On-Farm Trials Podcast with the PNW Farmers' Network

In this episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast, we hear from Seth Small of Small Family Farm in Walla Walla, Washington. Seth shares his experiences with a range of trials from cover crops and no-till to innovative and inspiring partnership with a local winery. Listen as Seth also describes his journey into alternative marketing of his farm’s wheat flour. The conversation explores everything from p...

This episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast features Allen Druffel of Bar Star Farm in Colton, WA. Listen in to hear what’s cooking (or brewing) on his farm and countertop, along with his adventures in cover crops, and cows. In the interview Allen describes his fluid approach to management goals and the balance of soil health along with a sometimes challenging landscape in the commodity market. We...

In part two of this special two-part series we hear more from Aaron Flansburg of Palouse, Washington and his transition from long-term no-till practices to organic management. Listen in as we hear Aaron’s reflections and lessons-learned with fertility, marketing, weed management, and what’s new in 2025- a year after the ‘Farmwalk’ tour of his organic practices live from the field featured in part...

Part one of this special two part series features Aaron Flansburg of Palouse, Washington describing his transition from long-term no-till practices to organic management. The first episode is a recording of the June 2024 ‘Farmwalk’ live from Aaron’s farm, co-hosted by the WSU Food Systems program and the Tilth Alliance. Join the Farmwalk experience as we tour Aaron’s organic grains in the field, a...

In this episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast, we hear from special guest Eero Kovero of Pekola, Finland- alongside his host and compatriot in direct seeding practices, Mark Sheffels, from his farm in Wilbur, WA. Eero shares his experience connecting with PNW direct seed farmers Mark Sheffels and Russ Zenner for the past 25 years. In this episode we hear about Eero’s experience on his farm in Finl...

In this episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast, we have Eric Odberg from Odberg Farms in Genesee, Idaho return in season 2, to talk millet with Joni Kindwall-Moore of Snacktivist Foods based in Couer D’Alene, ID. Listen in as Eric and Joni share their trials with growing and marketing millet. The conversation explores the complexity of expanding alternative crops and markets, and how risk is distri...

Join the On-Farm Trials podcast to hear from guests Dr. Mark Thorne from the Weed Science program at Washington State University, and Grower-Cooperator Mark Hall of Steptoe, Washington. Listen as Mark Hall describes his experience farming in Steptoe, and the research collaboration with Dr. Mark Thorne on investigating the management of the pernicious perennial weed - Smooth Scouring Rush. In the c...

In this episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast, we hear from the farm team of Starvation Farms outside of Lexington, OR. Join the conversation with Chris and Andre Rauch and Leon Luna as they share their experiences with soil health and 22 years of no-till practices and overcoming a legacy of blowing and crusting soil, trying alternative crops and rotations that include camelina and safflower, and...

In this episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast, join the conversation between Grower Chris Williams and USDA-ARS Researchers Dr. Dan Long, and Dr. Stewart Wuest as they discuss their collaborative work using combine-mounted protein monitors on Chris’s farm outside of Athena, OR. Chris, Dan, and Stewart describe the what, why, and how of leveraging this ‘new’ precision technology in useful and usabl...

In this episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast, we’re on Esser Farms outside of Moscow, ID. Long-time innovator Garry Esser shares his experience with many soil-health focused trials starting with the transition to direct seed and being part of Shepherd’s Grain. Listen as Garry describes more recent trials such as alternative crop rotations, including intercropping with pulses and underseeding clov...

In the first full episode of On-Farm Trials Season 2 Jason Bishop of Living Heritage Farm in Edwall, Washington, describes his trials building life on the farm with alternative crop rotations, intercropping, and a range of cover cropping strategies that include cows jumping fences- all while looking both forward and backward for inspiration to further the farm’s management goals.

The first episode of season 2 is a short introduction to Jason and Jill Bishop of Living Heritage Farm in Edwall, Washington. In our ‘pre-season episode’ Jason and Jill describe coming back to the farm and working to build out value-added direct marketing enterprises to support the addition of their family on the farm. Hear how they embrace the farm name, and their experiences ranging from special...

