Published in Winter 2022
By: Ashley Rood, Co-Director, Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network (OrCAN)
November 2-4, Oregon’s agricultural professionals gathered online for a Train the Trainer event to better understand what climate resilience looks like for Oregon’s farms and ranches. Over the three days, presenters made resilience tangible and accessible, with both place-based knowledge and science guiding the way. Throughout the six sessions, the turnout, the level of engagement, and positive feedback after the event far exceeded our expectations.
The event was a collaboration coordinated by Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network (OrCAN) and an interdisciplinary planning team to reflect the different audiences we wanted to attend: Amy Garrett - OSU/Dry Farm Collaborative, Hannah Gosnell - OSU College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Joe Kline - OR Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Eastern Oregon, Laura Lengnick – Cultivating Resilience LLC, Cory Owens -OR NRCS partnerships, Maud Powell - OSU Small Farms and lead of the Oregon Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Oregon Professional Development Program WSARE PDP program (funder of the project), Holly Prendeville - USDA NW Climate Hub, and Marie Vicksta - Yamhill Soil & Water Conservation District.
Why A Train The Trainer Event?
We gathered because we want to support, value, and uplift farmers and ranchers doing the hard work of climate resilience. And we can’t do that well if we stay within our usual confines. We can’t meet the challenge of climate resilience with agencies and nonprofits and researchers all disconnected. We can’t do this work without listening to farmers and ranchers. We gathered because this has been a brutal year of climate change impacts for farmers, ranchers, and the people in the food system who work with them—we all need to better understand what’s happening, and where we can go from here. We gathered to create a community of practice dedicated to supporting farming and ranching for climate resilience in Oregon.
The Time Is Right
275 people registered and our peak attendance was 170 people. Attendees included farm advisors and researchers from across the state, staff and faculty from: Oregon State University and Extension, soil and water conservation districts, Oregon Natural Resources Conservation Service, watershed councils, land trusts, nonprofits, other university researchers, and agricultural education providers (see chart of attendees by organization to see the breakdown).
Our team created a program based on what we heard technical assistance providers needed. The first day was a powerhouse of presenters and dynamic discussions. We talked about the latest in climate science projections for Oregon, how this will impact agriculture, and what to do about it on the ground. Throughout the day, we balanced the academic with practical application and balanced learning with discussion. OSU’s Hannah Gosnell facilitated the first session with Erica Fleishman, Director of Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, Mimi Casteel a Winegrower with Hope Well, and Andrea Malmberg, a rancher with Bunchgrass Land & Livestock. From there we went into a session focused on communicating with producers opened by Faith Kearns from University of California Ag and Natural Resources. Kearns has done similar training for Extension staff in California and is also author of Getting to the Heart of Science Communications (a must read for those interested in human communication not just science communication). Kearns emphasized the importance of building relationships, letting go of assumptions and working through conflict. We kept the conversation going with a panel that included a variety of perspectives from a rancher on the eastside to social scientists focused and supply chain buyers. Panelists included: Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, American Farmland Trust, Hannah Gosnell, Jessica Luhning, Sustainability Manager Organic Valley, Joe Klein, OR NRCS in Wallowa County and Liza Jane McAlister of 6 Ranch.
On day two, Laura Lengnick led us through the science of resilience and it’s practical application in Oregon and throughout the nation. She illustrated how resilience thinking and it’s grounding in holistic, systemic approaches is what we need to meet the challenges of climate change. Lengnick highlighted that ecology, community, and economic viability all need to be considered when approaching farming for climate resilience. Participants workshopped what they learned using five case studies of farming for climate resilience on Oregon farms.
On the final morning, we connected soil health and climate resilience with the Natural Resource Conservation Service leading the discussions. We recorded the soil health 101 and 201 sessions that covered both the basics and more advanced soil health ecology. Cory Owens presented on the technical and financial incentives for planning and implementation of soil conservation practices that enhance farm resilience.
The final session featured breakout groups to reflect on what we’d learned and identify next steps. Amy Garrett presented on the evolution of the Dry Farming Collaborative as an example of what a community of practice could look like. Themes that came up in our reflections included: complexity and the importance of empathy, the importance of language and understanding. Drought was a drumbeat throughout. Several of our speakers spoke to the need for more eyes on the ground, more farmers. And importantly we left with hope and excitement of bringing together people from across disciplines and across the state.
What’s Next
OrCAN will coordinate another WSARE PDP farming for climate resilience training in 2022. In the interim, we want to keep the conversation going and keep learning together. OrCAN and our partners want to bring the work of our existing practitioners, tools, and research on climate resilience to light. There’s a need to share stories of success through online storytelling and virtual meeting spaces. We gather in more specific working groups—focused on ecoregions and/ or crop types. In addition to working with technical service providers, OrCAN looks forward to creating space for farmers and ranchers to learn from peers as well. The idea of microscope clubs for soil health was so popular at the training, we may see that rolling out in 2022 as well. Check out the resources shared at the training on OrCAN’s website (https://www. oregonclimateag.org/trainthetrainer)
It feels right to leave this with some inspiring words from one of our training’s speakers, Mimi Casteel. Casteel writes to fellow farmers on climate resilience: “We KNOW how to do this. . .On every continent there are shining examples of proven practices that can light the way. . . . We have to rise above any anger, resentment, or pessimism to take the torch into the darkness and be humble and brave. We have to believe that we have no time left, and we have to believe in our own work. . . . what if we all demanded that the land comes first?