On June 6th of 2009 13 students completed the HOSTA Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification Program. These 13 students learned the laws of farm safety basics, agricultural hazards, tractor safety, connecting and using implements with a tractor, self-propelled machinery safety and safe material handling. Students completing the course were required to pass a written and driving test. Due to this course there have been no youth farm fatalities in Skagit County since its inception. To learn more, click here to read the Capital Press article that covered this event.

Many special guests attended this event to honor the graduates, including Skagit County Commissioners, Ken Dahlstedt, Sharon Dillon, & Ron Wesen; County Administrator, Tim Holloran; Community Leader & member of the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council, Steve Sakuma; Director of the Northwest Strait Marine Conservation Initiative, Ginny Broadhurst; Chair of the Skagit Marine Resources Committee, Neil Borman; Padilla Bay Research Coordinator, Doug Bulthuis; WSU Skagit County Extension Director, Ned Zaugg; and WSU Natural Resources Director and Beach Watcher Founder, Don Meehan. Senator Mary Margaret Haugen participated by sending a congratulatory note and Representative Norma Smith’s Aide was also in attendance to congratulate these Skagit citizens as they begin their work towards the protection and preservation of our Puget Sound environment.

These new graduates join 60 Skagit compatriots and almost 800 WSU Beach Watchers regionally. Look for local Beach Watchers this summer:

…Explore the wonders of Puget Sound Beaches with our volunteer naturalists

…At local marinas and boat launches as they talk to recreational crabbers about escape cord.

…At festivals, fairs, farmer’s markets, and more…

If you are interested in joining our group of volunteers, please contact us at 360-428-4270, ext. 223 or visit our website (click on Get Involved).

Speakers include Dr. García-Pabón, Carol L. Edward, a local attorney specializing in immigration law, and Victor Rodriguez from the Skagit County ARIS program. The workshop features a panel discussion on best practices for working with Latinos. Panel members include Dr. Diana Morelli, Latino Business Retention & Expansion program; Rosalinda Guillen, Executive Director of Community to Community Development in Bellingham; Sean Hopps, Skagit/Island Head Start; and Jana Gomez, University of Idaho School of Law.

Organizers from WSU and the NWESD were impressed with the tremendous turn-out for this workshop!  With a waiting list of more than 20 more interested people, another workshop is being considered for this summer. For more information about the workshop, contact Debra Lancaster, Coordinator, WSU Skagit, Island and San Juan Learning Center: 360-416-7605.

• investigating plant disease and pest questions at our weekly plant diagnostic clinics, where they reach nearly 1,000 people a year.
• offering talks on integrated pest management, plant disease, vegetable gardening, and many others to the public through our Speakers Bureau.
• contributing weekly articles to the Skagit Valley Herald on winter plant damage, vegetable gardening, and many more.
• and working on many other projects! Please visit our website for information about each of these projects and more!

If you are interested in joining our group of volunteer educators, please contact us at 360-428-4270, ext. 227 or visit our website.

The Country Living Expo and Cattlemen’s Winterschool 2009 drew almost 800 enthusiastic people from 16 counties interested in a collection of 105 classes. This year’s workshop was again presented by WSU Extension, WSU Livestock Advisor Program, the WSU Livestock Master Foundation, and the Tri-County Cattlemen’s Association. Many students were also able to attend thanks to Northwest Farm Credit Services who offered sponsorships for up to 200 students along with Snohomish County Farm Bureau covering 20 more.

As Stanwood High School was the host of the event, Principal Christine Gruver welcomed participants followed by County Director Ned Zaugg presenting the Cattleman of the Year Award to Gerry Labish. Keynote speaker Dr. Greg Ingman delivered an amusing anecdotal speech sharing veterinarian experiences with the animal owners of Skagit County. Pat Cairus of Del Fox meats presented a fabulous smoked prime rib lunch, and many vendors displayed their products at the Trade Show. Joining them were almost 30 small farm producers of value-added products.

Country Living Expo and Cattlemen’s Winterschool 2010 will take place January 30, 2010 at Stanwood High School. Watch for our registration booklet and online registration to open on Dec. 1, 2009!

On November 19, 2008 our Cultivating Success course “Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching” came to a close. Nineteen students living as far south as Mercer Island to as far northeast as Rockport learned how to apply successful whole farm management principles to their own small farm operations. Over the course of the 12-week period local farmers and agricultural business professionals shared their expert knowledge and experiences with the students.

This summer participants in the WSU Forest Stewardship and WSU Beach Watchers programs met with the Skagit County Commissioners to share their experiences and celebrate their successes as they work to protect and restore the natural resources of Skagit County.

The visit began with an introduction to the Forest Stewardship Program by Kevin Zobrist, the WSU Extension Forestry Educator for Skagit County. He then introduced four Skagit County families who have participated in these programs to share their experiences and testimonials.

Adria Banks, WSU Beach Watchers and Shore Stewards Coordinator, followed with an overview of the Beach Watchers program. Fifty-eight Skagit citizens have completed WSU Beach Watcher training in the past three years, and Adria shared highlights from some of their projects prior to introducing several volunteers to share their own experiences as WSU Beach Watchers.

To learn more about the Forest Stewardship Program and classes being offered for forest landowners in the coming months, visit http://snohomish.wsu.edu/forestry/ or contact Kevin Zobrist at 425-357-6017 or kzobrist@wsu.edu.

To learn more about the WSU Beach Watchers and the training scheduled for March 17 - May 1, 2009, visit http://www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/skagit/ or contact Adria Banks at 360-428-4270, ext. 223 or abanks@co.skagit.wa.us.

To view the archived video of the presentation to the Commissioners, visit
http://skagit.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=287&meta_id=21752.
Fast forward on the slider to approximately 50:28 to view the forestry presentation or 1:13:50 to view the WSU Beach Watchers presentation.

Youth working at farms this summer are better prepared thanks to a farm machinery safety workshop this spring. Fourteen students attended the class, which was sponsored by WSU Skagit County Extension, Brim Tractor, and the WSU Livestock Advisors and held at the WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center.

Don McMoran, the instructor of the class and the agriculture and natural resourses educator for WSU Skagit County Extension, kept the students interested in the class by using multimedia computer activities and games to illustrate some of the lessons from his lectures. The workshop also included safety demonstrations, such as a dummy whose clothes were caught in the PTO: “The dummy whipped around, got pretty mangled. His head even fell off,” McMoran said. “The kids were looking at it with mouths wide open. It was pretty eye-opening.”

The workshop concluded with a hands-on skill test. The students practiced their tractor driving skills, using tractors loaned out by Brim Tractor of Mount Vernon. All students passed the tractor skills test, which gave them certification to drive tractors. “Kids taking the course are getting a step up. We prefer to hire certified tractor drivers," said Tami Sakuma of Sakuma Brothers Farms.