USU Professor and Western SARE Director Receives Conservation Award

After almost 33 years of dedicated service to agricultural soil and water conservation, Philip Rasmussen — plants, soils and climate professor — was recently recognized for his efforts and given the Graham S. Quate award.

This annual award, presented by the Utah Conservation Commission, recognizes exceptional service of an employee of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food or one of its partners. Given each year since 1984, the recipients are those who strive to conserve the land.

Rasmussen, who serves on the Utah Conservation Commission, is the first board member to ever receive this award.

“The other members of the commission realize that I’ve spent my whole career trying to keep the soil on our land and not washing down our rivers and polluting them, so it’s nice to be recognized for that,” Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen, known as no-till Phil for his no-till farming philosophy, is also the coordinator of Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), and works with the USDA and Washington, D.C., to operate a research grant program for the Western United States. Rasmussen has also directly received and administered contracts and grants totaling more than $70 million to USU during his time there.

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Contact: Tiffany Adams, 435-797-7406, tiffany.adams@usu.edu

Writer: Allie Jeppson Jurkatis, 435-797-7406, allie.jeppson3@gmail.com