In many respects, Prosser IAREC functions like a large academic department, but one that includes faculty and staff trained in a variety of disciplines. Six academic departments from the WSU College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) have faculty members or important programs located here, including food science, entomology, horticulture, plant pathology, crop and soil science, and biological systems engineering. Interdisciplinary research develops rapidly in this environment, as does interagency work among representatives of the USDA-ARS, WSDA, the CAHNRS Office of Research, and WSU Extension.
This focus on cooperation in developing solutions, a valued characteristic of Prosser IAREC researchers, extends to our work with WSU colleagues in Pullman, Tri-Cities, Wenatchee TFREC, Puyallup REC, Mt. Vernon NWREC, and with national and international organizations, agencies, and programs. On average, Prosser IAREC faculty annually generate $7 – 8M in grant awards, in addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses, and significant publication and extension efforts.
With the demands of a growing population, especially in the Pacific Northwest, there will be an ever increasing need for greater productivity from the land, diversity in disease and pest resistant crops, and efficiency in the use and conservation of labor, mechanical, chemical, and water resources. As such, the work of Prosser IAREC scientists, staff and students will continue to be a significant contributor to WSU’s transformative research and extension efforts in the region, state, and nation.
