Learning the Land: Cover Cropping with Vince Caruso
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What does six-foot tall rye mean to you? For Vince Caruso of Caruso Farms, it means experimenting with cover crops.
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Enlisting Insects for Soil Health
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I’ve always struggled to love insects. And I’ll admit, I am judging a book by its cover: their shiny carapaces, their eerie antennae, and their chaotic movements all give me a case of the heebie jeebies. Yet, after reading Farming with Soil Life: A Handbook for Supporting Soil Invertebrates and Soil Health on Farms, I’m finding a new appreciation for these creepy crawlies (and other soil life too!)
Read MoreComposting for Soil Health
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In some ways, applying compost is similar to putting money into a savings account or emergency fund— the benefits are longer-term and create resilient soils that respond better to extreme events like drought.
Read MoreGet Grounded: Dig into the Life of Soil
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Soil is teeming with life. With advances in technology, we, the ever-curious above-ground experimenters, are slowly unearthing how these various tiny creatures interact with each other and their environment. Learning how to manage this complex soil ecosystem can feel daunting, especially in the face of environmental extremes and changes, but many people are having success by focusing on soil health.
Read MorePractice Highlight: Alley Cropping
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Alley cropping is an agroforestry practice where rows of trees are planted wide enough to create alleys where other crops can be cultivated.
Read MoreAgroforestry Challenges (And 3 Reasons Why They’re Worth It)
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Agroforestry 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 MoreSustainable Gardening Series at Brightwater - January and February 2022
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Register for the whole series, or pick and choose the ones most interesting to you!
Read MoreAgriculture Team Service Update for April 2020 due to COVID-19
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Here’s the latest from our Agriculture Group about services that they are able to provide during the stay at home order.
Read MoreFinding a Way Forward in North Everett Cleanup Sites
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Mary Fosse of Delta Neighborhood in north Everett gave Joe a tour of her yard, which is located blocks away from the Department of Ecology contamination zone.
Photo credit: Delta Neighborhood
Read MoreSound Horsekeeping Update - May 31, 2018
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Here’s a late May update from Michael Hipp, our Sound Horsekeeping Program Manager.
Read MoreSound Horsekeeping Update - May 2, 2018
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Here’s a May update from Michael Hipp, our Sound Horsekeeping Program Manager.
Read MoreNew Grant in Monroe Helping Residents Garden in Their Housing Community
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Here's a creative way to move dirt from one part of a hill to another. This happened in Monroe at the Housing Hope family complex. Snohomish Conservation District is partnering with Housing Hope to restore and build garden beds for residents.
Read MoreA Look Back at Our Season of Spreading . . . Manure
/Manure & Lime Spreader Program Ending for 2017
Sound Horsekeepers, Adam and Tracey
The spreaders are out at the last cooperators' property and will be picked up Friday and put away for the season. We will not be taking reservations until April 2 for next spring, so mark it on your calendars. There will be some changes coming to the program that Michael Hipp, our Resource Planner / Sound Horsekeeping Program Manager, will be working on over the winter, They are changes related to efficiency so that we can better serve you all. He will let you know what those are as they become official.
THANK YOU!
A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the spreader program this year! 2017 was the busiest and most successful yet.
34 Cooperators (aka landowners / farmers / horsekeepers) used the spreaders; some, multiple times.
3,020 miles driven to deliver the spreaders - that's the distance from Seattle to San Salvador, El Salvador!
Only 1 flat tire on the trailer (thanks to Skagit Farmer's Supply for the assist!)
And there is no way to measure the tens of thousands of pounds of manure and lime spread this year, but it is great to know that all those nutrients are out building good soil. Thank you to our cooperators for not only having Michael out to your property to discuss soil health and good pasture management practices, but also for following through and getting your pastures one step healthier for your horses.
Please remember that if you encounter any new resource concerns over the winter Michael is always here to help. Winter in western Washington is always a challenge with horses, so please don't ever hesitate to contact him any time.
Office: (425) 377-7019 | Email: mhipp@snohomishcd.org
Digging in and Learning at Discover Soils Field Day
/Farmers, producers, and ag technical advisors gathered together to dig in and learn about soils and nutrients at the May 3rd Discover Soils Field Day. Held in one of Natural Milk Dairy's fields, the group learned about how soil type and structure affect water-holding capacity, how to read soil test results, and what are the ideal conditions for spreading manure.
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