Schedule at a Glance
Subject to Change

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Pre-Conference partners and sponsors reception
tentatively 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., location pending

Thursday, November 12, 2026

• 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Good Morning - Registration Check-In & Welcome Reception with Exhibitors
• 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Conference Keynote and Morning Sessions
  • 10:00 a.m. Welcome and Conference Overview, Jon Erickson, CBDL Chair & Erik Mertens, Conference Emcee
  • 10:15 a.m. U.S Bureau of Reclamation Update - Aubrey Bettencourt - Invited
  • 10:45 a.m. Introduction of Future Farmers 
  • 11:15 a.m. Project Potential, Harold Crose, Columbia Basin Conservation District
• 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch
• 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Annual Meeting & Awards
  • Honorary Life Member: Dale Pomeroy
  • Trustee Emeritus: Mike LaPlant
  • Perserverance Awards: Senator Judy Warnick & Senator Dan Newhouse
• 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Innovations Track
  • 1:30 p.m. Driving grower value, allocation integrity, operational efficiency, and confidence through the modern farm turnout, Zach Woffard, Rubicon
  • 1:45 p.m. Integrated Water and Nutrient Management to Enhance Input Use Efficiency and Protect Water Resources: Using Technology to Do More With Less, Jackson Stansell, Sentinel Ag
  • 2:00 p.m. Open
  • 2:15 p.m. Open
• 2:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. Advocacy Leader Update
  • Representative Mary Dye
  • Senator Patty Murray - Video message
  • Senator Maria Cantwell - Invited
• 2:50 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Good Afternoon Break with Exhibitors 
  • Columbia Basin Conservation District; Columbia Basin Sustainable Water Coalition; Dragonline; Rubicon
• 3:15 p.m.- 3:35 p.m. NW River Partners Update - Clark Mather, NW River Partners
• 3:35 p.m. - 3:55 p.m. Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program Update, Kristina Ribellia & Jon Erickson
• 3:50 p.m. - 4:10 p.m. WA State Dept. of Agriculture's Work and Findings Related to Agricultural Viability and How This Work is Connected to the Columbia Basin Project, Jacklyn Hancock & Madi Roy, WSDA
• 4:10 p.m. - 4:40 p.m. View From the Canal, Panel: All Three Columbia Basin Irrigation Districts, US Bureau of Reclamation
• 4:40 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. View from the Rivier, & Colville Confederated Tribes & Yakama Nation - Pending
• 5:00 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. Good Evening - All Conference Social - We've Got the Water!
  • Axe Throwing Competition; Caricature Artist
  • Conference registration includes 2 drink tickets, appetizers, entertainment, and good company

Friday, November 13, 2026

• 7:30 a.m. Breakfast - Conference registration includes full breakfast, bacon and eggs, coffee
• 8:00 a.m. - Welcome Day 2, Erik Mertens, Emcee
  • Axe Throwing Competition Results
• 8:05 a.m. Advocacy Leader Update
  • Representative Tom Dent
  • Senator Mark Schoesler - Invited
  • Representative Alex Ybarra - Video requested
  • Congressman Michael Baumgartner - Video requested
  • Congressman Dan Newhouse - Invited
• 8:30 a.m. The following three sessions graciously sponsored by Columbia Basin Sustainable Water Coalition
  • 8:30 a.m. Update from Columbia Basin Sustainable Water Coalition  - Panel Session: Kristina Ribellia moderator; Representatives from cities of Ephrata, Moses Lake, Othello and Quincy; Lincoln County Commissioner Jo Gilchrist, and Ben Lee, Landau & Associates
  • 9:10 a.m. Municipal & Industrial Water: Regional Distribution & Planning, David Dormier, Erlandsen, & Kristina Ribellia, Columbia Basin Conservation District
  • 9:30 a.m. Data Centers & Power Impacts & Misconceptions, Presenter Pending
• 9:50 a.m. Good Day Break
• 10:10 a.m. Family Farm Alliance Update, Samantha Barncastle, Family Farm Alliance
• 10:30 a.m. Research on Using Hay Testing to Fine Tune Phosporus Rates and Potassium, Steve Norberg, PhD, Washington State University
• 11:00 a.m. Growing Resilience, Roylene Comes At Night, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• 11:30 a.m. Washington's Water Future, Casey Sixkiller, WA State Department of Ecology - Invited
• 11:50 a.m. Closing