Small grains – wheat, barley, oats, and rye – have been in cultivation in Western Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia since the fur-trade era of the mid‐1800s. Today, these crops and pseudo-grains (e.g. quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat) are grown in rotation with high‐value fruit and vegetable, as well as on pastures and haylands. Consumer demand […]
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a nutritious and broadly adapted grain crop in high demand in the US. However, very little information is available to farmers regarding regionally adapted varieties, best management practices, or marketing options for quinoa. Additionally, the current quinoa supply from the traditional quinoa producing Andean countries (Bolivia, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador) is […]
The Cascadia Grains Conference brings together farmers, processors and end-users, as well as investors, brokers and local government officials to support rebuilding a grain economy west of the Cascade Mountains in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. The focus is on three value-added enterprises: brewing and distilling, poultry and livestock feed, and artisan baking. Wheat, barley, […]
Grafting vegetable crops onto resistant rootstock is an effective organic and sustainable strategy to manage soil-borne diseases such as Verticillium wilt, which is a common disease throughout Washington. Grafting has been used successfully in Asia for nearly 100 years, but is only now being adopted in the U.S. Based on work done in our CSANR […]
Agriculture and livestock production are often named as major contributors to climate change and other environmental problems such as poor air quality, polluted water supplies and degraded land. There is some truth in these accusations, but the blame needs to be focused on the way that the food is being produced, not the food itself. […]
Join us for an optional gathering of all REACCH team members and stakeholders on the REACCH Summer Tour! On June 19 2012 the tour will leave Moscow at 11:30 am for St. John, WA, where Dave Huggins, USDA-ARS and– Dan Harwood, Palouse-Rock Lake Conservation District and PNDSA board member, will highlight direct seeding and alternative […]
Columbia Basin farmers and the people that supply and support them are very interested in how to build soil quality (a BioAg priority area) in irrigated cropping systems. The WSU irrigated ag email system has 433 subscribers to the soil quality/health topic area, more than all but one of the 42 available topics. We have […]
Tomato and watermelon can be significantly impacted by Verticillium wilt, a soil-borne disease common throughout Washington. Symptoms impact plants later in development after most production costs have been incurred, resulting in a 25-100% crop loss in some years. Grafting vegetable crops onto resistant rootstock is a cultural control method that provides an organic and sustainable […]
215 thousand small forest landowners own 5.7 million acres of forestland, half of the 11.6 million acres of private forestland in the state. Declining timber prices, and changes in landowner demographics have created an educational need from small woodlot owners that want to explore other, non-timber agricultural enterprises. Changing forest practices can offer new opportunities […]