By Jess Sappington, Kellie Henwood, and Clare Menard
In addition to providing educational opportunities to farmers throughout our region, WSU Regional Small Farms offers technical assistance to farmers in Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap counties.
But what is technical assistance?
In the context of Extension, technical assistance refers to hands-on support and guidance provided to help individuals, communities, or organizations address specific challenges or develop new skills. It’s essentially a collaborative effort to enhance capacity and improve outcomes. WSU Regional Small Farms Program can help provide specialized knowledge and guidance, help solve problems, and connect with resources for your farm.
When your young cabbage and other brassica plants are inexplicably dying in the field.
When you’re starting your farm and have so many questions you don’t know where to begin.
Technical assistance exists to help you thrive as a farmer. By filling out a simple form, you become connected with experts in your region who have firsthand experience and access to evidence-based resources. We also work with other community organizations and can connect you with those experts who might better meet your needs.
Farmers can access technical assistance for a variety of needs, including:
- Crop and pest issues
- Soil management
- Agritourism
- Animal agriculture
- On-farm produce safety
- Farm business planning
- Marketing
- Water, weather, and drought management
Additionally, we offer resources for:
- Access to land
- Grants and funding
- Farm labor
- Farmer networking opportunities
- And more!
The WSU Regional Small Farms Program supports small to mid-sized farms by leveraging the extensive resources of a major university. Our program has combined our skills and funding to better serve area farmers through a regionalized model. This means we have extension coordinators in all three counties, making us more accessible and able to serve more farmers.
Farmers experiencing issues or in need of technical assistance can visit our website to fill out the Farmer Technical Assistance Request form or contact their local extension specialist via phone or email.
Photo credit: WSU Regional Small Farms Program. Farmer Laura Llewellyn of Chimalow Produce looks at carrots with WSU Jefferson County Extension Director, Amit Sharma.