Natural Resources Assessment Section awarded water quality protection grant

Chris McGann

Communications

 Marion Drain, an irrigation ditch that releases into the
 Yakima River, is one of the waterways NRAS tests for
 water quality. An EPA grant will help expand the program. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $200,000 grant for WSDA’s Natural Resources Assessment Section (NRAS), Wednesday. The award is part of a $2 million EPA distribution for 14 projects designed to help reduce and assess toxics affecting the Columbia River Basin watershed. 

The EPA grant funds an NRAS Pesticide Stewardship Partnership (PSP) pilot program that will collect water quality data and utilize local expertise to guide voluntary changes in pesticide use practices and ultimately improve water quality.

NRAS manager Gary Bahr said the grant helps further the important work already under way in the Columbia River Basin and around the state to monitor and improve water quality. 

The money also allows NRAS to expand its current work to the Palouse River and the Yakima River watershed where it will monitor surface water for agricultural pesticides, collect waste pesticides, and conduct targeted outreach in partnership with Conservation Districts.

“We will continue our work in the Yakima valley, where we have monitoring sites and have an active education and training program, Bahr said. “We’ll also begin new stream monitoring in the Palouse region in Eastern Washington, in partnership with the Palouse Conservation District.”

The watersheds were chosen because each is a unique agricultural production region in Washington and located upstream from critical habitat for species on the Endangered Species Act list. Sampling will look for more than 150 legacy and currently used pesticides, including DDT and its breakdown products. 

NRAS will partner with the WSDA Pesticide Management Division and Technical Services and Education Program (TSEP) for providing waste pesticide disposal collections, and pesticide education, applicator training, and sprayer calibration training. 

The Palouse Conservation District will collect the samples and work with NRAS to conduct outreach and promote pesticide applicator trainings and waste pesticide collection events.  The NRAS science group will lead the team to conduct coordinated work related to pesticide presence in the watershed and trends in pesticide usage, transport, and ways to protect water quality.

The grants are the first from the Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Assistance Program which was established by Congress in 2016 as an addition to the Clean Water Act to reduce toxics that have long affected the health of the waters throughout the basin. 

Information about the other projects funded by the EPA grants for the Columbia River Basin watershed is available at the agency’s website. 

More information about NRAS and water quality monitoring in Washington State on WSDA’s website. 

 

Sharing the science of shellfish

Chris McGann
Communications

WSDA Aquaculture Coordinator Laura Butler is working to
support shellfish aquaculture in Washington. 

Aquatic science and problem-solving took center stage at the 26th Conference for Shellfish Growers this week, hosted by Washington Sea Grant.

Scientists, growers, and state and federal agency representatives came together to share research and their experiences surrounding the perplexing lives of shellfish.

Is toxic algae bloom the culprit behind summer shellfish die off?  How can we keep oyster herpes virus out of Northwest waters? Manage ghost shrimp? Cope with ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures?

These were some of the issues panelists explored during the two-day event that took place in the tiny coastal town of Union on lower Hood Canal.

Some answers were clearer than others, and some research findings seemed to raise as many questions as they answered. But for the 167 participants, the event was an opportunity to tap into the expertise of this close-knit, esoteric community to continue seeking solutions.

Where else could you entertain a question like: “Why do some oysters just stop eating?” or “Why do baby geoducks refuse to dig themselves into the sand?”

Biologist Nick Wenzel appreciates the
the opportunity to network with other
aquaculture enthusiasts.

Value of the network

Nick Wenzel is a shellfish biologist with a keen focus on geoducks, a freakishly large clam that boasts a neck more than three feet long and bodies almost double the size of their shells.

Wenzel shared his efforts to try to find out what caused a recent batch of juvenile geoducks to simply refuse to dig in.

He told the audience he wasn’t sure if the problem had to do with something in the water or if it was something more, motivational.

He said the conference and others like it are an important resource, because geoduck farming is such a young industry.

“The best part is the networking,” he said. “The people you meet here have a wealth of information and they are willing to share it.”

WSDA supports aquaculture

In 2018, estimates of Washington state
shellfish exports exceeded $126 million. 

WSDA Aquaculture Coordinator Laura Butler wants to help support that critical network of subject matter experts. She was among the panelists, raising awareness about our agency’s relatively new role in supporting the industry through outreach, marketing and networking.

She said it makes sense for WSDA to play a supporting role as a non-regulatory agency working with this industry.

"There is no doubt that shellfish farmers are farmers," she said. "They are just working in the unique environment of the intertidal zone."

A mystery in a shell

The shellfish industry is important to the economic vitality of many small coastal communities. In 2018, estimates of Washington state shellfish exports exceeded $126 million.

But the industry is built around a highly enigmatic animal.

“Oysters are like an alien life form, they are so different than other animals,” said Washington Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist Brent Vadopalas. "Genetically they are really bizarre. They are bizarre in almost every way."

For example, Vadopalas explains that the animal kingdom includes species that are male or female and species that are hermaphrodite.

“But the Olympia oyster, our native oyster, it will flip back and forth between male and female within a single season, the same individual,” he said. “Why would it do that? It makes no sense.”

