Webinars

As issues related to water availability and use become increasingly urgent for farmers in Coastal Oregon and beyond, we are working to provide relevant, practical information about tools and resources available to farmers making challenging water-related decisions on their farms.

In April 2026, Evie Smith (OSU Extension-Lincoln Co) and Amy Garrett (Dry Farming Institute) hosted a webinar on practical on-farm uses of soil moisture sensors. These tools can be helpful for making decisions like when and how much to irrigate and what crops to plant where in order to maximize on-farm water use efficiency.

View the presentation slides here.

The Dry Farming Institute’s Water Resilience Case Studies (referenced in this presentation) can be found here.

This short (~4 minute) video provides information about how to collect a soil sample for submission to a laboratory for analysis.

You can access the presentation slides here.

In November 2025, we hosted a 2-part webinar series with Nikki Hendricks, Watermaster for Oregon Water Resources Department's Water District 1 (which includes Clatsop County, most of Tillamook and Lincoln Counties, and portions of Columbia, Washington, Yamhill, Polk, and Benton Counties.)

Per HB 3372, farmers will be allowed to irrigate up to ½ acre of commercial agricultural production using domestic well water starting on January 1, 2026. In this webinar, Nikki provided an overview of these changes and highlighted what can and can’t be done under the law.

Access Nikki’s slides here.

In November 2025, we hosted a 2-part webinar series with Nikki Hendricks, Watermaster for Oregon Water Resources Department's Water District 1 (which includes Clatsop County, most of Tillamook and Lincoln Counties, and portions of Columbia, Washington, Yamhill, Polk, and Benton Counties.)

In this first webinar, Nikki provided an overview of agricultural water right in District 1, answering questions such as: What does it mean to have water rights? How do I know if my property or a property I’m considering purchasing has water rights? How can I use and keep my water rights? And more! Towards the end of the recording, she shows us how to look up water rights associated with a particular property, stream flows, and other relevant information on OWRD's website: https://www.oregon.gov/owrd/pages/index.aspx.

Access Nikki's slides here.

In October 2025, we hosted a series of 3 events (one each in Lincoln, Clatsop, and Tillamook Counties) where we shared results and lessons learned from the 3-year Coastal Forage Variety Trial conducted in collaboration between OSU, NRCS, and local farmers. The purpose of this research project was to gain a better understanding of what pasture species grow well in pastures on the north and central Oregon Coast.

The recording from the event in Tillamook is below and includes an overview of the research project and project findings by Evie Smith (Small Farms Extension Agent-Lincoln County), and a presentation on incorporating the trial findings into a coastal pasture management plan by Dr. Shayan Ghajar (Statewide Organic Pasture Extension Specialist).

Resources:

• Handout from the event
• Slides from the project overview