Progress report for WPDP24-025
Project Information
The western US is experiencing unprecedented drought and increasingly extreme heat events, leading to both a greater demand for irrigation water and less water to meet these demands. Storing water is thus becoming a critically important tool utilized by farmers and ranchers to increase on-farm resilience. Hotter and drier summers, however, are leading to heightened challenges with water storage including vegetative growth, eutrophication, and water use restrictions. Due to these issues, OSU Extension and local conservation agencies have received weekly questions regarding the construction, use, and maintenance of agricultural ponds and reservoirs for water storage. A lack of region-specific informational materials has meant agricultural professionals are unable to efficiently and effectively address growers’ needs.
To address this critical lack of information, we will develop a Train-the-Trainer program, the Agricultural Pond and Reservoir Management (Ag-PARM) program, in collaboration with key growers and professionals serving the agricultural community. The Ag-PARM program will consist of modules that address the permitting, design, use, and agricultural and ecological benefits of ponds and reservoirs. It will be developed with a statewide focus, but due to the large climatic and agricultural differences across Oregon, will be regionally adapted for four distinct agroecosystems: the Oregon Coast, the Willamette Valley, central Oregon, and eastern Oregon.
The project will culminate in one-day workshops in each of the four regions where we will directly train approximately 120 agricultural water management professionals using the Ag-PARM curriculum. The prepared curriculum materials will be used for the development of easily digestible peer-reviewed university Extension documents, an interactive learning website, and an Oregon State University (OSU) Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) course to expand the reach of the training and continue educating key stakeholders after the project concludes.
The overall objective of this project is to develop a Train-the-Trainer program for agricultural pond and reservoir management (Ag-PARM). The program will culminate in Train-the-Trainer workshops in four regions across Oregon (Coastal, the Willamette Valley, Central, and Eastern) for state
and local agencies, conservation districts, county Extension agents, influential producers, and others, with the idea that they will be able to effectively provide educational and technical assistance to growers in their area.
Specific objectives are:
- Objective 1 - Needs Assessment: Work with Extension county agents and local experts in the four regions to survey agricultural professionals and producers on the regional information gaps, interests, and needs surrounding ponds and reservoirs. This will be performed at the beginning of the project and completed by the second quarter of Year 1.
- Objective 2 - Material Development: The project team in the four regions will co-create the training modules and materials with input from
key agricultural professionals and producers. Annual planning meetings will allow for strengthened regional connections, prioritization of needs, and project feedback. These materials will be completed by the end of Year 2. - Objective 3 - Train-the-Trainer: Conduct one-day workshops in each of the four regions to train approximately 30 professionals per region (e.g., state and local agencies, Extension agents, conservation districts, and influential producers) using the developed curriculum.
- Objective 4 - Project Continuation: By the end of the project, the materials created in Obj 2 will be submitted to OSU Communications to develop Extension documents, the material will be used to create an interactive learning website, and the developed curriculum will be submitted to OSU’s Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) office to begin the process of creating a PACE course. These activities will expand the reach
of the project and continue training agricultural professionals on ponds and reservoirs.
The attached Gantt chart outlines the milestones for each objective of the project with estimated dates. For each milestone, the participants and expected outcomes are listed. A summary of the Gantt chart is provided below in the format: milestone; participants; outcome; project quarters.
