Final report for WOR23-001
Project Information
We will provide three years of professional development programming on climate resilient agricultural practices to encourage good stewardship of natural resources, improve the quality of life of farmers, encourage a decrease in the use of toxic materials, and promote enterprise diversification. Professional development in climate change resiliency will be conducted in partnership with the Oregon Climate and Agricultural Network and a planning committee.
- Work with the Advisory Committee to identify statewide priority topic in sustainable agriculture
- Develop a strategy for delivering educational programming to address topic
- Increase knowledge, skills and technical capacity of agricultural professionals on this topic
- Increase knowledge, skills and technical capacity of farmers and/or ranchers on this topic
Growth of the organic food and agriculture industries in Oregon continues to increase every year. Organic food companies report that the limited supply of organic ingredients is restricting their growth and forcing them to purchase organic agricultural products from overseas. Market incentives, farmer values, regulatory pressure and incentive programs continue to enhance conventional and organic farmer’s interest in sustainable agriculture (SA). Leading farmers and other agricultural professionals seek ongoing opportunities to increase their knowledge of SA methods.
Our state stakeholder advisory committee will meet in May and discuss priority SA topics in Oregon. Based on the discussion, we will choose an SA topic to focus on for 2021 that can be applied throughout the state. Because Eastern and Western Oregon have very different climates and Oregon also has highly diverse farms, ranches and cropping systems, we will attempt to decide on a topic that is relevant to farmers and ranchers in all parts of the state.
The Oregon SARE Advisory Committee includes staff from Benton County Soil & Water Conservation District, Oregon Environmental Council, four OSU Extension faculty. Starting in 2015, the Advisory Committee was expanded to include at least one farmer or rancher. Committee members have expertise in conservation, small farms, field crops, livestock, horticulture, organic and other certification standards, marketing and Extension administration. Beginning in 2019, the Advisory Committee selected a priority topic for the year, which may be recurring over the course of two or more years. Once the priority topic has been decided, the AC and state coordinators will work together to come up with a strategy for delivering educational programming on the topic. In 2019, the AC chose the topic of hemp production in Oregon, and as a result, we organized a two-day training for agricultural professionals who will disseminate information to their counties during the spring and summer of 2020.
Timeline:
January-October 2023,’24, ‘25: Workshops, classes, conference, and farm tours in four regions of Oregon.
November-December 2023,’24, ‘25: Evaluate Program
Advisors
- (Educator)
Education
In 2020 we switched from a model of disbursing SARE PDP funds for mini-grants to more in-depth work on one priority topic in sustainable agriculture and delivering education on that topic in different regions of the state. By employing this new model, we hoped to increase our responsiveness to high priority topics that are currently relevant to agricultural professional, farmers and ranchers. Additionally, by deploying education on a certain topic in four different regions of the state, we hoped to encourage collaboration in different regions of the state in an effort to provide the highest-quality programming. In 2020, State PDP funds were used to develop and deliver a two-day state-wide training on hemp production for agricultural professionals at Oregon State University. Ag professionals, especially OSU Extension faculty, were woefully undereducated on the basics of hemp production and processing. Funds were also used to develop teaching materials, with the hope that at least four of the ag professionals will go on to offer programming in their home counties after the training. At the time of writing this grant narrative, the training is two weeks away and has been changed from an on-site event to a virtual event due to concerns about Covid-19.
Funds for 2021 and 2022 were used in a similar vein— the AC chose the topic of climate change to focus on. The Oregon SARE co-coordinators subcontracted the Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network (ORCAN)to form a steering committee and organize a three day conference of climate resilient farming for Ag professionals. The conference will be held in early November. Within four days of announcing registration for the program, 154 ag professionals have registered.
2023-25 funds will be used to hire a coordinator at .05 FTE and contract with ORCAN to develop a similar professional development program on climate resilient farming.
Resources to be contributed: Advisory Committee members will participate in two two-hour meetings to decide on the statewide priority and develop a strategy for offering education programming on the chosen topic. Depending on the topic and strategy decided on, various OSU Extension and other agricultural professionals will provide venues, outreach, and technical assistance for the education workshops/classes/farm tours to be offered.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Host 2 webinars; promote 43 opportunities, events, and resources; and curate an updated resource webpage with 35 resources.
OrCAN hosted 2 webinars; promoted 43 opportunities, events, and resources; and curated an updated resource webpage with 35 resources. These resources were provided to inform 650 agricultural professionals and producers in OrCAN’s network about funding opportunities, educational events and resources, to increase their capacity to promote soil health on Oregon’s farms and ranches.
