The Lind Combine Derby is checked off my bucket list. Sunburn was minimal and it didn’t take long to learn the rules of the derby. Next up are the sprint boat races at Webb’s Slough, though perhaps not this year as I need to pace myself.
It was great to see CAHNRS alumni on Friday! The attendance was lighter than last year, but the conversations were every bit as lively. The alums, including many from other colleges, had a hard time pulling themselves away from the displays and conversations with departments to convene for the raffle drawings and then head out to their next stop. The CAHNRS reunion session has a reputation for being fun for all. Thanks to the faculty, staff, and students who made it so!
Scot Hulbert, Leslie Edgar, and I are spending the majority of the week with several WSDA commodity partners in Washington, D.C. Mike Wolcott, President Schulz, and the government relations team will join us on visits with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, White House staff, and our members in the House and Senate.
We are eager to share our appreciation for House members’ support of the Research Facilities Act in the draft Farm Bill. Nothing is over the finish line, but tremendous progress has been made in the last year to garner support for addressing mounting deferred maintenance needs across the land-grant system.
Weighing heavily on my mind is the current proposal in the next federal budget to reduce capacity funding by as much as 6% for Smith-Lever Act (Extension), Hatch Act (ag research), and McIntire-Stennis Act (forestry) programs. For CAHNRS, this means impacts on salaries and research support. For communities across Washington, the impacts show up in CAHNRS’ decreased ability to support a Resilient Washington by addressing challenges related to food production and safety; water and other natural resources; youth development; and workforce development. We will be talking about these impacts with our elected members.
Another key topic of the Washington, D.C., visit is Washington agriculture’s importance in feeding the world and the increasing need for CAHNRS to expand capacity to meet the food needs in Washington and beyond. We’ll end the meetings with some time to socialize during the Taste of Washington event. Typically, we have a good turnout of staffers eager for some Cougar Gold cheese, Cosmic Crisp® apples, and other Washington agricultural treats. I hope the Capitol Visitor Center room is full!
I hope everyone has a great week! It is hard to believe we are heading into mid-June already.