Extension Mini

Technical transfer of cloud-based environmental monitoring (CBEM)

Sustainable agriculture in Washington State drives to be economically viable while being environmentally responsible through improvements made to both on- and off-farm practices. Effective and efficient monitoring programs are an essential piece of policy implementation and adaptive management for sustainability. In our previous BioAg research, we hypothesized that remotely sensed data are underutilized in these […]

Cider Sensory Evaluation Guide: A Peer-reviewed Extension Publication For Cider makers, Cider distributors, and Researchers

Knowledge of the underlying factors of cider’s sensory characteristics and the techniques for assessment is critical to the consistent production of high-quality end product. Our research-based peer-reviewed guide provides an understanding both the theory and practice of cider evaluation, information that provides a much needed foundation for teaching or studying the principles of cider making. […]

Stabilizing the OFoot Decision Support Tool for Interdisciplinary Research

The online agricultural carbon calculator, OFoot, provides a user-friendly interface suitable for not just researchers, but also producers and students, to estimate whole farm carbon footprints. OFoot continues to be a key component to many research, extension, and educational efforts. New planned projects require the tool to be stable, easily maintained, and have good performance. […]

Participatory On-Farm Agroecological Education: Assessing the Effectiveness of a 14 year Farmer-University Partnership

Recent decades have seen a growing recognition that diverse, small, organic, and sustainable farms have been underserved by standard public agricultural research and extension paradigms (FAO 2011, IAASTD 2009, IPES 2016). Following the publication of the seminal USDA report “A Time to Act” (1998), a state legislative initiative established a Small Farms Program (SFP) at […]

Combined Soils and High Residue Farming Workshop and Summary Publication

An increasing number of Columbia Basin farmers and crop consultants are interested in building soil quality and high residue farming in irrigated cropping systems (2015 survey results).  Since 2007, we have held several successful Building Soils for Better Crops workshops, as well as a series of high residue farming workshops starting in 2004. Both efforts […]

Creation of a Web-Based Training Course to Promote Biological Control

This project aims to stabilize and enhance conservation biological control of pests in tree fruit orchards. The adoption of organophosphate-alternative pesticides has destabilized the biological controls for pests in integrated pest management (IPM) programs, many of which were taken for granted under organophosphate-dominated management regimes. Pest management decision makers need a better understanding of how […]

WSU Plasticulture website development

The term “plasticulture” refers to the use of plastic for the benefit of agricultural production. In practice, plasticulture may be used to describe agricultural systems that utilize plastic-covered structures to extend growing seasons and protect crops from excess moisture, extreme weather, and other threats; ground-laid plastic mulch films; plastic-based precision irrigation systems (i.e. drip irrigation); […]

Garden-based STEM nutrition and biology K-12 curriculum to increase pulse consumption

Despite being rich in protein, fiber, and phytonutrients, pulse crops remain an underutilized food in typical American diets. To help promote pulse consumption, we developed a STEMfocused curriculum that combines exposure to pulses in a school garden setting and in the classroom through nutrition, math and biology education. This curriculum meets the new Next Generation […]

Soil Quality Network 2014

WSU Mount Vernon and Skagit County Extension are hosting Soil Quality Network 2014, third in a series of annual soil quality workshops. This event will be limited to 100 participants, and targeted at farmers and agriculture professionals. In addition to providing training about the many facets of soil quality on the farm, this will be […]