Greater understanding of soil health best management practices.
Virtual event held over three mornings November 1, 8 and 15th. A total of 201 people registered for the series, with 138 participants joining the live sessions, which were recorded for viewing later.
Below is the outline for the three training sessions with featured speakers and presenters, break out sessions and funding updates.
Session I: Farmer Perceptions of, and Barriers, to Climate Adaptation in Oregon
11/01/23 9:30am - 11:30am
Description
What does research tell us about the climate adaptation practices and beliefs of farmers in Oregon? How do producers perceive and/or navigate social consequences associated with climate change? And, how can agricultural service providers frame policy and support farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change with appropriate soil conservation practices?
Farmer Perceptions of, and Barriers to, Climate Adaptation (slides), Margiana Peterson-Rockney, PhD
Small Farmers’ Social Networks, Perceptions of, and Responses to Climate Change in Oregon, Melissa M Parks, PhD (slides)
Current NRCS Program Deadlines (slides), Cory Owens, NRCS National Resource Soil Scientist
Session 2: Drought and Heat Mitigation Practices, Obstacles & Needs
11/08/23 9:30am - 11:30am
Description
Farmers and ranchers across Oregon are increasingly challenged by extreme drought and heat. While emergency funds have been made available to producers impacted by these pressures in recent years, their recurrence indicates the need for both pre-emptive and longer term solutions. Learn about current drought mitigation practices, obstacles and resource needs. We will also learn from CAMPO Collective about their climate resilient farming practices and their choice to make the social, cultural shift to operate as a worker owned collective.
Beating the Heat: A Statewide Assessment of Drought and Heat Mitigation Practices (and Needs) with Oregon Farmers and Ranchers Full report of Beating the Heat and story map, Berit Dinsdale, PhD
CAMPO Collective’s vision, structure and practices (slides), Jesse Nichols, CAMPO Collective
Topical Break Out Rooms including…
● Perennial cover
● Cover cropping
● Rotational grazing
● Compost/mulch
● Irrigation efficiency
● Reduced tillage
● Water resource management
● Holistic farm management
● Messaging and communications
A Sneak Peak of the Farmer & Rancher Disaster Resilience Grant Program (slides), Andrew Collins-Anderson, Oregon Community Food Systems Network (OCFSN)
Session 3: Climate Resilience, Adaptive Management, & Working Groups in Rangelands & Rural Oregon
11/15/23 9:30am - 11:30am
Description
Speakers: Hailey Wilmer, PhD and Ellen Hammond of Jefferson County SWCD
What processes and strategies support adaptive decision making in ranching and grazing systems operating under highly variable weather conditions? At what scales do adaptive decisions take place? What are the ecological outcomes of rancher decision-making strategies? As a social scientist, Hailey Wilmer will share her research on adaptive management through diversification and community resilience on rangelands on both a social and farm scale. We will also learn about the Jefferson County SWCD Agricultural Drought Resiliency working group and their experience of bringing diverse Deschutes Basin partners together to create a collaborative Drought Plan for their county.
Ranching, Rangelands and Resilience (slides), Hailey Wilmer, PhD
Long-Range Planning to Help Agriculture Thrive Despite Drought (slides), Ellen Hammond, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District
Regional Break Out Rooms
OrCAN's update on the Natural Climate Solutions Fund (slides), Megan Kemple, Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network
Follow-up Resources: OrCAN compiled follow-up resources and recordings of the sessions in a centralized resource document and shared them with registrants after the sessions.
Evaluation Tools:
OrCAN is utilizing a variety of tools to evaluate the training and inform our programming going forward. As of 11/28/23 We have received:
● End of session surveys: 28 responses
● End of series survey: 9 responses
● Direct email feedback: 8 email responses
● Feedback during an evaluation session by the Planning team
● Reflection during internal evaluation meetings of OrCAN staff
50% of registrants self-identified as a “farm advisor/ technical service provider."
Of those registered:
● 22% were affiliated with a Soil and Water Conservation District
● 16% were affiliated with Natural Resources Conservation Service
● 5% were affiliated with Oregon State University Extension
Other registrants included non-profits, farmers, and researchers.
Registrants were from 30 of Oregon’s 36 counties.
OrCAN hosted 2 webinars; promoted 43 opportunities, events, and resources; and curated an updated resource webpage with 35 resources. These resources were provided to inform 650 agricultural professionals and producers in OrCAN’s network about funding opportunities, educational events and resources, to increase their capacity to promote soil health on Oregon’s farms and ranches.
