PULLMAN — A Washington State University crop art mural in the works will be showing off school spirit in a large way.

Washington State Employees Credit Union announced in a news release Wednesday that artwork featuring a roaring cougar above the phrase “Cougar Country Loud and Proud” will appear on a field near the intersection of U.S. Highway 195 and Washington State Route 270 just west of Pullman. The mural is anticipated to be completed before Saturday’s WSU football game against Texas Tech.

This isn’t the first time WSU-inspired artwork has shown up on Palouse hills. Cougar Athletics mascot Butch has been seen in the same field at the start of fall since 2019.

The news release said the tradition was expected to end this year when the crop art contract came to a close. That changed when the credit union jumped in to sponsor the project and partner with WSU.

Stan Herd, an earthwork artist, has been called on to create the mural. The acre-sized artwork will be charred onto a field of wheat stubble, which the news release said is large enough it could be seen from space.

The mural should be visible until seasonal changes impact its clarity.

WSECU is a not-for-profit credit union that has two branches in Pullman, including one in the WSU Compton Union Building. The news release said the credit union has had a branch present on the WSU Pullman campus since 1979.

It expanded its partnership with WSU two years ago when it became the official banking partner of the WSU CougarCard, a card that the news release said doubles as a debit card and university student ID.

“This crop mural has become one of the favorite signs of fall on the Palouse,” WSU Pullman Chancellor Dave Cillay said in the news release. “WSECU has a long history working with WSU Pullman and we are excited that they have stepped in to keep this terrific tradition alive.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.