FW: Join the Western Arid Grower Network
Teresa Matteson
From: Dry_farming_project <dry_farming_p...@lists.oregonstate.edu>
On Behalf Of Nebert, Lucas
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2025 9:10 AM
To: dry_farmi...@lists.oregonstate.edu
Subject: [Dry_Farming_Collaborative] Join the Western Arid Grower Network
Greetings dry farming collaborative,
If you are farming in arid climates receiving less than 20" of precipitation per year, you might consider joining the Western Arid Grower Network! This new resource is organized by vegetable growers in Eastern Oregon and the Klamath basin, as well as OSU Small Farms Extension.
You are invited to join the
Western Arid
Grower Network!
The Western Arid Grower Network is a new community for
small-scale vegetable growers in arid places. This year we will
host three, free online gatherings with presentations and
discussion focused on growing in dry, extreme climates.
This network is organized by eastern Oregon farmers Nella Mae
Parks of Cove, Katie Swanson of Klamath Falls with support
from Maud Powell from Oregon State University Small Farms Program and funding from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education SARE program.
Through the winter, the Western Arid Grower Network will offer three online-only gatherings for growers. WAGN gatherings are the second Monday of the month from 6-8pm PST and open to all for free. The first hour is a presentation by a grower or researcher and the second hour is farmer-to-farmer discussion.
December 8- "I choose you! Seed selection for arid vegetable production" with Casey O'Leary of the Snake River Seed Cooperative.
January 12- "Improving summer germination, transplant success, and yield" with Sarah Benimana of the University of Hawai'i, Manoa. (Don't let the Hawai'i part fool you--she has plenty of arid growing knowledge!)
February 9- "Humidity, Temperature, and Soil Water Tension in Arid Agriculture: Fundamental Concepts and Monitoring to Empower On-Farm Decision Making" with Jacob Hurst also of the University of Hawai'i Manoa.
The gatherings are free and open to all. If you’re wondering if you qualify as an “arid grower,” join in and find out if you share the same challenges as others in the high desert, intermountain west, great basin, and beyond.
You might be in an arid or semi-arid climate if:
● You receive less than 20’’ of precipitation per year;
● You farm in extreme heat with low humidity;
● You do frost protection and put up shade cloth on the same day;
● You live in a place where winter seems to flip to summer in a few days, occur simultaneously, or you think, “Spring? Never met her.”
Nella Mae Parks and Katie Swanson are starting this network to connect arid veg farmers to climate-specific growing information and to each other.
“I really wanted more community within the high desert, small-scale vegetable growers,” Katie said. “We are dealing with difficult conditions, we are often isolated, and we need to talk to each other and help each other out,” she said.
“If I had had a network like this when I started, I probably would have watered less plants with my tears,” Nella Mae joked. “We hope this network can help encourage more folks to farm and to keep farming in arid places.”
Please share WAGN with folks who may be interested.
Register for free WAGN gatherings here (starting Dec 8:)
https://aridgrowers.org/speakers-topics/
Learn more here: www.aridgrowers.org
Get in touch here: in...@aridgrowers.org
Katie Swanson (she/her)
Sweet Union Farm
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