OrCAN provided a webinar series:
○ Informational webinar for farm service providers on NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program FY24 funding for soil health, 44 attended. Shared out the recording and follow-up resources.
○ Informational webinar for farmers on NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program FY24 funding for soil health, 53 attended. Shared out the recording and follow-up resources.
OrCAN promoted the following funding opportunities, educational events, and resources:
● Funding opportunities (11)
○ NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) FY25 funding
○ Info sessions on NRCS EQIP and CSP FY 25 financial assistance programs
○ Oregon Community Food Systems Network’s Round One of the Farmer and Rancher Disaster Resilience Grants and info sessions
○ Oregon Community Food Systems Network’s Round Two of the Farmer and Rancher Disaster Resilience Grants and OCFSN’s info sessions
○ Zero Foodprint’s RestoreNW Grant--for carbon sequestering ag practices
○ Cover Crop Grant for Marion County
○ Info sessions on NRCS Urban Resiliency Initiative and Rainwater Harvesting Initiative funding opportunities for farmers in the Portland Metro area
○ Portland Clean Energy Fund mini-grant opportunity for regenerative agriculture projects within the city of Portland
○ Ecotrusts’s Microgrant opportunity for BIPOC producers
○ DLCD's Community Green Infrastructure Grants
○ OWEB's Open Solicitation Grants for watershed health practices
● Education and educational events (21)
○ Regenerative Ag Farm Tours in Madras and Pilot Rock, with two globally recognized soil health experts
○ Ag Soil Health Meeting in Corvallis
○ Hazelnut Cover Crop Workshop in Albany
○ Benton SWCD’s Ag Soil Health Meeting
○ Cover Crop Class in Clackamas County
○ OSU Extension’s fall soil prep class in Benton County
○ OSU Extension’s Organic Winter Cereals and Cover Crop Field Day
○ Quivira Coalition’s Virtual Fencing for rotational grazing webinar
○ A two day Regenerative Winegrowing Immersion at Paicines Ranch
○ Oregon Tilth’s Organic ranching field day in Madras
○ Climate Resilience Course for farmers/ranchers in the West
○ Water Resilience Learning Circle in Southern Oregon
○ Virtual Western Water Resilience Workshops
○ Dry Farming Institute’s Water Resilience Field Tour
○ Dry Farming Institute’s Dry Farm Field Day in Corvallis
○ Ranch Irrigation and Stewardship learning circle in Eastern Oregon
○ Oregon-specific Wildfire Resources for farmers/ranchers
○ USDA Wildfire Assistance for farmers/ranchers
○ OSU Extension’s Small Farm School
○ Quivera’s Carbon Credit Conundrum webinar series
○ Learning Circle for Women and Non-binary Veteran Farmers
● Research collaboration (2)
○ Ecdysis Foundation seeking vegetable producers implementing regenerative practices, for data collection
○ Cambridge researcher’s survey regarding financial incentives for cover crops
● Other resources (8)
○ American Farmland Trust’s call for a “Soil Health Successful” farmer in Oregon (to be featured in a case study/profile)
○ Join the Oregon Pasture Network
○ Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board Water and Climate Coordinator job announcement
○ OSU hiring Organic Soil Management Extension Specialist
○ Organic Farming and Research Foundation’s Conservation Scientist job announcement
○ Oregon Tilth Organic Conservation Planner job announcement
○ Oregon Department of Energy Natural and Working Lands job posting
○ Oregon Soil and Water Conservation District Equipment Directory,OrCAN also maintained a Resource web page with 35 direct funding opportunities and educational resources under the following categories:
● Soil Health in Oregon: The science behind soil health and climate resilient practices, What is soil health?, Soil health and climate mitigation
● Practical Application: Practices and strategies, Opportunities and barriers to application
● Funding Opportunities provided by: U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA), Oregon Community Food Systems Network (OCFSN), Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)
● Carbon Markets: The resource webpage received 306 visits. OrCAN also contributed resources to Friends of Family Farmers (FoFF) Climate Resilience category on FoFF’s Resources for Oregon Farmers webpage
○ Informational webinar for farm service providers on NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program FY24 funding for soil health, 44 attended. Shared out the recording and follow-up resources.
○ Informational webinar for farmers on NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program FY24 funding for soil health, 53 attended. Shared out the recording and follow-up resources.
