Several people have inquired about the position of WSU, the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, and the Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources on I-522, the initiative focused on GMO labeling…
Full disclosure: I come from a livestock-producing family tradition and I eat meat. And I like it. A lot. In his latest provocative post, my colleague Andy McGuire reflects on a new paper that assesses the potential to feed a growing global population by shifting from meat consumption to a vegetarian diet. The paper presents […]
[row layout=”side-right”]While most consumers may choose organic foods for their potential health characteristics (e.g., lower chance of pesticide residue and potentially greater nutrient value), these same consumers generally believe that organic farming is “good” for the environment and thus worth supporting. But is the assumption of environmental benefit correct? And is there a cost? Let’s […]
Wow! Somehow a year has gone by since we first acted on the idea of a Center-wide CSANR blog, Perspectives on Sustainability. Thanks for sticking with us! Have a look back at director Chad Kruger’s initial post and let us know how we are doing. We always welcome your feedback and topic suggestions, so don’t hesitate to get in […]
The dog days of summer have arrived in Eastern Washington – with daily temps reaching the high 90s every day. This is the second extended stretch of heat in the region this year. One of the critical concerns of high temperature days during the growing season is that irrigation and precipitation rates can’t keep up […]
When I was a college student, almost every ag-related class I took mentioned the benefits of the "rotation effect" (better yields, fewer pests, etc.). However, aside from insect pests, how the "rotation effect" actually worked…
I know that many residents of Washington were extremely concerned to learn about the discovery of glyphosate-tolerant wheat in an Oregon farm field this spring. WSU’s Agricultural Research Center released a news update today indicating that the glyphosate-tolerant gene was NOT discovered in any of the WSU breeding lines (commercialized or in development) nor in other […]
A growing number of Americans are learning that doctors don’t have miracle cures for all that ails us. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington has just released chilling data on the burden of disease in America, the driving forces behind disease and ill health, and modifiable risk factors […]
The finding of some Roundup Ready (RR) wheat plants in an eastern Oregon field must leave some PNW wheat growers feeling snakebit, since they decided a decade ago to oppose the commercialization of RR wheat until the technology is fully approved and accepted by consumers, both here and abroad. While this episode has disrupted trade […]
About once a year I accept a request to present on the topic of the future of agriculture and food. Usually, when I’m asked to do this, I know that the audience I’m presenting to is hoping for something inspiring – which, if you’ve seen me present, you know is something of an oxy-moron. I […]