Students, bees, wine, and multiple agricultural research and outreach programs will benefit from a recent $2 million donation by Northwest Farm Credit Services to Washington State University.
“From its very founding, WSU has stood side-by-side with Washington’s agriculture industry—the state’s largest—to bring agricultural innovation and technology across the state,” said WSU president Kirk Schulz. “WSU is proud to partner with Northwest Farm Credit Services in a shared commitment to advance the teaching, research, and applied outreach with the agriculture industry that benefits each of us every day.”
Among the seven recipients of the funding are the new WSU Honey Bee and Pollinator Research, Extension, and Education Facility in Othello, Washington State 4-H, and the WSU chapter of the student organization Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS).
“As part of Northwest Farm Credit’s stewardship commitment to improve the lives of our customers, communities, and industries we serve, we are investing funds in education and research across the Northwest,” said Josh Siler, Northwest Farm Credit Services, Washington President. “WSU’s agricultural programs are making an impact through research initiatives and educating the next generation of agriculture. This investment allows programs to modernize equipment to meet today’s industry standards to benefit students for years to come. We are excited to see Washington agriculture continue as a vital source of our global food supply.”
Each project and program has specific uses for their portion of the donation. Both the Viticulture and Enology program and the bee facility will be able to complete long-term projects. 4-H will institute an Eco-Stewardship Program and have added support for their Virtual Experience, a necessity for youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. MANRRS will establish a club endowment that will generate funding in-perpetuity.
“We are thrilled with the support for our students, our research, and our facilities,” said André-Denis Wright, dean of WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. “Our long-term partnership with Northwest Farm Credit Services is so important to us. Their dedication to the future of the agriculture industry in Washington and around the Pacific Northwest will have impacts for years to come.”
“The philanthropic impact of Northwest Farm Credit Services’ investment in WSU’s cutting-edge agricultural research, extension, and 4-H student programs demonstrates their commitment to growing knowledge and prosperity for rural communities across our state,” said Mike Connell, Acting Vice President of WSU Advancement and CEO of the WSU Foundation.
WSU programs supported by the NWFCS donation include:
- Tree fruit research at WSU’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center: $525,000
- Viticulture & Enology Wine Science Center teaching labs: $300,000
- Honey Bee & Pollinator facility startup funding: $500,000
- Irrigated and Dryland Farm Research & Extension centers: $400,000
- Dairy Science Program: $150,000
- WSU 4-H Program: $100,000
- MANRRS student organization: $25,000