of Washington State University Washington State University Alumni Association gave Randy Suess, of Colfax, the Alumni Achievement Award Oct. 5 in Pullman.

In case you didn’t know, there is a charitable organization that supports the wheat industry in our state. It is known as the Washington Wheat Foundation.

The foundation works to advance the small grains industry by providing financial backing for programs and activities that benefit farmers, consumers, Washington State University research equipment grants, Ag in the Classroom, Northwest Natural Resource Institute, FFA Foundation and student scholarships.

Every year an auction is held at the Tri-State Grain Growers Convention to generate the dollars required for all of the foundation’s efforts. The main reason for having the auction is to produce scholarship dollars for two high school “Ambassadors” to learn more about our industry. The recipients get to attend various meetings, travel to Olympia to educate legislators and learn more about the policies and political decisions that affect our industry.

The two finalists show a video of their background at convention, and then give a short talk on a subject of their choosing. The scholarship recipients receive either $4,500 or $5,000 for the first place winner. They are then known as Wheat Ambassadors for the year.

To help raise additional amounts for all the programs, the foundation is renewing an old project that was originally used to generate funds to build the annex to the Washington Association of Wheat Growers building in Ritzville. That original project involved the sale of engraved floor tiles to raise funds.

We have now gone through several generations since the original project, and want to restart it by selling those tiles again. The tiles can be personalized to include your name, business, farm name or as a memorial for a loved one. There are three lines available for your entry, with the first two lines having 15 spaces, and the third line 10 spaces. Anything you can fit into those lines will be engraved on an 8-by-8-inch tile. Three lines only will cost $400, and three lines along with the original WAWG wheat logo will be $500.

If you are interested in helping support our industry, please contact Randy Suess (509-413-2043) for more information. The foundation contributions are tax deductible under the IRS 501c(3) guidelines.

For information on the Washington Wheat Foundation does, you can visit its website: WAWheat.net.