In this bonus episode ‘Stories from the Field’ we hear thoughts on the what, how, and why, around building soil health and cropping systems innovation in grain production systems of the inland Pacific Northwest. Listen to these highlights from interviews with Soil Health Producer of the year 2023 Clay Hutchens of Hutchens Family Farms in Dayton, WA, one of the original founders of the Pacific Nort...

In this episode we hear from WSU Extension Specialist Aaron Esser, and land-owner cooperator Howard Nelson of Creston, WA. In this interview on the WSU Wilke Research Farm in Davenport, WA our guests discuss liming trials along with soil pH as it relates to maintaining soil health. We also hear about a long history of collaboration from work on winter peas, to decision-making for the advisory comm...

In this episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast we hear from Clay Hutchens of Hutchens Family Farms outside of Dayton, Washington. Join the conversation to hear from Clay as the Washington Soil Health Initiative’s Soil Health Producer of the Year for 2023, what soil health means to him and his perspective on the imperative of a safe and abundant food supply. He shares his thoughts on soil acidificat...

Join this conversation about On-Farm Trials with recently-retired farmer, Mark Sheffles, outside of Wilbur, Washington. Mark describes his trials with winter peas, the Weed-it spot sprayer, and his history with direct seeding.

In this bonus episode, "Stories from the Field", we hear thoughts on the what, how, and why,around building soil health and cropping systems innovation in grain production systems of the inland Pacific Northwest. Listen to these highlights from interviews with Uhlorn Family Farms team, Tom Conklin, and Douglas Poole about the challenges and rewards working hard to grow food, and steward land in th...

This episode of On-Farm Trials comes to you from the Rosanoff Homestead outside of Ritzville, WA where we hear from Ron Jirava and the WSU research team Dr. Bill Schilinger, Dr. Tim Paulitz, Dr. Jeremy Hansen, Dr. Surendra Singh, and Bruce Sower about their work together on the longest running Dryland On-Farm Trial collaboration in Washington State. Their conversation covers an array of the work t...

Join the conversation on Uhlorn Family Farms outside of Cottonwood, ID with Darrel and Brentley Uhlorn and Dave Dahlsrud. In this interview they describe their trials with cropping system innovations, alternative crops, weed management, integrating cattle, and using compost teas, extracts, biostimulants, and foliar fertilizers at production scale.

This episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast features an interview with farmer Douglas Poole in Mansfield, Washington as he describes how his trials are intended to work with the ecological systems on his farm. Douglas shares his experiences from collaring cows to harnessing soil microbes, planting alternative crops, hosting landlord parties to talk cover cropping and soil health, a decades-long leg...

The interviews compiled for another special episode of Stories from the Field features Russ Zenner retired farmer from Genesee, Idaho, Clint Zenner farming outside of Genesse Idaho talking with University of Idaho researcher Kendall Kahl, and Tracy Erikson retiring farmer outside of St. John, WA.

In this episode we hear from Tom Conklin of Wittman Family Farms outside of Cul de Sac, Idaho on how their farm team works together to design, track, and evaluate their ‘farm scientific trials’ from cows to water and towards lower inputs and diversification goals.

In this episode we hear a career retrospective from Tracy Erikson outside of St. John, WA, and how his lifetime pursuit of learning has evolved innovation and trials on the farm along with his impact on the landscape over decades. He describes starting the fabrication of his first no-till drill up to current interests and trials looking under the microscope for signs of soil health, spray water qu...

This episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast features Clint Zenner of Zenner Family Farms in Genesse, ID and his collaboration as a PI on the PNW cover crops project alongside Kendall Kahl of the University of Idaho. A conversation with them highlights years of working together that has resulted in a wealth of knowledge on cover crops, cows, and even earth worms! Listen to their conversation about h...

This episode of the On-Farm Trials podcast features Clint Zenner of Zenner Family Farms in Genesse, ID and his collaboration as a PI on the PNW cover crops project alongside Kendall Kahl of the University of Idaho. A conversation with them highlights years of working together that has resulted in a wealth of knowledge on cover crops, cows, and even earth worms! Listen to their conversation about h...