Farm Service Fee Policy
Farm Service Fee Policy for WSU Research & Extension Centers and Research Farms
Current and on-going budgetary challenges require a change of policy in order for WSU to continue to be able to support high quality management of properties owned and maintained for research and extension purposes. Operational requirements differ by locale and types of operations, varying between dryland and irrigated cropping systems to various livestock and plant growth facilities. A system of fees has been implemented by each unit based on their unique fiscal need and types of operations required to provide basic goods and services to support WSU faculty members and affiliated parties, and to accommodate the needs of research plot maintenance as directed by principal investigators to meet the specific needs of their experiments.
An important clarification is that while the basis of the fee structure may be on a per unit (i.e., acre or square foot) measure, these are not land or facility rental fees, but, rather, a fee for goods and services delivered by the unit through its personnel and resources to provide a consistent and high quality level of support for research and extension activities. Each WSU unit has been asked to develop a statement of policy and a list of fees for goods and services provided. Unit policies do not supersede or replace existing or future agreements with specific parties requesting access and/or use of WSU properties contained within Memoranda of Understanding approved through the WSU Office of Business Affairs.
WSU faculty members may include budget lines for these goods and service fees in grant proposals or pay them from other accounts over which they have supervision. Commodity commissions and funding entities may request specific fee schedules when evaluating grant proposals containing such fees by contacting the Center Director or Department Chair administering the relative unit in question. Each WSU unit will track the use of these funds by placing fees in approved service center accounts. This procedure ensures accuracy and accountability that will be useful for planning field experiment budgets and for providing accountability to funding agencies, organizations, and individuals. It is anticipated that fee structures will be adjusted periodically for the purpose of ensuring quality, quantity, and timeliness of goods and services provided to WSU faculty members and affiliated collaborators.
Farm service fees will include a base fee established by each location and additional fees depending on the operational needs of programs. The fee structures will be reviewed and posted on each locations web site each July 1. WSU research scientists will consult with appropriate administrators and support personnel to plan and coordinate farm services in a timely and cost effective manner. Budgets within research proposals prepared by WSU faculty members will be submitted to the appropriate R&E Center Director (or department chair for Pullman farms) for review prior to submitting proposals to funding agencies and commodity commissions. Budgets requesting funds to cover goods and services for field research support should contain sufficient detail to be justified against actual costs incurred at a specific R&E Center or Pullman farm. Specific policies for field operations are available at each location for researchers who are planning to use WSU land for research activities. Access to land for research purposes at each R&E Center or in Pullman is dependent on prior approval of the use by the R&E Center Director or Pullman department chair.
Fee Schedule:
| Location | WSU and USDA-ARS Personnel | Non-WSU/USDA-ARS Personnel | ||
| Basic Rate Per Acre *1 | Additional Services | Basic Rate Per Acre *1 | Additional Services | |
| Lind | $60.00 | TBD | ||
| Mt. Vernon | $500.00 | See Service Center Rate | same as basic rate | |
| Prosser | $475.00 | $5000 max. see Schedule | ||
| Puyallup | $100.00 | See Service Center Rate | $500.00 | See Service Center Rate |
| Spillman/Cook Farms | $100.00 | See Service Center Rate | ||
| Wenatchee | $500.00 | $5000 max. see Schedule | $5,000 | See Service Center Rate |
*1-For farmland including land prep-ready for planting.
For orchards and vineyards includes insect, disease, weed, rodent control, irrigation, moving, irrigation/nutrition.