Category Archives: Event Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENT – SOILCON, Washington’s Soil Health Week

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Don’t forget to register for this upcoming event!

SoilCon logoWashington State University’s Soil Health Initiative with sponsorship from Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education will bring together soil experts from around the world to discuss soil health. This virtual event will occur during the week of February 8-12, 2021 with sessions from 9:30-11:00 AM and 1:00-2:30 PM (PST) each day.

Our understanding of soil health’s role in agro-ecosystem productivity, sustainability, and product quality is evolving. “SoilCon: Washington Soil Health Week” will bring together worldwide experts on soil health in an engaging virtual setting.

 Topics include:

  • Status of Soil Health in the United States and Washington State
  • Soil Health Indicators
  • Soil Health Specific to Washington’s Production Systems
  • Lessons Learned from Long-term Soil Health Research

These topics will be relevant to producers, consultants, agricultural professionals, University faculty and students, policy makers, conservation districts, and interested members of the general public.

Attendance is free and open to all.

 For more information and to register: https://pheedloop.com/wasoilcon/site/home/

 

 

Announcement: Restoring the Narrative – Wildfires of Eastern Washington

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Join WSU Extension Forester Sean Alexander, US Forest Service research scientist Dr. Paul Hessburg, author of the acclaimed TED Talk Living (Dangerously) in the Era of Megafires, and Dept. of Natural Resources wildfire protection specialist Guy Gifford (DNR) to discuss the history of fire on the landscape, how it shaped our forests, what we are doing today to manage these forests, and what landowners on the dry Eastern side of the state can do to protect their homes and resources.

Tuesday, July 21st 6:30 pm

Register Here  (https://bit.ly/2OkWzU7)

Firefighter in an open, meadow-like area, looking towards trees and a fire truck surrounded by smoke, with flames close to the ground in places

A prescribed burn project near Leavenworth, Washington in May 2020. Photo: Sean Alexander

Source Contact

Sean M. Alexander, Extension Forester – NE, Washington State University

Email: sean.alexander@wsu.edu. Phone: (509) 680-0358 (cell).

Announcement: Northwest Drought Workshop – July 28 and 30

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Panel of four photos, showing a horseman herding cattle, an alpine meadow overlooking a creek, a green field with woodland in the background, and a wheat field with a flowering canola field in the background.

Photos provided by the USDA Northwest Climate Hub.

The USDA Northwest Climate Hub and National Drought Mitigation Center are hosting a Northwest Drought Workshop via three virtual sessions on 28 & 30 July 2020. This event is for aimed at USDA agency staff (NRCS, FSA, RD, RMA, FS, etc.) and Federal Partners, including Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Watershed Councils, Tribes, University Extension, and other State and Federal Agencies.

The objectives of these workshops are to get a better sense of drought and how it’s monitored, impacts of drought and interconnections in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, as well as share information and resources to raise awareness about drought and lead to changes in response to dry conditions in the region.

Intended outcomes include: Increasing drought impact reporting; remaining informed on drought status; developing a summary of information shared for adapting to drought conditions; and identifying participant-driven next steps and needs.

The first session will be held on 28 July from 8 am – 11 am PT. Participants will:

  • Learn about the U.S. Drought Monitor, including how it is made each week
  • Hear from local experts about drought in Oregon, Washington and Idaho
  • Learn how to report drought impacts
  • Discuss how drought affects USDA programs

The second session will be held on 30 July 8 am – 11 am PT. There will be an east-side focused session with a panel discussion and peer-to-peer learning about drought adaptation practices for lands east of the Cascades (Eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and Idaho). Panelists and peer-to-peer learning will include agriculture, forestry, and rangelands.

The third session will be held on 30 July 1 pm – 4 pm PT. There will be a west-side focused session with a panel discussion and peer-to-peer learning about drought adaptation practices for lands west of the Cascades (Western Oregon, Western Washington). Panelists and peer-to-peer learning will include agriculture, forestry, and rangelands.

Register via this link. You are welcome to register for as many of the workshops as you’d like, however, attendance is limited, so sign up as soon as possible to secure a spot.

Announcement: Webinar on Climate Tools for Specialty Crop Growers

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Monday September 23rd, 11–noon PT

Join the USDA Northwest Climate Hub online Sept. 23 from11 a.m.-noon PT to learn about the Future Crop Suitability Tool and Climate Mapper (available at http://www.climatetoolbox.org) that can assist tree/shrub fruit growers (almonds, apples, blueberries, and cherries) with future location and management decisions.

