Specialty Crops

New from Extension: Crop soils as carbon sinks; blueberry economics

New free guides available online from WSU Extension include a look at the benefits of storing carbon in inland northwest crop soils, as well as the economics of growing the Draper blueberry west of the Cascades. Every month, experts with WSU share new information through the WSU Extension Publications bookstore. 2022 Cost Estimates of Producing […]

Blueberry bushes

Crop-defending scientist Lindsey du Toit leads WSU Plant Pathology Dept.

Lindsey du Toit is the first woman to lead WSU Plant Pathology as full, regular chair.

Lindsey du Toit portrait

New academy to connect specialty crop professionals across regions for climate resilience

A new training academy launched by researchers at Washington State University will help professionals supporting fruits, vegetables, seeds, and other specialty crops vulnerable to climate change build resiliency through forward-thinking conversations. Funded by a $1.5 million Climate Hub grant from the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Foundational and Applied Science Program, a team led […]

Vineyard in Washington state

Asia-Pacific partners get look at WSU research for Skagit Valley’s exported specialty crops

Sharing research that helps Washington’s Skagit Valley specialty-crop producers supply the world, scientists at WSU’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center gave members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) an in-field look at current projects on soil-biodegradable plastic mulch, soil health, and disease defense. Visiting Mount Vernon on Friday, Aug. 4, five APEC-member secretaries or […]

Lisa DeVetter hosts the APEC tour

Field tour looks at hard-working grasses for the future, June 8

See experimental grasses and meet the scientists testing how they stand up to heavy wear, pollution, and extreme conditions.

Michael Neff- grass field day

New grant aims to reduce plastic taken from fields to landfills

WSU leads a new $8 million USDA-funded project aiming to advance soil-biodegradable plastic mulches and develop innovative methods for recycling the regular plastic mulch.

Strawberries growing in a field on plastic mulch.