PULLMAN, Wash. — Farming with the wind in continuing drought is the theme of the annual research review of the Columbia Plateau Wind Erosion/Air Quality Project Dec. 5-6 in Spokane.
Scientists from Washington State University, the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Northwest farmers will discuss air quality issues, experiences, agricultural emissions, policies, the physics of wind erosion and research into wind erosion control methods.
Many farmers in the inland Pacific Northwest have experienced four consecutive years of drought and are faced with difficult soil management decisions. “Our research review will be especially relevant to the needs of these farmers,” said Bill Schillinger, WSU agronomist and project co-leader.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 5. The public is welcome. Three registration options are available. A two-day registration fee is $75; Thursday only, $65; and a half-day Friday fee, $15. Contact Cindy Warriner at (509) 659-3214 or warriner@wsu.edu for more information and to register.
The conference is sponsored by the USDA Cooperative States Research, Education and Extension Service; WSU; the USDA Agricultural Research Service; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service; Washington Department of Ecology; the University of Idaho, and Oregon State University.
The Columbia Plateau Wind Erosion/Air Quality Project addresses problems of windblown dust in the Inland Pacific Northwest, particularly particles 10 microns in size and smaller, which can lodge in the lungs and lead to health problems.
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