge from a partnership involving stakeholders and faculty engaged in research, teaching and extension.  The role of Extension faculty in this context shifts from the conventional view of experts giving advice, to that of facilitators helping to explore the possible consequences of alternative management regimes.

NEW RURAL REALITIES  FOCUSES ON RURAL AMERICA'S "FOOD DESERTS"
Rural Realities is a research information series that offers a scientific lens to the critical issues impacting rural people and places. The latest issue examines the distribution of food deserts across the United States and describes the major socioeconomic attributes associated with these places. A case study in Iowa demonstrates the economic and health effects of living in a food desert.

SUBSCRIBE TO ENERGY AG NEWSBRIEFS
Energy Ag Newsbriefs, produced by the Washington State University Extension Energy Program (www.energy.wsu.edu). This FREE monthly electronic listserv highlights current news, web sites and other resources, trainings, events, funding, employment and new publications related to agricultural energy use and efficiency. Please forward this issue to those of your colleagues interested in energy-efficient agricultural practices. For archives of past messages, visit http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu/read/?forum=energy_ag-newsbriefs

To SUBSCRIBE to the listserv, send a blank message to:

WEEKLY CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION REPORT
The Weekly Crop Progress and Condition report began on March 26th.  It is through the dedication of Extension staff that we are able to publish this very popular report. We realize that your day is very busy and at times, I admit that we probably add to their customer service base. The numerous requests for knowledgeable experts and specialists and Extension personnel are at the top of our recommendations. The use of the Crop Progress and Condition report is varied, and it is an invaluable tool in helping our statisticians do their best of analyzing reported data and making commodity recommendations to Headquarters in Washington, D.C.  This report also helps educate the public to the commodities that are produced in the counties where they live - something that needs to be strengthened at every available opportunity.

I would like to request your continued support for the Weekly Crop Progress and Condition report this coming year. With the increased interest in biofuel, speciality commodities, and policy discussions, 2007 will be a very dynamic and challenging year.  I would like to meet with you at your convenience to fill you in on the plans for the 2007 Census of Agriculture as well as the 2007 Agricultural Resources Management Survey.

SCHEDULE
Next week Linda and John will both be in Pullman all week.

******************************
Linda Kirk Fox, PhD 
Dean and Director
Washington State University Extension
PO Box 646248, 411 Hulbert Hall 
Pullman WA 99164-6248
(509) 335-2933  Office
(509) 335-9223 Desk/Voicemail  
FAX  (509) 335-2926
lkfox@wsu.edu