The Land Grant University for the 21st Century
Washington State University - Agency 365
2009-2011 Operating Budget
Request
Performance Level Decision Package
–Policy Level "EA"
Emerging Issues in Agriculture
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Updated Aug 25, 2008
Agency Recommendation Summary:
This $4 million request partners Washington State
University with the Washington agriculture industry to address many of the
unprecedented multiple challenges the industry faces in 2009.
Skyrocketing diesel costs are impacting the ability of farmers to produce their
crops and transport them to market. Natural gas increases have led to
double-digit increases in fertilizer costs and significantly increased food
processing costs. Disease and pest threats such as Honey Bee Colony Collapse
Disorder, Sudden Oak Death, Grape Leaf Roller virus, etc. are just some of the
new devastating threats to growing crops. Food-borne illness events such as the
recent recall of tomatoes and beef products have raised new human health
concerns about the safety of our food supply.
All these pressures threaten to compromise Washington’s
position as a leading agricultural state in a competitive global marketplace.
This is especially true when Washington’s
industry is trying to compete with foreign producers that have significantly
lower costs and regulation.
This proposal adds vital scientific capacity to Washington State University’s
ability to respond these unprecedented challenges at this critical time.
Priorities in this request were identified by industry leaders throughout
the state representing dozens of commodity groups, processors, and associations.
Accordingly, this package increases funding for programs such as the Washington
State Pesticide Commission. It also
bolsters WSU programs at numerous locations around the state. Funding is
provided for the university’s
research and extension centers in Mount Vernon, Puyallup, Wenatchee, Prosser,
and Pullman.
Fiscal Details:
Package
Description:
Four
programs are proposed to address emerging food security issues facing Washington
State:
1.
Protecting
Washington Crops from Emerging Disease and Pests ($1,300,000)
Funding
is requested to:
a)
conduct research and
education on Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder to position WSU to solve this
critical and emergent problem that has the capacity to devastate Washington’s
tree fruit industry.
b)
address several emerging pest
issues including iris yellow spot virus of onion, tuberworm and beet leafhopper
of potato, hop looper of hops, High Plains virus of sweet corn, grape leafroller
virus in vineyards, and knotweed in riparian zones.
c)
support WSU’s
Sudden Oak Death Laboratory in Puyallup to protect the state’s
ornamental tree industry.
d)
strengthen programs servicing
the tree fruit and grape industries to assure that any plant material brought
into the state is free from plant viruses.
e)
develop a plant and insect
diagnostic lab dedicated to serve central and eastern Washington to provide
one-on-one assistance in the identification of home, commercial, and
agricultural pests.
$500,000 of this portion of the request goes to the Washington State
Commission on Pesticide Registration to conduct research on the safety and
efficacy of substitute chemicals and biocontrols to replace important pesticides
used in the production of minor crops. WSU is the fiscal agent for this
independent commission.
2.
Technological Solutions to Address Farm Labor Shortages and
Reduce Energy Use ($600,000)
Funding is requested for two automation and
mechanization researchers located at the Irrigated Agriculture Research and
Extension Center in Prosser. When paired with existing faculty and facilities,
these individuals will spur development of new technologies aimed at reducing
farm labor requirements, increasing the number of high-paying jobs, and
enhancing farm worker safety.
3.
Building Safe and Efficient Local Food Systems ($500,000)
A value-added agriculture specialist located at
the Puyallup Research and Extension Center is requested to focus on food safety
and efficiency of community-supported agriculture, farmers markets, and other
evolving marketing systems. A BIOAg (biologically intensive and organic
agriculture) economist will provide critical analyses required to continue to
advance the state’s
transforming food sector and evaluate rapidly emerging opportunities around
organic and sustainable food production, as well as evaluate emerging
opportunities around biofuels and bioproducts.
4.
Providing Critical Capacity
at WSU Research and Extension Centers ($1,600,000)
Support positions are requested for a manager of
the new research orchard at Wenatchee, an organic farm manager in Pullman, and
an ag biofuels farm specialist for Eastern Washington experimental fields.
Support personnel for core
genomics laboratories aimed at improving the rate and success of introducing new
traits into horticultural and small grain varieties developed through WSU’s
breeding programs are also requested.
Funding
in this portion of the request will be directed toward the Irrigated Agriculture
Research and Extension Center located in Prosser, the Tree Fruit Research and
Extension Center in Wenatchee, the Northwestern Washington Research and
Extension Center in Mount Vernon, the Puyallup Research and Extension Center,
the Pullman Research Station and three additional research farms located in
eastern Washington.