- Objective 1: Needs Assessment
- Develop initial survey; PI, co-PIs, regional OSU points of contact, OSU Survey Research Center; survey for stakeholders; Q1
- Distribute survey and interpret results; PI, co-PIs & regional OSU points of contact; regional needs assessment prioritizing training materials; Q1-Q2
- Participant engagement; PI, co-PIs & regional OSU point of contacts; strengthened relationships and trust between stakeholders & research team; Q2-Q8
- Objective 2: Material Development
- Annual regional planning meetings; PI, co-PIs, regional OSU points of contacts, and key agricultural professionals; strengthened regional connections, prioritization and feedback on training materials; Q3 (Year 1) and Q7 (Year 2)
- Develop training modules; PI & co-PIs; 11+ training modules on ponds and reservoirs; Q3-Q8
- Objective 3: Train-the-trainer
- Advertise regional workshops; PI, co-PIs & regional OSU point of contacts; finalized workshop logistics and list of regional attendees; Q8-Q9
- Train-the-Trainer workshops; PI, co-PIs & regional OSU point of contacts; ~120 agricultural professionals trained; Q10-Q11
- Present at regional farm conferences; PI & co-PIs; expanded trainers reached; Q12-post project
- Objective 4: Project Continuation
- Submit training modules to OSU communications; PI & co-PIs; begin the process for the creation of Extension documents; Q12
- Creation of OSU Extension documents from modules; PI & co-PIs; peer-reviewed Extension documents; post project
- Creation of the learning website; PI, co-PIs & website consultant; expansion of reach and audience of project; Q10-post project
- Submission of materials to OSU PACE office; PI & co-PIs; begin the process of creation of PACE course; Q11-Q12
- Offer PACE course; PI & co-PIs; continue training the trainer; post project
Cooperators
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- - Producer
- - Producer
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
Education
Conducted needs assessment using the following methods: 1) analyzed data from farmer interviews and surveys on mitigating drought and heat; 2) analyzed "Frequently Asked (pond) Questions" data from OSU's Ask-an-Expert system; 2) collected and summarized email/phone pond-related questions to OSU Extension faculty; 3) obtained input (using survey questions) from interactive presentations and conversations with potential trainers and collaborators at one regional conference, one statewide conference, and one national conference event; 4) held follow-up conversations with potential trainers wanting to review and help create curriculum and learning materials; and 5) held conversations with extension faculty in each of four regions of the state requesting assistance in reviewing and helping create curriculum and learning materials.
We are in the process of developing draft training materials and meeting with our regional team members to review content and approach for curriculum, learning materials, and program website to serve as the pond education hub for trainers and their target farmers participating in future pond workshops. We are on track to deliver regional train-the-trainer workshops near the end of year 2 (winter) as planned.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Complete Needs Assessment to help determine education curriculum, learning materials, and website/database (hub) for train-the-trainer pond management extension program.
Completed needs assessment to inform content focus using various extension methods, including surveys, interviews, data collection from current technical assistance platforms (e.g., Ask an Expert, phone calls, emails, training requests), networking among county-based extension faculty located around the state, and interactive presentations to the target audience (i.e., future trainers, peer collaborators). While the initial proposal indicated that the team would collaborate with the OSU Survey Center to construct a more general needs assessment survey to distribute broadly in the four main regions, the replication of stakeholder input from the above assessment pathways indicated that an additional survey was not required.
The three interactive presentations delivered by the team served as both an assessment and educational opportunity. Team members presented information from their area of expertise (e.g., hydrology, design and permitting, water quality, ecosystem services) to stakeholders and peer collaborators. The audience was then asked to provide responses on what information would be of most value to them in an in-depth workshop, as well as what topics were missing/needed. Questions were also provided to assess desired formatting (e.g., documents, website, field days, online courses, etc.) as well as interest in collaborating on material development in the future.
Through these assessment activities the team was able to identify key informational needs on pond- and reservoir-related topics including hydrology, design and permitting, ecological concerns (species selections, managing invasives, fostering healthy ecosystems for wildlife), and chemical and biological water quality. Assessment efforts also resulted in the identification of 15 technical experts willing to collaborate with the project team on materials development in pursuit of Objective 2 of this project.
Develop training materials in consultation and with support from future trainers and peer collaborators.
The second objective is to create the curriculum, learning materials, and hub (statewide pond management learning website) to train and support local service providers including Soil and Water Conservation Districts, watershed councils, land trusts, and other agriculture service providers, who can then deliver these trainings to local farmers. The intended audience may also include regional staff from federal and state agencies working closely with farmers, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Oregon Departments of Agriculture, Water Resources, State Lands, and Forestry.
We are currently forming regional teams with service providers, including those identified in the assessment process, who want to review and help develop educational materials that would be the most useful for the farmers they serve. These regional groups will participate in an initial in-person work session in the Spring of 2025 to provide input and feedback on the initial draft materials that have been developed by the project team. These sessions will be followed by both in-person and video conferences to assist the research team in further refining content until the final train-the-trainer workshops, which will be delivered in the Winter-Spring 2026.
The outcomes of these working group sessions will be available following Spring 2025.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
Received a grant to study how a farm reservoir influences the hydrology and water quality of a small, agriculture catchment/drainage area (~200 acres).