Making Soils Data Actionable Webinar Series

More soil tests and data are available to farmers than ever. While this can be empowering, it can also be confusing. New information on soil chemistry, biology, and physics can sometimes be difficult to translate into action. In this webinar series hosted by the Washington Soil Health Initiative, they highlight projects across Washington that are using soil data to inform real, on-farm management decisions.  

If you’ve been hit with soil data overload, this is the series for you. Farmers, agricultural advisors, and decision makers are welcome. Come hear about how to action on soil data, learn about available resources, and meet other Washington soil enthusiasts through this webinar series..

Chemical 

• Wednesday, March 13^th, 12-1pm 
• Adam Peterson, Senior GIS and Science Specialist, Thurston Conservation District 
• Description: Come learn how technical service providers can demystify soil test results and translate them into accessible and actionable recommendations for on-farm nutrient management. Using Thurston Conservation District’s soil testing program as an example, Adam will share efficient strategies for interpreting a large volume of tests while accounting for farm scale, fertilizer preferences, and crop-specific needs. 

Biological

• Wednesday, March 20^th, 12-1pm 
• Lindsey du Toit, Professor and Chair, Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University 
• Description: Lindsey will share two decades of research and extension on minimizing spinach seed losses to the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae. Come learn from the Chair of the WSU Department of Plant Pathology about the important role that growers have played in doubling  the spinach seed production ability of the Pacific Northwest.  

Physical

• Wednesday, March 27th, 12-1pm
• Troy Peters, Professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University
• Description: In this grower-focused webinar, Troy will discuss the importance of soil moisture data, and the advantages and disadvantages of different types of soil moisture sensors. Troy will explain more about how to interpret and use soil moisture sensor data to maximize profitable irrigation water management.

For R Users: Soil Health Report Generator 

• Wednesday, April 3^rd, 12-1pm 
• Jadey Ryan, Data Scientist, Washington State Department of Agriculture 
• Description: Join our webinar for a demo of the {soils} R package, designed for comprehensive soil health data visualization and reporting. See how we use R and Quarto to create customized, interactive reports to empower each participant in the State of the Soils Assessment to explore and understand their soil data. {soils} will be released in March!