Here is some information about each tool:

The Specialty Crop Suitability Tool provides mapped and graphical summaries of the climatic suitability for cultivating selected tree/shrub specialty crops across the Northwest. The phenology-based tool focuses on temperature requirements and limitations for crop development, and provides information on how often climatic conditions are suitable for crop success and what the limiting factors for success may be. It provides this information for two future time periods and two future climate scenarios using the average output across 20 global climate models. The mapping and graphical interface, along with extensive documentation, allows users to explore the intersection of climate and perennial agriculture in the Northwest and may aid in agricultural management decisions such as site or cultivar selection.

The Climate Mapper Tool allows users to access a series of maps that display climate information across the U.S., covering both recent and future time periods. The mapping interface not only provides climate variables, but also variables pertinent to agricultural systems. The dynamic mapping interface provides a straightforward way for decision-makers and scientists to visualize climate information.

The webinar will provide an overview of what the tools can (and cannot) tell you, and Drs. John Abatzoglou (University of Idaho Climatology Lab) and Lauren Parker (USDA California Climate Hub) will guide you through examples of how to use them.

Register for the webinar here: https://go.unl.edu/hhm5

Dr. Lauren Parker, California Climate Hub

Dr. John Abatzoglou, University of Idaho Climatology Lab

Announcement: Finnriver Farm and Cidery Farmwalk

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Farmwalk (text)

WSU Food Systems Program and Tilth Alliance have been collaboratively presenting the FARMWALK series for 15 years! These farmer-to-farmer educational events are hosted on innovative farms throughout Washington State. Check out our latest offering below!

Saturday  –  December 8th – 10am – 3pm

Finnriver Farm and Cidery
Chimacum, WA

Basics of Biochar: On-Farm Kiln and Soil Amendment Options

Register Now!

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OneNOAA CSSR series

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Beginning Thursday, July 12 at 9:00 am Pacific Standard Time – and occurring weekly at that time through Tuesday, August 28 – the OneNOAA seminar series will be hosting an 8-part suite of talks on different aspects of the National Climate Assessment 4 Volume I – the Climate Science Special Report.  This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the latest climate science from some of the nation’s most eminent scientists!

  • Thurs, July 12: Climate Science: What’s New? – Katharine Hayhoe (Texas Tech University)
  • Thurs, July 19: Detection and Attribution of Climate Change from the CSSR – U.S. Perspective – Tom Knutson (NOAA-GFDL)
  • Thurs, July 26: Droughts, Floods, and Wildfire – Michael Wehner (DOE-LBNL)
  • Thurs, Aug 2: Climate Potential Surprises – Compound Extremes and Tipping Elements – Radley Horton (Columbia University / Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory)
  • Thurs, Aug 9: Climate Long-Term Climate Mitigation Perspectives and the 2°C Objective – Ben DeAngelo (NOAA)
  • Thurs, Aug 16: The Causes and Consequences of a Rapidly Changing Arctic – Patrick Taylor (NASA-Langley Research Center)
  • Thurs, Aug 23: Climate Tidings of the Tides – Billy Sweet (NOAA)
  • Tues, Aug 28: The Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment: An Overview of Volume 1 – Don Wuebbles (University of Illinois)

Webinar Announcement June 1st: Building Rangeland Resilience Case Studies

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Matt Reeves USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station and Georgine Yorgey Washington State University will present Case Studies to Build Rangeland Resilience

Cow-calf operators, the primary users of rangeland resources throughout the Pacific Northwest, will need to adapt to a range of future stressors, including those that are climate-related. A critical aspect of preparing for the future is understanding past vegetation performance and management responses. Learning from successful techniques for dealing with extended drought or reduced forage conditions can add insight to the future. Thus, as part of this project, we use case studies to quantify decadal trends and inter-annual variability for rangelands to aid managers and producers in planning for the future. We also profile forward-thinking grazers to provide stakeholder-centered and science-driven insights into their management practices to enhance resilience.

Friday, June 1, 2018  1 pm Eastern/12 pm Central/ 11 am Mountain/ 10 am Pacific
The presentation will follow an update on USDA Forest Service and Climate Hub activities

To join the webinar:
Step 1: For audio, dial: 1-888-844-9904 and use access code: 3847359
Step 2: Web Login: https://usfs.adobeconnect.com/sfmr-500/

 

 

How will climate change affect pests of inland Pacific Northwest cereal systems?

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By Karen Hills

Models suggest that climate change in our region will involve an annual temperature increase of 3-4°F by the 2050’s, accompanied by changes in precipitation patterns, including drier summers despite a 5-15% increase in annual precipitation (Kruger et al. 2017). Even with this information, uncertainty still exists about what climate change will mean for agriculture, in general, and for dryland farming systems in our region, in particular. The book Advances in Dryland Farming in the Inland Pacific Northwest, does its part to help managers make decisions despite this uncertainty. Continue reading →