New PNW Direct Seed E-mail List Server

Pacific Northwest Conservation Tillage Handbook Series No. 12
Chapter 10 – New Technology Access, Adaptation and Economics, December 1999

Author: Roger Veseth, WSU/UI Extension Conservation Tillage Specialist, Moscow, ID

The Growing PNW Internet / E-Mail Connection

The Internet and e-mail are rapidly becoming major technology access and communications tools for PNW Ag support personnel and growers. Most county offices of cooperative extension, conservation districts, NRCS, Ag service industries, and an increasing number of growers in the Pacific Northwest have Internet / e-mail access. A recent USDA Agricultural Statistics Service study showed that 40% of PNW growers have Internet / e-mail access in 1999, up dramatically from 18% in 1997. Washington growers lead the NW and are second in the nation at 50%. At the same time, growers are increasingly moving towards direct seeding and more intensive cropping systems to improve productions efficiency and profitability, cropland productivity, and environmental protection. The PNW STEEP Internet Web site and new PNW Direct Seed List Server are helping meet this expanding PNW demand for computer technology access and an improved communications network on direct seed cropping systems.

The Internet Web site “PNW STEEP Conservation Tillage Systems Technology Source” was initiated in 1997 as part of an educational effort by the PNW STEEP Cropping Systems Specialists Team under the STEEP (Solutions To Environmental and Economic Problems) research and educational program on conservation tillage systems in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It is also part of the educational efforts under the Columbia Plateau Wind Erosion / Air Quality Project and SARE Direct Seed Case Study Project.

The Web site currently averages over 400 hits per day and now contains a wealth of resources including: the entire PNW Conservation Tillage Handbook Series (147 publications), PNW STEEP III Extension Conservation Tillage Update newsletters since 1996; proceedings of the 1998 and 1999 Northwest Direct Seed Cropping Systems Conferences, Annual STEEP Research Report; PNW STEEP On-farm Test Results publications, new PNW Direct Seed Case Study Series publications, and will continue to expand access to other related information resources. Printed copies of these publications are limited and it would not be feasible to provide copies to all applicable PNW growers and Ag support personnel who could benefit from the information. However, electronic access through the Internet is a very low cost, effective means of providing unlimited access to up-to-date STEEP and related technologies. A search engine has also been installed which provides extensive key-word searches within the entire Web site.

New Additions – Two new Internet / e-mail tools are being added that have the potential of greatly expanding communications and information sharing among PNW growers and Ag support personnel. First, is the PNW Direct Seed E-Mail List Server (described below), that is currently underway. Second, is the PNW Grower Direct Seed Forum, which is tentatively scheduled to be operational early in 2000. It will be a “threaded discussion” page designed to facilitate more in-depth discussions on direct seed cropping systems technologies among growers and Ag support personnel. A “threaded discussion” refers to the arrangement of stored messages on the page, allowing participants to follow and respond to discussions starting on the original messages and continuing with successive replies to those messages. As soon as the Forum page is activated, it will be announced through the List Server and news releases for PNW Ag publications.

PNW Direct Seed Systems List Server

The new Pacific Northwest e-mail / Internet list server on direct seed cropping systems offers an exciting communications link on new information resources, events, research results, technology innovations and experiences from the dryland production regions of the Inland Northwest. It will also help provide access to direct seed systems technology from other regions and countries that may be adapted to Northwest production conditions. Messages are received by e-mail and stored on the server Internet site for later access by new subscribers.

This communications network was established to help accelerate the development and grower adaptation of direct seed cropping systems in the dryland production regions of the Inland Northwest – – to improve production efficiency, profitability and competitiveness in global markets, to enhance the productivity of our cropland resources, and to increase protection the environment.

The list server is part of a PNW technology access project by the PNW Extension Cropping Systems Specialists Team under the STEEP (Solutions To Environmental and Economic Problems) research and educational program on conservation tillage systems in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The Team includes: Roger Veseth – WSU/UI; Don Wysocki and Russ Karow – OSU; Bill Schillinger, Steve Dofing and Joe Yenish – WSU; and Stephen Guy, Larry Robertson, and Brad Brown – UI. It is also facilitated in conjunctions with other related PNW programs, including a new STEEP project on building a Northwest Coalition on Direct Seed Cropping Systems Research.

The initial address list included over 230 county/area Ag extension educators, conservation districts, university and USDA-ARS researchers, extension specialists, USDA-NRCS staff, PNW grower organizations, growers and Ag industries representatives from across the dryland cropping areas of the Inland Northwest. From this initial base network, the List server will expand to interested growers and other Ag support personnel across the region.

All interested growers and Ag support personnel are encouraged to participate in this new list server. A stronger communication network and partnership among growers, researchers, Ag-support groups and agencies, and Ag industry will greatly accelerate the successful development and grower adaptation of direct seed systems in the region.