Host Soil Health Summit
SOIL HEALTH SUMMIT
On January 22, 2025, Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network (OrCAN) hosted the Oregon Soil Health Summit, the first state-wide gathering of Oregon’s agricultural community to promote soil health for climate resilience on Oregon's farms and ranches. Gathering in person built momentum for climate resilience through soil health and provided inspiration and connection. The Summit included two Keynote presentations, soil health science workshops, a producer panel, funding opportunities, resource tables, lots of networking time, and the launch of the Soil Health Network.
Nearly 90 people attended the Summit. Attendees included farm service providers, agricultural producers, researchers, others in OrCAN’s network, and many new to our network, from all parts of the state.
WEBINARS, EDUCATIONAL EVENTS and RESOURCES
In addition, OrCAN hosted 1 webinar; promoted 37 opportunities, events, and resources; and curated an updated resource webpage with 71 resources. These resources were provided to inform 755 agricultural professionals and producers in OrCAN’s network about funding opportunities, educational events and resources, to increase their capacity to promote soil health on Oregon’s farms and ranches.
OrCAN provided 1 informational webinar:
● Hosted an Information Session for applicants on the OAHP Conservation Management Plan Grants, the State’s new payment for ag practices with ecosystem services benefits OrCAN promoted the following educational events, funding opportunities and resources:
● Education and educational events (24)
○ OrCAN’s Soil Health Summit
○ Virtual Fence Workshop for ranchers
○ Jefferson SWCD Soil Health Testing Workshop on March 11
○ Soul Fire Farm FIRE Immersion program
○ American Farmland Trust Biochar webinar and Biochar Initiative
○ OSU Small Farms Cover Cropping Incorporation workshop
○ Building Healthy Soil Workshop - Clackamas SWCD
○ Free Visual Soil Assessment Workshop
○ Resilience and Resistance Conference
○ Ecotrust’s Rooted Resilience: Soil, Water, and Cultural Practice event
○ Benton SWCD Soil Health Meeting: Pasture Maintenance and Renovation
○ Oregon Organic Hazelnut Collective Summer Tour
○ OrCAN’s Soil Health & Water Workshop to producers
○ OSU Know Your Rights Workshops for farmers and farm workers
○ Vote Run Lead and American Farmland Trust’s workshop for Women+ in agriculture
○ Ecotrust’s Indigenous Agroforestry Network 2025 Gathering
○ Connected small farmers with OSU Extension for cover crop information & tools
○ Oregon’s Resilient Pasture & Forage Symposium on Oct 2-3
○ American Farmland Trust Western Water Resilience Case Studies
○ American Farmland Trust Women for the Land Learning Circle on No-Till & Reduced Tillage
○ Cover Crop Species Selector tool
○ American Farmland Trust Soil Sample & Testing Learning Circle in Southern Oregon
○ Digging Deeper: Interactive Soil Health Workshop in Union County
○ Western Arid Grower Network and workshops
● Research collaboration (2)
○ Probing our country's soil health: soil sampling and assessment
○ OrCAN's Guide to Soil Moisture Monitoring Interpretation with review and input from OSU Extension Small Farms Program
● Funding opportunities (9)
○ OAHP Conservation Management Plan (CMP) grants
○ Farmer and Rancher Disaster Resilience Grants
○ NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program
○ Zero Foodprint’s winter and summer Restore Grant cycles
○ CoFUND cooperative grants
○ American Farmland Trust Emergency Resilience grants
○ AgWest New Producer grants
○ USDA NW Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center Scholarships for Oregon Food & Farm Business Technical Assistance support funding
○ EQIP Bridge Loan Program
● Other resources (2)
○ Resources for farmers and farm service providers impacted by federal funding freeze
○ American Farmland Trust’s biochar survey
OrCAN also updated, redesigned, and maintained a Resource web page with 71 funding opportunities and educational resources under the following categories:
● Soil Health in Oregon (9)
● Soil Health and Its Benefits (15)
● Practical Application (21)
● Funding Opportunities (8)
● Carbon Markets (6)
● Resources in Spanish (12)
The resource webpage received 192 unique visitors and 786 views across all resource pages.
Of those who responded to our evaluation survey, everyone shared that they gained increased connections that will facilitate collaboration and alignment in the future. Nearly everyone gained increased skills, learned about new resources and programs, and gained information to be able to support producers with implementing soil health practices. One participant commented “I have a laundry list of connections to follow up with. So it was a success for me!” Another summarized her experience of the day as “Yes! This is where I’m supposed to be!’”
We received great positive feedback that we incorporated sufficient networking time, that the group size was perfect, and that the content, presenters, and presentations were top notch. Attendees found that the producer panel was important and insightful. We also received valuable feedback that folks would like to see more producers in the room, and provided an array of suggestions for future Summit topics, particularly within the themes of soil health practices and how to provide effective outreach to farmers on soil health topics. Lastly, 60% of attendees see themselves getting involved with the Soil Health Network.
