The Dry Farming Institute

Adaptive Ag Water Symposium

As Oregon and other western states deal with drier growing seasons and higher wildfire risks, it is critical to increase our knowledge of how to grow more food with less water, design for enhanced water retention and infiltration, understand the future of water law in Oregon, as well as how to protect farms and crops using green fire breaks.

In response to this need, The Dry Farming Institute (DFI) in partnership with Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service announces the Virtual Adaptive Ag Water Symposium funded by Western Extension Risk Management Education (WERME) and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This FREE virtual event was held on November 6th, 2020 and was designed to expand upon and complement the OSU Dry Farming Project Virtual Field Tours offered this past summer. 

To view recordings, click on session titles below

Session 1: Landscape rehydration with Water Harvesting Structures (Andrew Millison, OSU Dept. of Horticulture, Senior Instructor)

  • Permaculture: using landforms, swales, and broad scale water management for farm climate resiliency and development planning
  • Lessons from a farm community in India

Session 2: Oregon’s Ag Water Future – Water Law (Amy Landvoigt, Oregon Water Resources Department District 20 Watermaster)

  • Overview of Oregon Water Law
  • Options for farmers seeking new water rights
  • Challenges and uncertainties associated with obtaining new water rights
  • Options and alternatives for farmers if new water allocations are unavailable

Session 3: Drought, Wildfire Risk, and Climate change (Matt Delaney, Natural Resource Specialist)

  • Helping communities, farmers, and firefighters become fire resilient example from Gilliam County, Oregon
  • Use of green fire breaks along field edges to protect crops from wildfire damage
  • Biochar amendments to help increase soil moisture and boost crop yields

The Virtual Adaptive Ag Water Symposium is FREE to attend, but limited to 300 participants.

The Virtual Adaptive Ag Water Symposium is supported by: