Our Spring 2025 Workshop Series Kicks Off on 04/24!
04/24 Rainwater Harvesting in Action – 10-11:30am PT on Zoom
Hear directly from farmers Michelle Week (Good Rain Farm) and Nate Johnson (Sunbow Produce) as they share their experiences designing and using rainwater harvesting systems to build resilience. This session will spotlight practical strategies and lessons learned from growers adapting to increasingly unpredictable water access.
May 8 – Western Water Rights 101 for Ag Advisors – 10am-Noon PT on Zoom
With Amanda Cronin from (AMP Insights), we’ll break down water rights fundamentals across WA, OR, and CA for western ag advisors . You’ll gain practical tools to support growers with questions like:
Do I have a water right—and how can I find out?
What can I legally use water for, and how much?
What if I don’t have a water right?
Is it realistic to apply for a new water right?
While you won’t be a water rights expert in two hours, you will walk away with practical tools and region-specific insights to help your growers navigate tough questions.
About the Series: This series is designed to help ag advisors across WA, OR, and CA build stronger networks and develop tailored water strategies that support small-scale and historically underserved growers. Organized by Dry Farming Institute in collaboration with a cross-regional planning team.
Why Attend? Water access and management is becoming an increasingly complex challenge for small-scale growers. Through this series, you’ll gain practical tools, strategies, and connections to better support growers through shared knowledge, innovative approaches, and collective problem-solving.
We know you’re busy, so this series will focus on collaboration and practical water resilience strategies, bringing together the ecosystem of ag advisors across the region. By leveraging our collective capacity, we can achieve more together than we can alone.
2024 Workshops, Resources, & Recordings
- Beyond Barriers: Tailored water management solutions for small-scale growers. Case studies and facilitated discussions will provide insights into water management strategies for small-scale and underserved growers within the context of financial and systemic barriers. Featured Speakers: Spencer Suffling, Tanager Farm; Aysha Peterson, Resource Conservation District of Monterey; Berit Dinsdale, Oregon State University Extension
- Strengthening Grower Support Strategies: Integrating Economic Realities and Water Resilience. Through real-world examples and group discussions, participants will learn strategies to help growers build financial resilience, navigate government programs, and adapt to climate challenges. Panelists: Evelyn Nordberg, Resource Conservation District of Monterey, Sara Cross, Producer Support Funds Program Manager – Oregon Food Bank, Stephanie Payne, Oregon Urban Ag Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Check out the recording here.
- Coaching for Water Resilience: Empowering Ag Advisors to Partner with Small Scale Growers. This session will guide ag advisors in transitioning from experts to coaches, focusing on building trust, fostering peer learning, and using tailored communication techniques. Advisors will explore coaching tools, observe a demonstration, and discuss how to integrate these strategies into their work, empowering growers to take ownership of their decisions while working alongside them as supportive partners. Presenter: Addie Candib, American Farmland Trust, Coachee: Naomie Peasley, Intertribal Ag Council. Check out the recording here and slides here.
- Catalyzing Your Power and Collaborative Partnerships: How to Advocate for Growers Facing Structural Barriers. Through the example of a partnership between CA Farmlink and the Resource Conservation District of Monterey, we’ll explore how multi-stakeholder collaborations can drive structural change. The session focuses on using our roles to advance equity across individual, organizational, and systemic levels, empowering participants to create lasting impact. Presenters: Aysha Peterson, Resource Conservation District of Monterey and Laura Poliné González, CA Farmlink, Chris Iberle City of Seattle. Check out the recording here.
Who:
Anybody who supports small farms in the West is welcome to join. Our target audience is advisors who work with small-scale and historically underserved growers, or those interested in starting. We expect attendees to include Extension professionals, federal and state agency employees, conservation district staff, private sector consultants, non-profit staff.
And growers, producers, farmers, you are welcome — this training won’t be as geared towards you as other events we host, but we are happy to have you.
What to Expect:
Learning: Explore innovative strategies for adapting to water challenges on small farms. This is a unique opportunity to learn from other West Coast states. Each session will feature case studies!
Community: Connect with fellow farm advisors across institutions. Yes, there will be break out rooms! And, activities where we can problem solve and learn skills from each other.
Resources: Gain valuable tools and insights to support diverse and historically underserved small-scale farms. Check out resources shared during the 2024 sessions here.
Interested but can’t attend? Fill out this email form to get info on our future 2025 workshops
Questions? Contact organizer: ashley@dryfarming.org
About this project:
This is part of a multi-year federally funded collaborative project led by American Farmland Trust focused on increasing water resilience on small farms on the west coast and better supporting historically underserved farmers.
Thanks to the 2025 Planning Team
Ashley Rood, Dry Farming Institute – Maria Zamora Re, Oregon State University – Melissa Borsting, King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks – Qi Zhou, CA Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) – Teal Potter, Washington State University – Yolimar Rivera Vázquez, Coquí Consulting, LLC.
And thank you to the additional folks on the 2024 Planning Team: Evelyn Nordberg Monterey Resource Conservation District – Lindsey Kelley, University of California Cooperative Extension – Naomie Peasley, Intertribal Ag Council – Stephanie Payne, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Oregon.