|
With each year, sustainability becomes more recognized as an objective in business and policy. WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR) provides key leadership on sustainability in the state, with a focus on agricultural systems. CSANR is developing a comprehensive research and education program on biologically intensive agriculture and organic farming (BIOAg). In leading this initiative, we seek to create food and farming systems that are economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsive.
Sustainable agriculture demands increased reliance on biological processes that are renewable, non-polluting, and provide multiple benefits to farmers and society; hence, the term “biologically intensive agriculture.” Organic farming is a well-developed example of this concept. With BIOAg, CSANR is helping to meet the growing demand for this type of information among both farmers and consumers.
Download the BIOAg fact sheet & poster (PDF) or preview the PowerPoint Presentation.
CSANR has developed a comprehensive initiative on Biologically Intensive Agriculture & Organic Farming (PDF) at WSU.
BIOAg is designed to:
- Enhance the economic and environmental health of Washington agriculture through research, education and outreach on organic and other biologically-based methods
- Assist producers in meeting environmental regulations, accessing higher-value markets and developing value-added products, thereby increasing farm profitability
- Respond to the rapidly growing public demand for locally-grown, organic and natural foods
- Investigate links between improved human health, food quality and biologically-based farming methods
The full proposal for BIOAg calls for integrated research, education and Extension programs that further organic and sustainable agriculture in Washington state. A two-page fact sheet is available that describes the BIOAg program.
BIOAg Updates
2007 BIOAg Engagement Report (PDF)
WSU BIOAg Program Hires Coordinator, Receives Funding
BIOAg, BIOenergy, and BIOproducts: An Initiative for Sustainable Economic Development in Washington State (PDF)
Triple BIO involves:
- The integration of new and existing efforts at WSU targeted at improving the resiliency and sustainability of Washington’s farms and rural communities.
- Targets research, education, extension/technology transfer, and technology demonstration in the areas of biologically intensive agriculture and organic farming, bioenergy, and bioproducts.
- Development of biological substitutes for non-renewable resources, adding value to existing crops and biomass, reducing negative environmental impacts through organic waste utilization and improved environmental management, and the creation of economic opportunities in rural Washington through investment in biorefineries.
WSU has more than 40 faculty members actively involved in organic agriculture, making our land grant institution a national leader in the field. Over the past three years, the USDA has invested $700,000 in research that addresses the priorities of BIOAg.
With these funds, WSU researchers test new practices and materials for use in organic systems. This helps to ensure the success and integrity of organic certification for producers and consumers. Research in the program covers four main areas: alternative weed control strategies, seed production, soils and nutrient management, and market research on the organic farming sector.
Download the Organic Farming Research brochure (PDF).
2004 Northwest Symposium on Getting the Bugs to Work for You: Biological Control in Organic Agriculture. On November 12, 2004, CSANR is co-sponsoring this Symposium in Portland, Oregon, in conjunction with the 30th anniversary and annual conference of Tilth Producers. Presentations will include: Current status of organic research and education in WA and OR; Paul Stamets, Mushrooms as Your Allies; Paul Jepson, Biologically Based IPM; Grower Case Study, Using Biologically Based IPM; Bill Snyder, Conservation Biological Control; Grower Case Study, Conserving Beneficials; and Helen Atthowe, Designing Pest Resistant Systems with Living Mulches. Click here for more information.
2002 Northwest Symposium on Organic and Biologically Intensive Farming: Advances in Research and Education. On November 8, 2002, CSANR co-sponsored this Symposium in Yakima, Washington, in conjunction with the annual conference of Tilth Producers. About 220 people attended, with half being growers, a quarter from universities, and the balance a mix of consultants, agency personnel, and commercial representatives. The symposium featured a poster session with over 45 presentations. Summaries of the posters can be found in the symposium proceedings.
The On-Farm Mortality Composting Research and Education Project. The purpose of this project is to promote on-farm composting as an environmentally and economically sound method of disposal for agricultural livestock mortalities over 300 pounds. Additionally supported from the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. For more information about the project and the field trials, please see the website www.mortcompost.info
| Land EKG Report On Aug. 30-Sept. 1, 2006, 23 new people were trained in Land EKG™, an ecological monitoring system primarily for range managers. Land EKG™ is a creation of Charley Orchard, and this was approximately Charley’s 60th training event. This particular training held outside Ellensburg was sponsored and supported by WSU BIOAg, Washington Cattlemen’s Association, and the Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network. |
Mustard Green Manures. Andy McGuire, WSU Extension Grant County. On-farm evaluation of mustard for use in potato and other vegetable crop systems on irrigated Columbia Basin farms. Mustard green manures improve water infiltration into the soil, increase the soil’s resistance to wind erosion, and suppress some pests. May be able to replace expensive fumigants for control of the Potato Early Dying disease.
Mustard Fact Sheet Using Green Manures in Potato Cropping Systems More information
Agricultural Systems. Dr. Carol Miles, WSU Vancouver Research and Extension Unit. Vegetable crop production and alternative crops such as edamame, wasabi, bamboo, and organic seed production. Work is targeted for both small-scale and large commercial growers, with emphasis on organic production, and includes an international component with the Bean/Cowpea CRSP.
