Biosolids are the materials produced from digestion of sewage at city wastewater treatment plants. When applied at rates that meet plant nutrient needs, farmers and researchers are seeing crop yields equal to or greater than those seen with synthetic fertilizer.
Comprehensive Effort to Create Sustainable Fertilizers Phosphorus recycled from human and animal waste for plant fertilizer could ease demand for the dwindling, increasingly expensive rock-mined element. Scientists at WSU have found plants flourish with struvite, a waste ingredient composed of magnesium, nitrogen, and phosphorous. Teamed with Multiform Harvest, a Seattle phosphorous recovery company, the researchers […]
Fruits of the Vine Viticulture Field Day Offers Harvest of Science-based Solutions for Growers John Derrick of Mercer Canyons Inc. didn’t know what was wrong with two blocks of the farm’s 920 acres of wine grapes outside of Prosser last year. Leaves showed reddish discolorations and flecking. He and other vineyard staff speculated about a […]
It’s not enough to grow a great crop. Cities are full of former farmers and ranchers who could produce excellent yields of high-quality commodities. Success today also demands mastery of management, and management is based on information. It’s no wonder, then, that the brightest and best producers today can drive a computer as well as […]
PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University scientists in Puyallup, Prosser and Pullman are gearing up to start a comprehensive two-year study of plant uptake of metals for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The $400,000 study was authorized in a fertilizer reform package passed by the state legislature this spring. The package also included provisions […]
OLYMPIA, WA — The State of Washington has proposed steps to make sure farmers know what is in the fertilizer they use, protect the environment, and make sure consumers know their food supply is safe. The plan includes several immediate actions and some long-term steps. The departments of Agriculture, Ecology and Health will work with […]
Olympia, Wash. — Results of a special analysis conducted on 35 samples of fertilizer are available for review, but still to come is a clear understanding of what the data means from the standpoint of human health. The analysis was conducted in response to public questions and concerns about the use of industrial by-products as […]