Post-Summit, we shared a resource document where attendees can access the keynote recordings, workshop presentations, and additional resources from and related to the Summit. The Soil Health Summit was an important step in reaching our shared vision of a future where healthy soils are the foundation of thriving food systems in Oregon–reconnecting healthy ecosystems, economies, and communities.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
OrCAN provided a webinar series:
- Informational webinar for farm service providers on NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program FY24 funding for soil health, 44 attended. Shared out the recording and follow-up resources.
- Informational webinar for farmers on NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program FY24 funding for soil health, 53 attended. Shared out the recording and follow-up resources.
OrCAN promoted the following funding opportunities, educational events, and resources:
- Funding opportunities (11)
- NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) FY25 funding
- Info sessions on NRCS EQIP and CSP FY 25 financial assistance programs
- Oregon Community Food Systems Network’s Round One of the Farmer and Rancher Disaster Resilience Grants and info sessions
- Oregon Community Food Systems Network’s Round Two of the Farmer and Rancher Disaster Resilience Grants and OCFSN’s info sessions
- Zero Foodprint’s RestoreNW Grant--for carbon sequestering ag practices
- Cover Crop Grant for Marion County
- Info sessions on NRCS Urban Resiliency Initiative and Rainwater Harvesting Initiative funding opportunities for farmers in the Portland Metro area
- Portland Clean Energy Fund mini-grant opportunity for regenerative agriculture projects within the city of Portland
- Ecotrusts’s Microgrant opportunity for BIPOC producers
- DLCD's Community Green Infrastructure Grants
- OWEB's Open Solicitation Grants for watershed health practices
- Education and educational events (21)
- Regenerative Ag Farm Tours in Madras and Pilot Rock, with two globally recognized soil health experts
- Ag Soil Health Meeting in Corvallis
- Hazelnut Cover Crop Workshop in Albany
- Benton SWCD’s Ag Soil Health Meeting
- Cover Crop Class in Clackamas County
- OSU Extension’s fall soil prep class in Benton County
- OSU Extension’s Organic Winter Cereals and Cover Crop Field Day
- Quivira Coalition’s Virtual Fencing for rotational grazing webinar
- A two day Regenerative Winegrowing Immersion at Paicines Ranch
- Oregon Tilth’s Organic ranching field day in Madras
- Climate Resilience Course for farmers/ranchers in the West
- Water Resilience Learning Circle in Southern Oregon
- Virtual Western Water Resilience Workshops
- Dry Farming Institute’s Water Resilience Field Tour
- Dry Farming Institute’s Dry Farm Field Day in Corvallis
- Ranch Irrigation and Stewardship learning circle in Eastern Oregon
- Oregon-specific Wildfire Resources for farmers/ranchers
- USDA Wildfire Assistance for farmers/ranchers
- OSU Extension’s Small Farm School
- Quivera’s Carbon Credit Conundrum webinar series
- Learning Circle for Women and Non-binary Veteran Farmers
- Research collaboration (2)
- Ecdysis Foundation seeking vegetable producers implementing regenerative practices, for data collection
- Cambridge researcher’s survey regarding financial incentives for cover crops
- Other resources (8)
- American Farmland Trust’s call for a “Soil Health Successful” farmer in Oregon (to be featured in a case study/profile)
- Join the Oregon Pasture Network
- Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board Water and Climate Coordinator job announcement
- OSU hiring Organic Soil Management Extension Specialist
- Organic Farming and Research Foundation’s Conservation Scientist job announcement
- Oregon Tilth Organic Conservation Planner job announcement
- Oregon Department of Energy Natural and Working Lands job posting
- Oregon Soil and Water Conservation District Equipment Directory,
OrCAN also maintained a Resource web page with 35 direct funding opportunities and educational resources under the following categories:
- Soil Health in Oregon
- The science behind soil health and climate resilient practices
- What is soil health?
- Soil health and climate mitigation
- Practical Application
- Practices and strategies
- Opportunities and barriers to application
- Funding Opportunities provided by:
- S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA)
- Oregon Community Food Systems Network (OCFSN)
- Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)
- Carbon Markets
OrCAN also contributed resources to Friends of Family Farmers (FoFF)Climate Resilience category on FoFF’s Resources for Oregon Farmers webpage
Face of SARE
All outreach material mentioned SARE and had the SARE logo.