On-Farm Trials Podcast with the PNW Farmers' Network

Join this conversation about On-Farm Trials with recently-retired farmer, Mark Sheffles, outside

of Wilbur, Washington. Mark describes his trials with winter peas, the Weed-it spot sprayer, and

his history with direct seeding.

In this bonus episode, "Stories from the Field", we hear thoughts on the what, how, and why,around building soil health and cropping systems innovation in grain production systems of the inland Pacific Northwest. Listen to these highlights from interviews with Uhlorn Family Farms team, Tom Conklin, and Douglas Poole about the challenges and rewards working hard to grow food, and steward land in their communities.

This episode of On-Farm Trials comes to you from the Rosanoff Homestead outside of Ritzville, WA where we hear from Ron Jirava and the WSU research team Dr. Bill Schilinger, Dr. Tim Paulitz, Dr. Jeremy Hansen, Dr. Surendra Singh, and Bruce Sower about their work together on the longest running Dryland On-Farm Trial collaboration in Washington State. Their conversation covers an array of the work that has come from this trial around alternative cropping systems, the soil microbiome, pathogens, tillage equipment, and residue management and how they all of these management strategies interact with soil moisture in a dryland environment. We also hear about future directions for the research to come, building on past work and exploring new ideas, including even more focus on soil health!

Join the conversation on Uhlorn Family Farms outside of Cottonwood, ID with Darrel and Brentley Uhlorn and Dave Dahlsrud. In this interview they describe their trials with cropping system innovations, alternative crops, weed management, integrating cattle, and using compost teas, extracts, biostimulants, and foliar fertilizers at production scale.

This episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast features an interview with farmer Douglas Poole in

Mansfield, Washington as he describes how his trials are intended to work with the ecological

systems on his farm. Douglas shares his experiences from collaring cows to harnessing soil

microbes, planting alternative crops, hosting landlord parties to talk cover cropping and soil

health, a decades-long legacy of biosolids, and creating/conserving sage grouse habitat on the

farm.

The interviews compiled for another special episode of Stories from the Field features

Russ Zenner retired farmer from Genesee, Idaho, Clint Zenner farming outside of Genesse

Idaho talking with University of Idaho researcher Kendall Kahl, and Tracy Erikson retiring farmer

outside of St. John, WA.

In this episode we hear from Tom Conklin of Wittman Family Farms outside of Cul de Sac, Idaho on how their farm team works together to design, track, and evaluate their ‘farm scientific trials’ from cows to water and towards lower inputs and diversification goals.

In this episode we hear a career retrospective from Tracy Erikson outside of St. John, WA, and how his lifetime pursuit of learning has evolved innovation and trials on the farm along with his impact on the landscape over decades. He describes starting the fabrication of his first no-till drill up to current interests and trials looking under the microscope for signs of soil health, spray water quality, and opportunities in drone technology on the farm.

This episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast features Clint Zenner of Zenner Family

Farms in Genesse, ID and his collaboration as a PI on the PNW cover crops project

alongside Kendall Kahl of the University of Idaho. A conversation with them highlights

years of working together that has resulted in a wealth of knowledge on cover crops,

cows, and even earth worms! Listen to their conversation about how they are working

together to ask and answer important soil health and cropping systems innovation for

the farm and region with their on-farm trials.

This episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast features Clint Zenner of Zenner Family

Farms in Genesse, ID and his collaboration as a PI on the PNW cover crops project

alongside Kendall Kahl of the University of Idaho. A conversation with them highlights

years of working together that has resulted in a wealth of knowledge on cover crops,

cows, and even earth worms! Listen to their conversation about how they are working

together to ask and answer important soil health and cropping systems innovation for

the farm and region with their on-farm trials.