Okanogan County

The tree fruit industry in Okanogan County is experiencing a serious downturn. Prices are low, and farmers are having a difficult time making ends meet. WSU Cooperative Extension has responded with a workshop series designed to help farm families through these stressful times. Jay Jenkins, Okanogan County WSU Extension Faculty, and Extension faculty members from Chelan, Douglas, and Grant counties organized the series.

The workshops offered a practical approach to maintaining rural roots and farm family values when the family farm is threatened by a combination of problems. Participants gained knowledge to help them keep their families working together and strong. They also gathered information that will help them better communicate with family and business partners.

Stevens County

The Sherwood Creek Demonstration Forest in Chewelah, was developed to illustrate the effects of different harvest treatments on the long-term growth and health of a forest stand. A long-time resident of Stevens County donated a portion of his forest to further the cause of forestry education. It consists of 7 adjacent forest plots, each 65 years of age and approximately 1 acre in size. One block will remain untouched as a control. The others will have different harvesting treatments ranging from a clear-cut to an uneven-aged conversion. Thinning, fertilization, forest regeneration, and forest health issues are being addressed for each plot.

Measurements of timber volumes on each plot were taken prior to treatment and will be assessed again this year. A variety of habitat elements will be measured over consecutive years. This is a wonderful opportunity to observe the changes occurring over time in a forest stand after timber harvest. This will also demonstrate the effects harvest has on wood production, wildlife populations, and basic forest health.

An additional objective of the Sherwood Creek Demonstration Forest project is to see what kind of influence some common harvest practices have on the suitability of wildlife habitat

Spokane County

More than 600 people who use the Spokane Valley Food Bank have benefited from Extension nutrition education over the last three years. This food bank serves the unincorporated metropolitan area and rural communities that spread east of the city of Spokane and averages 1,600 clients per month. Food bank assistance is intended for occasional, emergency use, but many people become dependent on food assistance each month.

By offering four different class times when the food bank is open, food bank users have the opportunity to learn new skills and ways to prepare foods distributed by the food bank. The series of six different classes are conducted by Sue Armstrong, Extension Education Assistant. As a result of the classes, participants show improvement in their food resource management and their food safety and nutrition practices. These changes are measured using a checklist of food related behaviors participants complete when they begin the series of classes and upon completing the six classes. According to the food bank director, Barb Bennett, these classes “give them an opportunity to network, too. Many of our clients do not have a social life, and no money to go out. Many have no network of friends and/or family to fall back on.”

This successful collaboration is a joint endeavor of the Extension Family and Nutrition Education Program, which is for families with dependent children, and Extension’s Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program, which may serve any food stamp eligible person.

Ferry County

Today’s youth need life skills training more than ever. In Ferry County, 99 extended family, role model adult 4-H volunteer leaders are working with WSU Extension to provide these life skills throughout the year. Over a fifth of all youth, ages 5–19, in the county are now learning skills including: decision making, goal setting, good judgment, planning, being responsible, follow-through and task completion, feeding and caring for another person, team building, and financial planning and management.

They also are learning to organize and articulate their thoughts and feelings in verbal form rather than through disruptive or violent behavior.

Research shows that in order to have lasting impact on youth, programs must reach youth over long periods of time. Volunteers who work in this program donate anywhere from 100 to 480 hours per year working with and teaching these youth life skills. These are not government workers, but neighbors and other caring adults who give their time to build a sense of belonging and a knowledge base in youth that is vital to a community’s health. It is the largest “out-of-school” youth program in Ferry County, and parents and leaders see the yearly positive changes in youth as they learn and practice the life skills learned. The Ferry County 4-H program helps youth grow into contributing members of the community and more effectively deal with some of the tough situations they’ll face in their futures.

Douglas County

Washington State University has received a $35,000 grant to study the feasibility of building and operating a wheat processing plant on the Douglas County plateau. The idea was first suggested by Lynn Alderson, Agriculture Extension Educator at the WSU Extension office in Waterville, who was aware of a similar operation in Montana called “Wheat Montana Farms & Bakery.” A team from Douglas County toured the Montana operation and then decided to apply for a grant to conduct a feasibility study.

The focus of the study will be to research the feasibility of transforming locally grown agricultural commodities into value added products. Potential market opportunities will be identified and product ideas will be explored. The long-term goal of the project will be to create jobs by value processing locally grown agricultural commodity products into finished goods that can be marketed and sold outside the area.

Lincoln County

Most area farmers recognize that crop diversification can afford them the opportunity to spread risk and fight crop pests through crop rotation.

Washington State University Cooperative Extension’s Ag Horizons Team recently concluded a series of workshops on growing alternative crops. This series, funded by a grant from USDA SARE, focused on crops with agronomic potential for the area, but not commonly grown currently. These crops include oats, triticale, new varieties of wheat and barley, mustard, canola, sunflower, buckwheat, corn, and flax. Workshops addressed the agronomic and profit potential for these crops. Information from the series is posted on the Web.

These workshops provided the knowledge base to help area farmers make decisions about using alternative crops on their farms.

Pend Oreille County

A divorce often has long-lasting negative effects on both adults and children involved. But, there’s help for them through a Cooperative Extension program called “Children Cope With Divorce.”

Classes taught by Extension county chair Janet Lambarth were mandated by tri-county Superior Court judges October 1, 1999, for all parents filing for court action involving their children. These parents must take the 4-hour class before their cases are settled.

Lambarth trained 18 people to work as male/female teams teaching the seminars on a monthly basis in Pend Oreille, Ferry, and Stevens counties. In the past year, more fathers have enrolled and almost all classes have filled.

“The more often parents return to court to do battle with each other, the longer and harder it is for children to adjust to their new living situations,” says Lambarth. Classes are offered monthly. Parents are recommending the class to friends. The vast majority “do not resent being required to attend” and 100 percent “are glad” they attended.

Preliminary evaluation show that class goals are being met. For example, parents indicate they speak more positively or neutrally to children about the other parent, they have definitely tried to keep the children out of the middle of the adult problems, and they believe they now have healthier relationships with their children.

Adams County

Aaron Esser, Extension On-Farm-Testing Associate,and Jon Newkirk, Area Extension Economist, were panelists on the KSPS (Spokane Public Television Channel 7), special, titled “Plight of the Farmer.” The hour long program aired June 1, 2000, and was viewed by over 100,000 viewers throughout eastern Washington.

It focused on four major issues facing Washington agriculture: Snake River dam breaching, genetically modified organisms, trade and policy issues, and crop alternatives. Esser also appeared in a taped segment shot at a no-till drill trial he organized. Newkirk assisted KSPS in developing the program outline, securing panelists, identifying individuals to be interviewed, and arranging opportunities for field interviews. Others appearing on the program included area producers, wheat industry leaders, WSU faculty members Steve Jones and Des O’Rourke, and Representative George Nethercutt.

Chelan County

Our “Schools” Committee has been working on a Community Garden, a joint project with Eastmont FFA and Camp Fire, which runs a “MegaClub” for kids at a low-income apartment complex in East Wenatchee. Fifteen kids, about half Ukrainian immigrants ages 4–15, started the garden under our supervision last year. This year, about three times the space has been planted—over a quarter acre—and families of the children have been much more involved. (As the families learn English, the communication has become much easier.)

The garden includes individual plots for children and larger ones for families. Irrigation lines have been installed by Master Gardeners, the last one including instruction for one of the older boys who is now able to maintain the system. Plots have been planted with a variety of both vegetables and flowers, and several of the Master Gardeners have planted squares to demonstrate techniques not familiar to the youngsters. For more details, contact the Chelan County Master Gardeners.