Washington State apples are known worldwide. The 2012 crop set a record at 120 million boxes (40-lb) and sales were brisk at good prices due to the freeze-out of much of the production in the eastern U.S. In that year, Washington’s production was 70% of all apples in the US. What is even more remarkable […]
In the 1970s, I was part of the “back to the land” movement and very interested in organic farming as the solution to sustainability problems in agriculture. At that time, organic was close to invisible…
A couple of weeks ago Dr. Jeff Ullman, formerly of WSU, gave a provocative seminar on the fate of various constituents of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment. He and his co-researchers have discovered that a wide range of chemicals from these products do not degrade when going through our bodies, animal bodies, […]
Organic tree fruit growers face a dilemma. The disease fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, can infect apple and pear trees primarily through their blossoms during the flowering period when the bacteria are present and the weather conditions are right. It is a disease native to North America that has spread to other […]
Soil is often called the “living skin” of planet Earth; an essential but fragile part of the biosphere. Attention to soil health (or soil quality) has waxed and waned over the years, but it appears to be making a comeback. In the past few months I have been to two exceptional meetings on soil health […]
I had the opportunity to attend the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting for a day last week. The day was devoted to the Crops Subcommittee which is charged with looking at all the production inputs to be allowed or prohibited in organic agriculture. This is a daunting job, and board members (who are volunteers) […]
As several CSANR faculty members have agreed to do, including Andy McGuire, I am responding to the question posed by Center Director Chad Kruger on September 18: Achieving farm and food system sustainability: incremental vs. transformational pathways? First of all, my own bias is that we are not likely to achieve farm and food system […]
Every year in early September we celebrate Washington Organic Week (WOW). Consumers have been enjoying the season’s organic harvest for several months, but things really pick up now with apples, pears, potatoes, winter squash, pumpkins, and more. The organic farming sector in the state has a lot to celebrate. Despite some bumps in the marketplace […]
There is no better time to find fresh Washington fruit than this time of year, be it cherries, peaches, nectarines, blueberries, strawberries, pears, apples, plums… you name it. This abundance, and its quality, is a result of large investments in research and innovation over the years. But does greater quantity and quality mean improved sustainability? […]
Language matters. The words we choose can greatly impact what we communicate. If I say “I see a car” most everyone who speaks English will get the exact same message. If I say “I support local foods” the interpretation will likely be highly variable. Let’s explore some of the language that accompanies society’s current heightened […]