Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeFarming day brings together researchers, local farmers
Local event hosted by WSU Puyallup focused on small farms and new, innovative techniques
Nate Hulings
The WSU Puyallup Field Day held last Monday brought together local farmers, gardeners and researchers in an effort to learn from each other on the issue of small farming.
More than 75 participants took advantage of the free event to discuss topics ranging from chicken slaughtering, pasture poultry production, research on farming systems and compost.
Graham resident Dale Easterby, 57, raises cattle on his property with his neighbor and came to the event hoping to get input on the feasibility of continuing his small business. He says the cost of feed has doubled recently, forcing him to ponder what his next move is to stay afloat.
“The cost of hay is so crazy, I need to make a change,” Easterby said. “Farming used to be the place to make money, now the prices drive you out.”
The purpose of the three-hour event was to integrate local farmers like Easterby into the conversation with researchers about small farming trends, said WSU Puyallup small farms educator Doug Collins.
“Through the research we are trying to evaluate what is going on in small farms,” Collins said.
Because the farmland being studied is in Puyallup, researchers can see how soil fertility and interseeding cover crop handle in conditions seen by local farmers.
Interseeding cover crop is one of the main projects soil scientist Craig Cogger said the farmland has helped understand. Cogger said interseeding can be dangerous because farmers can’t cultivate as easily and weed management can become unbearable.
“We can take this risk because our livelihood doesn’t depend on it,” Cogger said with regards to the acres of land used solely for experimentation. He said early results show that interseeding cover crop doesn’t work with squash crops but has shown signs of success in spinach and sweet corn.
WSU Associate Professor Karen Killinger said she believes events that bring researchers and farmers together help foster communication and create beneficial agricultural changes.
“It reflects what is done in real life, not just in the laboratory,” Killinger said. “We take what we find at the university and have field days so farmers can benefit from the results.
Killinger gave a presentation on alternatives to chlorine for dipping chickens post slaughter and processing.
Others in attendance included University of Puget Sound student Todd Little, 21, who volunteers with the Seattle Tilth Association and wanted to get more information on poultry and preserving vegetables.
Washington State Department of Ecology representative Chery Sullivan was also on hand to check out the university’s latest findings.
“We need to stay in touch with what the community is doing,” Sullivan said.