Georgine Yorgey

2017 In Review

2017 was an incredibly busy and productive year for us at CSANR, and I’m pleased to be able to share some of what we accomplished through our 2017 annual report PDF. Among the highlights: Laura…

'17 Annual Report WSU CSANR

Stepping back: What have we learned about agriculture and climate change, and where do we go from here?

As a number of large climate-and-agriculture projects at our Pacific Northwest universities have come to an end over the last year, we felt it was time to step back and take stock.  Our projects have included dryland wheat farming, anaerobic digestion systems for dairies, and improving understanding of the interactions among carbon, nitrogen, and water […]

Farmer-to-Farmer Case Studies

Successful farmers are skilled at coping with risk, from weather to markets, and a variety of other factors. So to answer the question, “what practices might best help our region’s farmers adapt to climate change?” we went straight to the source. Our region is home to many accomplished farmers who are pioneering a range of […]

2016 in Review

Over the last three years, we have compiled annual reports in order to better share our accomplishments and reach out to our stakeholders – but I also find that the process powerfully reminds me why it’s such an incredible privilege to work at CSANR, an organization which brings together an incredible range of perspectives and […]

Flex Cropping – Storing More Carbon Under Challenging Environmental Conditions

Organic matter – the organic component of soil – is key to soil health. Organic matter serves as a reservoir of nutrients for crops, provides soil aggregation, increases nutrient exchange, retains moisture, reduces compaction, reduces surface crusting, and increases water infiltration into the soil. And organic matter is closely related to soil organic carbon, the […]

Biosolids – understanding benefits and risks

Biosolids?  Yes, that means sewage sludge.  Well, sort of.  But before you say YUCK and click off the page, let’s start with what they really are: biosolids are the materials produced from digestion of sewage at city wastewater treatment plants. They are rich in plant nutrients such as organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and can […]

Stripper headers – a new, cool tool for adapting to a changing climate (w/ video)

At this point, we have learned quite a bit about the likely implications of climate change for agriculture. A couple of good summaries of national implications and likely impacts in the Pacific Northwest are good places to start, if you want to get more detail. Though significant questions remain, it’s clear that producers across our […]

Early preparation for water transfers could reduce drought impacts for agriculture and fish

As this hot, dry summer winds down across Washington State, many areas are continuing to struggle with the impacts of drought.  (Those who would like a recap of August weather and drought conditions can see the WSU Drought Report here.) Unfortunately, while the weather has become more fall-like, with welcome rain in some areas, all […]