Palouse Conservation District will host 3rd Annual Alternative Cropping Symposium

The Palouse Conservation District third Annual Alternative Cropping Symposium will be Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Gladish Community Center’s View Room in Pullman.

Giving producers the opportunity to learn from other farmers on the Palouse, this event will focus on promoting healthy soils and profitable farming. Other topics that will be covered include cover cropping, intercropping, integrating livestock, etc.

“This event is producer driven so we want to offer an opportunity for farmers and livestock producers to participate as much as they are able,” said Jodi Prout, education and outreach coordinator for the Palouse Conservation District. “This event will give producers more opportunities to network. There will be producers from private industries, small farms, etc. Most producers trust their neighbor more than anyone when it comes to new practices.”

Speakers for the symposium are mostly local producers, with the exception of the keynote speaker, Bob Quinn, farmer from Big Sandy, Mont., and author of “Grain to Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food.”

“The majority of our presenters are local farmers and livestock producers who are trying different cropping systems on their operation to improve soil health and economic viability,” Prout said. “The goal is for these producers to share successes and challenges from their experience with cover crops and alternative crops with other producers in the area.”

Prout mentioned there will be a panel discussion made up of previous speakers from this event. She said these are farmers who are trying new things and will be able to inform others.

Along with discussions on soil health and cropping techniques, there will be discussions regarding alternative markets.

Prout said many farmers face challenges with soil health, but also the economics behind it all.

“It can be a big investment to change the way you’re doing things,” Prout said. “We will discuss new ways and new markets. We will have a USDA Risk Management representative to discuss ways to prepare and manage those changes.”

The Feb. 27 event will run from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. with lunch being served at 12:10 p.m. Entry and lunch are free to those who attend.

The Palouse Conservation District encourages all who are going to attend to RSVP beforehand. Reservations can be made at palousecd.org/symposium.

“We have many sponsors, they are the ones that make it all possible for us to hold this event,” Prout said. “This event is free thanks to contributions from our sponsors.”

Sponsors include AG Enterprise, Clearwater Seed, GO Seed, The McGregor Company, Northwest Farm Credit Services, Northwest Grain Growers, Palouse Land Trust, Pacific Northwest Cooperative, Shepherd’s Grain, Spectrum Crop Development Corp, Spokane Community College, Spray Center Electronics Inc., Washington Soil Health Committee and Washington State Conservation Commission.

Prout mentioned how in Kennewick, Wash., the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association holds its cropping systems conference.

“What’s cool is that we can offer this similar event on the Palouse and have it completely free,” Prout said. “I’m glad we can keep it local to the area.”

Prout said there will be a lot of information shared and this event will provide a unique opportunity to allow producers to see what their neighbor is doing and how to learn from each other.