Regional Conservation Partnership Boundary Extended to Include the Nisqually Watershed: 
We’re excited to announce that our partners at the Natural Resource Conservation Service have approved our request to extend the boundary of our farmland conservation program to include the Nisqually Watershed as well as the Puyallup. With $8 million from NRCS, along with millions of dollars in local money to match, our target is to permanently conserve over 1,000 acres of farmland in the next 4-years. In addition, ~$1 million of these funds are available to provide technical and financial assistance to local landowners who are interested in improving their practices for better soil health and environmental impacts. Contact our farm team if you want to get involved.

Winter Farm and Rural Living Workshops:
The PCD Farm Team is kicking off a new workshop scheduling format for 2019. We will be holding farm workshops and tours on the first Tuesday* of the month throughout the year: indoors at our office in Puyallup, at meeting spaces on the Key Peninsula, and at host farms throughout Pierce County. Although we will also continue to hold workshops and tours on other days throughout the week, we hope that the ‘Farm Team First Tuesdays’ will be something that you can set your calendars by throughout the coming year.

?*Due to the New Year’s Day holiday, we will be holding January’s workshop on Tuesday, January 8.

First Annual Cover Crop Roundtable
WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center
Thursday, January 31, Time TBD
Come join other local growers and WSU’s extension team to discuss using cover crops, share successes and challenges, and develop innovative approaches to making cover crops work for our region’s farms. And learn about the newly formed Western Cover Crop Council and its promising initiatives to support on-farm cover crop research and collaborations between farmers and researchers. Come share, learn, and find inspiration for using cover crops for the 2019 season!

The 3 'Legs' of the Livestock Farm Management 'Stool'
Elk Plain Grange, Spanaway
Tuesday January 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Find out what materials are being used to keep paddocks dry and learn how to install them correctly. Hear how to turn the mountain of manure into a useful soil amendment for your pastures or garden; or for others to take away. And learn how to transform that patch of weeds and bare soil into healthy pasture to provide grazing for your animals next summer. Also learn some band-aid measures that can be used now to make you and your livestock’s lives a little better until permanent solutions can be implemented in the summer when things dry out. A thumb drive of materials will be provided to each participant.

Farm Resources Available at the District Include:

• Free, No-obligation farm visits 
• First five free soil sampling* 
• Manure Share Program
• Rental of: Manure spreaders- ½ cubic yard and 2 cubic yard capacities; No-till seed drill, poultry processing equipment
• Loan of: Hay probe, electric fencing tools, and temporary electric fencing
• Cost share assistance

*Starting in 2019, the first five soil samples are free. This is an increase from previous years.