Organic and Integrated Tree Fruit Production. David Granatstein, WSU Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center. Orchard understory management, including mulches, and cover crops for soil health, tree nutrition, water conservation, and pest suppression. Also includes non-chemical weed control techniques applicable to organic orchards, and linking to niche markets through ecolabels such as organic and Food Alliance.
Areawide Codling Moth Control. Dr. Jay Brunner, WSU Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center. Biological benefits of using insect pheromones over large contiguous areas of orchards to control codling moth. Research has helped to expand the use of pheromone mating disruption in apples and pears from zero to over 60,000 acres.
Biological and Cultural Control of Vegetable Diseases. Dr. Debra Inglis, WSU Mt. Vernon Research and Extension Unit. Research on diseases affecting fresh and processed vegetable crops grown in western Washington. She has worked extensively with late blight of potato and tomato, and was involved in developing a recently released potato variety with resistance to the disease.
Biological Control of Insect Pests in Grapes and Hops. Dr. David James, Department of Entomology, WSU Prosser. Biological control and integrated pest management in irrigated horticultural cropping systems. Using and understanding natural enemies to provide biocontrol and reduce pesticide use in hops and grapes. Research on mite biology and ecology and the use of pheromones in insect management.
Ecology of Insect Predators and Parasitoids in Washington Crops. Dr. Bill Snyder, Department of Entomology, WSU Pullman. Enhancing biological control of insects in agricultural fields. Exploring three main questions: Does greater biodiversity among natural enemies lead to more effective biocontrol? Can we use basic ecological principles to engineer more effective communities of natural enemies? What is the relative importance of generalist and specialist natural enemies in biological control?
Northwest Biocontrol Insectary and Quarantine Facility. Terry Miller, Manager and Quarantine Officer, WSU Pullman. Introduction, screening and propagation of exotic and native beneficial arthropods. Current research includes biological control of legume, grain and potato aphids, nursery, greenhouse, and floriculture pests, cherry-bark tortrix on cherry, leafrollers on raspberries/blackberries, and organic cropping systems.
Peshastin Creek Growers Areawide Organic Project. This group of growers strive to enhance environmental quality in a cooperative areawide program of tree fruit production. They are doing this by using environmentally-friendly pest management practices that will improve water and soil quality, improve worker safety, and reduce pesticide inputs. Their primary objective is to establish an areawide insect pest management program based on the use of organic insect control tactics.
Rose Gardens Make Fruit Orchards More Inviting to Friendly Wasps. Apple, pear, and cherry growers in parts of Washington and Oregon are planting wild rose gardens next to their orchards as part of an areawide study that Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Washington State University (WSU) scientists are conducting to bolster spring populations of tiny, parasitic wasps that attack several leafroller moths in tree fruits.
Soil quality. Dr. Craig Cogger, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, WSU Puyallup, and Dr. Dave Bezdicek, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, WSU Pullman. Use of organic amendments and cover crops, pesticide fate, nutrient management. Soil Biology symposium; Fertilizing with manure; Soil management for small farms.
Soil Biology symposium
Fertilizing with manure
Soil management for small farms
WSU Integrated Pest Management Program. Dr. Doug Walsh, Department of Entomology, WSU Prosser. Links to information on statewide IPM activities in Washington, including crops, turf, garden, school grounds, and riparian buffers.
The growth in organic acreage is driven by consumer demand, environmental and regulatory pressures, and numerous successes that have enhanced the natural processes to control pests, improved soil, and increased product quality. With an expansion in organic production, there is a greater need for information and the research that is its foundation.
When Cuban trade relations with the socialist bloc collapsed in 1990, pesticides and fertilizers virtually disappeared, and the availability of petroleum for agriculture dropped by half. Today, Cuba is moving towards food self-sufficiency, due in part to a thriving small-scale farm sector, widespread community and household gardens, and direct marketing networks. Cuban agricultural policy promotes ecologically sustainable production through soil conservation, organic soil inputs, biological pest control, and the reincorporation of rural and urban populations into agriculture.
WSU led a 6-state SARE project on sustainable dryland farming from 1989-1992. Numerous information products were generated, including a database of the past 100 years of research in the region, which is now available on-line.
Since the beginning of agriculture, farmers have relied on biological processees for enhancing soil nutrition. With the advent of chemical fertilizers in the early 1900s, many farmers discontinued the use of green manures, crop rotations, and animal manures. Additionally, many farmers only grow one or a few crops, and farmers usually either grow crops or livestock but not both. Farmers today are relearning the benefits of integrated systems that utilize compost to provide crop nutrition and improve soil quality and health.
Capital Press 4/3/02 and Lewiston Morning Tribune 4/4/02. Local highlights of CSANR BIOAg proposals.
BIFS/BIOS. University of California – Davis, and California Alliance for Family Farms. The original BIOS (Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems) focused on almonds and walnuts, and led to dramatic changes in management that reduced pesticide use, improved soil, and cut costs. Additional crops are now included in this applied research and demonstration program.
Integrated Plant Protection Center (IPPC). From the free Database of IPM Resources (DIR) comes a list of the “Best Sites” based on demonstrated creativity, quality design (user friendly) and usefulness of purpose.
Naturalize Your Farming System. A Whole-Farm Approach to Managing Pest from the USDAs Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN).
Return to Top of Page
Updated
February 14, 2008
|
|
