Tips, tricks, and a quick peek into the everyday life of the conservation district.
It can be easy to take water for granted in the Northwest, until you see it through the eyes of a farmer like Jake Stewart.
“I wouldn't call us climate refugees,” said Jake. “But we were certainly climate migrants leaving the droughts.”
Jake and his wife, Aja, were farming near Austin, Texas when their well began to run dry.
Read MoreIf you visit Niky Schultz’s food forest, you might get the sense she’s planting her own little Garden of Eden, an edible landscape where bees nap in her “Pollinator Paradise” and salamanders swim like little dragons in her pond. It’s hard to believe that she’s spent most of her adult life living in apartments with only enough space for a container garden.
Read MoreAlley cropping is an agroforestry practice where rows of trees are planted wide enough to create alleys where other crops can be cultivated.
Read MoreTwenty years ago, Eric Lee-Mäder found a strange-looking bottle in a wine shop that would end up changing the course of his life. The French cider inside was unlike anything he’d ever tasted.
“It was much more complex than sweet,” Eric said. “I got a sense of the whole orchard, from the bloom of the apple tree to the fungus growing in the understory.”
Read MoreAgroforestry can provide major benefits for farms—it also presents unique challenges. Unlike traditional monocultures, agroforestry requires farmers to understand the needs of multiple plants and how they interact with each other. It takes planning, adaptation, and patience to create a successful system. It also isn’t static. Many agroforestry practices incorporate trees that affect shade conditions as they grow. That means crops may need to shift over the years.
So why bother with all the trouble?
Read MoreMany new farmers start with a dream and a willingness to work hard. However, transforming those dreams into a successful reality is often the challenge. Kari Parks is now the proud owner of Flourish Organic Farms, but like many of her fellow farmers, figuring out how to build a profitable, sustainable business has been a journey.
Read MoreEditor’s Note: On Thursday, August 13, we held our annual partnership event virtually and we honored to have Zsofia Pasztor from Farmer Frog join us to discuss her work in the center of this national crisis of food insecurity, and the changed world due to COVID-19. She called us from the farm and, like all of us, had challenges with coverage and clarity in this time of heavy internet and cellular use. Here’s her follow up message to those concerned with what they can do to help. - Kari Quaas, SCD
Read MoreThe Plan acts as a resource to help farmers plan for a future with both drier and wetter climates, as well as challenges that come with an ever-increasing population. It advocates for preserving farmland and greenspace that can act as both a buffer and balance to the sprawling suburbs that are quickly sprouting up.
Read MoreHere's an update on the graduates from the 2017 winter class of the Cultivating Success 8-week New Farmer/Rancher Course, and the 2018 spring class of the Cultivating Success 10-week Ag Business Entrepreneurship Course.
Photo: WSU Cultivating Success Ag Business Entrepreneurship Class
Read MoreIn Washington, there are 14 counties with a Young Farmers and Ranchers chapter. On Saturday, March 10th, at the historical Swiss Hall in the heart of the Tualco Valley near Monroe, the Snohomish County chapter kicked off their inaugural meeting.
Read MoreSeven farms took part in the Photovoice Project hosted by the Snohomish Conservation District and The Nature Conservancy. Through a series of four workshops, participants responded to two questions - "Why is agriculture important to our community?" and "What are the major challenges facing agriculture?" - through photos and discussion.
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Snohomish Conservation District | 528 91st Ave NE, Lake Stevens, WA 98258 | 425-335-5634
