Raj Khosla, the newly appointed dean of the WSU College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, told the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee that WSU’s tripartite land-grant mission — education, research and extension — underpins agricultural viability across the state and that the college will partner with state policymakers on workforce, research and outreach needs.

Khosla described the college’s statewide footprint and activities: degree programs at Pullman and multiple campuses, a network of research and extension centers (Mount Vernon, Puyallup, Prosser, Wenatchee and others), 40 extension locations across the state and a fiscal-year 2025 external funding portfolio that he said totaled “more than $114,000,000” in extramural funding for agricultural research. “We are a major land grant institution,” he said, and called education of the agriculture workforce a priority.

Khosla emphasized precision agriculture and “frugal innovation” as areas where WSU sees potential to offset labor pressures in labor-intensive crops. He said the college’s researchers are developing low-cost, printed, battery-less soil sensors that — if commercialized and mass-produced — could cost less than a dollar each and help growers make irrigation decisions during drought. He said broadband connectivity in rural areas is a constraining factor for scaling precision-ag tools and urged state support to close gaps so growers can use modern automation and data systems.

Khosla also described outreach programs: 4‑H youth development, the Master Gardener program and WSU Energy Program efforts to improve efficiency and bioenergy research, and said Connors awards about $1,000,000 in scholarships annually. He told the committee that extension is the university’s “front door” and that local, field-based research centers have been operating for decades.

He concluded by offering the college as a partner to the committee and the legislature on priorities for the state’s agricultural future.