In order to feed 9 billion people by the year 2050 current agricultural systems will need major increases in water, nutrient, and land use efficiencies. The monoculture production systems currently prevalent in developed countries will no longer be able to adequately support the population. Intensified agriculture will be required to replace and augment current production […]
Irrigation efficiency is a priority for sustainable orchard management. Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) is a management strategy that has been shown to conserve water, reduce vegetative growth and pruning costs, reduce leaching of agrochemicals into groundwater, and improve fruit quality attributes. In apple specifically, fruit quality effects of RDI have included reduced fruit size and […]
The online agricultural carbon calculator, OFoot, provides a user-friendly interface suitable for not just researchers, but also producers and students, to estimate whole farm carbon footprints. OFoot continues to be a key component to many research, extension, and educational efforts. New planned projects require the tool to be stable, easily maintained, and have good performance. […]
The goal of this project was to develop innovative approaches to delivering the Organic & Sustainable Agriculture major (previously known as the “Organic Agriculture Systems” major) at the new WSU Everett campus. This major focuses on sustainable approaches to agriculture, and its initiation at WSU Everett provides opportunities to train competent, sustainability-focused students for agricultural […]
Recent decades have seen a growing recognition that diverse, small, organic, and sustainable farms have been underserved by standard public agricultural research and extension paradigms (FAO 2011, IAASTD 2009, IPES 2016). Following the publication of the seminal USDA report “A Time to Act” (1998), a state legislative initiative established a Small Farms Program (SFP) at […]
Dryland wheat-fallow producers have begun switching to a direct seed tillage system for soil health benefits such as reduced runoff, increased water infiltration, increased consistency of crop stands, more and longer period of surface cover from crop residue, better soil moisture, and fewer dust clouds at planting time. However, this practice often requires increased pesticide […]
Herbaceous flowering or woody plant borders are controversial in commercial blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) production. Border vegetation has the potential to increase populations of native pollinators and beneficial insects and birds that feed on key blueberry pests, such as spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii; SWD); however, they may also draw pollinators away from the crop, serve […]
An increasing number of Columbia Basin farmers and crop consultants are interested in building soil quality and high residue farming in irrigated cropping systems (2015 survey results). Since 2007, we have held several successful Building Soils for Better Crops workshops, as well as a series of high residue farming workshops starting in 2004. Both efforts […]
Leaf yellowing, or chlorosis, occurs on more than 50% of the Concord vineyards in central WA, resulting in significant reductions in vine size, uniformity, productivity, and eventually vine death. The yellowing of the leaves resembles classic Fe-deficiency chlorosis, however many studies have attempted without success to determine the precise cause and effective treatment of this […]
Tillage is an important tool in organic systems for weed control, residue management, seedbed preparation, and regulation of spring soil temperature. As excessive tillage wastes energy and degrades soil quality, organic producers are encouraged to reduce tillage. Soil water also evaporates more quickly from bare, tilled soils, potentially increasing irrigation demand. This integrated research and […]