Survey, Extension in Iraq, Forestry

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A few months ago, we posted a link to our Washington State Impacts Web site: http://ext.wsu.edu/IMPACT/. The site was created five years ago to inform lawmakers about the research, extension and teaching at WSU that benefit the lives of their constituents. Lots of other people have found impact reports to be useful as well.

Help us improve the site by taking a brief survey at http://ext.wsu.edu/impact/ImpactSurvey.htm. Please respond by August 15.

First Steps in Rebuilding Iraqi Ag Begins with Extension

On July 4, a small contingent of WSU faculty and one graduate student flew to Egypt to begin the first phase of a two-year, multi-university training effort designed to rebuild the infrastructure of Iraq’s agriculture. Each university is charged with providing training in one particular area of expertise. WSU is offering instruction in crops and dryland agriculture systems.

About 25 Americans and 100 Iraqis participated in the training session at the Desert Development Center of the American University in Cairo. “The training went very well,” said Chris Pannkuk, director of International Research and Development for WSU International Programs. “We trained the trainers first, our counterparts at the universities in Iraq and Iraq Ministry of Agriculture. We used a portable soils testing kit to train them in ways they could do soil assessment or farm assessments and give fertilizer recommendations.”

“The trainers picked up on the material very quickly and became effective trainers in a short amount of time,” said Bill Pan, chair of WSU’s Crop and Soil Sciences Department.

“I think we made some very good friends and colleagues that will continue to grow into the future,” Pannkuk said. “One of the major objectives of this project is to start building goodwill as well as the capacity of the Iraqis to develop the extension system.”

For more on WSU’s international agricultural outreach efforts, please visit: http://cahnrs.wsu.edu/ag/archives/2007/safe-and-abundant-ag-international.htm.

Family Forest Owners Field Day

If you own a piece of the forest, you can learn more about how to manage it at the Western Washington Family Forest Owners Field Day, scheduled Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Hamma Hamma Tree Farm located just off U.S. 101 at milepost 320 on the Hood Canal.

This annual event, sponsored by Washington State University Extension, will offer presentations on 20 topics, including protecting homes and forests from wildfire; thinning and pruning; wildlife damage control; using global positioning systems; forest taxation; chainsaw safety and maintenance; selling timber; and more. You will be able to attend up to six presentations.

An event schedule is available online at http://www.ncw.wsu.edu/foreststewardship/. Call WSU Extension at (360) 337-7157 to request a program or other information.