That’s just one of the many mysteries these slippery creatures hold for Vadopalas and other shellfish researchers and growers.

Although there is so much still to learn, we can be certain that as long as clean waters rise and fall over Northwest tidelands, these farmers will be looking for ways to make sure the shellfish harvest continues for generations to come.

For more information about WSDA’s Aquaculture Coordinator activities contact: Laura Butler.

Beyond Wheat: Dry Farming in the Pacific Northwest

Karla Salp
Communications

While growing wheat without irrigation is common on expansive farms in Eastern Washington, growing vegetables without supplemental water is rare.

Tomatoes, zucchini and even pumpkins – one of the most water-dependent crops – are being grown without irrigation and it's being done right here in the Pacific Northwest.

What is dry farming?

Weather

Dry farming consists of raising crops in areas with wet winters and dry summers. Most dry farmers agree that you need at least 15-20 inches of rain annually to dry farm. Certain areas of California, Oregon and Washington have the required weather pattern to dry farm successfully.

Soils

The right soil is also needed to dry farm. The soil depth should be a minimum of 60 inches and should have good water-holding capacity. Maintaining soil moisture during long dry periods is critical and requires tillage, soil protection and the use of drought-resistant varieties.

Seed varieties 

The final factor to consider is crop variety. As dry farmers are learning, there is a wide variance in yield from one crop variety to the next. For example, one type of watermelon may have a productive yield on a dry farm, while other varieties lag far behind. Finding these drought-tolerant varieties is key to dry farming success.

Photos courtesy of Oregon State University

Should you dry farm?

The most obvious benefit of dry farming is that the farmer does not have to irrigate the crop. This can be very appealing in areas where there are water right issues or a risk of drought. Overall, dry farmers say that not irrigating means less work and fewer weeds.

In addition to the sustainability factor, many dry farmers claim the produce tastes better with flavors more concentrated in the dry farmed produce. Blind taste-testers have tended to agree.

Why doesn’t everyone dry farm?

While dry farming may appear to be the future in areas with the right weather and soil, there are challenges.

Yield

Interestingly, with the right variety, the yield per plant of a given crop can be as high as, and sometimes higher than, irrigated plants. However, dry farmed plants must be spaced much farther apart so as to reduce competition for water. Fewer plants per acre means a lower overall yield.

This may be the Achilles heel of dry farming. In a world where farmland is being swallowed up by urban areas every day, the future challenge for farming is to produce more food – not less– on shrinking farmland.

Currently, farmers are primarily paid on yield. Dry farming yields for vegetables will likely be too low to financially sustain a farmer unless the produce itself demands a much higher price, for example by having superior flavor compared to irrigated crops.

There are also very few areas in the world with the proper weather and soil to make dry farming feasible. So while there are opportunities for dry farming, it isn’t applicable to much of the world.
Another challenge is that very little research has been done to determine what varieties perform best with dry farming. Most seeds today have been developed with the advantage of irrigation, resulting in few varieties that are adapted for drought tolerance.

Opportunities and Adventure

In the areas where dry farming is feasible, it is an exciting time to be involved.

Through work at Oregon State University, a Dry Farming Collaborative group has formed on Facebook for those interested in learning about and supporting the development of dry farming. For example, members work on trials of various crop varieties and share their success and failures with the group. They also influence and even participate in field research.

Dry farming will never work on many farms, but it does present an interesting opportunity for those with the right climate and soil.

And agriculture as a whole may benefit from dry farming research as well. From the development of dry farming practices and drought-resistance plant breeds may come better tools, methods and plant varieties that may enable many farmers to decrease their reliance on water.

In the end, dry farming may lead to more sustainable agriculture for everyone.

Visit Oregon State University's website for more info.

Grain inspection shifts to environmentally friendly testing

Kathy Davis

Communications

Our Grain Inspection Program is moving toward a grain testing method that does not use hazardous materials. If the pilot project using water-based testing kits shows consistent results, the new method will have benefits for the environment and worker safety.

Craig Hoyt testing grain at
WSDA Longview office. 

WSDA provides important services to Washington’s grain producers and exporters. For instance, foreign buyers require testing for mycotoxins as a contract requirement. Most of this testing has been done with kits that include methanol.

The presence of methanol makes the program a generator of hazardous material under state and federal regulations for storage and disposal. Methanol is flammable and can produce health effects in people exposed to it.

Piloting water-based testing

As the first step in transitioning away from chemical-based testing, the southwest regional grain office – which includes Vancouver, Longview and Kalama – is piloting water-based kits. Manager Philip Garcia said it’s important to conduct side-by-side comparisons for solid data showing consistent test results.

“We want to be sure our customer’s operations are not disrupted and the testing results are accurate and repeatable,” Garcia said.

Program managers anticipate several advantages to the new process. Virtually eliminating handling and disposing of a hazardous substance would be better for the environment and for program staff by reducing exposure.

Mycotoxins are created by molds that affect the quality of grains. Inspection services monitor for mycotoxins to assure that contaminated grain products do not enter the food supply chain.

Protecting the food supply, maintaining high quality customer service and being good environmental stewards are the goals of this project.