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CapitalPress.com
December 2, 2016
People & Places
Lowly earthworm plays big role
Jodi Johnson-
Maynard studies
‘ecosystem
engineers’
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By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
MOSCOW, Idaho — Jodi
Johnson-Maynard has been
playing with dirt for a long
time.
She remembers playing
in a dirt pile in her backyard
while growing up in Califor-
nia.
“At one point my mom re-
alized she had no spoons left
in the house because I was
constantly taking her spoons
and any digging implements
I could find,” she said. “I
would dig these giant holes,
look at the soil, add water to
see what would happen. Early
on, I guess I was fascinated by
soil.”
Nowadays, Johnson-May-
nard is a professor of soil
and water management at the
University of Idaho. Her work
includes research on the Giant
Palouse Earthworm, an over-
sized species once thought to
be extinct but that was found
in 2010.
Her doctoral student is
slated to finish his dissertation
on the worm this fall.
Johnson-Maynard
has
been documenting earthworm
populations across the Co-
lumbia Plateau, identifying
species, their locations and
their ecological habits. One
of her students is studying the
impacts of earthworms on ni-
trogen cycling.
No models currently de-
scribe the impact of macroor-
ganisms such as earthworms
on soil nutrients, John-
son-Maynard said.
“(The earthworm is) so
simple in its biology, but yet it
drives so many important pro-
cesses — it’s what we call an
ecosystem engineer,” she said.
“They’re incredible creatures,
and we still don’t know a lot
about how they interact with
the microbial community and
plants.”
Farmers are interested in
possibly adding more worms
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Jodi Johnson-Maynard, a University of Idaho professor of soil and water management, talks about her work. Johnson-Maynard’s research
includes finding out more about the role earthworms play in soil health.
Western Innovator
N. California
Tim Hearden .................... 530-605-3072
Occupation: Professor of soil and
water management, University of
Idaho
E Idaho
John O’Connell ................. 208-421-4347
Age: 46
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-3898
Hometown: Downey, Calif.
Location: Moscow, Idaho
Education: Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Uni-
versity of California-Riverside; master’s degree in soil science,
University of Idaho; Ph.D. in soil and water science, UC-Riverside
Family: Married, three children
Courtesy of Christopher Baugher, University of Idaho
A 2014 photo shows a Giant Palouse Earthworm. Researcher Jodi
Johnson-Maynard studies the worm and other earthworms, hoping
to quantify their impact on the soil.
to their land to increase the
amount of nitrogen available
to their crops and manage
their land for long-term soil
health, she said. She hopes to
be able to determine the ef-
fects of worm activity.
“I can tell farmers, ‘You
should manage for earth-
worms because they’re bene-
ficial,’” she said. But her chal-
lenge is to quantify the impact
worms have on the soil.
Johnson-Maynard became
interested in worm behavior
as a doctoral student when
she observed that earthworms
tended to invade beneath a
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Jodi Johnson-Maynard
particular species of scrub oak
and ignored the ground under
a nearby stand of pine trees.
She found that the soil
types were different even
though they were near one
another. It became obvious to
Johnson-Maynard that worms
were the source of the soil
differences and driving soil
formation.
Retired Genesee, Idaho,
grower Russ Zenner’s farm
has served as one of the loca-
tions for her work.
Interest in soil health has
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increased in recent years, Ze-
nner said.
“I don’t know of many
other researchers in the Pa-
cific Northwest that have the
knowledge base on earth-
worms that she has,” Zenner
said. “If she can get the re-
search funds, she’s very well
positioned to help us learn
more about that influence on
soil health.”
“It’s really fascinating re-
search,” Johnson-Maynard
said. “And it’s great because
people are interested in it.”
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items can also be mailed to Capital
Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Sa-
lem, OR 97301.
Through Friday
Dec.2
National Women in Sustain-
able Agriculture Conference.
Doubletree Hotel by Hilton, 1000
NE Multnomah St., Portland, Ore.
The 5th National Conference for
Women in Sustainable Agricul-
ture will bring together farmers,
educators, technical assistance
providers and activists engaged
in healthy food and farming to
share educational and organi-
zation strategies, build technical
and business skills, and address
policy issues aimed at expanding
the success of women farmers
and ranchers. http://2016wisa.
org
Saturday, Dec. 3
How to Do Farm Taxes Work-
shop. 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. WSU
Snohomish County Extension’s
Cougar Auditorium, 600 128th St.
