Exploring Climate Change Impact on Agriculture As Washington experiences longer summers, higher temperatures, reduced snow pack, and more extreme weather events, the state’s farmers and ranchers are wondering what the impact will be to their bottom line. As some of the most climate-dependent business owners in the state, farmers may have the most to lose. […]
Taking the Biofuels Initiative with Camelina A 3,500-year-old crop may be the newest addition to the biofuel inventory in Washington state. Camelina, a false or dwarf flax first grown in northern Europe around 1500 B.C., was one of the crop trials featured at the annual Washington State University Lind Dryland Agriculture Research Station field day […]
Focus on Food, Fuel as Master Gardeners Program Turns 35 Some 250 Master Gardener volunteers from across Washington state gathered at Fort Warden State Park near Port Townsend June 12 – 14 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the world’s first Master Gardeners program. There has never been a better time for the state’s Master […]
New Stone Fruit Breeder at WSU Prosser Center Nnadozie Oraguzie, a senior scientist at New Zealand’s state-owned horticulture research institution, has assumed duties as stone fruit breeder-geneticist at the Washington State University Prosser Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center. He will focus on development of new sweet cherry varieties suited for production in the Pacific […]
Capital Press’s Ongoing Investment in WSU For years, Capital Press, the region’s premiere agricultural newspaper, has put its money where its people are by giving scholarships to students majoring in some aspect of agriculture. Every spring, the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences holds an awards banquet to recognize outstanding students, faculty and […]
High-residue Farming Andy McGuire, Washington State University Extension’s Lauzier Agricultural Systems Educator at Ephrata, has received a $50,000 grant from the Paul Lauzier Charitable Foundation to further research and demonstration work on high-residue farming systems at WSU’s Othello Research Unit. High-residue farming is a system of practices, including minimum tillage and direct seeding, that maintains […]
Passing on How-to Farmer to Farmer Washington State University Snohomish County Extension is presenting a series of farmer-to-farmer tours this spring and summer. The purpose is to create opportunities for farmers to share information and expertise. The knowledge needed to farm profitably used to be passed from one generation to the next. For many, that […]
Future of Farming Project Aims to Keep Agriculture Profitable What can our state’s policy leaders do to help Washington’s farming families stay profitable over the next 20 years? To help sort out the challenges and the opportunities, farmers, ranchers and others in the industry are encouraged to help develop a strategic plan through the Future […]
WSU, Bee Industry Partner to Study CCD Washington State University scientists and Pacific Northwest beekeepers are joining forces to find out what is causing the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder that has wiped out thousands of hives throughout the region over the past several years. Two large beekeepers in the Pacific Northwest–Eric Olson of Yakima and […]
Organic Ag Online Washington State University, the first institution in the country to offer an academic major in organic agriculture, is now offering the nation’s first online certificate in organic agriculture. “The U.S. organic food industry has grown at a rate of 20 to 30 percent each year for more than a decade and is […]