Research Findings on Display at WSU Puyallup Organic Farm Walk and Field Day

PUYALLUP, Wash. – Current research on a variety of organic farming topics and on the use of riparian buffers will be presented at this year’s organic field day and farm walk at the Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center.

The farm walk and field day will be held on Monday, Aug. 3, from 1 to 4 pm at the WSU Puyallup Center located at 2606 W. Pioneer in Puyallup. Directions are available at www.puyallup.wsu.edu/directions.html. There is no charge to attend and no advance registration is needed. Tilth Producers of Washington and the WSU Small Farms Program are cosponsoring the event.

WSU Puyallup’s experimental organic farm highlights a wide variety of organic farming practices, research plots, and riparian buffer management strategies.

The organic farming and nutrient management research team has partnered with berry researchers to evaluate day-neutral strawberry varieties. The organic strawberry trial will run for three years and early results will be shared during the farm walk.

Pastured sheep were recently added to the system, helping researchers understand soil quality and fertility changes with the addition of grazed pasture to a vegetable rotation. Pastured poultry have been part of the experimental farm since its inception, and chickens and mobile chicken tractors will be on display.

Experimental riparian buffers surround the organic farm and considerations for including buffers in your whole farm plan will be discussed. Other topics will include Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for food safety, and the use of drip irrigation.

This year’s presenters will include soil science researchers Craig Cogger and Andy Bary, berry researchers Pat Moore and Wendy Hoashi-Erhardt, natural resources researcher Jeff Kallestad, and food safety specialist Karen Killinger.

More information about the farm can be found at www.puyallup.wsu.edu/soilmgmt.

Details about all of this year’s farm walks are available at www.tilthproducers.org and www.smallfarms.wsu.edu.

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