SE, Everett, Wash. Sponsored by
Moss Adams LLP and Snohomish
Conservation District. What to do
throughout the year in order to
have the data needed when tax
time rolls around. Step-by step in-
structions for completing forms as
well as one-on-one coaching ses-
sions. Cost: $15 per person, $25
per family up to three. FarmTaxes.
eventbrite.com
Sunday-Wednesday
Dec. 4-7
California Farm Bureau Annu-
al Meeting. Hyatt Regency Hotel,
Monterey, Calif. http://cfbf.com
Tuesday, Dec. 6
Columbia-Snake River System
Scoping Meetings. 4-7 p.m. The
Columbia Gorge Discovery Center,
River Gallery Room, 5000 Discov-
ery Drive, The Dalles, Ore. www.
crso.info/
The Nuts and Bolts of Ag
Management. Salem Convention
Center, 200 Commercial St. SE,
Salem, Ore. What you didn’t learn
growing up on the farm, an Oregon
Farm Bureau Leadership Con-
ference presented by the Young
Farmers and Ranchers Commit-
tee. oregonfb.org
CORE Private Pesticide Appli-
cator Training. 8-11:40 a.m. OSU
Extension Service-Lane County,
996 Jefferson St., Eugene, Ore.
Four CORE credits anticipated.
Pre-register. Cost: $30. http://
extension.oregonstae.edu/lane/
farms
Tuesday-Thursday
Dec. 6-8
84th Oregon Farm Bureau An-
nual Meeting, Salem Convention
Center. Open to voting and sup-
porting Farm Bureau members.
oregonfb.org
Oregon Interagency Noxious
Weed Symposium, Oregon State
University, LaSells Stewart Center,
875 SW 26th St., Corvallis, Ore.
http://bit.ly/2dQBqOp
Wednesday, Dec. 7
Oregon Clover Commission
meeting, 6-8 p.m. Golden Valley
Brewery, 980 NE Fourth St., Mc-
Minnville, Ore.
OSHA hearing on proposed
changes to agricultural worker pro-
tection standards. 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Medford City Hall, Suite 340, 411
W. Eighth St., Medford, Ore. www.
orosha.org
Monday, Dec. 12
Internal Auditor Workshop. 8
a.m.-5 p.m. Idaho Water Center,
322 E. Front St., Boise. We will
teach you how to conduct internal
audits in your facility against one
of the Global Food Safety Initiative
(GFSI) Audit Schemes, which are
becoming a standard for the food
industry as a tool for assuring food
safety and regulatory compliance
and has become a customer re-
quirement for many processors.
http://bit.ly/2etdxP6
Oregon Fine Fescue Commis-
sion meeting. 7-9 a.m. Salem Con-
vention Center, 200 Commercial
St. SE, Salem, Ore. www.oregon-
finefescue.org
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
www.oxarc.com
20 Northwest Locations
1-800-765-9055
Monday-Tuesday
Dec. 12-13
Wednesday-Thursday
Jan. 18-19
St., Denver, Colo. www.sheepusa.
org/About_Events_Convention
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Monday-Wednesday
Dec. 12-14
49th Annual Idaho Potato Con-
ference. Idaho State University’s
Pond Student Union Building, 921
South 8th Ave., Pocatello, Idaho.
Speakers include Idaho Potato
Commission President and CEO
Frank Muir, Potatoes USA Pres-
ident and CEO Blair Richardson
and National Potato Council Exec-
utive Vice President John Keeling.
http://bit.ly/2fayqPE
Oregon Seed Growers League
Annual Convention. Salem Con-
ference Center, 200 Commercial
St. SE, Salem, Ore. The agenda
includes industry speakers, edu-
cational sessions, displays, trade
show and an industry reception.
seedleague.org
Far West Agribusiness Associ-
ation 57th Annual meeting. Three
Rivers Convention Center, 7016
Grand Ridge Blvd., Kennewick,
Wash. Featured speakers are
Chuck Conner, president and CEO
of the National Council of Farm-
er Cooperatives and Chris Jahn,
president of The Fertilizer Institute.
www.fwaa.org
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 4-6
Potato Expo 2017. Moscone
Center West, 800 Howard St.
