Education Opportunities and Announcements
Mikulak, Kathryn
- Solar on Farmland- Opportunities and Considerations in NW WA
Thursday, Sept 23rd, from 6:30-8pm
Speakers: Chad Higgins, Oregon State University; Addie Candib, American Farmland Trust; Rainshadow Solar & Energy Solutions, Inc.
REGISTER HERE:
https://wsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYucumurzIpGNzBFazrY55uK00iNqOja7Fa
“Agrivoltaics provide a rare chance for true synergy: more food, more energy, lower water demand, lower carbon emissions, and more prosperous rural communities,” -Chad Higgins
In the face of climate change and development pressure, Northwest Washington needs both solar power generation and increased protection of agricultural land. Agrivoltaics are an emerging strategy that incorporates photovoltaic arrays into agricultural systems.
Join us on Thursday, Sept 23rd, from 6:30-8pm via zoom to learn about the opportunities, considerations and nitty gritty details. We’ll take a look at some pros and cons of adding solar to a farm operation, offer some considerations for where and when to site
solar on a farm, and discuss what to include in your decision making tree as you think about adding solar arrays to your farm or land. We’ll also hear about the impact of solar on agricultural ecosystems, the opportunities it provides, and a brief overview
of the costs of installation and incentives that are available. Pre-registration is required. This presentation is geared toward farmers and agricultural land owners, although all are welcome. Questions? Contact WSU Extension Ag Program Coordinator, Kate Mikulak,
kathryn...@wsu.edu, 360-370-7664
- Job Opportunity: Senior Natural Resources Planner, San Juan Islands Conservation District
See attached announcement. Contact Paul Andersson, District Manager, with any questions. Contact info listed in the attached pdf.
- Women's Farm2Food Accelerator in WA-OR Accepting Applications for 2022
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For women farmers and entrepreneurs with food and beverage products who are interested in an online accelerator to launch new products and explore expanding into new markets. The application is open at f2faccelerator.org/orwa-program at until October 15, 2021. The program will run from November 2021 – March 2022.
Interested applicants can learn more at either information session held at 4 – 5 PM PDT on September 29, 2021 and October 6, 2021. Registration details here.
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- Virtual screening of The Ants & the Grasshopper
SUN Sept 26, 5:30 - 8 PM PST
Including Q&A with the co-director and co-producer Raj Patel: 7- 8 PM
Free registration: https://bit.ly/3yjxs8E
About the film : “Anita Chitaya has a gift; she can help bring abundant food from dead soil, she can make men fight for gender equality, and she can end child hunger in her village. Now, to save her home from extreme weather, she faces her greatest challenge: persuading Americans that climate change is real. Traveling from Malawi to California to the White House, she meets climate sceptics and despairing farmers. Her journey takes her across all the divisions shaping the US, from the rural-urban divide, to schisms of race, class and gender, to the thinking that allows Americans to believe they live on a different planet from everyone else. It will take all her skill and experience to help Americans recognize, and free themselves from, a logic that is already destroying the Earth.”
- WSU Food Systems/Tilth Alliance Farm Walks Podcast: The Transition to Certified Organic
Season 2 of the Farm Walks Podcast kicks off with Deb Stansbery of Radix Farm with a great conversation about her transition to Certified Organic and the importance of signage and labels in farm business marketing. They also talk with Colleen Donovan of the Washington State Farmers Market Association about all things farmers markets, including building trust and why it’s important to make truthful claims. Listen here https://www.farmwalks.org/season-2/-deb-radix-farm or wherever you download your podcasts.
- Sign up for the 2022 Census of Agriculture
Make Sure Your Farm or Ranch Counts!
Your agricultural operation, large or small, is important to U.S. agriculture. National Agriculture Statistic Service (NASS) conducts a census of all agricultural operations every five years as well as other agricultural surveys. Your information is kept confidential. They need to know about all types of agricultural operations of all sizes. Why is this important? WSU Extension and other community partners rely on this data to better serve and understand our agricultural communities.
Kate Mikulak
Agriculture Program Coordinator
WSU Extension | San Juan County
office | 360.370.7664
WSU Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of non-compliance may be reported through your local Extension office or to the WSU Center for Human Rights.