The Soil Quality Network is a three-year collaboration with Oregon State University Small Farms Program.  Funded by a Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Program grant, this project will provide agricultural professionals and farmers with access to soil quality resources including: assessment tool information, models for various aspects of program development, soil quality related research, and lessons learned from programs that promote soil quality.  This project is managed by Amy Garrett of OSU Extension Small Farms. The project deliverables include:

• Soil Quality Network Website – hosted on the OSU Small Farms website
• Soil Quality Database – pending.  This database will link to a global map of all things soil quality!
• Two Soil Quality Network Workshops
  • SQN 2012
  • SQN 2013

SQN Future

During the project’s third year, the SQN team is analyzing workshop evaluation data and contacting participants via email to assess their use and value of the deliverables.  In winter 2014, we will telephone interview a randomly-selected group of participants to determine the project’s impact on soil quality in their work and their use of SQN information, website and map. Future SQN events are in the works:

• Washington State University’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center will host SQN 2014 in Mt Vernon, WA, February 12 – 13, 2014. Save-the-Date announcement.
• UC Davis has plans to host SQN 2015.  Stay tuned for updates.

Partners

WSARE

Small Farms

OSSS

SWCS

Clackamas

Wasco