PULLMAN, Wash. — New crops, new income sources, new thinking and new hope for Eastern Washington and Central Washington farmers will be the focus of a seminar scheduled June 12 at the Community Building in St. John.
“Value-Added Opportunities for Eastern Washington Agriculture” should interest people in all segments of agriculture, according to Paul Peterson, Washington State University Cooperative Extension Spokane County extension educator.
Don Phillips of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers will provide an update on proposed strawboard plants for Eastern Washington. David Eakin of the Inland Northwest Agri-Business and Development Center in Richland will discuss prospects for an oilseed processor in the Inland Northwest
Ed Adams, WSU Spokane County Extension, will address a wide array of alternative and rotation crops including several crops being tried in Lincoln County that provide potential new sources of income and fit into new, spring no-till cropping systems.
Other speakers include Des O’Rourke of WSU’s International Marketing Program for Agricultural Commodities and Trade. O’Rourke will talk about what the IMPACT Center does to add value to agricultural commodities.
Bruce Abbey of Abbey Farms, Waitsburg, will discuss a cottage industry approach to adding value to products his farm produces. His family packages specialty products from wheat and other crops for retail.
The seminar will get underway at 8:50 a.m. and end at noon. It is free and open to the public. Lunch is provided free but reservations must be made in advance by calling the WAWG at 1-(800) 598-6890.
The event is cosponsored the by the WSU Cooperative Extension Agricultural Horizons Team in cooperation with the Value-Added Committee of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers.
Contact Paul Peterson at (509) 533-2048, ext. 112, for more information about the program.
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