WA State GRANTS The Network AND WSU $81,000 to strengthen Sustainable agriculture and “BEEF UP the PALOUSE”
CONTACT: Ellen Gray, Executive Director, Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network 360-336-9694
(MOUNT VERNON, WA)— In keeping with its mission to reconcile conflicts between existing agricultural land uses and protection of critical areas The Agricultural Pilots Projects program awarded The Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network (The Network) and WSU $81,000 to “Beef Up the Palouse”.
A proposal to convert 6000 acres of Palouse dry farmland, into a sustainable, grass fed pasture-based beef operation received word that it would receive 81K from the State Agricultural Pilots program. The project is a unique opportunity to convert land coming out of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) into a sustainable, managed grazing cattle ranching operation in eastern Washington that will benefit farmers, rural communities, consumers and the environment.
Farming in the Palouse is challenging. Strong winds and highly erodable soils result in tremendous soil loss. Many of the farms in the area receive federal payments to not till their land. More than 1 million acres of Washington farmland is enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a federal program established in the 1985 Farm Bill, that pays farmers to convert highly erodible crop and pasture land and other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, such as native grasses and plantings for wildlife to help prevent erosion. Farmers receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance for practices to protect the land in exchange for voluntary agreements to take designated acres out of production for 10 to 15 years. This program results in less soil erosion but when you stop farming, the infrastructure decays and rural communities decline, as evident in the Palouse.
“We are very excited about this proposal,” said Ellen Gray, Executive Director of the Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network, a statewide nonprofit sustainable agriculture advocacy organization. “The Governor’s support is invaluable. Ensuring the viability of our farmers and our farmland is paramount to a healthy community. Sustainable agriculture is a growing industry and Beefing Up the Palouse is a great opportunity to partner with WSU to reinvigorate farming in the Palouse in a more environmentally friendly manner. “It is a win-win for our farmers and the environment,” says Gray. “Managed grazing done carefully will increase nutrient cycling and invigorate the grasses. This in turn will provide greater photosynthesis, higher carbon sequestration, and better wildlife habitat.”
Located in Benge, Washington, Gregg and Lisa Beckley own and operate 6000 acres of farmland. Five thousand acres of this land is in the CRP program and not producing a salable crop. “We want our farm to be an environmental gemstone, an example of how, with the right sustainable design, we can generate a product that people want to eat, which doesn’t harm the land, and keeps us farmers farming.”
A successful conversion will benefit the environment and demonstrate that raising grass-fed beef is viable on dryland-historically-wheat-growing area of the Palouse. Don Nelson, WSU Extension Beef Specialist in Pullman will provide expertise and overall project support with co-management by farm owner Gregg Beckley and Maurice Robinette. “The successful conversion of Beckley Ranch will provide a large-scale demonstration model of sustainable cattle ranching that has no comparison anywhere in the state,” replied Maurice Robinette, 3rd generation cow-calf rancher and The Network’s eastern Washington organizer. “The project will document and establish standards for replication so other ranchers will be able to follow suit, bringing a much needed boost to an area where the loss of farming has ruined rural businesses and communities.”
“If wheat prices continue at their current high levels, much of the land currently enrolled in CRP could be returned to dryland wheat farming once contracts expire. This will lead to more soil erosion. To prevent this from happening, we seek to develop sustainable alternatives that are profitable, good for the environment, support rural communities and allow farmers to remain on the land.” said Don Nelson.
The Agricultural Pilots Projects program was created to develop and test regional programs and management practices that could reconcile conflicts between existing agricultural land uses and protection of critical areas. For more information visit www.pcc.wsu.edu/projects/agriculturalpilotsproject.html
To learn more about The Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network visit our website at www.wsffn.org or call 360-336-9694.