Narrative Justification and Outcomes Statement
The state’s
$30 billion food and agriculture industry contributes 13 percent to the state’s
economy, including more than $6 billion of annual farm gate value.
The food and agriculture industry employs more than 170,000 people in
every corner of the state, making it Washington’s
No. 1 employer. More than 250
commodities are produced commercially in the state, making Washington’s
agricultural economy the second most diverse in the nation.
A unique
combination of human and physical resources, knit together with science and
technology, has made this industry a success.
Today, however, agriculture is challenged as never before.
Forces such as globalization, high energy costs, reduced labor
availability, and environmental pressures all threaten to compromise Washington’s
position as a leading agriculture state.
We can meet this challenge by refocusing on innovative science and
technology that enables a more profitable and sustainable harnessing of the
region’s
human and physical resources.
Historically, federal
funds have not been readily available to address applied, regionally-focused
food and agriculture programs.
Private funds are already being utilized, as state agricultural commodity
commissions currently provide over $4 million annually to support WSU food and
agriculture programs.
Despite its
expansive and highly diverse agricultural sector, Washington is 28th
in the nation in state appropriations for agricultural research and extension.
In addition, despite aggressive reallocation of existing resources, critical
gaps remain in research and education activities that will be addressed with
this request.
The proposed
investment in food and agriculture research and education will conservatively
result in $100 million of economic benefits to the state of Washington over the
next several years,
and will generate significantly more income in the longer run as research
investments generate new technologies that are adopted by industry participants.
This estimate was derived by identifying practices and technologies
anticipated to be developed from these investments in research and outreach and
estimating the additional revenue and/or reduced cost from their adoption.
Secondary benefits are estimated using conservative multiplier estimates
from economic impact models.
The following potential
outcomes have been identified as likely results of this request coupled with
additional funding from other sources.
Outcome 1.
Protecting Washington Crops from Emerging Disease and
Pests
-
Identification of the sources of honey bee colony collapse and solutions to
this critical problem will assure the sustainability of the honey bee
industry and assure the availability of pollinators does not limit the
profitability of Washington’s
horticulture industries.
-
Introduction of new biological pest control
methods will reduce the use of pesticides and reduce costs of production for
the state’s
agricultural producers.
- Improved plant
diagnostic capabilities will reduce yield loss from devastating insects and
plant diseases.
- Identification and
introduction of alternative, environmentally benign pesticides for
Washington’s
“minor crops”
will reduce environmental risk and assure the long-term viability of these
industries.
- Programs which
effectively screen plant material entering the state will minimize the
likelihood of plant virus epidemics which could cripple the state’s
tree fruit, ornamental plant, or wine grape industries.
- Increased research
and screening for the
plant pathogen Phytophthora ramorum,
the source of Sudden Oak Death, will provide critical protection for western
Washington’s
ornamental nursery industry, as well as susceptible native species.
Outcome 2.
Technological Solutions
to Address Farm Labor Shortages and Reduce Energy Use
-
Research and development of automation and mechanization technologies for
Washington’s
horticultural industry will result in substantial reductions in production
costs and increased farm worker safety.
-
Research and education on alternative crops
will provide growers with new crops to introduce into their operations,
resulting in enhanced profitability, enterprise diversification, and assure
that feedstocks are available for the state’s
emerging biofuels industry.
- Highly trained labor
will be added in high-demand areas such as advanced organic and sustainable
agriculture, urban and environmental horticulture, and food science and
engineering.
-
The introduction of new cropping systems and
practices in dryland production regions will reduce on-farm energy
requirements and assure the economic viability of farmers in central and
eastern Washington.
Outcome 3.
Building Safe and
Efficient Local Food Systems.
- Research and
education programs focusing on value-added business development will lead to
an increase in the number and rate of success of new business ventures
involving value-added agricultural products.
- Research and
education programs focused on community supported agriculture, farmers
markets, and other evolving marketing systems, will increase the number of
producers serving local markets and suppliers purchasing locally grown
products.
- Improved
understanding of the health and nutritional characteristics of food products
will provide critical information to the industry in meeting consumer
demands and adding value to Washington products.
-
“Biologically intensive and organic
agriculture”
research and education programs will provide economically viable
alternatives for producers opting for lower input, sustainable production
systems.
- New varieties of
apples, cherries and other horticultural crops will be developed that are
uniquely suited to Washington’s
climate and growing conditions.
Calculations:
For more information, contact Larry
Ganders, Assistant to the WSU President, Olympia, at 360-534-2333
