The Original Horsepower
This year CSANR sponsored registration for several WSU students to attend the Tilth Conference. We will be posting reflections written by the students over the next several weeks. Please feel free to comment and give…
Perspectives on Sustainability
CAFOs manure use on small farms – from liability to asset
This year CSANR sponsored registration for several WSU students to attend the Tilth Conference. We will be posting reflections written by the students over the next several weeks. Please feel free to comment and give these students your feedback. My research work at Washington State University deals with environmental problems associated with big agricultural enterprises, […]
Mycelial Connections and Symbiotic Networks at the Tilth Conference
This year CSANR sponsored registration for several WSU students to attend the Tilth Conference. We will be posting reflections written by the students over the next several weeks. Please feel free to comment and give these students your feedback. There is something fascinating and beautiful about gathering like-minded people under the same roof to talk […]
Cover crop best bet is monoculture, not mix
Can you see 17 species in this cover crop mix? Photo: A. McGuire. Cover crops are great. If I thought I could get away with it, I would just grow cover crops in my garden.…
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 […]
Farm Incubator Programs Offer Strong Foundation
This year CSANR sponsored registration for several WSU students to attend the Tilth Conference. We will be posting reflections written by the students over the next several weeks. Please feel free to comment and give…
Comparing effects of herbicides, fertilizers, and tillage on the soil
Is this better than an herbicide for the soil? Photo: United Soybean Board. In a past post, I argued for the use of an herbicide instead of tillage to kill a soil-building cover crop. My…
Resiliency achieved by sustainable agriculture
This year CSANR sponsored registration for several WSU students to attend the Tilth Conference. We will be posting reflections written by the students over the next several weeks. Please feel free to comment and give these students your feedback. My name is Corina Serban, and I am currently working towards my Master of Science in […]
Crop rotation: In praise of deliberate, sequenced disruption of natural systems
For years, researchers have been looking to polycultures, biodiversity in space, as a way to improve agriculture (Trenbath 1974; Tilman et al. 1997; Cardinale et al. 2011; Finney and Kaye 2016). Behind this research is…
A Good Harvest: Mendoza and Baird dazzle the Quincy Success Summit
As shown in this logo designed by Quincy resident Oscar Romero, the theme of last Tuesday’s bilingual community summit held at the Quincy Junior High as “Seeding Success, Growing ONE Community.” A team of bilingual junior high students and faculty, along…