Progress report for WWA25-001
Project Information
The Washington SARE PDP is designed to help Extension, Conservation Districts, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other agricultural professionals increase their ability to respond to the needs of farmers, ranchers, and the public regarding sustainable agriculture concepts and systems.
In Washington State, SARE PDP is housed in WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR). CSANR integrates the joint responsibilities for sustainable agriculture research with extension programming. The goal of our professional development program is to assist WSU extension, Conservation Districts, NRCS, and other agency personnel to gain knowledge and skills that will help them serve their constituents in these areas to promote the health of Washington’s people, land, and communities. Using tools such as mini-grants for attending and hosting events, development of curriculum and programming, and prioritization of new communication approaches provides CSANR means of sharing available information in our priority topics of soil health, climate change, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Facilitate knowledge gain for 250 agriculture professionals within the topic of soil health by developing curriculum and trainings. Curriculum and trainings will be available by the end of the grant period.
- Facilitate knowledge gain for 100 agriculture professionals within the topic of climate change through curriculum and trainings. Curriculum and trainings will be available by the end of the grant period.
- Invest in knowledge gain for 20 agriculture professionals in diversity, equity, and inclusion topics, and leadership development opportunities for underrepresented minorities.
- Facilitate knowledge gain for 20 agriculture professionals for self-designated topics in sustainable agriculture through support for travel and trainings.
Washington State PDP is part of the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. The goal of Washington PDP is to support WSU extension, NRCS staff, Conservation District staff, and other ag professionals in gaining and sharing their expertise across the diverse landscape of Washington agriculture. Washington State PDP prioritizes development opportunities that address top needs in our state, which are determined by both our SARE State Program Advisory Committee and a survey of past and potential recipients of SARE funds. We identified the top priorities as climate change, soil health, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. To adequately support professional development in each of these topics, we provide funding for large educational events, the creation of accessible resources such as webinars, presentations, and multimedia content, and the facilitation of mini-grant program to support applicable professional development opportunities.
Our recent State survey of participants in the SARE PDP showed success in using State Program funds to facilitate mini-grants for 1) training at regional and statewide events, and 2) travel support for extension educators to attend regional or national sustainable agriculture conferences. Our survey indicated a strong interest in extending further travel funding to agriculture professionals beyond WSU extension educators and we plan on increasing outreach to all Washington ag professionals increase access to sustainable agriculture trainings and conferences.
Maintaining accessibility to sustainable agriculture trainings is a priority to Washington PDP, especially with the changing circumstances and availability of in-person trainings. We want to continue to provide mini-grant opportunities, but also shift to hosting more in-depth training events and providing durable products that are accessible online. Between our State survey indicating a preference for both in-person and online trainings and the time sensitive nature of many of our priority topics (e.g. climate change and soil health), we plan on hosting educational events through both digital and in-person venues with the 2025-2027 program to accommodate each topic’s most beneficial format.
The described activities above will be split across the three-year period. Each year, we will prioritize the implementation of five mini-grant trainings as well as hosting and supporting larger-scale educational events in our priority topic areas of climate change, soil health, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Extension Coordinator will spend 30% FTE each year of the project time period on developing communication campaigns, products, and supporting the implementation of training opportunities for Washington agriculture professionals.
Advisors
Education
In 2025, Washington SARE PDP supported professional development through two primary mechanisms: underwriting priority educational sessions at a regional sustainable agriculture conference and providing mini-grant travel support for an agricultural professional to attend this conference. The underwriting focused on research-based soil health and climate resilience content aligned with program objectives. Evaluation was conducted through session documentation and participant reporting of knowledge gained and intended application in professional practice.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Facilitate knowledge gain for agricultural professionals within the topics of soil health and climate change through support of research-based conference sessions.
Washington SARE PDP provided educational underwriting to support priority technical sessions at the 2025 Tilth Conference and Farm & Food Symposium. Supported sessions focused on soil health assessment, biological soil processes, compost and microbial management, cover crop selection tools, and climate resilience strategies in agricultural systems. Sessions were attended by agricultural professionals including Extension educators, Conservation District staff, NRCS personnel, and other service providers from across Washington state.
Sessions including: Redefining Soil Fertility, Advancing Soil Health in Washington, Tools and Techniquest for Assessing Soil Health, Simple Steps for Better Cover Crop Success, Compost workshop.
Supported sessions emphasized practical tools and research findings related to soil biology, soil health metrics, compost systems, cover crop performance, and climate adaptation planning. Participants increased knowledge of regionally relevant soil health assessment methods, biological fertility management strategies, and decision-support tools such as the Cover Crop Selector Tool and SoilWeb application. These sessions contributed to improved technical understanding of soil function, water management, and climate-adaptive production practices. Agricultural professionals indicated intent to incorporate these tools and research findings into educational programming, technical assistance, and outreach to farmers and ranchers in Washington state. Four hundred agricultural professionals, farmers, ranchers, agency workers, Extension and university researchers, and other participants attended the 2025 Tilth Conference, with 84% of participants reporting knowledge gain.
Facilitate knowledge gain for agricultural professionals in self-designated sustainable agriculture topics through mini-grant travel support.
One mini grant was awarded in 2025 to support attendance at the Tilth Conference and Farm & Food Symposium. The recipient focused on sessions related to farm business planning, agricultural financing, marketing strategy, soil health tools, and cover crop management.
The mini-grant recipient increased knowledge of grant readiness criteria, farm financing pathways, marketing strategy development, and regionally appropriate soil health tools. Knowledge gained is being integrated into programming for new and beginning farmers through Extension courses and technical assistance. The recipient currently serves 53 participants in an Agricultural Entrepreneurship program and anticipates reaching over 100 farmers and community members through related programming in 2025. The mini grant strengthened the recipient’s capacity to deliver business planning and soil health education to producers across Washington state.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
Learning Outcomes
Face of SARE
In June 2025, CSANR promoted SARE’s “Advancing Innovation with SARE Outreach” webpage with social media posts totaling ~400 impressions. CSANR also reposted several requests for proposals throughout 2025.
The SARE logo appeared in the program for the Tilth Conference + Farm & Food Symposium, which was given to 400 participants (occupations unknown).