Maybe this is the quiet week in Pullman. With end of semester events last week followed by FFA participants out in full force, it didn’t turn out to be as quiet as I had expected.
Thanks to all who stopped by the CAHNRS BBQ on Wednesday. We are especially grateful to Tadd and Wendy Wheeler, Miguel Inzunza, Colette Casavant, Judy Hopkins, and the rest of the grill team. Having the BBQ on campus made it easier to attend and kept injuries to a minimum because a game of musical chairs was not part of the event activities due to the concrete surface on Spillman Plaza.
A huge thank you to those who made the state FFA convention a success! We had more prospective Cougs and more engagement activities this year. I anticipate we will hear great things about the FFA team’s experience. The convention doesn’t happen without the many people in CAHNRS who generously donate their time to provide engaging experiences for these young leaders.
I spent a long weekend on Orcas Island — a great place to rejuvenate, think, and plan. If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend it. For me, any place within sight and hearing distance of waves is a great place to be.
There is no shortage of things to think about. Work is coming along nicely as we develop a consistent methodology for reflecting the true cost of agriculture research across CAHNRS. A few units aren’t involved in the effort yet, but it is much needed to better understand the costs, comply with internal policy and that of partners, and achieve transparency and accountability. The REC and unit sites who will pilot the consistent approach to establishing user rates are working hard to move this forward. Uncertainty on the federal front is beginning to feel normal, like a constant churn, but of course that is not the case as specific programs and people are impacted. Waves help frame my mindset.