Climate change, extreme weather events, and soil degradation all mean that we are increasingly asking our soils to do more with less – infiltrate and store more water with less organic matter and weaker soil structure. A recent focus on soil health provides the opportunity to reverse this trend, but it will require a sound […]
Forage production is the largest agricultural land use in western Washington supporting a diverse livestock industry. Poor grazing management and repeated hay removal, without amendment contribute to reduced productivity, encroachment of weeds, erosion, and inadequate forage quality to support animal health. This integrated research and extension project will address the WSU Sustaining Resources Grand Challenge. […]
Organic agriculture uses tillage for several purposes including incorporation of organic inputs. Tillage also speeds oxidation of inputs and soil organic carbon (SOC). In order to understand and model the potential of organic inputs to change total SOC, we need to better characterize the effect of tillage on the simultaneous mineralization and oxidation of inputs […]
Reduced tillage can improve soil quality and reduce fossil fuel use. Adopting reduced tillage in organic production poses challenges because farmers rely on tillage as a primary means of weed management and for incorporating soil amendments to maintain soil fertility and quality. Recent research on organic reduced tillage has focused on mechanically terminated and mulched […]
Organic vegetable growers in western Washington pass over their fields 10 to 20 times annually with tillage equipment ranging from spring tooth harrows to mold board plows. Soil preparation activities such as plowing, rototilling, and even spading pulverize large‐bodied soil organisms and reduce soil carbon storage and aggregates. Successful reduced tillage in organic agriculture relies […]
Cover crops are a locally grown source of organic matter and nitrogen and a weed management tool. Despite these benefits, many organic farmers have not been able to work cover crops into their management systems. We are evaluating different cover cropping systems, to help organic farmers determine how to best use cover crops on their […]