Hands On Learning

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

Farm Walks offered through the Tilth Producers of Washington and WSU Small Farms Program give attendees an opportunity to learn from experienced farmers and WSU researchers about a wide variety of topics. Angela Anegon, Education Coordinator with Tilth Producers, is here today to talk about their June farm walks that will be held around the state.

ANEGON: June 1 we’ll be in Grays Harbor County at Let Us Farm where we’ll focus on cover cropping on a diversified vegetable farm. The farmers there will also be sharing how they do soil blocking, and we’ll learn how they integrate cover crops into their organic production system, and also learn a little bit about their conservation efforts.

On June 8 we’ll be near Pullman at the Zakarison Partnership where WSU researchers will share with us how the Zakarisons are building their soil’s health grazing sheep on cover crops, and using that to integrate livestock into their dryland system, and sort of diversify their enterprise as well - building up their soil and hopefully transitioning to certified organic.

And then we’re at Mystery Bay Farm near Nordland on June 15 where they’ll provide us some wonderful details about how they turn their goat milk into yogurt and cheese, and also share with us their rotational practices and how they keep their production sustainable.

Then we go to Yakima Valley on June 29 at Leach Orchards where we’ll focus on organic pest and disease management in apples and pears. We’ll hear from this experienced certified organic fruit grower on ways to manage coddling moth and fire blight, and he’ll also speak to the big issues facing the Yakima Valley fruit growers including the drought.

Thanks Angela.

That’s Washington Ag Today.

I’m Lacy Gray with the Ag Information Network of the West.