San Francisco, Calif. potato-expo.
com
Friday-Wednesday
Jan. 6-11
2017 AFBF Annual Convention
& IDEAg Trade Show. Phoenix
Convention Center, 100 N Third
St., Phoenix, Ariz. http://annual-
convention.fb.org
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Idaho-Eastern Oregon Alfalfa
and Clover Seed School. Caldwell
Elks Lodge, Caldwell, Idaho. Con-
tact: benjamin@amgidaho.org
Thursday-Friday
Jan. 12-13
Oregon Mint Growers Annual
Meeting. Salishan Lodge & Golf
Resort, 7760 Hwy 101 North,
Gleneden Beach, Ore. oregonmint.
org
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 17-19
38th Annual
Ag Expo. Idaho
Holt Arena, 921
Pocatello, Idaho.
ductions.com
Eastern Idaho
State University
South 8th Ave.,
www.spectrapro-
Idaho Noxious Weed Con-
ference. Riverside Hotel, 2900
Chinden Blvd., Boise, Idaho. www.
idahoweedcontrol.org
Thursday, Jan. 19
Oregon Tall Fescue Commis-
sion meeting. 6-8 p.m. Cascade
Grill restaurant, 110 Opal St. NE,
Albany, Ore. www.oregontallfes-
cue.org/
Tuesday-Thursday
Jan. 24-26
Northwest Agricultural Show.
Portland Expo Center, 2060 N
Marine Drive, Portland, Ore. The
hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tues-
day, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesday
and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday.
www.nwagshow.com
Wednesday-Friday
Jan. 25-27
FSPCA Preventive Controls for
Human Food Course. Idaho De-
partment of Labor, 600 N. Thorn-
ton St., Post Falls, Idaho. The new
Food Safety Modernization Act
regulation requires every process-
ing facility to have a trained re-
source person or “Preventive Con-
trols Qualified Individual” who has
completed a specialized training
course (such as this one) devel-
oped by the Food Safety Preven-
tive Controls Alliance that is recog-
nized by the FDA. This person will
oversee the implementation of the
facility’s food safety plan and other
key tasks. http://bit.ly/2f6cogT
Wednesday-Saturday
Jan. 25-28
American Sheep industry As-
sociation Convention. Denver Mar-
riott City Center, 1701 California
California Prune Industry Sum-
mit. Orchard Creek Lodge, Lincoln,
Calif. www.californiadriedplums.
org
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Pesticide Short Course-IPM. 8
a.m.-4:10 p.m. Lane Community
College, Center for Meeting and
Learning, Bldg. 19, 4000 E. 30th
Ave., Eugene, Ore. $85 if regis-
tered by Jan. 23; $95 after. http://
extension.oregonstae.edu/lane/
farms
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 7-9
Spokane Ag Expo and Pacific
Northwest Farm Forum. Spokane
Convention Center, 334 W Spo-
kane Falls Blvd., Spokane, Wash.
Spokane Ag Expo is the largest
farm machinery show in the Inland
Northwest. https://greaterspokane.
org/ag-expo/
Wednesday-Feb. 8
Oregon Clover Growers Annual
Meeting. Noon-1 p.m. Holiday Inn,
Wilsonville, Ore.
Wednesday-Thursday
Feb. 8-9
The 8th Annual Organic Farm-
ing Conference. Canyon Crest
Event Center, 330 Canyon Crest
Drive, Twin Falls, Idaho. The event
is organized by the Northwest
Center for Alternatives to Pesti-
cides. www.pesticide.org/events
Tuesday-Thursday
Feb. 14-16
Practical Food Safety & HAC-
CP. The Riverside Hotel, 2900
Chinden Blvd., Boise, Idaho.
HACCP or Hazard Analysis Criti-
cal Control Points, is a preventive
system for the control of health
threatening food hazards during
food processing. The comprehen-
sive three-day workshop is de-
signed for individuals responsible
for implementing and managing a
HACCP system in a food process-
ing facility. Participants who pass a
final test will receive a certificate of
completion. http://bit.ly/2f2iJ9Q
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Index
California ................................ 7
Dairy .................................... 13
Idaho ...................................... 9
Livestock ............................. 13
Markets ............................... 14
Opinion .................................. 6
Washington ......................... 10
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