Dean Wendy Powers Blog

Saturday’s game made for a fun time. Thanks so much to our commodity group partners for putting on the Homegrown Taste of Washington event at the Vogel Building!

Dean Powers spent the day with chairs and director, sharing conversations units have had about building a resilient Washington.

The latter half of August felt a bit slow. That’s over. Meetings have picked up. Travel, too, is going strong.

Last week, the Pullman campus had a visitor from Sen. Murray’s office. Katie Clements is a new staffer in the senator’s office. A native of Boise, Idaho, Katie had not visited CAHNRS or the College of Veterinary Medicine yet. Thanks to faculty, chairs, and staff, including coordination by the government relations team, we were able to show Katie a good mix of agriculture and natural resource research.

Last week was a reminder of what’s really important. We lost one of our longtime, loyal CAHNRS employees. Those who knew and worked with Larry Helweg witnessed his commitment to the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) in Prosser, Wash. Larry took great pride in his work, and it made a difference for those around him. Larry will be missed by many.

Wow! That was my reaction to hearing our newest CAHNRS faculty introduce themselves with a brief background during the New Faculty Orientation last week. Their accomplishments, ranging from education to prior careers, are truly impressive. Interacting with these new faculty left me energized and excited for our new talent.

Last week ended with a good visit to Bellingham, Wash., followed by the Auction of Washington Wines Gala Saturday evening. Auctions and my competitiveness don’t always make for a good pairing, but I managed to keep my bidding in check. It helped that starting bids were more than I spent on my first house. Upon […]

Thanks to Jeb Sheldon, a recent AgTM graduate, Ignite scholar, and employee of Northern Oyster Co., I know more about the oyster business than ever and have a strong appreciation for the challenges posed by burrowing shrimp and green crabs. Last week’s trip to the Long Beach Research and Extension Unit was great. I enjoyed meeting Laura Kraft, who is just under a year in her position as a cranberry and shellfish Extension specialist, as well as a couple of WSU Extension retirees.

We had a few beautiful days in Pullman before the heat returned. No complaints though, as it will cool off soon enough. Congratulations to Doug Walsh, who was recently inducted as a fellow of the Entomological Society of America. Congratulations, also, to Kristen Johnson, who was recently inducted as an American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) […]

Groundbreaking on the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) building is less than a week away! The planning team, which includes many from WSU, CAHNRS, USDA ARS, and the Washington Grain Commission, is working hard to accommodate hundreds of guests. If you find your customary driving or walking route interrupted on Tuesday, Aug. 1, please be […]